I really, really appreciate your response Tony. I think you (all) made the right choice to not convert a lane of John Nolen for this purpose. I also understand the issue with creating a side route through the lawn and appreciate in your tone that there is not animosity for people that choose to use it. I understand it can't be an official route and that it won't work for everyone, but acknowledging it and asking the contractor doing the work to be as understanding and patient with people is a fair ask. I think if people felt permitted to use that route with caution there would be less upset. People often don't feel comfortable 'breaking the rules'.
I do think there was and still is opportunity in terms of advance warning. This feels very disrespectful to me (though I understand, not intentional) and I think to many others. It would provide a lot of value to post clear indication that the path is closed at key points like Willy/Blair and Bedford and North Shore. I also think that a marked detour would be of value and should still be considered. No, it won't work for everyone, but it's really tricky to navigate those streets on a bike if you're not used to it. My wife commented today how she got all turned around in there on her way home from the Doyle Building today. I drove taxi for 6 years in town and know these streets very well and had had to put a lot of thought into the best route for me to get to work (and the different best route for me to get home). A marked detour, even if it's not the most direct route for every user, would be a strong support for path users during the next month. (Wilson->Broom->Doty->Bedford and Bedford->Wilson->Hamilton->Doty->King->Wilson). It would also serve as a valuable reminder for motorists to take it easy on cyclists that are using that route now. Wilson (especially between Hamilton and Broom) is not a comfortable place for a cyclist and some bike detour signs could really do wonders to keep motorists a little less agitated about our new presence. Thanks again for responding and hopefully there's still an opportunity to improve things a bit. Can't wait to ride on the finished product! Grant On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 9:23 PM India Viola <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks Tony. That was a very thoughtful response. > As Robbie and others stated, signs that give folks more advanced warning > would still be a decent improvement. > > -India > > WeAreAllMechanics.com > [email protected] > > Stay connected- Follow WAAM on Facebook > <http://www.facebook.com/We.Are.All.Mechanics> > > *"How can we learn from our mistakes if we don't first acknowledge them?" * > > On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 4:49 PM, Fernandez, Anthony < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Friends, >> >> >> >> This explanation will probably not satisfy many people, but I think the >> many questions and considerable inconvenience deserve a reply. >> >> >> >> First, the lack of public advance notice. We planned the schedule for >> this project many months ago, based on avoiding important events which use >> the path or stage in Law park. We hoped to do a lot of advance notice when >> the start date drew near. As it turns out, a major event (Bike Week) had a >> different date than we originally planned for, which forced us into last >> minute discussions with the Contractor on advancing the start date to avoid >> it. With excellent cooperation from the Contractor we were able to advance >> the date so that we can re-open the path for Bike Week. But we only knew >> that a few days ahead of the actual start. We posted a notice (plus emails, >> Twitter, etc) on BikeMadison website, to the Bikies listserve, and to the >> Bike Fed, asking them to spread the word however they could. But we realize >> that many people were not aware, and we sincerely apologize for the lack of >> notice. >> >> >> >> The bigger issue, or course, is the lack of a designated alternate route. >> Our only real alternative in this regard was to close a lane of John Nolen >> Drive to create a temporary two-way bike path in the street, accommodating >> bikes and pedestrians. We did not feel we could create a safe situation >> without installing temporary concrete barrier between the street and the >> temporary path. This would narrow John Nolen to one lane inbound at North >> Shore and would make it very difficult or impossible to safely accommodate >> right turns into the Convention Center. Given the great expense, the >> relatively short duration of the path project, the major impact on many >> thousands of vehicles and possible loss of access to the Terrace we chose >> not to do this. But only after considerable discussion involving both City >> Engineering and Traffic Engineering. Many will not agree with this >> decision, but we feel it was the correct one. >> >> >> >> Next we considered a temporary path through the Park. Because of several >> “pinch points” and the fact that we are reconstructing ramps at both Broom >> and North Shore, there simply is not a continuous corridor that could be >> made even close to meeting reasonable path safety standards, let alone ADA >> handicap accessibility standards. We wrote our contract specifications >> requiring the Contractor to maintain pedestrian access to the park, knowing >> that some would choose to walk, walk bikes or even ride bikes on the grass. >> But there was no way to provide a continuous, safe, hard surface that would >> safely accommodate the higher speeds of bikes. It would be irresponsible >> for us to create something unsafe and then direct bikes to use it. >> >> >> >> Finally, the question of providing a marked detour. Since the “official” >> alternate route is the street network, and we have to accommodate both >> bikes and pedestrians, we did not see a practical way to create a marked >> detour. There is plainly no simple, direct alternative which would serve >> the majority of users. Depending on the type of user and their confidence >> level, some would want to use the bike elevator and others would use >> Wilson Street / King Street (from/to the East). And depending on >> destination people would use different streets west of MLK Street. No >> matter what route we marked, a large percentage of people would choose a >> different route, including walking through the park