Robbie, Thanks for all the good info regarding tomorrow eve's meeting. I just wanted to correct the time- it's listed as beginning at 6:30p. http://www.cityofmadison.com/council/
And I've put a request in to the Bike Fed to keep us posted tomorrow about a cancellation/reschedule due to impending snowfall. -India On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 1:04 PM, Robbie Webber <[email protected]>wrote: > Short version: Tuesday, March 5, 6:00 PM, Madison Common Council will vote > on changes to North Sherman Ave. We need you there. If you can't make it, > or if Snowpocalypse makes travel impossible/dangerous, please send an email > to [email protected] > > These changes involve increased safety for ALL road users, and will reduce > speed, make crossing the street by foot safer and easier, and will provide > bicycle accommodations for the first time. > > > Longer version: Forwarded below by signature line is an email from Amanda > at the Bike Fed, but I want to add some points about this as well. I was > asked by someone for three reasons why this was a good idea. My response is > below. > > I appreciate you asking my opinion. > > 1. Today, we would never build a street such as Sherman - an arterial with > no bike lanes and with very poor accommodations for pedestrians (no refuge > islands, for instance.) The Madison Traffic Engineering Dept - not the most > radical bunch - considers it a "substandard street" because of the lack of > accommodations for bicyclists and pedestrians. > > 2. The traffic engineers feel that the changes will actually make the road > safer for DRIVERS as well as walkers and bicyclists. The center turn lane > will reduce the conflict points for people turning left from seven possible > conflict points to two points. Left turns are especially problematic on > Sherman, accounting for a disproportionate percent of the crashes. > > 3. The changes will likely slow traffic, though not as much as most people > think. Slower traffic will be safer for all users. Right now, the 85th > percentile - that is the speed at which 85 percent of people drive that > speed or slower - is far too high, more than 5 mph over the speed limit. > > 4. There have not been many studies of 4-lane to 3-lane conversions and > their effect on economic activity, but the ones that have been done have > shown either no change or a POSITIVE effect on businesses. > > 5. Traffic Engineering feels that the new configuration can handle the > same volume of traffic. Four lanes undivided is fairly inefficient, because > a left-turning car will jam up one whole lane, and people will stack up > behind that car. The center turn lane removes the left-turning cars, and > the rest of the traffic can continue to move smoothly. > > 6. There are two schools on Sherman, and it is really unconscionable to > have an arterial road in front of a school without proper pedestrian > accommodations. > > Now, those are the reasons why this is a good configuration or change is > needed from what is there now. I'd also like to address some concerns that > have been raised as well. In some cases, there is no proof for what I am > about to say, though there have been plenty of studies indicating that I am > right in my assumptions. > > *Concerns voiced: * > > *Businesses will lose out because people will go another route.* > There may be some people that chose to drive on Packers instead of > Sherman. However, those people are likely through-traffic - going to Aberg, > Northport, or other routes out of town. Few of these people stop at > businesses now, and losing them to Packers is not going to affect the > businesses. However, the remaining traffic will be able to more easily turn > into the businesses when not stuck on a dysfunctional road. Drivers will be > going more slowly, so better able to SEE the businesses. In addition, the > area will benefit from more pedestrian and bicycle traffic - and you know > we do spend money. > > *There should be a different bike route.* > Granted, bike lanes on Sherman are not ideal for the "interested, but > concerned." But right now, it's the only route we have. All attempts to get > a route through on either the east or west side of Sherman have failed > because of one or more property owners not wanting to grant easements. > Besides, bicyclists need to go the same places that drivers do, and so we > need safe accommodations on Sherman even if there are other routes. That's > where the businesses are. > > *There aren't any bicyclists, so why are we building lanes for them.