The Fight To Cross A Bridge In Cleveland

Photo from Rust Wire

I've seriously thought about expanding the blog's name and mission yet again to include the maligned city of Cleveland, and all the area in between. Like it or not, Cleveland is the nearest neighboring planet of size and improvements in both places will be good for all.

A fight is developing, for the simple right of pedestrians and bikes to cross a major highway bridge there. You know, it sucks when people who live in the city inconvenience those who are just passing through. Perhaps the whole city should be labled an obstruction to highway traffic, like the South Bronx was.

"Residents in Tremont, one of Cleveland’s fastest growing neighborhoods, were cut off from downtown when ODOT closed an onramp last year that connected the area to downtown with virtually a straight line.

The bridge is going to be replaced anyway, beginning in 2011. So why not include such a path? It seems rare nowadays that the common sense, the public interest, and federal agency’s directives are on the same page. The Federal Highway Administration’s officially adopted policy for new transportation infrastructure, you would think, makes it easy for ODOT to give the path a green light:"

Dennis Kucinich, today took the issue to the house floor and the story was picked up by the Streetsblog network, which is emerging as an important grapevine for pro urban activists.

Winter In Copenhagen

Copenhagen January Cycling - Your Country from Copenhagenize on Vimeo.

Contrary to popular belief in many places like Denmark and Scandinavia lots of people still bike in the cold and snow if they possibly can. Check out the whole video and the custom mini plow used to clear bike paths.

Found this on Streetsblog.

Street Bike Parking

Sorry for not posting more. Here's a film about taking the next logical step in bike parking by actually using the street. You get some idea, of just how much space is being used for so few people.

Generally, I think a city street has to work on a pedestrian level, first and foremost and then logically be well suited to truck and emergency vehicles. Bikes can play a role too.

Dangerous By Design

High School Bike Bus from Keri Caffrey on Vimeo.

This video I found on Streetsblog New York about kids who are working together to create a "Bike Bus" to ride safely to High School in Orlando is both moving and sad.

A recent study called "Dangerous By Design", ranked American City's risk level to pedestrians, runners and cyclists. Orlando Wins!

"a recent AARP poll of adults 50 years and older found that 40% reported inadequate sidewalks in their neighborhoods and nearly half of respondents reported that they could not safely cross the main roads close to their home."

The words "by design", tells the story. It took trillions in American city, state and local tax dollars as well as an untold number of eminent domain enabled land grabs, parking mandates, zoning laws and building codes to create the world we have today.

I also have a theory these same policies have helped make the city of Pittsburgh, Insolvent by Design. I'll get back to that later.

The Streetsblog Network

I know there's a lot of of optimism out there about the new administration, most of which I don't share. Partly, I'm more than a little concerned about our ability to pay for ambitious new projects and partly aware of how badly misguided previous government efforts, like the national highway system have been.

Anyway, since Obama is from an urban center, a lot of folks are hoping that this round of capital investments is spent wisely. Streetsblog is working to better link bloggers with interests in cities, urban planning, pedestrian issues and transit through it's new Streetsblog network.

Streetsblog Network (streetsblog.net) brings together more than 100 blogs from 31 states — and counting. Its purpose is twofold: to create a place where people who blog on smart growth, livable streets and sustainable transportation issues can come together and learn from each other. And to provide a clearinghouse for information related to the transportation bill, or "TEA," that directs the spending of hundreds of billions of federal dollars. The next such bill is set to come up for reauthorization in 2009.