I am going to light a spark for my city.

[N_C]

This was inspired by what Cascade, Iowa has done. They are the first Iowa town to adopt a Complete Streets Policy.

Here are the links:
http://www.iowabicyclecoalition.org/cascade.htm
http://www.iowabicyclecoalition.org/cascade%20complete%20streets.pdf
http://www.completestreets.org/

This has motivated me to send an email to members of the Siouxland Trails Foundation for Sioux City to do the same. The members include the foundation president, a police officer for Sioux City, the city Parks & Rec. Director, the foundation secretary & a member who is also an attorney.

Here is the email I sent:

"Cascade, Iowa is the first Iowa community to adopt a complete streets policy. Sioux City should have been the first. It is time we do so. What can be done to make it happen for Sioux City?

Here is the link from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition web site: http://www.iowabicyclecoalition.org/cascade.htm

Here is the complete test for Cascade's Complete Streets policy:
http://www.iowabicyclecoalition.org/cascade%20complete%20streets.pdf

Here is the Complete Streets web site:
http://www.completestreets.org/

What is stopping Sioux City from adopting a policy such as this one? What needs to be done to bring this to the city council? If no one else wants to I'll be glad to do it myself. We now have a template to use, so let's make it happen.

Please let me know if this will be brought to the councils attention or if I need to do it myself with the support of the trails foundation.

John"

I hope the foundation does this or supports me in doing so. Even if they don't I am going to bring it the city council anyway. And I will do it yet this year, this is not something that should wait. Now is the time to put this into action. That way when the city starts it's road projects next year the Complete Streets policy will be in place.

Your thoughts, comments, questions, etc?

[joejack951]

The first thing I see on the "Complete Streets" website is a bike lane directing cyclists to ride next to parked cars. No thanks.

If you want streets that are accessible to people of all ages using all sorts of different conveyances, lower the speed limit.

[Wogsterca]

This was inspired by what Cascade, Iowa has done. They are the first Iowa town to adopt a Complete Streets Policy.

Here are the links:
http://www.iowabicyclecoalition.org/cascade.htm
http://www.iowabicyclecoalition.org/cascade%20complete%20streets.pdf
http://www.completestreets.org/

This has motivated me to send an email to members of the Siouxland Trails Foundation for Sioux City to do the same. The members include the foundation president, a police officer for Sioux City, the city Parks & Rec. Director, the foundation secretary & a member who is also an attorney.

Here is the email I sent:

"Cascade, Iowa is the first Iowa community to adopt a complete streets policy. Sioux City should have been the first. It is time we do so. What can be done to make it happen for Sioux City?

Here is the link from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition web site: http://www.iowabicyclecoalition.org/cascade.htm

Here is the complete test for Cascade's Complete Streets policy:
http://www.iowabicyclecoalition.org/cascade%20complete%20streets.pdf

Here is the Complete Streets web site:
http://www.completestreets.org/

What is stopping Sioux City from adopting a policy such as this one? What needs to be done to bring this to the city council? If no one else wants to I'll be glad to do it myself. We now have a template to use, so let's make it happen.

Please let me know if this will be brought to the councils attention or if I need to do it myself with the support of the trails foundation.

John"

I hope the foundation does this or supports me in doing so. Even if they don't I am going to bring it the city council anyway. And I will do it yet this year, this is not something that should wait. Now is the time to put this into action. That way when the city starts it's road projects next year the Complete Streets policy will be in place.

Your thoughts, comments, questions, etc?

Anyone else see the glaring problem with the complete streets illustration on the front page of their website?


Huh?


Did Ya?


Just about anyone here should see it?

Still don't see it, look at where the parking spots are, now look at where the bike lane is.

Now see the car way up, suppose as the kid passes that car, they open their do..

POW that kid just got a car door in the face:eek:.


I have a hard time buying into an idea that has that glaring of an error on the front page of their website, obviously they missed something, and any city that implemented the design, without a rethink, is opening themselves up to huge legal issues. This could be easily resolved, by eliminating the on street parking, or eliminating the center area and island, and putting a 1m DMZ between the parked cars and the bike lane.

[N_C]

Keep in mind there is no prescribed design for a complete street. What works for roadways in a community may not work in another. Or what the design may be differant on from roadway to roadway in the same community.

Maybe the picture on the web site works fine for that community. Where it would not work in other areas.

There are so many variables & factors to be considered when it comes to complete streets.

[straightedge]

I have a hard time buying into an idea that has that glaring of an error on the front page of their website

And here, http://www.completestreets.org/early.html . The first picture with "no sidewalks", seems to have the same mysterious concrete pedestrian paths on both sides of the road in both pictures. And those curbed grassy medians are a pain in the butt in a car or on a bike, now the cars get to go farther down the road turn around at the light and drive back down the other side to make a simple left turn.

But too many of our streets are designed only for speeding cars, or worse, creeping traffic jams. They’re unsafe for people on foot or bike — and unpleasant for everybody. from Complete Streets website

Creeping traffic jams are worse than speeding cars? I'll take my chance with a bunch of cars going 5MPH than lighter traffic zipping by at 30+MPH.

[The Human Car]

I have a hard time buying into an idea that has that glaring of an error on the front page of their website, obviously they missed something, and any city that implemented the design, without a rethink, is opening themselves up to huge legal issues. This could be easily resolved, by eliminating the on street parking, or eliminating the center area and island, and putting a 1m DMZ between the parked cars and the bike lane.

Complete Streets is a concept idea on how to sell bike ped planning to motor vehicle centric planning departments. The concept photo is not meant to be taken so literally, it is meant to depict that you can accommodate bikes and peds into an existing space. You are correct that other road design issues need to change to safely accommodate cyclists and Complete Streets has a lot of ideas on how to do that.

[genec]

Lower the speed limits. The most sensible thing ever said.

Let motorists drive to hell and beyond on limited access freeways, but when the roadway is mixed with peds and cyclists, motorists MUST drive slower... especially when they are focused on entertainment and cell phones and not on driving.

[John E]

Lower the speed limits. The most sensible thing ever said. ...

Yup. The problem is bigger than bicyclist and pedestrian safety -- as the elderly population "booms" (so to speak), we will need a full interconnected network of streets on which neighborhood electric vehicles can be safely and legally operated. This will require major changes in San Diego County, which is fundamentally a bunch of 25-35mph islands connected only by limited access freeways and by 45+mph prime arterials.

[Wogsterca]

And here, http://www.completestreets.org/early.html . The first picture with "no sidewalks", seems to have the same mysterious concrete pedestrian paths on both sides of the road in both pictures. And those curbed grassy medians are a pain in the butt in a car or on a bike, now the cars get to go farther down the road turn around at the light and drive back down the other side to make a simple left turn.



Creeping traffic jams are worse than speeding cars? I'll take my chance with a bunch of cars going 5MPH than lighter traffic zipping by at 30+MPH.

Another issue, is there seems to be no inclusion of transit facilities, I live in a city where we have streetcars, while streetcars lost a lot of popularity between 1930 and 1995, they are making a big comeback, and I think as fuel prices head higher, they will continue to do so. The Complete streets program, doesn't seem to accomodate this mode of transportation at all. Now, take that illustration, remove the parking and add some streetcar lanes, like we find here (http://www.script2004.ca) while there is no bicycle facilities in the illustrations adding a bike lane would be easy enough, the street is normally busy enough to warrant bike lanes.

I find a creeping traffic jam, usually possitive as far as cyclists are concerned....