Friday Funny Scribble
Exploration of Traffic Signage #128
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Changing the psychology and economics of a street & neighborhood…in one day!
And, on less than $1000 and an injection of community intelligence.
This is part 2 0f 3. Part 1 introduces the concept and Part 3 is MIA.
Begs the question, where can we do this in Traverse City?
How about the first day that 8th Street is opened up after reconstruction? Or, a entire series throughout the summer. I have a list, what locations are on yours?
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The 2010 8th Street project is well underway. It really hasn’t caused a major issue. Glen’s market’s parking lot has been full and the city is functioning. Yes, cars are finding new ‘cut-throughs’, but is that so bad? We have a functioning network that is resilient to change. The city handles automobiles really well.
Point being: let’s experiment with our main corridors. We can slow them down. We can provide for all users. We can make the main corridors beautifully landscaped places. And still move cars and people.
I personally have been enjoying biking in the 8th St. construction zone. You can ride down the middle of the lane. You can stand in the middle of road. It makes cartwheels so much easier.
We should have an impromptu street party!
It’s free of most traffic all night…
(In China, street vendors would be all over this)
Whether you travel by foot, pedal, or motor, has the two block closing impacted your commute?
And, who needs more 8th Street Stickers? Just let me know…
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Wednesday Poll
I’m looking to introduce polls to MyWHaT and for the first one just keeping it basic.
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Thank you!
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We’re getting there.
Monday night the city commission voted to move ahead with the 2010 resurfacing projects. The accepted bid actually came in $250,000 or so under the estimates; just enough to pay for the estimated cost to complete the street along Barlow St.
What that complete Barlow St. will look like will be designed this year to be included in the 2011 projects. After Monday night’s meeting, it’s safe to say that it will include sidewalks. The work of an invigorated planning commission and some key public input over the last month has shifted a perceived general indifference by the city commission as a whole. No longer on the table, it appears, are half measures and penny-pinching when it comes to some of our traditionally under-served neighborhoods.
The new infrastructure policy passed in 2009 (PDF) calls for improvements and the completing of streets for all users. Originally, Barlow St. was going to simply be re-paved. By pulling Barlow St. out of the 2010 projects the city will be able to redesign it to be a complete street.
What was very significant Monday night was the public comments by Lynn Morton and two residents of the Community Living Center on Barlow St. These are the residents that the city needs to be considering on all of their public-right-of-way projects. The 30 plus residents at this center depend on walking or public transit as their connection to the community. They deserve safe, comfortable, and convenient access ALL OVER the city, but starting outside their front door is a great start.
We’re moving in the right direction. Apparently, city commissioners are listening. Commissioner Mike Gillman made an encouraging comment to that affect Monday night just before the vote to accept the 2010 projects.
Let’s hold him, the commission and the city staff to it.
Commissioner Gillman: “People come here thinking public comment doesn’t have anything to do with the results of the commission. I came here almost two weeks ago pretty much agnostic as regards to sidewalks on Barlow St. Between the cumulative effect of the input here today and the input last week I’ve become a believer that the next time around we probably have to put sidewalks on Barlow,” he said.
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Mind wander
I try to honor the Take Back Your Time movement and that’s getting increasingly difficult in Traverse City. Everyone just seems hyperactive lately. Is it all the sunshine we’ve been getting?
It’s one reason why I enjoy walking to meetings & errands. It slows me down. Stretches time.
It’s also why I like pausing in public spaces. Loose rule: walking past a bench, one should sit, if only for a minute. When was the last time you honored this rule? Most of us don’t; I haven’t lately. Our thoughts are often on the next thing. The place we need to be. The task that needs doing. The big event.
This guy knows how to use a bench & how to recycle a water bottle. (Photo: Gary L Howe • Chengdu, 2009)
The places in-between
This mindset has major implications on how we perceive public space. Are the places in-between places to experience along the way? Or, are they places to blankly pass through? Most of the time, it’s the latter.
If we’re driving, we speed through them and see less. We experience the interior of a car and our heads. We go 35mph through neighborhoods.
If we are biking, we’re more in the moment, but it’s also a lot about the action; the cadence. It’s a little less about the place. Sometimes we miss what’s there. Not always though. I can bike pretty slow.
Taking the bus? Well, that’s interesting. It’s like stepping into a mobile place and taking a social gamble. Who will you meet? Could be a chance for conversation. It could be a chance to look out the window. It could just be a convenient way to get somewhere.
When walking, the mind wanders, for certain. But, we also don’t miss much of our surroundings. On the mile walk I frequently take to NMC, I always see something I haven’t seen before. Walking is what we are cognitively created to do well. It’s a shame that the average American won’t consider walking a trip that’s more than 10 minutes away (.25 mile).
Where am I going with this?
Nowhere really. Time for a rest. Another loose rule: Cancel something everyday. Doesn’t have to be something big, but can be. Just cancel it.
That all said, if you do get out this week, here are a few events to consider:
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What are you canceling today?
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Tuesday Cartoon
Three Delivery: 3 orphans trained in kung fu (功夫) using cool bikes to battle the evil of Gong Li. They also deliver Chinese take out and make a lot of bad jokes…what else do you need?
This reminded me that I wanted to give a shout out to Traverse City’s Two Wheel Technique skills group. They meet every Tuesday to hone their handling and balancing on two wheels. Contact through the website to get current location. All ages and skill levels welcome.
So, have you popped a wheelie lately?
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Monday’s Quote
Transportation is not an end — it is a means to having a better life, a more enjoyable life — the real goal is not to improve transportation but to improve the quality of life.
–Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogota, Colombia.
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Peñalosa was quoted in the pre-launch days of MyWHaT; he will be quoted often in the future.
He’s a mayoral rock star for his ability to focus development in Bogotá, Colombia away from the car (and the wealthy) and prioritize active modes of transportation, public transit, public spaces and connecting hundreds of miles of linear greenways.
He has helped redefine urban development into a practice of designing environments that raise the happiness level. Like championing a network of pedestrian only streets as opposed to only in small quaint sections (via 2007 Streetfilms interview).
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Weekly Chatter
Alternative perspective (Tatsuro Kiuchi)
Local chatter
Other chatter
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Friday funny
Leave it behind…
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NOTE: See the little stars in the upper left corner. Go ahead, vote. It’s anonymous…
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