Grant Foster <mailto:[email protected]>
Tuesday, May 12, 2015 12:37 PM
Thanks to all who helped get some notification signage up, it really
does go a long way.
Grant
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Grant Foster <mailto:[email protected]>
Saturday, May 09, 2015 9:18 AM
I'm also not interested in placing blame, but do agree we've got an
opportunity to do a lot better in the future.
While I appreciate the wrinkle introduced by the BTTW date change, it
seems that that only impacted the poor, last-minute communication to
the community. Based on that communication ("There will not be a
marked detour as it is assumed that bicyclists and pedestrians will
choose the alternative on-street route that best serves their
needs") and everything I've heard, it sounds like the decision to not
accommodate users with any of the following was independent of the
date change: 1) use of part of John Nolen Dr for path traffic 2) a
temporary, alternate path through the park 3) a marked detour 4)
sufficient advance warning as to avoid forcing users to turn around
and significantly back track. *#4 is still needed and would take a
small crew a few hours to complete and should really be in place
before Monday.*
#1, #2, and #3 all have their pros and cons and I can understand
rationale for and against each of them. As much as I generally support
a concept like #1 and believe it would be the best for path users, I
do think the impact it would have on all users would be tremendous,
especially considering the ingress needed into Monona Terrace. It
could also introduce some real safety issues for all users and I can
understand why we don't have it in place. (I think such an
accommodation would have been warranted when the bridge was replaced
last year on the causeway, especially given the significant impact to
path users at that time and the much simpler MV traffic patterns that
would have been interrupted.)
I also feel strongly that choosing to not do #1, #2, *or *#3 is
insufficient. It should not be ok to close a primary bike artery like
this and expect that cyclists just figure it out for themselves. While
the majority of construction projects may not include a marked detour,
the relative impact of this work on bike/ped traffic is akin to the
impact of the E. Johnson St. work on MVs. I understand the volume of
total users is not equivalent, but this route is as important to our
bicycle traffic infrastructure as E. Johnson is to our MV traffic
infrastructure. In this case, we marked an alternate route AND
maintained through access for traffic.
If we truly have a commitment to promoting and supporting cycling as a
viable transportation mode, we have to commit to appropriate supports
during construction. As much as a marked detour has been discounted by
some, I do think it was a reasonable provision and would have
significantly decreased the angst and frustration associated with this
work. I've been detouring over the hill since the closure and see a
fair number of other cyclists that I would regularly see on the path
during commutes.
One last opinion that others may not share: if the last-minute
scramble couldn't be accommodated appropriately we shouldn't have made
the change. While it'll be great to roll up to my bratcakes on the new
path, I don't think trading appropriate accommodations during this
month+ of major construction was worth it. I would have rather seen
the city stick to plans and have us move our bratcakes over to
Brittingham.
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Spencer Gardner <mailto:[email protected]>
Friday, May 08, 2015 3:46 PM
I can’t comment on the execution of the closure as my route doesn’t
take me through there. But I wonder how many voicing concerns here
have contacted their alder or the mayor’s office. I’m sure Tony and
others employed by the city benefit from your feedback, but as Steve
rightly pointed out this is fundamentally a political problem.
Concerns voiced on this list are not going to be translated a change
of culture unless they are also raised through other, more official
channels simultaneously.
*Spencer Gardner* <mailto:[email protected]>*, AICP *
Planner
*Toole****Design Group* <http://www.tooledesign.com/>
p 608.663.8082 x404
*From:*Bikies [mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of
*Robert F. Nagel
*Sent:* Friday, May 08, 2015 3:04 PM
*To:* Steve Goldstein
*Cc:* [email protected]
*Subject:* Re: [Bikies] Notice of closure of John Nolen Path in Law Park
Steve is right on. And, not to hijack this link, but if it happens, it
happens, because I think plenty has been said about this problem.
Meanwhile, what could be part of a solution to this problem seems to
have fallen on deaf ears. Recently, I posted about the
cluster-f-whatever between Henry and Bedford streets on West
Washington. I do not recall a single response to that post. It seems
that some lane lines could be painted pretty fast that could help
create a safe alternative to the John Nolen path closure. I'll reprint
my old post here:
Robert F. Nagel <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>>
Apr 22
Reply
to bikies
Does anyone have any insight into what the plans are for three blocks
of west washington between bedford and henry? There's a broken yellow
line down the middle of the street. The street is wide enough for a
car lane, a bike lane, and a parking lane, but because there are no
lines painted, cars seem to think that it's wide enough for two car
lanes and a parking lane. It's really the wild west. It's not safe for
bikes, peds, or even cars. It seems like a little paint would go a
long way here. Not sure why it hasn't happened yet. It's been like
this for years. I've been meaning to complain about it here for at
least that long, too.
