Sent this to the Fitchburg City Council and Mayor: Note this paragraph, addressing Mike Rewey's comments about General Beverage:
In addition, I am taken aback by GB's insistence that they must have access to property that was purchased with Stewardship funds for a parking lot. There are so many things wrong with that request that I cannot even begin to list them. It is not the responsibility of the City of Fitchburg to accommodate a parking lot on public lands, and it is not even vaguely appropriate for them to ask for land that was meant for recreational and transportation purposes. Robbie ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Robbie Webber <[email protected]> Date: Wed, Jun 18, 2014 at 3:07 PM Subject: Support west side access plan for bike-ped bridge over McKeee Road To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Fitchburg friends - I will not be able to attend your Council meeting on June 24, because I have a meeting of the Madison Pedestrian/Bicycle/Motor Vehicle Commission, on which I serve. However, I would like to weigh in on the options for access to the planned bridge over McKee Road. As both a bicyclists and transportation policy professional, I feel it is imperative that the bridge be completed as soon as possible and with appropriate access for all users, including those on McKee Road. This will be a major intersection for both Fitchburg residents and those visiting the city from Verona and Madison. If this were a roadway, you would surely want appropriate and safe access for drivers, and I assume you want the same thing for pedestrians and bicyclists. I believe you should stick with the original design - Option A. The reason I favor Option A is that it meets all current design standards for bicycle and pedestrian facilities as set out by WisDOT. I think you will find that an 8-foot access path will be far too narrow for the amount of traffic this path and bridge will carry. You surely would not build a substandard roadway, knowing that it will be too small for the traffic load and safe operations. However, given it looks like the city is not willing to move forward with the original design, Option C in your packet seems to be the second-best option. Regardless of the fact that it may slightly inconvenience General Beverage, it appears it will in no way prevent them from full access to both their current facility and new additions they have planned. In addition, I am taken aback by GB's insistence that they must have access to property that was purchased with Stewardship funds for a parking lot. There are so many things wrong with that request that I cannot even begin to list them. It is not the responsibility of the City of Fitchburg to accommodate a parking lot on public lands, and it is not even vaguely appropriate for them to ask for land that was meant for recreational and transportation purposes. Although I am not a resident of the City of Fitchburg, I am a regular visitor and will definitely visit even more often if there are good bicycle connections. In addition, as a former Madison Alder and long-time citizen member of various city committees, I know how important the connections are between our two cities. Fitchburg residents work, play, and shop in Madison, and vice versa. Facilitating safe, efficient, and convenient bicycle and pedestrians connections via this bridge is in the best interest of both our communities. That includes assuring an appropriate connection to McKee Road. Please support an appropriate connection between McKee Road and the new bridge as quickly as possible. Thank you for your help improving transportation options between our communities. Robbie Webber Transportation Policy Analyst 608-263-9984 (o) 608-225-0002 (c) [email protected] All opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer or any other group with which I am affiliated.
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