hanging on in Hawthorne,
Dyna Sluyter
On Monday, June 16, 2003, at 11:57 AM, jeff carlson wrote:
The city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County and neighborhoods surrounding Lake Street are considering several options for its reconstruction and streetscaping. Public meetings held toward the end of this month will be announced on this list. E-mail me if you are interested.
At the heart of the debate about Lake Street is whether we will build primarily for automobile speed or quality of life for neighborhoods. This is a mutually exclusive relationship wherein one suffers while the other benefits.
Choosing vehicular speed means perpetuating the status quo of a four-lane roadway with restricted parking, narrow sidewalks and in general a wide swath of pavement filled with speeding cars, dust and exhaust.
Chosing quality of life means accepting that narrower, traffic-calmed Lake can safely accomodate traffic levels upwards of 20,000 cars per day (much like Lincoln or Diversy streets in Chicago) with one lane in either direction, while providing bedrock, unrestricted on-street parking, wider sidewalks, bump-outs at intersections, and possibly on-street bike lanes.
I have seen streets in Chicago that work phenomenally in this way. Some of these streets are as important to the street system as Lake Street is in Minneapolis. Unlike the current Lake Street, however, these streets are designed with people, not cars, in mind. Traffic is slowed, making life better for pedestrians and bicycles. Space is restored for bike racks, plantings, brick pavers, benches and even sidewalk seating at restaurants.
We should never underestimate the instrinsic value of sidewalks and bike lanes for human happiness. Cities should be designed to encourage shoulder-rubbing amongst neighbors, and not fender-bending. Walking and biking brings us into touch with one another. While it would be naive to wish away the automobile alltogether, it is unacceptable not to build the best infrastructure we can for pedestrians and cyclists.
Don't miss this recent article on the subject from TwinCities.com:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/ 6031964.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
Jeff Carlson, Whittier
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