to avoid the detour >> altogether. Again after discussion we decided it best to allow users to >> choose the alternate route that best suited them. This, by the way, is >> quite normal for street closures, and the great majority of the time we >> close a street for reconstruction we do *not* provide a marked detour. >> Other times there is a marked detour, though often for jurisdictional >> reasons it is not the route that most people would actually use. Marked >> detours are not a panacea, and would have served very little purpose in >> this case. >> >> >> >> We realize how much inconvenience this project is causing, and also that >> mistakes were made in implementing the closure. But I wanted to let people >> know that we try to make these decisions thoughtfully and with a strong >> commitment on the part of the City staff to all modes of transportation, >> including biking and walking. The good news is that the work is progressing >> well and people will probably be pleased with the improvement. Meantime, >> please use a lot of caution in the vicinity of the construction and make >> sure if using the Park to not impede the Contractor and delay the >> completion. Thanks for your patience and cooperation. >> >> >> >> Tony Fernandez >> >> [email protected] >> >> voice: 608-266-9219 >> >> fax: 608-264-9275 >> >> *From:* Bikies [mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of >> *Robbie >> Webber >> *Sent:* Thursday, May 07, 2015 2:01 PM >> *To:* Michael Lemberger >> *Cc:* [email protected]; Langer, Scott >> *Subject:* Re: [Bikies] Notice of closure of John Nolen Path in Law Park >> >> >> >> I just spoke to one of my officemates who lives on the east side, and he >> said, "Oh, so that's what my neighbor was bitching about." He's going to >> write his alder, because as a transportation geek, we both had the same >> reaction: Would they just close one of the busiest streets in the city >> without a marked detour and an effort to at least tell people well in >> advance?" >> >> >> >> Considering hills, traffic, and one-way streets, letting people just >> muddle through (with an emphasis on mud) is pretty ridiculous. >> >> >> >> Perhaps the alders and Mayor should hear from people that use this route >> on a regular basis? >> >> >> >> >> 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. >> >> >> >> On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 12:13 PM, Michael Lemberger <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> On my way home last night, my habit took me right to the intersection of >> North Shore Drive and John Nolen Drive, and it seemed to be the case that >> many, many other cyclists (and pedestrians) found themselves in the same >> situation. (Assuming they knew about the closure, which I would bet most >> did not.) Many chose to ride around the barriers and through the >> construction site. I actually chose to backtrack to Bedford St. in order to >> see what it would be like to detour through downtown. With the contraflow >> lanes in place on Main and Doty Streets, it really isn’t too bad, though >> the hill appears to be a challenge for cyclists who aren’t used to climbing >> it. >> >> I didn’t have a camera last night, but I brought one this morning and >> visited the site again, on purpose this time. Please find the photos here: >> >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/mababo/sets/72157652015951700 >> >> The three or four cyclists I talked to claimed to have no idea that the >> path was going to be closed until they arrived at the site. Seems plausible >> to me, given that I can’t recall any mention of it in local media and could >> not find any mention on local web sites, save one tweet from the city, >> dated April 30. Though the barrier configuration at John Nolen and North >> Shore may now be correct, there is still a glaring lack of advance signage >> where opportunities exist to detour via streets. Lacking a formal detour, >> this seems the least the city could have done to help cyclists avoid riding >> through a construction zone. >> >> Speaking of formal detours, it would be very interesting to hear what was >> behind the decision to not bother with one. Was it cost? Some other lack of >> resources? While the short timeline and challenging location of this >> project may be obvious factors, anyone who knows anything about human >> behavior should have been able to see this coming. >> >> Also, what about the people who may not be familiar with Madison’s >> unusual downtown traffic grid? Wilson Street’s east-to-west one-way section >> would seem to me an obvious barrier to any out-of-towner’s eastbound >> roll-your-own detour effort. >> >> My hope is that a better plan will be in place when the section of path >> between the Monona Terrace and Blair St. is reconstructed. >> >> Best regards, >> Michael Lemberger >> Madison >> >> >> ----------- >> Grant wrote: "I hope there's some opportunity to enhance the signage and >> direction for users." >> >> >> Tue, 5 May 2015 Grant Foster wrote: >> >> Thanks, Tony. >> >> There are a few other issues that really need to be looked at as well. I >> came in from the eastside and had no warning of the closure until getting >> to the end of the terrace. Users are forced to turn around there and double >> back as well. We really need signs up at the elevator/path and/or at >> Willy/Wilson/path to let users know that an alternate route will be >> required before they go too far. I also agree with the need for postings up >> on North Shore path at SW crossing and/or at Bedford/path for eastbound >> traffic. Without such, users are going to go all the way down to Nolen >> before figuring out that there's a closure. >> >> I'm also disappointed in the decision to not mark a formal detour. I >> understand the complexity of the task and that a formal detour route may >> not be the best alternate route for all users, but this is one of our >> highest traffic bikeways and many users may really struggle knowing how to >> navigate capitol hill to get around the closure. I would have hoped for at >> least one primary marked detour to help users navigate and reinforce the >> closure. >> >> Good luck with the project and I hope there's some opportunity to enhance >> the signage and direction for users. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 >
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