[Bikies] Fight is on for a better E. Wash

[Michael D. Barrett]

Eastsiders and others interested in a saner vision for transportation 
in Madison might want to show up to the E. Washington meeting on 
Wednesday, 9 July, 2003, United Way Anderson Center, 2059 Atwood 
Ave., 3rd floor Board Rooms A & B .

The highwaymen have already called upon their trusted "concerned 
neighbors" to come out swinging against Mayor Dave's proposal for a 
somewhat greener plan for East Washington Ave.  They are already 
trotting out the Big Lie that "more traffic on neighborhood streets" 
will occur if E. Wash isn't built big, fast and deadly.

We know that traffic volumes are not forces of nature, uncontrolled 
and uncontrollable.  We know that people respond to the built 
environment.  Provide only for the automobile, make life for 
pedestrians and transit riders hell, and lo & behold, everyone in 
cars!  Make a better place, safe for walking, convenient to commerce 
& housing, and lo & behold people take advantage of a fuller range of 
transportation choices.  Free will exists!  - Protestations of the 
highwaymen notwithstanding.

Choice.  What a concept!  Of course, the traffic doesn't just 
disappear, a good chunk of it just becomes voluntary transit riders, 
willing pedestrians, happy bicyclists, convivial carpoolers, etc. 
The highwaymen have yet to grasp this simple concept.  With enough 
loving support from us, they can be, ahem, brought around, just like 
we, ahem, brought them around to "understanding" that dark skies 
compliant, non-glary lighting will be standard for all future 
lighting, including on E. Wash.  It looks like, once again, we'll 
have to lovingly drag them kicking and screaming out of the dark ages 
of urban and transportation planning!

You've probably read the recent articles/editorials on E. Wash in the 
local dailies.  What the highwaymen's ink-stained allies will never 
report about E. Wash planning is that the surrounding neighborhood 
associations, grassroots enviro groups and others were *never* 
listened to during the planning phases of this project.  In fact, 
Judith Davidoff, in a recent Cap Times article, claimed that 
neighborhood associations were included in the planning.  They 
weren't.  Many dozens of people --  including reps from most nearby 
neighborhood associations -- showed up to register their disgust with 
the E. Wash plan during the Environmental Assessment public comment 
period.  Approximately 1 individual registered support.  The 
overwhelming opposition comment was ignored.

Please show up to this meeting to provide a counterbalance to the 
1950's build-'em-big-wide-fast-ugly-&-deadly mindset.

We finally have a mayor who is willing to stick his neck out for the 
good.  The least we can do is show up and help him fight for it.

-Mike Barrett

P.S. Being one of those people "stacked" on a commission which meets 
tomorrow at the same time, I won't be able to make it to the E. Wash 
meeting.  Time for some replacement wack-os?!  A wack-o draft! Yeah, 
that's it!  No college deferments allowed!
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