Archive
When the crosswalk just won’t let you cross
Walk, don’t walk
Chevy Chase’s first feature role.
via kleban10
How many drugs did Chevy Chase actually take when he was young?
_
Have a weekend.
_
Many people have offered their support through one-time gifts or monthly subscriptions–those are greatly appreciated. In addition underwriters have both renewed and signed on for the first time–a major thank you to them as well. They all recognize that there is value in the time and energy behind MyWHaT worth supporting. If you agree, please consider a contribution of $6, $12, $24, or at an amount with which you feel comfortable.
An easy path to more bicycle lanes?
Creating bike lanes
Guest post by Henry Morgenstein
Before I air this on WNMC, I wondered if any of you on MyWHaT have any comments, any useful additions. Thanks! Henry
It will take me awhile to get to my point, but my point is that at no cost to us whatsoever — let me repeat — at no cost whatsoever to any of us, we could create dozens & dozens of miles of bicycle lanes in town. Bear with me for a second.
I’ve always been against making any street a one-way-for-cars. Long ago I learned that making any street one way rather than two ways increases the number of cars traveling on the street, increases the speed of cars, increases the number of accidents on the street.
Henry asks, is there room for a bike lane?
Such would be the case if we made Union & Cass one way streets — but seventh & eighth street are one way, and State street is one way — and yet these are lightly traveled streets, streets where cars are not speeding — most obviously because of the frequent stop signs..
Please envision seventh street along with me. There is one lane for cars to park, and there are two lanes for cars to drive along. Two lanes? Do cars, inside our small town, need a passing lane? Why then two lanes devoted to moving cars. What a waste of space.
Instant solution, instant bike lanes. All one way streets in town: One lane, parked cars; One lane moving cars, One lane two-way bicycle lane.
Many city streets are more than thirty feet wide: 8 feet for parking twelve to fourteen feet for car travel — that leaves more than eight feet for a bicycle lane.
What wonderful wide bike lanes you would have traverse City — and how very many of them you would have Traverse City.
I said it would cost us nothing. Well, we would have to paint lines & put up a sign or two saying — for bicycles only.
How much would that cost? I have a sneaking suspicion the bicycle community would volunteer to do it, or chip in to pay for it.
Those would be terrific, wide, welcoming, bicycle lanes — and they are bicycle lanes that are easy to plow in the winter because they are part of the city street!
We need bicycle lanes. We do not need two car lanes for cars to zip past each other in our town. Time to make room for us bicyclists. We deserve our share of the road.
We can be generous to all uses. Cars will still own more than two-thirds of the road — to park, and to drive. But finally — and it is long overdue, one-third of the road will be for transport that is not motorized.
What do you think?
_
Related:
- What’s Your Intent? Pros & Cons Of One-way & Two-way Streets
- A Temporary One-Way to Two-Way Conversion May Just Stick
- Part I: One-way & Two-way Streets Reflect a Community’s Priorities
- Part II: A One-Way Desert of Parking: State Street
_
__
EDITOR’S NOTE: My Wheels are Turning is published with standard journalistic practice and ethics. The basics of which include: 1) All contributors, including commenters, seek to be accurate and inclusive in the coverage. 2) They treat all topics, viewpoints and individuals covered in a post with respect and dignity. 3) This is an editorial endeavor in that this online publication seeks to support and shift public perception of the value of public space, as well as pedestrian and bike culture. 4) All content is first & foremost the perspective & opinion of the author of that post and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor, other contributors, or underwriters.
Shoreline protection: SB1052 would set the Great Lakes back
…the goal is to raise $10 today.
_
Shoreline protection
~ Guest post by John Nelson and Andy Knott. They argue against Senate Bill 1052 which would remove DEQ oversight of beach grooming along Lake Michigan shoreline.
