Author: APCSC

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Banning cars in Oslo-or banning parking

When Oslo decided to be the first European city to ban cars from its centre, businesses protested. So the city did the next best thing: it banned parking.

 

In 2015, when Oslo decided to be Europe’s first city to ban cars from its center, there was a strong backlash from local businesses and car owners. A year later, the City has a new solution: to ban parking. To be rolled out in three phases, this more gradual but equally radical plan holds that by 2019, all 650 downtown parking spots will be transformed into shared public spaces such as playgrounds, bike lanes, and seating areas.

But there was backlash.

Then-

The council changed its stated ambition to have a car-free city centre. It now wants the “fewest possible vehicles”. Drivers are by no means off the hook. “The goal is that people with cars will feel like they’re visitors, rather than owning the streets,” says Berg. “We’ll make it difficult for people to want to drive or get around by car.”

People walk at the street at Gronland district in Oslo, Norway

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jun/13/oslo-ban-cars-backlash-parking?mc_cid=fa36472817&mc_eid=f9a30e01e0

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Successful Outcomes of Parking Reform

Few people have been leading the fight for parking reform like Donald Shoup, retired UCLA urban planning professor and author of “The High Cost of Free Parking,” and Jeffrey Tumlin, director of strategy at consulting firm Nelson\Nygaard. Robert Steuteville interviewed the pair recently for the Congress for the New Urbanism.

http://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/06/15/parking-reform-has-big-implications-for-sustainable-transit-and-for-ride-hailing-too/

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CELEBRATING THE SUNSET LAKE FOOTBRIDGE RESTORATION AND REOPENING

Sunset lake bridge

CELEBRATING THE SUNSET LAKE FOOTBRIDGE RESTORATION AND REOPENING Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on Friday, June 23 at 4 p.m.
6/14/17 Asbury Park, NJ – Closed off since 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, a landmark as old as the City of Asbury Park itself is open and ready for the City to enjoy again. Restoration work was completed this month on the Sunset Lake footbridge, connecting Emory Street from Fifth Avenue to Sunset Avenue across Sunset Lake. An official ribbon-cutting reopening ceremony will be held on Friday, June 23 at 4 p.m. on the Fifth Avenue side of the footbridge.
“The bridge has only been open for a week, and it’s already been completely embraced by the City,” said Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn. “People are walking their dogs across the footbridge, incorporating it into their jogging routes, biking across it, and sitting on the benches to enjoy the views with their children.”
“In a city defined by its bodies of water, Sunset Lake is the only one of Asbury’s lakes which is fully contained within the City,” said member of the City Council and the Sunset Lake Commission Eileen Chapman. “We are so delighted to see this footbridge open, contributing to the rejuvenation of Sunset Park and Sunset Lake.”
The footbridge has been closed since Hurricane Sandy, in October 2012. Its restoration was largely funded by FEMA, and included full replacement of the bridge, as well as enhancements to bridge-adjacent parts of the lake and park.
The project represented a chance not just to replace the bridge, but to improve it. While keeping to the FEMA requirement that the bridge be restored to its pre-storm condition, the project was able to enhance the footbridge’s aesthetic appearance, update it for current code requirements, and strengthen it against possible future storm events.
Work began on the footbridge in late November of 2016. The project included demolition of the footbridge, pile driving, new bulkhead installation, construction of the new bridge, light installation, railing and bench installation, concrete site work, and landscaping.
The original construction date for the footbridge isn’t clear, but records exist for the 1888 reconstruction of an Emory Street Bridge, updated to carry streetcar tracks for trolleys running from Deal Lake to the Central Business District. Historic aerial photographs and postcards show the bridge going back to 1930, with a 1945 rebuild to remove the trolley tracks, which were by then out of use. The only documented repair for the footbridge was for a full deck replacement in 2006.

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It’s Happening Now!

Gearing up for another summer season in Asbury Park. This is shaping up to be a great summer, and we can feel the vibe already! Let’s all be safe and be aware of everyone on the roads.

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Tri City News: Main Street reconfiguration support!

Image result for asbury park main street

 

Dan Jacobson is in our corner!  Thanks for sticking with this story and following it to the conclusion which was the resolution by city council to approve the NJDOT Main Street reconfiguration plan.  Main Street as we know it (and pictured above) will be made safer for everyone-walkers, bicyclists and drivers.  NJDOT funds will cover the cost of improved design and infrastructure with a road diet consisting of one northbound lane, one southbound lane, a left turning lane, bike lanes and parking.  Work is to begin at the end of this summer.

Tri City News 6-1-17 Shrinking Main St

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Is infrastructure, or lack thereof sexist?

Yes, yelling at female cyclists is sexist.  Is infrastructure sexist too?

 

While it isn’t universal that women have experienced the extent of jerk male bike rider behavior (aka sexism) described in this article, most (really, most-the data shows it) women who love to ride bikes are afraid.  They’re not necessarily afraid of being yelled at or run off the road.  They just don’t feel safe.   Only the bravest and toughest female bike riders attempt to ride on the roads in NJ due to lack of, or non-existent infrastructure for bicycling.  That leaves almost exclusively men on the road.  This creates a culture of bike riding as a non-female-friendly activity, preventing women from riding their bikes.

https://ggwash.org/view/63608/yes-yelling-at-women-cyclists-is-sexist