Sorry for the late notice, folks, but I've been a bit distracted with the action at the Capitol.
The monthly PBMVC meeting got moved to tonight because of some scheduling issues. It also got moved to the Council chambers because of the elevator issues at the Municipal Bldg. On the agenda is a discussion of long term plans for the Monroe-Regent intersection. Info here: http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/attachments/db2940f7-feff-4b09-9278-6a128be685d7.pdf Note that this is a discussion only. Please also note that the work to be done in 2011 are pretty basic, and not a full reconfiguration of the intersection, tunnels/overpasses, or anything else dramatic. However, people might be interested to hear the discussion of what could or should be done when the intersection inevitably is completely rebuilt. As always, your opinion and comments are welcome. Also, if you can't make the meeting in person, you can watch it live on Madison City Channel, on the web, or catch it on the web later. http://www.cityofmadison.com/mcc12/ One issue that has come up many times on this list - just in the last couple of day, as a matter of fact - is a bike-only crossing/light. Here is something to think about, and maybe comment on: The addition of a bike-only light would add time to the entire light cycle, that is the time from when your light (wherever you are standing/sitting/facing, regardless of your mode of travel) turns green for the first time until it turns green once again. Or, each step of the cycle would have to be shorter to keep the entire cycle the same. Making the entire cycle longer would mean that if you missed the bike-only green, you would actually have to wait a LONGER time to get a green again, whereas now, you can do a two-staged crossing, using two steps of the cycle. Although most people use the island on the north side of the intersection as a midway point, the corner in front of the Big Red Hotel can also be used, so bicyclists (and pedestrians) can move half the distance at almost any stage of the light cycle. If the entire cycle is kept the same length, each stage would have to be shorter, that is, the green for each street would be shorter, and to fit in the bike-only light. I don't use the intersection much during peak hour, but I'm assuming that traffic of all kinds backs up as it is. Would a shorter green make people more likely to cut through the neighborhood, run a red, or not yield to those in the crosswalk? Would frustration and other consequences of back-ups have worse consequences? One theory of traffic congestion is that if it gets bad enough, people will chose a different route, time or mode to avoid the traffic. This could means that fewer people drive, or they drive at a different time, or it could mean that they take a different route. It is really hard to get people to travel at a different time, for all sorts of reasons (work demands, kids/family obligations, etc.) Since another route in this part of town is probably just as congested, or is through residential streets, that leaves a different mode. How bad does that intersection have to be before people stop driving? And are the neighbors in the area willing to put up with the congestion and cut-through traffic to force that decision? Just a few points to consider, and for those in the immediate area, something to talk about with neighbors, family, and your alder. Robbie Webber PBMVC Chair
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