“Maintenance” and “grooming” — these words connote benign, positive activities. Make no mistake, however, when used to describe activities on our shared Great Lakes shoreline it means mechanized removal of critical plants. Make way for the bulldozers and tractors! Remember the Cherry Tree Inn (RE) and the destruction of vital Great Lakes coastal marsh in attempt to create a “sandy” beach?”
Senate Bill 1052 would allow these activities on the Michigan’s Great Lakes shoreline without any state review was approved by the Michigan Senate and is moving to the House.
No one advocates denying property owners reasonable use of their frontage on the Great Lakes. For three years, environmental groups, state and federal agencies, and property groups including Save our Shoreline (SOS) worked to reach a compromise allowing some activities under a general permit at low-cost and effort. Senate Bill 1052 (MI-GOV) repeals that compromise which SOS has praised. SOS said this in their January newsletter: “For the most part the (SOS) membership did not have any issues with the D.E.Q. or the Army Corp of Engineers. This is great news…” Over the past 5 years, DEQ has denied only 4 general permits for beach grooming; this is hardly an onerous program.
The shoreline of the Great Lakes is a diverse, fragile ecosystem.
Along Grand Traverse Bay, naturally sandy beaches are rare. Most of the shoreline is a mix of cobble, vegetated cobble, cobble sand mix and marshes. The narrow, protective strip of vegetation along the water’s edge helps clean runoff before it gets to the lakes. And it becomes a fish nursery when the water levels rise just a few inches; 90 percent of Great Lakes fish spend their first few years in nearshore areas.
Some legislators cite the need to control invasive phragmites as the rationale for removing DEQ oversight of the public interest in the shoreline. But the bill would allow the cutting and attempted removal of untreated phragmites. The very act of cutting phragmites roots increases spreading as each root segment can float for miles and sprout a new plant.
Proper treatment of phragmites uses limited and targeted approved herbicide under a DEQ permit. The Watershed Center has worked with several partners to control invasive phragmites with great success. Between 2010 and 2011, we reduced the amount of phragmites by 78 percent on Grand Traverse Bay in Grand Traverse County – down to 16 acres. This bill would jeopardize all that work and investment (Watershed Center).
The bill would allow removal of all plants including native. The removal of native vegetation along the shoreline enhances the growth of invasives because it creates a place for them to take hold and spread.
The bill has now passed the house and senate and is on Gov. Snyder’s desk. When running for Governor in 2010, Snyder pledged to protect the environment. Please contact Gov. Snyder now at RickSnyder@michigan.gov or 517-373-3400 and ask him to uphold his pledge and veto the bill.
~ John Nelson is Grand Traverse Baykeeper for the Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay. Andy Knott is Executive Director of the Watershed Center. For more information, you can email him at aknott@gtbay.org. Photos provided by Bob Russel (top) and the GT Watershed Center.
_
EDITOR’S NOTE: My Wheels are Turning is published with standard journalistic practice and ethics. The basics of which include: 1) All contributors, including commenters, seek to be accurate and inclusive in the coverage. 2) They treat all topics, viewpoints and individuals covered in a post with respect and dignity. 3) This is an editorial endeavor in that this online publication seeks to support and shift public perception of the value of public space, as well as pedestrian and bike culture. 4) All content is first & foremost the perspective & opinion of the author of that post and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor, other contributors, or underwriters.
Go Go Goodies: Traverse City’s newest and coolest bike business
…the goal is to raise $5 today–Thank you.
_
Go Go Goodies bike cart hits TC streets
An email interview with Eartha Melzer, co-founder of Traverse City’s newest bike business, Go Go Goodies–a frozen treat delivery cart. You can find them in a TC neighborhood Monday through Saturday.
Emily Bert (left) and Earth Melzer enjoy popsicles during their MyWHaT photo shoot. The two recently started the Go Go Goodies bike cart in Traverse City.
Q: What’s the inspiration behind Go Go Goodies? How did it come to be and who’s all involved?
A: We like the concept of the ice cream truck and want to demonstrate a more sustainable approach to summer time treat delivery. We aim to build community by providing healthier options by bike.