---
Robert F. Nagel, Attorney
Law Offices of Robert Nagel
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
www.nagel-law.com <http://www.nagel-law.com>
Thirty on the Square, 10th Floor
30 W. Mifflin St., Suite 1001
Madison, WI 53703
608-255-1501 office
608-255-1504 fax
608-438-9501 cell
On Fri, May 8, 2015 at 7:03 AM, Steve Goldstein <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
On 5/8/15 12:13 AM, Melanie Foxcroft wrote:
I think this is another demonstration of why Madison doesn't receive a
"platinum" award for bicycling. This disaster is simply not
acceptable. The double standard of cars vs. bikes is too much.
Hopefully city transportation people will learn from this disaster and
do better next time.
The "city transportation people" are the traffic engineers who, after
considering the alternatives, have been forced into this decision
because nothing else meets minimum engineering standards. We all see
the logic of Tony's deliberations and conclusions.
The problem is that an engineering-only approach doesn't solve this
problem and that was the end of the discussion. If there were enough
political pressure, the discussion could have started out with the
*requirement* that the most heavily traveled bike route in the city
remain passable during one of the peak months of biking. If that were
the case, other alternatives might have been on the table --- for
example, staging the project to enable access or closing lanes on John
Nolen.
Many on this list will recall the activism opposing of the closing of
the Law Park path during construction of the convention center
achieved partial success. Tony's sensitivity to the issues shows some
things have improved over the past twenty years, but this disaster
shows we need more effective activism.
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Robert F. Nagel <mailto:[email protected]>
Friday, May 08, 2015 3:04 PM
Steve is right on. And, not to hijack this link, but if it happens, it
happens, because I think plenty has been said about this problem.
Meanwhile, what could be part of a solution to this problem seems to
have fallen on deaf ears. Recently, I posted about the
cluster-f-whatever between Henry and Bedford streets on West
Washington. I do not recall a single response to that post. It seems
that some lane lines could be painted pretty fast that could help
create a safe alternative to the John Nolen path closure. I'll reprint
my old post here:
Robert F. Nagel <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>>
Apr 22
Reply
to bikies
Does anyone have any insight into what the plans are for three blocks
of west washington between bedford and henry? There's a broken yellow
line down the middle of the street. The street is wide enough for a
car lane, a bike lane, and a parking lane, but because there are no
lines painted, cars seem to think that it's wide enough for two car
lanes and a parking lane. It's really the wild west. It's not safe for
bikes, peds, or even cars. It seems like a little paint would go a
long way here. Not sure why it hasn't happened yet. It's been like
this for years. I've been meaning to complain about it here for at
least that long, too.
---
Robert F. Nagel, Attorney
Law Offices of Robert Nagel
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
www.nagel-law.com <http://www.nagel-law.com>
Thirty on the Square, 10th Floor
30 W. Mifflin St., Suite 1001
Madison, WI 53703
608-255-1501 office
608-255-1504 fax
608-438-9501 cell
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Steve Goldstein <mailto:[email protected]>
Friday, May 08, 2015 7:03 AM
On 5/8/15 12:13 AM, Melanie Foxcroft wrote:
The "city transportation people" are the traffic engineers who, after
considering the alternatives, have been forced into this decision
because nothing else meets minimum engineering standards. We all see
the logic of Tony's deliberations and conclusions.
The problem is that an engineering-only approach doesn't solve this
problem and that was the end of the discussion. If there were enough
political pressure, the discussion could have started out with the
*requirement* that the most heavily traveled bike route in the city
remain passable during one of the peak months of biking. If that were
the case, other alternatives might have been on the table --- for
example, staging the project to enable access or closing lanes on John
Nolen.
Many on this list will recall the activism opposing of the closing of
the Law Park path during construction of the convention center
achieved partial success. Tony's sensitivity to the issues shows some
things have improved over the past twenty years, but this disaster
shows we need more effective activism.
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