Dear City Council -
Having attended the recent Middle Avenue Complete Street project meeting, I received a bike lanes survey by email.
There is no explanation of the purpose of this survey and how it will be used.
The survey asks me to make a choice between two street designs but provides insufficient information or context for me to make that judgment.
Most important, there is no explanation about why these two, and only these two, options are presented, either parking on one side of the street or no parking on either side west of University.
To ask questions in such an uninformative way biases the outcome and threatens the selection process of a worthwhile project.
At the meeting I spent time with Esther Jung explaining that it would help to see alternative in which no parking is lost. For that option, no parking would the rule during school commute hours, the speed limit is reduced, additional striping is introduced (south of University). I followed up with a detailed email a few days ago, to which Ms. Young graciously replied. The email is included below, just FYI.
Other stakeholders are people for whom either parking, or street frontage potentially lost from new sidewalks, matters.
They include the New Community Church at Arbor & Middle. On Sundays and other church holidays, there are more than two dozen cars parked mostly on Middle with a good number on Arbor on the north side. It's always worked fine. If you plan on eliminating that parking, that outcome needs to be explicitly called out in any description of options-- like the survey. Similarly, where residential street frontage is lost, that too should be described.
Finally, north of University are several apartment buildings. Residents here will be affected by parking reductions,. That change also needs to be identified with relevant parking alternatives.
Rather than proceed with a survey that doesn’t appear to take into account other options, I hope you will reconsider and withdraw it.
Sincerely,
John Kadvany / College Avenue
below: email to Esther Jung / MP Transportation Division
Dear Esther Jung -
We talked at the recent Middle Ave. bike lanes project, and I wanted to make sure you had my input on the project.
First, I'd like to see an alternative which does not change parking south of University Ave. That alternative could include features such as:
- speed limit at 25 mpg
- restriping of bike lane/parking indicating a boundary to the traffic lanes
- signage indicating No Parking during school commute hours, e.g. 7-9am, 3-5pm, or whatever makes sense, school days only
- additional pedestrian crossings as appropriate
- any other relevant features the Transportation Division sees as appropriate for this kind of approach
Second, for all alternatives, please call out detailed parking changes, especially Sunday church parking at Arbor, often involving 2-3 dozen cars now utilizing Middle Ave and side streets, principally Arbor. Please also clearly indicate any changes to residential front yards following from new sidewalks.
Thanks very much for your help and the meeting last week in spite of the rain.
John Kadvany / College Ave