The construction of the Go Go Goodies bike cart was a community project coordinated by my husband, Jens Beddermann. He used recycled materials, borrowed tools, donated space and volunteered expertise to build the bike according to plans that were originally published in a German alternative energy ‘zine back in 1985.
My friend and neighbor Emily Bert recently earned a certificate in plant-based nutrition through Cornell University and is eager to help people get the fruits and vegetables that they need. Back during the March heat wave I borrowed her ice cream maker in hopes of creating a nutritious cold treat for my toddler. As we discussed the crazy weather and the pressing need for healthier cold treats the idea for the Go Go Goodies cart began to take shape.When Jens put together the frame for the cargo bike Emily and I immediately began driving it around town and plotting an ice pop operation.
Q: What types of treats, as you’re Twitter profile states, are you bringing “to the streets”?
A: We are offering frozen fruit bars, Italian ices, frozen lemonades and chocolate-dipped bananas. We would like to carry more items that feature local fruits — organic if possible — and are looking for suppliers in the region. We expect our offerings to evolve.
Q: When and where can people be on the look out for the polka dot cargo bike?
A: We plan to be pedaling the neighborhoods afternoons and evenings Monday through Saturday. Give a wave or a shout if you see us. The cart is a mobile wifi hot spot. You can follow us @gogogoodies and tweet us if you’d like us to head to your street.
Q: What’s up with the wind-chimes?
A: The idea is to get the attention of the people who are close by in a fun and gentle way. We may try out other sounds and we are open to suggestions. Listening to wind-chimes for prolonged periods may produce unwanted side effects …
Q: In the week that you’ve been out hawking cold treats, what are some of your observations? Are Traverse City neighborhoods ready for something different?
A: The response from the people of Traverse City has been encouraging and a lot of fun. Older folks and people who have lived in bigger cities seem to be familiar with the pushcart concept and comfortable approaching us. Several people have thanked us for offering a new option. Children are curious about the bike and eager for treats. A surprising number of people want to chat about ideas for bike-based businesses.
In Traverse Heights, Old Town and Central neighborhoods kids and adults are playing and hanging out in their front yards but some other areas feel awfully still with no one outside even when the weather is nice.
Q: Any difficulties or interesting discoveries you’ve experienced so far?
A: People don’t seem to mind that what we are selling is vegan.
Q: How long will the cart be operating? Is there an expiration to the permit?
Our permits run through July 18 and are renewable. We plan to provide cold treats throughout the summer and imagine offering other goodies come fall.
Q: Anything you’d like to add?
We hope to provoke many happy neighborhood gatherings, an uptick in fruit consumption and more bike usage in Traverse City. Also, we are on Facebook.
—
You can follow Emily and Eartha’s path on Go Go Goodies Twitter feed or on Facebook. Or, go old-school and listen closely for the chimes and flag them down as they come down your street.
UPDATE: Confirmed, Go Go Goodies accepts Baybucks.
__
Related articles
- Compost service by bicycle: 8-yr old brings it full circle (mywheelsareturning.com)
- Non-motorized community plan in the works for TC (record-eagle.com)
“Traffic is a social problem” and what’s needed is “an outbreak of civility”
c
In light of last week’s discussion about speed and America Walks’ four ways to slow things down (MW), we need to recognize that we have within us a great capacity to influence driver behaviors without engineers.
We do this by reclaiming the streets for more than simply moving cars–with or without the help of engineers. We do this by reclaiming the spaces between our homes and the one across the street through simple measures like crossing the street and saying hello to your neighbor. When someone asks how to “slow traffic down” it might be worth it, before getting into this or that design, to ask, “when was the last time you took the neighbor across the street a strawberry pie?“
Beautification projects, like the one called to order in TC’s Old Town (MW), are some of the easiest traffic calming programs we have. The flowers are nice treatment, but connecting people together is the best form of traffic calming. These real, grassroots place making endeavors require collaboration and an embrace of the understanding that it’s not your home that is your castle, your castle is your community.
