Here is the email I sent to the STF secretary & president & the parks & rec. director of Sioux City:
****,
Will you please send this to everyone in the foundation?
This is a trailer to a 90 min. video called Contested Streets. While Sioux City does not have as bad of a problem with congestion as other larger cities the problem is still there, just on a smaller scale, that could become larger as the city grows. We need to think of ways to reclaim our public spaces in this community, beyond what we are already doing.
Please watch the short trailer & I will do what I can to obtain the full version of the video. The trailer shows some really great ideas of what has happened in other cites around the world that Sioux City should use as a model.
I think part of this includes having a Complete Streets Policy & Safe Routes to School for all of the schools in Sioux City, both public & private. If we work on melding together Complete Streets, Safe Routes to School & reclaiming the public spaces this community will be a whole lot better for it. We need to adopt a new perspective & get rid of the old traditional way of thinking when it comes to infrastructure, like roadway construction. So what do you say? let's think about ways to do this using the info. in the web sites below.
We have made a good start on some of these things. But so much more needs to be done. Even if it is utilizing ourselves as a think-tank just to come up with ideas for a later time. But there are things that should be done right away. The first of which is a Complete Streets Policy.
So help me out here. Let's do what we can to make this happen. Who's on board?
Here are the links to the information:
http://www.contestedstreets.com/
http://www.iowabikes.com/
http://www.dot.state.ia.us/saferoutes/
http://www.completestreets.org/
http://www.thunderheadalliance.org/index.asp
Thank you.
John
What do you think? I did the research & presented the ideas. Didn't really stroke any ego's or kiss butt, didn't have to. That is up to others to get these ideas implemented. I hope it happens.
One other thing I have heard & get the feeling there are those in the foundation who think our focus should be on the trails only & not other facilties. At times this attitude has almost made me want to stop my efforts. So far there has not been any in-fighting over the issue & I hope there isn't any.