I want to quote this entire video from a Walking Schools project in NY. Ah, kids.
Two winners:
Who is walking (or running or biking) to school in your neighborhood?
Sign the Michigan Complete Streets Petition
Traverse City’s new infrastructure policy (PDF) received some praise from Michigan Complete Streets yesterday in the press release by Rory Neuner titled: Traverse City Makes Complete Streets a Top Priority.
Indeed, Traverse City is saying the right things regarding the Complete Street philosophy and the recent election of Mayor Chris Bzdok presents an amazing opportunity for supporters of using a values based process to infrastructure design. He is an avid bike commuter and advocate of the least represented in the city. A very welcome change, and part of the impulse for this online publication.
He will need citizen assistance and persistence, because it is going to take a lot of work for this policy to actually be implemented. The real danger will be a piece-meal adaption of policy instead of a holistic approach to the network. In addition, a reluctant staff may try to wait out the current supportive commission & Mayor.
We have hope though. More importantly, the community has energy.
The article quotes a longer statement from the mayor, but this portion is encouraging:
In part, this is an equity issue. Not everyone has a car, or is in a position to drive. They deserve a way to get around town, too. In part, this is a plan for reducing traffic in our city. If we don’t make it safe and convenient for people to travel on foot or bicycle, how can we ever expect them to get out of their cars?
Looking forward to things to come. Ready to work.
A year-round possibility
Going through the archives and found this video linked in an email from last winter. Winter biking: just part of the year-round commute Produced by Troy Melhus for Star Tribune on Jan 05, 2008.
A great mix of people of all ages and all of them a little euphoric from the cold. Cold people say the darndest things.
Like “It’s terrifyingly exhilarating.”
Do you ride all year-round? I’m looking for walkers and riders to profile.
This week’s discussion over at Plan for TC is focusing in on street infrastructure in regard to safety for Pedestrians and Bikers.
The question of safety is fairly myopic. It implies that the only reason to provide something like Complete Street infrastructure is to fix a safety issue. As if, the possibility of an extra expense (or shifting of expenses) needs to be justified by that marker alone.
A redesign of the street network is about applying equity to multiple-modal transportation options. That’s first and foremost. It’s a decision by a city to not only serve the basic needs of all its citizens, but to actually promote a different means of transporting oneself a half-mile down the street to get milk.
We need incentives to change habits. A transportation network that is leading-edge in terms of placing walkers & bikers as priorities is one incentive.
Hence, Safety in design leads to safety in numbers leads to….(one thing it leads to is increased social interactions which have proven to increase economic activity)
That all said, there are several parts of Traverse City that are unsafe, or perceived unsafe, to either fully utilize or to simply cross. A note about safety, when you’re exposed as a walker or biker, the perception of safety is often the deciding factor.
A quick list:
If it’s in the city and there are businesses and homes, I’m calling it a neighborhood.
The interesting realization looking at this list is that most of these are also trouble spots for automobile traffic. Take the 8th Street speedway for example: It’s a 25 mph zone that most people use to go 35-45mph. It’s difficult not to. It’s counter-intuitive, but if we reduced lanes and cut the speed-limit to 20 mph (or left it at 25mph) we would actually see increased flow of traffic. One reason being is that you can fit more cars closer together in the same amount of space at slower speeds.
We could talk about similar schemes on Division St.
Fascinating stuff.
Do you have examples of neighborhood roads that are dangerous to bikers & pedestrians as they are currently designed?
What is the rationale for implementing a Complete Streets plan?
From the National Complete Streets Coalition Newsletter:
Michigan Resolutions Introduced
State Representative Jon Switalski introduced a resolution expressing support for active transportation infrastructure to promote walking and bicycling and to prevent childhood obesity. The resolution contains language urging county and local road agencies to follow complete streets principles. Rep. Pam Byrnes also introduced a companion House Concurrent Resolution. The Michigan Complete Streets Coalition urges locals to ask their representatives to support the resolutions.
No time today to look the resolutions over, but will-do over the weekend and post about it next week. (In near future)
Initial glance seems to be just suggesting, urging that agencies follow those principles. Traverse City, has already done that but they still not implement or embrace it. It takes citizen pressure.
Are resolutions without funded mandates representative of change, or just empty gestures?
More from the twitter love fest and the hash-tag trend #whyweride:
This Twitter trend has been generating for the last three days.
Loving it.
Why do you ride? Or, walk?
An addition to the tips for biking in the winter –>
Use the whole lane if needed.
Go forth with confidence. It’s your road. You actually have a right to the road, perhaps even more so than an automobile. Driving a motor vehicle is a privilege that can be taking away. It’s not a right.
Also, walk in the road if you need to. A person has to get to work after all. Or the movies. It doesn’t matter. Just be well-lit. I use this Clip-on Light
The Web site titled The Million Car Challenge Campaign states it well in its mission:
Our Mission is simple. Deliver one consistent message using one million cars so that millions of drivers will get the message….. “Bicycles Allowed Use of Full Lane, Change To Pass”.
Have fun. Stay upright. Get there.
What prevents you from using your full rights to the road?
I’m not alone in this currently frozen tundra of Northwest Michigan. We have several strong pace-setters and traffic-dodgers who have been working for more sense-able street & infrastructure design- a more balanced approach to spending taxpayer money.
As I move forward in this endeavor, I’ll be leaning on their experience, leadership and expertise.
And, I need more. Please, send me any on or offline organization or individual that I’m missing here. It will be greatly appreciated.
Here are the beginnings if what I know, admittedly, bike heavy. Anyone walking out there?: 
It’s not just Bike-centric:
As you can see, we are two-wheeled centric in the advocacy camp. There are more ways to get to work and the store than a car or a bike.
Any goat-cart advocates out there?
What organizations or individuals have I missed?
It’s Winter. Just slow down. Focus. You’re not as good as you think you are.
It’s the same rules whether you’re driving, pedaling, walking or steering a goat-cart.
The big difference with driving a motor vehicle is that when accidents happen, it usually isn’t pretty.
My condolences to the friends and families involved in last night’s fatal accident on U.S. 31 in Interlochen, as well as to those involved in the December 4th accident that happened almost a mile away from yesterday’s.
In the Dec. 4th accident, a friend and community stalwart was severely injured. Marc Alderman is on the mend, spirits seem high. You connect with Marc via the Marc Alderman’s Healing Update page on Facebook. Gruesome crunch car image.
No question.
Reader's Comments