Over the weekend, in an online forum discussion about crosswalks (yes, there are such things), I was reminded of the work by street philosopher David Engwicht’s (PPS). He is known for approaching community issues, that tend to focus on traffic, as first and foremost a social problem and secondarily a design issue. His work is centered on the idea expressed in the following Engwicht quote:
The speed of traffic on residential streets is governed, to a large extent, by the degree to which residents have retreated from their street.”
_
His approach to traffic issues is through community and the creation of mental speed bumps through three approaches: intrigue, uncertainty, and humor. It is his work that inspired the penguins and DIY signs. He has also been mentioned here in explaining how slower speeds actually decrease trip times and makes streets more efficient (MW).
An expert from his latest book, “Mental Speed Bumps: The Smarter Way to Tame Traffic,” captures his primary focus.
_
Let me be frank. Traffic is first and foremost a community problem and residents have no right expecting politicians, engineers and planning professionals to fix it for them…
I have worked in neighborhood after neighborhood where residents were asking the city to spend large sums of money to slow down one of their neighbors. I once chaired a meeting of residents that were asking the city to spend $250,000 to slow speeding motorists. When I asked how many motorists were causing the problem, an elderly gentleman said, “Five, and I can show you were everyone of them lives.”
Asking your city to spend lots of money on forcing you and your neighbors to drive slower and less often seems like a huge waste of your hard-earned cash — especially when you could have the same result, at absolutely no cost, by simply shaking hands with your neighbor and agreeing that you will all act like guests in each other’s neighborhoods. The solution to traffic problems in neighborhoods is not more speed bumps. The solution is an outbreak of civility that slows our rampant individualism. And that is a cultural challenge, not a physical design challenge.
_
How are you reclaiming the public spaces in front of your home?
In your community?
_
Mental Speed Bumps has a website devoted to the concepts with numerous DIY guides for reclaiming your streets, most centered on the idea of developing the social life of your street. Take it for a spin and let us know what peaks your interest. Creative-communities.com. Here is a quick checklist of some of his ideas:
Slide via presentation by Project for Public Spaces
_
Announcement: A Traverse City Corridor Steering Committee meeting is Tuesday, June 26 at 3 PM in the training room (2nd Floor of the Govt. Center). The committee will be reviewing the draft framework plans for the places around 14th St., West Front, East Front, Garfield Ave. and 8th Street. The public is invited to bring their aspirations for better use of the public spaces on our main street-ways. Apparently, this meeting was postponed.
_
Related articles
- Spontaneous Exchange: An interview with David Engwicht (Bike Walk)
- 10 Ways To Love Where You Live (yesmagazine.org)
- Does speeding have you at your wits end?…Make some signs (mywheelsareturning.com)
- Old Town, New Look (mywheelsareturning.com)
__
What do penguins need besides herring? How about a crosswalk?
c__
An older story (2007), but with a great pull quote:
It’s hard to teach a penguin road safety.”
Read & see more: The world’s first zebra crossing for penguins
_
NOTE: Traverse City’s traffic calming penguins are reported to still be in retreat and plotting world domination.
_
Have a weekend!
_
Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail connects Glen Arbor to the dune climb
c__
Go Team
TART Trails executive director gives an interview near the newly Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.
Yesterday I jumped on BATA’s village connector with my bike to Glen Arbor where I and dozens of other people rode the newly opened Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail from the village to the National Lakeshore dune climb for the grand opening celebrations. The completed section meanders through the woods for the roughly 4.5 miles between the two popular destinations and will be a total of 27-miles, including some road sections, once it is complete.
For more information about the trail and the development forward, visit SleepingBearTrail.org.
Northwest Michigan’s Second Wave’s post from Tuesday, Heritage trails highlight alternative transportation opportunities, also offers highlights to the project and another heritage trail, Iron Ore Heritage Trail, soon to open in Marquette, MI. Both trails have not only a recreational goal, but also transportation goals to connect popular destinations to nearby villages and cities.
