I went to one of the "Porkway" meetings a couple years ago and asked where all the induced auto traffic this thing will spawn is intended to go.
I noted that University Avenue from Midvale east was already rated "over-capacity," and the Beltline is close to that status, and is frequently dysfunctional. I also asked how this "Porkway" would contribute to the solution to the then-impending (and now realized) Dane County Clean Air Act violation status. I asked why road capacity s not measured in terms of how many PEOPLE are conveyed, rather than nearly-empty cars, noting that the existing routes are barely at 30% of their human carrying capacity. I never got an answer. And now I ask, how is spending more tax-derived millions on more road lanes and more millions on more millions of miles driven, ever going to contribute to reducing the coming multi-trillion dollar deficits?... There are rail lines on each end with no plan to use them to benefit air quality and street congestion. While it would be nice to have more good bike places in that area, the "North Beltline PORKWAY" is an inane concept. Jeff Schimpff Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Madison, WI 608-267-7853 "Bus, Bike, Carpool to Work for Clean Air for Kids" -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Robbie Webber Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 5:59 PM To: bikies Subject: [Bikies] Fwd: Upcoming public hearings: Bike/Ped Plan and North Mendota Parkway I'm re-posting this because the first one bounced. Bikies - There are two public hearings that might interest Middleton residents, or those that work, shop, or recreate in Middleton. At the City Council meeting, there are two items. My comments on the bike plan are below the announcement. The draft Bike Plan can be found at http://www.ci.middleton.wi.us/City/Departments/Planning/documents/Draft_BikePedPlan_20081219.pdf PUBLIC HEARINGS ON JAN. 13, 2009 Location: Council Chambers, Middleton City Hall, 7426 Hubbard Ave. 7:15 p.m. Public Hearing PURPOSE: To inform Middleton's position on the Environmental Corridor and various Road Alignments that have been proposed for the North Mendota Parkway. 7:30 p.m. (this is the scheduled time, but it will likely start later (8:00?) due to the amount of input anticipated at the previous hearing) PURPOSE: To obtain feedback on the City of Middleton's draft Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan. The two components of the plan that have generated the most feedback and discussion to date are: 1) 1. The proposal to pave the western and northern segments of the existing shared-use trail that encircles the Pheasant Branch Conservancy. BACKGROUND : The rationale for this proposal is that this is a key link in a future regional trail route (similar to the "Capital City Trail") connecting the Black Earth Creek communities with Gov. Nelson State Park and other areas around the north side of Lake Mendota. 2) 2. The proposal to add bike lanes along Middleton's portion of the Gammon Road/Park Street/High Road corridor. BACKGROUND: In order to add bike lanes, Middleton's portion of Gammon would be converted to a two-lane road with a TWLTL (two-way left-turn lane) in the middle, one lane of on-street parking would have to be removed north of the railroad tracks, and one block of Park Street would have to be widened between Elmwood and University Avenue. Obviously, the draft plan contains other recommendations as well. Of particular interest may be the Executive Summary on page 7 of the PDF, and the System Plan on page 28 of the PDF. Anyone who has an interest in Middleton's Bike/Ped Plan (or, for that matter, either of these topics) is encouraged to attend Tuesday's meeting. You may want to get there early as seating will almost certainly be limited. I also encourage you to forward this information to anyone else who has an interest in these subjects. Thanks for your interest! ***************** Robbie's comments: The paved path along the edge of the Pheasant Branch Conservancy is incredibly important to connect the city of Middleton downtown and main bike routes with routes leading out of the urban area to the north. This will be a crucial link to get to Governor Nelson State Park, Waunakee and the rest of Dane County north of Lake Mendota. Park St in Middleton connects to Gammon Rd in Madison. This is an important north-south corridor, and there is currently no good alternative route. A TWLTL here would be great, but there are multiple forces who want to block this plan. i. The Madison Traffic Engineer is worried that there will be momentum to continue the TWLTL farther south. ii. The businesses along Park are freaked a bout losing on-street parking iii. The owner of the strip mall at University and Park doesn't want the intersection widened, but that is the only way to continue the bike lanes through the intersection. Park St. continues north to the Middleton schools, so bike lanes are pretty important for the whole length. Further information on any part of the bike plan, or the North Mendota Parkway can be obtained by contacting City Planner Mark Opitz. He's a good guy, and understands bike issues, so don't hesitate to call him with questions. Of course, you can also contact any or all members of the Middleton City Council. Mark Opitz can be reached at (608) 827-1094 [email protected] _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
