The downfall of civilization & the attempt to fix it: the weekly chatter.
I recently had two appearances on Dave Barron’s program, Investigating Community Resilience. Our discussions touched upon the fragility of the transportation system, simple alternatives, roundabouts, how it is interconnected to public space issues and how our values are reflected in the current infrastructure. It’s nerve-racking being on camera; there’s no delete or strike-through button! He has also aired shows on farming, ecological issues, governance and the role of art & culture with Seth Bernard.
Weekly Chatter
- Yesterday’s post was about sidewalk riding, not the best place for bikes. Still, cops often tell cyclists to get on the sidewalk, like this LA cop who then turned around and issued tickets. Poor form, dude.
Bicycle safe vehicle? As Brad K. said,"It'd be cool if you had to earn it and not just buy it."
- Traverse City has only 3-miles of bike lanes, on over 70 miles of streets. We’re way behind & falling further. Ann Arbor gets federal funds for more bike lanes.
- Some reasons to contemplate why the car has ruined civilization; not many of them can be solved through technology–sorry hybrid supporters. A sticker won’t help much either. —–>
- MDOT director Kurk Steudle’s letter to employees explaining new Complete Streets. This legislative analysis (PDF) also helps to explain the impact. As long as we are talking about Department of Transportation, “Can DOT’s help combat obesity?
- As the K-Zoo oil spill continues, Doug Stanton’s “What the River Dragged in” aims to broaden the discussion & bring it home.-Thanks Doug. And, lest we think the BP Gulf of Mexico Disaster is over, now comes the complicated story: the deep scattering layer.
- What is it with some people? A gubernatorial candidate claims global conspiracy over walkable communities & this guy in Boston has spent over $40-grand fighting bike lanes.
- They just do it better. Comparisons of Dutch and British Streets: same, but different. A View from the Cycle Path has a growing list of reasons used to argue the “it can’t happen here” argument.
- This new bus system in China, at first looked odd, but really makes some sense.
- Will San Francisco allow the cost-to-park our cars go high enough for SF Park to work?
- How does your city treat its ordinary spaces? The article explains how London doesn’t just focus on the core attractions, but tries to add features throughout the city.
To wrap, a parting shot of Traverse City’s most recently completed road project on Bates Ave. along the TART Trail. The project, that turned a longtime dirt road into a paved one, didn’t have anything else slated in terms of improvements, however, the little connector to the trail (shown below) was mentioned by a resident at a planning commission meeting as a small bonus feature. Why wouldn’t you put something like this in? It turns out staff was listening. Thank you staff!
(Click for larger view)
Next-up, let’s see if we can turn that narrow stretch of dirt (soon to be grass=more city mowing) into a native plant garden.
Have a weekend.
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