Here’s a video of the last half mile to end at the Dune Climb–Look for a smiling Pam Darling, development director of Traverse Area Recreational Trails, at the end. From the smiles on everyone else’s faces yesterday, it’s easy to see that this trail is going to be enjoyed by thousands every year.
And, one more.
Good work!
_
Ready for another American Dream
c
Well Said
_
Extended quote from Allison Arieff’s opinion piece, The American Dream: Phase II (NYTimes):
We’ve built more houses than we’ve needed — and built them farther away from jobs. This has led to longer commutes, which has created more traffic. In response, we built more highways, increasing fuel consumption and, as transportation planners acknowledge, doing little if anything to reduce traffic. It’s a vicious, seemingly endless cycle, and at its core is the notion that the American dream can exist only within the framework of the single-family home on a large lot.
Indeed, we’ve become so fixated on this as the sole delivery mechanism of that American dream that we’ve spent a disproportionate amount of our collective energies (home-) improving it without considering meaningful alternative visions — or devoting at least a smidgen of attention to what’s outside the front door or down the block. Everything in our culture today reinforces this idea of home as castle (or fortress) rather than home as part of a larger whole (i.e., neighborhood). We need to find our way to the latter view, and part of that means finding a better way to talk about it.
The good news is that more and more people are.
Let the reactionary cries of “you just want to change everyone” and “our rights are being taken away!” of the faux-libertarians begin. Really, I don’t see the worry–there are still plenty of champions of sprawl (OakGov) seeking subsidies and externalizing costs (Atlantic Cities) to prop up their dream “growth Ponzi scheme” (Strong Towns).
Personally, as a Gen X’er, I thought the American Dream meme evaporated a long time ago. I’ll take another stab at it though if it avoids the hyper-individualistic-consumerism pitfalls of the previous version. If it’s based on “what can we do to improve community as our home?” I’m all in.
Dream away.
by Arcade Fire
They heard me singing and they told me to stop
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small
Can we ever get away from the sprawl?
Living in the sprawl, dead shopping malls rise
Like mountains beyond mountains
And there’s no end in sight
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights
_
_
Are we there yet? Traverse City’s 2013 Street Projects
c
Engage and Represent
A mother from Traverse City shared the following email she sent to the Planning Commission concerning the 2013 reconstruction of Washington St.:
I live on 700 block of Washington Street. Hope Street dead-ends into my driveway. I spend a great deal of time watching the traffic around F&M park. I have a young child who loves to play out front. Our city is safe, but Washington street is not. I have to watch him while he plays in our front yard or when he walks 20 feet from our yard to the park.
Here are a few observations of Washington Street for the planning commission.
- The streets surrounding F&M park are dangerous.
- Cars constantly speed down the street. They rarely go 25.
- Washington is a really wide street. Yet, we aren’t allowed to park our cars overnight on it. One of the reasons cars zoom down Washington is because it’s too wide and open.*
- 3 school buses load and unload children in my driveway.
- There are not ANY safety measure to help the children travel to and from the bus stop.
- We do not have crosswalks, bump outs, narrow streets, on-street parking, speed bumps or any other traffic calming measures.
- F&M is a huge community park. It’s full of children playing every day of the year. Yet, we do not have crosswalks to access it?
- The streets surrounding parks need to properly address the additional pedestrians (frequently children) traveling to and from the park. The streets surrounding parks should always have up-to-date safety measures.
Here are my questions:
- Why are safety measures absent from a major park that serves as a hub for many Traverse City families?
- How can we have so many school children traveling to this spot during the early morning commute with zero safety measures in place?
- How are you going to change it?
Washington Street is supposed to be a safe street. I cannot imagine what the city would experience if a child gets injured here. Every week I see multiple close calls. Since starting this email I’ve heard 3 different parents yelling at their children to, “wait for me to cross”, “get away from the road”, and “wait, no, wait….come back here!”
