After reading all the comments here and on madison.com, I finally decided to take a look at the plan itself. I didn't read it through in much detail, but I did try a search for the term, "bicycle" and came up with many hits. As far as I could tell, all the bicycle references favored improved bike access to the area, and at least one of them called for improved bike access to N. Sherman Avenue.
So, as I read the document, it is in favor of improved bike access to that street, but neutral on the means used to improve that access. I don't think there's anything in the plan that *opposes* TWLTL. I think you can argue that a plan that supports bike access on N. Sherman is *implicitly* in favor of TWLTL -- unless there's an alternative design that won't upset anyone (good luck on that). So, I don't think we should treat the neighborhood plan as an anti-TWLTL document. If we treat it as a victory for north side bicycling, it might actually turn out to be one. Robbie Webber wrote: > My understanding is that these are the main opponents: > > 1. The merchants on Sherman - especially the ones in the strip mall > where Vic Pierce is located who fear that one less lane in each > direction will hurt their business because (a) people will find > another route because Sherman will be congested and (b) people won't > understand how to turn left to get to their business. > > 2. Older people (50+) in the area, who are unfamiliar with those weird > new ideas - like pedestrian and bicycle safety and traffic > engineering. > > 3. Dorothy Borchardt supporters (she was the former alder for the > area) and other conservatives that think any accommodations for > bicyclists benefits those pesky liberals. > > 4. General naysayers who don't believe that one through lane in each > dierection + a TWTL + bike lanes can handles the same volume of > traffic as four through lanes. > > Since this is a neighborhood plan, the suburbanites weren't generally > part of the writing of the plan, although they may have influenced the > thinking of the people that did show up to write and testify about the > plan. > > Robbie Webber > Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee > www.bikewalkmadison.org > Join our group on Facebook! > > > > > > On Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 12:36 AM, rick <[email protected]> > wrote: >> Another thought - and forgive me if it's already been addressed - but >> perhaps the northside alders should be pressed a little as to WHO is so >> vociferous in their disdain for bike lanes on Sherman. My hunch - based >> on >> 25 years of listening to Norhtside transportation discussion, is that >> MOST >> of the noise is likely to be coming from those who live outside of >> Madison >> and use Sherman Ave. as commuter thoroughfare. Food for thought ..... >> >> Rick >> >> >> Michael Rewey wrote: >> >> Here are some interesting counts I did. >> Two weekday September bicycle counts: >> N. Sherman at Fordem >> Afternoon - only 4 hours: 71 bicycles >> N. Sherman at Aberg >> Morning - only 4 hours: 64 bicycles >> So there are already almost 140 bikes in 8 hours on a street corridor >> with >> no bike accommodation. Even WisDOT in their design guidelines states >> that >> if a street or road has or can reasonably expect 25 bikes per day, bike >> accommodations should be provided. >> This information was provided to the Plan Commission. >> Mike Rewey >> >> ________________________________ >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 >> >> > _______________________________________________ > 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
