I'm all for advocates counting bikes. I didn't say I wasn't. I said that if the city (and the state) spend tax dollars (both property tax dollars and fuel taxes) on public transportation infrastructure, and they assess needs and plan for future expansions to accommodate those needs based on data they collect on motor vehicle use, then the city should also collect data on non-motor vehicle use (and pedestrians).
I'll happily volunteer to collect data, and I'm also happy to suggest some locations. The intersection of Dickinson St and the bike path would be a great one, I think, because I am almost certain that the number of vehicles (and pedestrians) traveling east or west along the E Wilson St/bike path corridor far outnumbers the number of vehicles traveling north/south on Dickinson, which means that traffic on Dickinson should be stopped, not the traffic on E Wilson/bike path. An even better example is the intersection of Thorton St (a cul-de-sac, for crying out loud) with the bike path (a veritable freeway for bikes and peds - WHY are the stop signs for the Bike Path still there, and when will the city take them down?) However, once the need to collect the data is established (I think it already is, but I guess some folks don't agree), I think it is the responsibility of the city to collect data on all the modes in use on public infrastructure paid for with property tax dollars. If you're not counted, you don't count. Would the city consider planning for, e.g., new fire or police stations by only counting commercial land uses and not residential ones? No, that's ridiculous, and the question rhetorical. Not counting bikes and peds is just as ridiculous for the city, but unfortunately the question apparently is not rhetorical in some circles. Sure, motor vehicle users pay for a little more than half of the cost of public roads in Wisconsin, but only a little more than half. Why don't the other road users, literally, count? chuck ________________________________ From: Michael Rewey I have heard some reasons why the City should do the count instead of the City [who?]. However I see volunteers doing counts as a form of bicycle advocacy. What better way to advocate for bikeway improvements and new bikeways than for us to take counts and show the need. Plus the advocates control the data... [snip]
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