Please feel free to contact me if you have specific questions or would like more feedback.
Thank you,
L.H.
The City is requesting citizen feedback on all 2013 street projects before the planning commission reviews them on August 7.
The streets slated for attention are mostly small sections of low-volume streets. Western St., Fern S., Grove St., Cypress & Xavier are all now gravel and will be paved. Street projects also include some much-needed attention in the Orchard Heights Neighborhood, Wayne St. and the work around F&M Park in Boardman Neighborhood. These projects are funded with $1 million of general fund money as established through the infrastructure policy (PDF).
In the past 2 years citizen input has altered original designs, namely on Elmwood Ave. (narrowing for speed control, completing sidewalks), S. Barlow (adding sidewalks), and even Hannah St. (a sidewalk connection). The idea is to not only maintain status quo, but while streets are tore-up asking the question, “are there improvements that could be made while we are there?” I’m not sure we are there on some of these projects, but still need to find time to review them. Certainly, there are some detail improvements that would go a long way in high-traffic areas like Washington St.
What are you seeing in the proposed projects?
You can find emails to the planning commission, City planner and engineer here. The planning department feedback form is available online and asks three questions:
Street Name: ___________________________________
□ I support the project as proposed.
□ I support the project, but have some minor (or major) suggestions/comments: ____________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
□ I do not support the project as proposed. Comments: _______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Name: ______________________________
Address: ______________________________
______________________________
Phone: ______________________________
Email: ______________________________
* For the record, Washington St. is 30 feet wide and Hope St. is a whopping 36 feet wide (a freaking landing strip).
_
Reducing speeds & reaching your destination without fear of death
c
Screengrab from a America Walks & Safe Routes to School presentation: Slowing Drivers Down
_
Why does a community need to live with increased risks so someone can race to stop sign or red light? Slowing us down when we are driving needs to be a primary goal every-time a community re-constructs a neighborhood street.
America Walks’ report, “Why We’re Stuck at High Speed, and What We’re Going to Do About It” (PDF) is recommended reading for neighborhood groups, parents, and traffic engineers concerned about public safety in our public rights of way. In it the three types of speed, as seen by traffic engineers is described, all of which we have discussed here from time to time.
- Operating Speed – observed by reviewing how fast we are actually comfortable driving on a street. If we are comfortable at 10 over, that may be the operating speed. The infamous “85th percentile” relates to the operating speed.
- Design Speed – traffic engineers typically design streets to accommodate speeding, rather than limit it. If the street is a 25-mph zone, it could be designed to “forgive” 35 to 40-mph. Some places, it may be argued that a street is designed to encourage 10-15 over.
- Posted Speed- pretty much the least important of the three because it is ignored so often. Speeds signs do very little to impact driver behavior and lack of enforcement compounds the problem. It takes a special circumstance for someone to get pulled over for going 35-mph in a 25 zone–as we can see above, with huge consequences.
America Walks continues in the report to describe the 4 Ways to slow us down, all of which require systematic approach building from other steps. Basically, the goal is to change Driver Behavior and this is best done by changing the design of the street. This was the primary focus of the Division Street steering committee in Traverse City and needs to be for almost every street where there are traffic complaints. If you change the context of any particular corridor with real traffic calming measures and street-scaping and you will reduce the wide gap in actual and desired speeds. After those measures, under the current system, a community may then have a better chance of reducing posted speeds, but even there, America Walks is recommending that the laws/systems governing speed need to be changed.
A twenty is plenty campaign (Walk-Sf) has had success in the state of California, where it is now possible to set speed limits next to schools at 15-mph. In Oregon, they have passed laws allowing for more local control in setting speed limits (B-Portland). This allows local communities to respond to each context and needs.
For many years we have valued high-speeds as the goal to designing our roadways. It is becoming apparent that this is costing us in real dollars, efficiency, and loss of community. High-speeds are only one aspect of mobility; being able to actually reach your destination without a fatal injury is quite another.
…More to come.
_
