Diane, Robin and Barb are right, and the 26th and Hiawatha intersection is difficult and dangerous also for those trying to turn onto Hiawatha from 26th, as there are no protected left turn signals. A number of brave pedestrians and bicyclists actually have to use this crossing daily, as I notice as I'm negotiating it in my "safer" car. Hats off to you!!
The re-routing to 26th of ALL traffic which previously used 24th and 26th has led to 3 lanes' worth of fast-moving traffic through our residential neighborhood, creating no-parking zones in front of homes facing 26th and making access to Stewart Park and Andersen School more difficult. The quandary is that applying "traffic calming" measures will only stack up the traffic for longer periods of time, so either way the neighborhood loses. Admittedly it's not as bad as the current 35W gash (and future "improvements"), but it is definitely breaking up neighborhood cohesion, community and traffic patterns, and will likely get worse as more congestion is "by-passed" through our neighborhood. Finally Jim's on the mark with his Lake Street boundary discussion. I'd like to nominate "Herron's Folly", the "temporary" barricades on 10th and Elliot Avenues just off Lake St as Social Boondoggles of the Year. These were erected to "keep the drug trafficking on Lake St from invading the Powderhorn neighborhood" 3 or more years ago and are still in place. As Jim indicated, political pressure is strong, and sometimes even creates visible barriers, not just perceptions which become reality (with help from the right places). Though Jordan is on the North-side of Minneapolis you are correct about the relative deprivation of the area and neighborhoods just north of Lake Street in comparison to Powderhorn and Corcoran. Not in housing stock - the housing stock in Phillips and in particular Ventura Village is at least comparable to Powderhorn and probably superior to the more working class single-family bungalows in Corcoran. The deprivation is in City of Minneapolis services and Public Safety. The City of Minneapolis has attempted to concentrate crime and drug dealing, housing for level three sex offenders, and supportive housing in this area. At least one Police official publicly, and candidly admitted this concentration effort during a Ventura Village meeting this year. He said he had participated in an organized effort to drive drug dealers out of Whittier into Phillips and the effort to contain them in Phillips. Residents of Powderhorn and Corcoran came to public meetings and demanded that this effort stop because it was pushing "Phillip's drug dealers into good neighborhoods". We wondered at the time if such drug dealers had "Phillips" tattooed on their forehead. There was enough political pressure for these "good" neighborhoods to successfully stop proactive policing in Phillips. So there clearly is "relative deprivation" compared to those more affluent and white neighborhoods. This is not just a "perception" however; even drug dealers comment that they are only bothered if they try to go south of Lake Street or over the bridge into Whittier. So how about it, Mayor Rybak and Chief Olson, are you ready to tear down the barricades and help Phillips and the neighborhoods to the south REALLY fight crime TOGETHER? "Equal protection under the law" should be a no-brainer, not a federal lawsuit. All the City neighborhoods are GOOD NEIGHBORHOODS. Sue Anderson Phillips resident working in Fridley _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
