MyWHaT

Why bike on 8th St.? To get somewhere. And, with the right people--it's fun.

Some form of the following question keeps resurfacing. Presented this way on Facebook: “Gary, when I advocate for the 8th St. bike route, I am asked why can’t the bikers not just use the TART Trail which is nearby. Can you provide a concise, persuasive answer to this question?“

That was Ron Jolly’s point last week and it is a common thread on Plan for TC and the Up North Live discussion developing.

There are 1001 reasons to make 8th Street a complete street. I can’t think of one, even as a car driver, why we wouldn’t.

Bike lanes are one important step to calming traffic and adding value to the city. This question is an attempt to simplify the discussion and feed into an “us vs. them” argument.

It’s a bigger issue than bike lanes (did I say that yet?). However, a question was asked…Here is an attempt at being concise and persuasive on why bicycle commuters use 8th Street:

• Direct route: The same reason cars use 8th St. as an uninhibited east-west corridor.
• Access: 8th Street is mixed-use. Bicyclist need safe infrastructure to access the homes & businesses located there. The residents and business owners want their visitors to arrive safely, conveniently and in a good mood. (This might be the main reason...people ride to get to places ON 8th Street!)
• Safety: As a vulnerable users it’s important to be visible and present across the city (made more safe with a bike lane).
• TART Trail is a recreational trail: Great for a casual ride, not so great to get somewhere. The bicycle is a transportation choice.
• TART is a multi-use trail: Bikes on TART have to navigate walkers, joggers, kids, pets and stop signs at every street crossing.
• Tourists $$$: The high number of tourists in town are increasingly coming here to be active. Our network of trails is not intuitive or direct. Making all of our streets safe and encouraging bicycle use will help keep tourist dollars in the city.
• Legal right: Cyclists have a legal right to the road. Motorist are granted a privilege.
• Winter Riding: TART, alleys and side streets are the last to be plowed. And TART not very well. The bicycle is a year-round option.
• Easy to do: Why not do it? It’s not a highway. It should be a given that a 25mph neighborhood street include improved Infrastructure for all modes of transportation.
• Money well spent: The return on investment for bike lanes (and pedestrian improvements) increases home values & thus tax revenue.
• Choices=encouragement: The model walkable/bikable cities use bike infrastructure that prioritize multiple types of users and intentions. Provide choices to the entire tax base, not just the car-centric. 8th St. is key to connectivity.
• Coffee Deliveries: Musical version “Do it for Dan”.
• ????

That’s the short list. This BLOG is the longer, ever-growing list. Use the reasons that best serve your needs. The real question is what is the purpose of the city and how do we improve the experience for everyone. According to 30 years of citizen input, as stated in our master plan, traffic calming and providing for pedestrians and bicyclists is a priority all over town. Including 8th Street.

The city has answered the above question, now they need to implement.

Has anyone gotten the answer down to three words?

What is the Twitter feed that sums it up?

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After last week’s study session, tonight’s city commission’s agenda seems fairly–ho-hum. A list of purchasing orders, ‘routine’ approvals and a clearing of the way for TCLP to use its dark fiber for the wireless internet program.

8th Street is not the agenda. But will be discussed (at least by me).

The city is waiting on a meeting with the MDOT executive director to present the case that a ‘change of order’ is mostly paint and won’t delay the project. MDOT needs to sign-off on this late change. The regional office already declined.

Still, other than the Plan for TC web site, run by Mayor Chris Bzdok, there has been little sign from the city commission & staff that the 2010 8th Street construction and the lack of effective process in fulfilling its master plan, are of major concern. Perhaps tonight they will respond.

Plan on attending to use public comment as a reminder that anything other than making 8th Street a complete street in 2010 is a failure.

Agenda and Packet

TC Planning Commission Study Session

Tomorrow night’s planning commission meeting is a chance to address some of the process. The meeting is a joint meeting with the DDA to discuss 2010-2016 Capital Improvement plans. Not the sexiest of meetings, but it is one way to get ahead of upcoming projects before they are designed. The difficult part is determining what staff is actually talking about and what items are actively being implemented…it will be educational…  Agenda and Packet

Drop a comment if you plan to attend or have something you’d like said in your absence…

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1950 Walt Disney release of  ‘Motor Mania‘. It can happen to all of us, so be careful out there…and is yet another, in a long line of reasons, for better infrastructure.

(At the 4:14 mark, let’s call this friendly chap Mr. Lively…)

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