Building for Tourism vs Livability?

This article is from Strong Towns archives of most popular. Sound a bit familiar?  Asbury Park, having been “economically down on its luck but working toward a better future.”

THE BIG URBAN MISTAKE: BUILDING FOR TOURISM VS. LIVABILITY

 
BY ARIAN HORBOVETZ

“Originally posted on Strong Towns member Arian Horbovetz’s blog, The Urban Phoenix, and republished on our site in May, I have heard many people talk about how this essay voiced what they’d been feeling about their own communities, or helped them look at their towns in a new light. Arian writes primarily about issues facing small to mid-sized cities in New York state, but the topics he addresses apply to so many Rust Belt communities and truly, to any town that’s economically down on its luck but working towards a better future.” – Rachel Quednau

Read more…

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2017/12/5/the-big-urban-mistake-building-for-tourism-vs-livability

 

PBS: Grant Money For Bike Lanes Dries Up for Blue States

Infrastructure in rural areas are sorely in need of repairs and upgrades.  But what does it mean for cities in blue states?  “Of the 41 grants announced by the Trump administration, 25 totaling $271 million were awarded to projects in congressional districts represented by Republicans. Districts represented by Democrats garnered 14 projects and $190 million.”

Under Trump, new transportation grants ditch bikes, walkways

 

 

A woman rides a bicycle along a designated bike lane on Queens Boulevard in the borough of Queens in New York, U.S., May 5, 2016. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton – S1BETDQANDAB

WASHINGTON — Forget about bike-share stations in Chicago or pedestrian walkways in Oakland.

In the Trump administration, a popular $500 million transportation grant program is focused more on projects in rural areas that turned out for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. That means more road and rail projects in GOP strongholds such as Idaho, North Dakota, and Oklahoma, and fewer “greenways,” ”complete streets” and bike lanes.

The latest round of these grants has nothing for New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago. Money in those Democratic heavy states went instead to projects in Trump-friendly regions: repainting a bridge in New York’s North Country, contributing to a highway project in Modesto, California, and upgrading an interstate highway in southern Illinois.

Read more..

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/under-trump-new-transportation-grants-ditch-bikes-walkways

A Badass Bike With A Handicap Decal

This is advocacy!

Staying out of the wheelchair and getting on a badass bike!

Chris Billman is the only Oregonian with a disabled parking decal for his bicycle

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor), Feb. 18, 2018

“Billman has the passion and persistence that are hallmarks of an effective advocate. And there are a lot of other things he’d like to change (like making bikeways fall under ADA regulations for quality and accessiblity). It’s all about accessibility and staying independent as long as possible.

“TriMet spends millions of dollars to send a little bus out to your house [referring to their Lift service], as long as you get in the wheelchair. But to me, it’s about staying out of the wheelchair. I don’t want to get into one! That’s not transportation — that’s keeping people more-or-less captive,” he shared with me in a phone cal. last week. “I’m a 61-year-old man who’s been independent all my life and now I have to call up someone 48 hours in advance to take me into town? Screw you! I don’t want it! We bought a badass bicycle, we decked it out, we’ve got a 50-amp motor and plenty of solar power… We can go anywhere.”

Read more…

https://bikeportland.org/2018/02/19/chris-billman-is-the-only-oregonian-with-a-disabled-parking-decal-for-his-bicycle-268675

 

Very cool science: Bike lanes experiment…

measures cyclist response to infrastructure design.

Penn Today, Office of University of Pennsylvania

Brandon BakerWriter

Asbury Park is getting set to install bike lanes.  Here is some science to consider.

“A professor and students use goggles to test bikers’ riding behavior while traveling on Philadelphia’s bike lanes. Here, a snapshot of how Megan Ryerson is using data and technology to plan safer streets, and marry design and public health.”

We don’t need to turn Philly into Denmark, but we can feel safe biking to school.

“Healthy environments as a design principle, she says, is the idea that creating a safer intersection promotes a “spiral” of completely improving a neighborhood. People feel safe, so they feel good about their neighborhoods, and, therefore, they do good: They clean up streets, start neighborhood groups, and maybe advocate for a new speed bump on their street. From a public health standpoint, this encourages low-mobility neighbors—particularly the elderly, who Ryerson says can be discouraged by design details as seemingly minor as a traffic light that turns over too quickly—to spend more time outside.”

