Originally Posted by Daily Commute
Some dude from out of town calls and asks them to totally rework the way they do streets, and they refuse a meeting? Hmmmmm. I wonder why.
Seriously, it sounds like it was only the economic development director. That still leaves other officials.
Why not start showing up at local traffic planning meetings? The topic of the meetings doesn't matter. Just sart showing up. Listen for awhile. Figure out who is influential what is important to them. You will also learn what concerns the traffic planners and community members have.
In local planning, you get a lot of credibility just by showing up at the meetings. It's time consuming, but it's the only way to get credibility.
I am not exactly from out of town. Look on a map, Sioux City & Sgt. Bluff, Iowa, South Sioux City & Dakota City Nebraska & Dakota Dunes & North Sioux City, South Dakota are all close to one another. About 15 min. by car & maybe an hour & a half by bike if you drive or ride to from one to the other.
I ride bike in North Sioux all the time. My wife works in North Sioux. When the Siouxland Trails Foundation first started our annual bike ride they made sure to include North Sioux City as part of the route & are doing so again this year. STF has been in contact with North Sioux asking if they need any money for their trail system. They are either told no or get no response. So we are not exactly outsiders as you imply.
What I am doing is trying to "go through other doors" to get in touch with the city council & members of the North Sioux Govt. I replied to the economic development director & plainly asked why do they not want to pursue this. I asked if it was because of cost & assured him there is no cost for me to do the presentation & advised it will be little to no cost to adopt a Complete Streets Policy.
I also asked if the reason they do not want to pursue this is do they believe that cyclists only belong on the trails & side walks & not on the street surface. If they do, do all memebrs of the city govt. have the same attitude. I asked who did he talk with about this & I asked for their direct email addresses so I can contact them myself.
Now I'll wait & see what happens.