Archive
Introducing The Cranky, a Driveway Tax, Road Diet Realities and Cycle Chic: The Weekly Chatter
MyWHaT has won an award; it’s called “The Cranky”. As part of the Third Coast Bicycle Festival film night, the TCBF crew threw me a bone with their first community advocacy award. Basically, it’s for being crazy enough to throw my time away into city business, planning process and general ranting on issues involving the community. Thank you to all the TCBF partners and all the people involved who understand that our public space is too valuable to simply accept turning it over to a single dominate, destructive use, such as the automobile. It’s greatly appreciated.
By the way, the TC Bicycle Festival is taking over Friday Night Live tonight on Front Street. Bikes, bikes and more bikes is the theme. (Favor to ask: send me images if you can. I, unfortunately, but necessarily have to work.)
Weekly Chatter
- The City of Traverse City introduced a traffic calming document. They are seeking advice and from my first read, they really need help. Send comments to the city planner.
- A driveway tax. hmmm? Interesting idea. Here’s how a community steps away from valuing parking over people.
- This “little dog will keep barking”: Reclaim the streets, don’t let the bully win.
- Road diets reduce collisions AND improve traffic flow. The summary of the report can be downloaded at “Evaluation of Lane Reduction “Road Diet” Measures on Crashes” (PDF). I will be writing about this soon, as we have some serious decisions to make in Traverse City. Basically, if we want road diets on our worst roads, we need to use the entire network, otherwise we will continue to create car sewers like Division St., 8th Street, Garfield Ave…..
- What’s your vision for passenger rail in Michigan? Rumor has it there will also be a meeting in Traverse City on September 22. Rail seems more doable as the economic reality is setting in. There is even a symposium coming up on the conservative case for rail. Just please keep the libertarians away, as far as infrastructure goes, they are wrong.
Twitterville:
- RT “Boulder to use car colors to discourage driving” (@lutzfernandez)
- We kill 40k people in traffic accidents and maim 3x that each year and we don’t think anything of it. (@pwthornton)
- Burlington, Vermont turned a parking space into bike parking in a very creative way. (@ohhleary)
- Ingham County Road Commission, 1st Cmmn in MI to adopt Complete Sts. Kudos to IC Women’s Commission (@WalkBikeRollMI)
To wrap, the King of Cycle Chic misses the “Cycle Chictress” while eating lunch (warning: eye candy alert). Cycle Chic is a global movement showcasing everyday people riding their bikes and looking good. In a subtle way, it’s advocating style over speed and creating a culture where bikes are valued beyond recreation. Last night’s Bicycle Film Night started with the following short: Cycle Chic in Copenhagen and Beyond. For a list of Cycle Chic spin-offs, see below, but first this short for inspiration.
Key Posts on MyWHaT this past week:
- Parking in Traverse City: Key to Prosperity or Car Incubator?
- Guest Contributor: One-way & Two-way streets = Choices
- 無爲 wúwéi of MyWHaT: Not Quitting, Just Letting Go
- PARK (ing) Day: Are You In?
Have a weekend!
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List of Cycle Chic Community from the Original:
• 416 CYCLE STYLE – TORONTO • A PARISIAN CYCLIST • AIX-EN-PROVENCE CYCLE CHIC • AMSTERDAMIZE • AUCKLAND CYCLE CHIC • BANDUNG CYCLE CHIC • BARCELONA CYCLE CHIC • CHANGE YOUR LIFE, RIDE A BIKE • CHARLESTON CYCLE CHIC • CURITIBA CYCLE CHIE • CYCLE CHIC BELGIUM • CYCLE CHIC PORTO ALLEGRE • CYCLE CHIC SUNDAYS • CYCLE CHIC VALÉNCIA • CYCLE CHIC HUNGARY • ESTONIA CYCLE CHIC • EUGENE CYCLE CHIC • FEATHER BRIGADE – SYDNEY • I DREAM OF BICYCLING • CYCLE CHIC JACKSONVILLE • KOSZALIN CYCLE CHIC • KRAKOW CYCLE CHIC • L.A. CYCLE CHIC • LAKELAND FLORIDA CYCLE CHIC • LODZ CYCLE CHIC • LONDON CYCLE CHIC • LUBLIN CYCLE CHIC • MOSCOW CYCLE CHIC • MALMÖ•LUND CYCLE CHIC • MUNICH CYCLE CHIC • MY HYGGELIG • NO HO CYCLE CHIC • ODESSA CYCLE CHIC • PHOENIX CYCLE CHIC • PORTOCALA MECANICA • RADOM CYCLE CHIC • RIGA CYCLE CHIC • SACRAMENTO CYCLE CHIC • SEXIFY – SEOUL CYCLE CHIC • SHE RIDES A BIKE • ST. ANDREWS CYCLE CHIC • ST. PETERSBURG CYCLE CHIC • STOCKHOLM – PUT THE FUN BETWEEN YOUR LEGS • SWEET GEORGIA BROWN • SYDNEY CYCLE CHIC • TALL CHICKS ON DUTCH BIKES • THE HAGUE CYCLE CHIC • TORINO CYCLE CHIC • TORUN CYCLE CHIC • TUCSON BIKE BEAUTIFUL • VANCOUVER CYCLE CHIC • VELO BELLO • VELO VOGUE • VÉLOCOUTURE • WARSAW CYCLE CHIC • WILL ‘O THE WISP • WROCLAW BICYCLE CHIC • ZIELONA GÓRA CYCLE CHIC •
Park Portrait: A Neighborhood Playground
Park Portrait: Boon Street Park
Boon Street Park is a standard neighborhood park that currently provides basic playground equipment and a large open space tucked under tall Oak trees. It’s tucked into the neighborhood, and many people pass it with out notice. As equipment ages, value could be added to this neighborhood park with some landscaping, including, perhaps, a few added natural elements meant for play. The park certainly has some space to utilize. One element I’d like to see changed is the utility box smack in the middle of the entry. It takes away from the curb-side appeal.
* Reminder, a map of all 34 city parks is available at the government center (should be there now). You can also view and download a digital version at the MyWHaT Scribed site.
