Re: [Winona] traffic problems

[John N. Finn]

----- Original Message ----- From: cnelson To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 24 janvier, 2003 11:47 Subject: [Winona] traffic problems I also find this subject of interest since a majority of my work time is spent behind the steering wheel.  .............   5) How about some one way east/west streets to ease congestion on Broadway?   ................... I could go on and on and on.   Chris Nelson   Spending little time, whether at work or not, behind a steering wheel, I'm probably insufficiently sympathetic to complaints of traffic congestion in Winona. So, to speculate from another viewpoint:    If Broadway and Sarnia are becoming inadequate for east/west traffic, making Sanborn and King one-way pairs from Main to Louisa could speed things up a lot. (I think Lousia is intended to eventually connect via a RR bridge to Hwy 61.)  The rebuilt Sanborn is wide enough for five lanes, so a middle lane would not be obstructed by cars slowing to parallel park. A similar rebuild for King, and some stop lights at Franklin, Hamilton, and Mankato timed for higher speeds, could enable the fast and furious backward hat crowd to grab some Mugby Junction drive-thru java between WSU classes. Or, maybe Second and Third should be paired instead of or in addition to. In the West End, B'way and Fifth might be one way. How to tie all this together in new downtown intersections would be for professional consultants to figure out.   According to the street rebuilding proponents, the new infrastructure will increase property values. If so, then those desiring quiet "kid friendly" neighborhoods could sell their starter homes (or maybe rent them out) and move up-scale to the valleys and bluffs. That seems to be the Plan, per city official's statements in a Daily News feature article on growth a while back: the central city for affordable starter homes, bluffland development towards Interstate 90 for upscale residences.        Long ago, I lived in Denver where many central city residential streets were one-way pairs to speed travel to and from downtown.  Stop lights were timed for 50 mph or more even though the posted limit was much lower. Driveway access was through back yard alleys, so there wasn't a problem with cars backing out into the high speed traffic.   I don't think there is a similar need at this time to provide commuters with faster routes to jobs in downtown Winona. But, maybe the key to downtown revitalization will be to provide upper income shoppers in the valleys with rapid access to new drive-thru facilities that could compete with Hwy 61 strip malls.   John N. Finn