However, the minutes from April's meeting show one of the giant, almost structural problems at the MPO: The problem with driving and greenhouse gases. There's just no explicit awareness of the contradiction and trade-off, even among the technical staff.
More and faster driving? Or less Carbon pollution? The Great Impasse (from the April minutes) |
The MPO is just in deep, deep denial |
We're just doomed, aren't we.
As part of the discussing and vetting process, in the packet are some additional questions on the project applications for the $15 million or so in funds from 2021-2026. They'll be discussing these and making a preliminary ranking.
Here are some of the more interesting bits.
Someone helpfully asks whether "protected bikelanes" could be included in the Broadway project.
Questions on Broadway and Cherry |
There are two projects on State Street, one in the County, the other in the City.
The dead-ends on Elma at the Geer Line are still public ROW? |
Concept pitch for Geer Line crossing on Elma |
A similar four-lane crosswalk on Market and 19th |
Questions about the 4-lane hybrid |
[City Staff] thinks the city of Salem’s top priority project among the preapplications is likely to be the McGilchrist project....[Marion County Staff] commented that the Center Street Phase 2 project is the top-ranked project for Marion County. The State Street project is second with either the Delaney Road or Delaney bridge project next.The Center Street project is an enormous widening project for more driving, taking it to five auto lanes wide (4 travel, a center turn pocket). See last month's notes for additional comments.
The TAC will have a better sense for the priorities at the end of this meeting, and then there might be more to say.
Look for the historic sign next to the entry |
SKATS Technical Advisory Committee meets Tuesday the 14th, at 1:30pm. SKATS is at 100 High St. SE, Suite 200, above Table Five 08 and the new Epilogue Kitchen.
Unrelated Postcript
You might remember Professor Marc Schlossberg from the 2010-2011 Sustainable City Initiative residency the University of Oregon conducted here. The Monday link roundup at BikePortland includes a note about a fantastic naming project Schlossberg led.
This school year, his students worked on a new problem: What is the right name for the next iteration of a bike lane, a shared mobility lane for skaters, scooters, and micromobility beyond the bike?
He recently posted the winning concept and design, and it's pretty compelling!
The SMILE lane with stencil - Michael Dooley and Daisy Jones, via UO |
the SMILE Lane, or the Shared Micromobility Integration Lane with Emergency access.It's the mood and the freedom of mobility with a smile! This very much seems worth boosting to see if it will gain traction. (We'll be coming back to it.)
4 comments:
Once upon a time I looked at the path of the old Geer Line ROW as saw that it is still pretty much undeveloped from I-5 to Willamette University. I can't help but wonder what it would take to turn that into a bike path...even if roads crossed it.
The ownership of the Geer Line ROW has become very fragmented with multiple owners, and it would be difficult now to reassemble a continuous path - not impossible, I think, but difficult and more costly. The opportunity was much greater a generation ago.
In case anyone reads this post again, it should be noted that the gap on Elma where it crosses the Gear line (see photo in the original post) was paved in 2019, so there is a road and bike connection across the Gear line on Elma. I believe this was done as part of the housing development they squeezed in along the Gear line (both east and west of Elma).
Thanks for the update! (The Geer - double-ee - Line is named for the Geer family, most notably Governor T.T. Geer, whose extended family included Homer Davenport and R. C. Geer, whose historic farm now operates as Geercrest. It's an important name locally!)
Post a Comment