Read more…

https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/bike-lanes-experiment-measures-cyclist-response-infrastructure-design

Streetfilms: Hoboken Prioritizes People Over Parking!

Asbury Park has some issues in common with Hoboken. Let’s make this something great that we can have in common!

Check out this beautiful video showing ways that the city of Hoboken has reduced parking to allow for better visibility for pedestrians and bicyclists to safely cross streets.

“Last week, I happened to be on the other side of the Hudson, cruising the New Jersey waterfront on a Citi Bike, going up from Jersey City to Hoboken and Weehawken, then back.

On the return leg of my trip, I just couldn’t believe how comfortable the streets of Hoboken felt as I was biking and walking. One thing stuck out to me: Nearly every intersection has “daylighting,” meaning the space approaching the crosswalks is kept clear of cars, so everyone at intersections is more visible to each other. At several intersections in Hoboken, every corner is daylit.

I didn’t plan to make a video about daylighting in Hoboken or schedule interviews with city officials. But I had my camera, thinking I could get some nice NYC skyline shots (nope, overcast), and I’m glad I did. I started taping and put together these observations, which I think will be valuable in New York and elsewhere.

Daylighting is a strategy that advocates are well aware of, but city governments hesitate to do it if it means repurposing parking spaces. Even in New York, where most people don’t own cars, at a typical intersection drivers are allowed to park right up to the crosswalk, limiting visibility to the detriment of public safety.

Hoboken is showing what a city can do when it prizes safety for everyone above free car storage for a few. It should be the default practice everywhere.

For bonus footage from Hoboken, check out the awesome Observer Highway protected bike lane — one of the best green lanes I’ve seen in an American city!”

Watch:

https://player.vimeo.com/video/262540737

Asbury Park Mayor’s Wellness Committee Presents:

Sprint 2 Summer2018 Wellness Events

 

The Mayor’s Wellness Committee presents events beginning on April 7 through the Saturday, June 2.  Mark your calendars!
Be sure to join APCSC for Asbury Park’s National Bike Month community event and ride on May 24th!
Meet friends and neighbors at City Hall on May 24th at 5:30 pm for bike maintenance tips, bike safety talk, 6:30 community bike ride and more!

Streetfilms: Bikes and Pedestrians Cross Ahead of Cars

Great idea! In case you don’t know what an LPI is and how they make crossing a street safer for pedestrians, check out this great short video and you’ll see  how they make it safer for bicyclists too!

“NYC DOT has been implementing hundreds of LPIs (Leading Pedestrian Intervals) each year as part of the city’s Vision Zero initiative. The agency will study the results of letting cyclists use LPIs (first proposed by Council Member Carlos Menchaca), before deciding whether to make it permanent policy and expand the rule to other intersections.”

APCSC would like to advocate that Asbury Park include LPIs into the plan for Main Street, and include bicyclists’ signage.

Watch Video:

http://www.streetfilms.org/at-some-red-lights-in-nyc-cyclists-now-get-head-start/

Copenhagenize-A Definitive Guide to Global Bicycle Urbanism

Asbury Park is perfectly situated to develop world class bike and pedestrian infrastucture that serves everyone with the reconfiguration of Main Street and redevelopment of the city’s south west neighborhood.  Here’s a book for American cities to use for inspiration.

Mikael Colville-Andersen writes the definitive guide to global bicycle urbanism

“It is all about the redemocratization and reallocation of our urban space… we need to bend over backwards to make our streets safe for all users, including those who wish to cycle. Reluctantly squeezing the bicycle into a car-centric Matrix serves very few. A massive effort to redemoctratize our streets is the greatest urban challenge we face.”

Mikael Colville-Andersen “has become a phenomenon, speaking everywhere and running a consultancy with offices around the world, and he has put his thoughts into a book, Copenhagenize- the definitive guide to global bicycle urbanism.”

Read more…

https://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/mikael-colville-andersen-writes-definitive-guide-global-bicycle-urbanism.html