* > You and I know that bicyclists and pedestrians are often invisible to > people that are not looking for them. Bicyclists are already using Sherman, > but the majority of them are riding on the sidewalk, endangering > pedestrians and putting themselves at risk at each driveway. There is a > fairly large elderly population, and they have consistently complained to > the alder - Satya Rhodes-Conway, who works across the hall from me - about > bicyclist on the sidewalks. There are also the "strong and fearless" - > about 1% of bicyclists - that are taking the lane because they have no > other choice. > > *There just isn't space to add these features and still handle the > traffic, buses, etc. * > As I mentioned above, Traffic Engineering is not in the habit of > suggesting wild, traffic-clogging designs. They wouldn't go anywhere near > this if they thought that this wouldn't handle the traffic. They have been > advocating for this design for 20 years - long before anyone asked for bike > lanes. 20 years ago, it was about making it safer for drivers. Today it's > about making it safer for everyone. > > *No one wants this except those crazy bicyclists.* > People have been begging the alder for this change since she was elected > six years ago. The elderly population, parents of kids in school, > bicyclists, pedestrians, and all sorts of other residents have been asking > for this. When Sherman was repaved a couple years ago and the lanes > remained the same, people were furious with the city and with Satya for not > stripping bike lanes at that time. > > Finally, I'd like to make the argument that the current configuration of > Sherman is hurting the neighborhood in ways most people don't realize. > > I have three friends - two with children - that specifically did not > consider the neighborhoods off Sherman when they purchased a home because > of the lack of safe bicycle and pedestrian accommodations. The North > Transfer Point is right off Sherman, meaning there is excellent transit > service, except for one thing - it's really hard to cross the street. > Everyone who has to board on Sherman has to cross the street at least once > a day. People are terrified of this. Many people simply don't take the bus > because they don't find crossing Sherman safe or convenient. This hurts > property values, job choices, and businesses in the area. All those people > that think their business will decline don't realize all the people that > don't come because they feel they can't get there. > > A safer, slower North Sherman is going to benefit everyone and make the > neighborhood much more pleasant and marketable. > > > > Robbie Webber > Transportation Policy Analyst > State Smart Transportation Initiative > www.ssti.us > 608-263-9984 (o) > 608-225-0002 (c) > [email protected] > > > > > *Reminder - Action Alert!* > > *Stand up for a safer North Sherman Avenue tomorrow night* > > *We need YOUR HELP to make bike lanes and other improvements on North > Sherman a reality.* The Madison Common Council will vote TOMORROW NIGHT, > March 5th, on whether or not to make these changes. There has been vocal > opposition so attending the meeting and voicing support is incredibly > important. Speaking at the meeting is very easy. Simply complete the > brief registration form available when you arrive. Include that you are > speaking in support of Agenda Item #27. When the time comes, you'll be > called to come up and speak to the council for up to five minutes. If you > can't attend tomorrow night's meeting, please email > [email protected] to lend your support. > > > Madison Common Council > > Tuesday, March 5th > > 6:30 pm > > City County Building, Room 201 (210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd) > > > See more about the safety improvements below. > > We’re happy to announce that the City has a plan to slow down car traffic > and make bicycling and walking safer on North Sherman Ave. These > recommendations are the result of a long-term, community-driven effort to > improve conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians in the neighborhood. > > First, North Sherman Avenue will become a 3-lane street from Trailsway to > Fordem Avenue, consisting of a lane of traffic in each direction and a > two-way left turn lane in the center. This change will make room for bikes > lanes in addition to pedestrian refuge islands at five locations along the > project corridor. These changes will greatly improve conditions for the > countless pedestrians and bicyclists who live and travel in this area. > Currently, bicyclists and pedestrians have to share the sidewalk as there > is no safe place to travel by bike. > > You can find the Engineering report here: > > > http://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=2307038&GUID=8CF94D09-4349-4B9E-AA4F-158FBD5E7577 > > A big thank you to the City of Madison Traffic Engineering and Engineering > divisions and to Alder Satya Rhodes-Conway for making this major safety > improvement a possibility. > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > > -- WeAreAllMechanics.com [email protected] Stay connected- Follow WAAM on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/We.Are.All.Mechanics>
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