Is this how the Boardman Lake Trail will be completed?
Along the TART Trail (Photo: GLHowe)
Rails-to-Trails is leading a push to help support U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer’s (Ore.) Active Community Transportation Act, H.R.4722. The passage of the act would create a $2 billion fund focused on building bicycling and walking networks, and do so through a competitive grant process similar to transit and road infrastructure.
Contact your representative to encourage them to support this act. With Michigan already losing out on millions in federal transportation funds, it seems logical that now is the time to support more targeted bills. You can visit the Rails-to-Trails or Michigan Complete Streets to learn more about the bill.
You can follow the bill through congress at GovTrack.us
Is this how the Boardman Lake Trail will be completed?
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UPDATE: The 8th Street Kerfuffle is still in the ‘system’ somewhere between FHWA, MDOT, and the CITY. The city has requested approval for a list of traffic calming and active transportation additions to the project. MDOT had to pass that on to FHWA which will determine whether or not things like lane narrowing, turn lane removal and addition of bike lanes exceed the threshold for a ‘normal change of order’. You’re encouraged to contact Senator Carl Levin’s office to request any and all possible support from the senator’s office. We’re looking for a little flexibility to ensure that the money is spent wisely & that we move towards a complete street. You can hand deliver your letter to his TC office: 107 Cass Street Suite E Traverse City, MI 49684-2602
A promising sign out of the 8th Street Kerfuffle is an invigorated Traverse City planning commission. Wednesday night’s meeting was the first time that capital improvements were judged on whether or not they conformed with the city’s master plan. Although they allowed for the projects to move forward (minus Barlow, Airport Access & Hannah-which will have further review), there was a poignant & promising discussion that a re-prioritization from staff is needed. Planning Commissioner Ross Richardson offered a clear re-cap and promising comment on this web site after the meeting.
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It’s important to note that of the ten infrastructure projects presented none offered any features to support pedestrian/cyclist safety. The three that were sent back to staff for adjustment were done so because the planning commission felt they were especially in need of some improvements.
At one point in the meeting, commissioner Jan Warren put her foot down to basically say to staff, “Is this really the best you can offer?” Staff continues to work in some kind of public vacuum. Work such as this should be brought up for discussion months before a decision is necessary. The constant tactic of throwing plans on the table days before they must be acted upon can be viewed as passive-aggresive behavior designed to allow as little time for critical analysis as possible.
At this point we’re really not talking about creating a bicycle/pedestrian friendly community. We’re doing nothing short of expecting a cultural shift in the way the City interacts with its citizens. So, again, this responsibility cannot fall solely on the shoulders of staff. Such cultural change must come from the top. This means the Mayor and City Commission must step up their game, to make sure the City Manager prioritizes these issues with the staff. Focused attention needs to be applied to making sure all staff clearly understand the meaning and implications of the Master Plan. We might consider mandated that everyone walking into City offices actually read it. I’m serious here.
My preference would’ve been to simply deny all ten plans, and leave the City trying to explain to its constituency why no road improvements are being done. I understand this isn’t the most practical of solutions, and I support the planning commission’s decision on Tuesday. But as one commissioner said: “When can we expect all new projects in the City to conform to our Master Plan? This, by the way, is a state law! If not now, when?