Blue Ridge Parkway: Closed To Cyclists?, by Will Harlan at Blue Ridge Outdoors.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is the single most popular road for bicyclists in the Blue Ridge. Cyclists cherish the Parkway’s 469 scenic miles from Shenandoah to the Smokies. Even Lance Armstrong pedaled the high-elevation road during his Tour de France championship training.
Unfortunately, the Blue Ridge Parkway’s newly released draft management plan could limit cycling on the Parkway. The draft plan focuses exclusively on the Parkway being “actively managed as a traditional, self-contained, scenic recreational driving experience.”
New Albany is a state of mind … but whose? Since 2004, we’ve been observing the contemporary scene in this slowly awakening old river town. If it’s true that a pre-digital stopped clock is right twice a day, when will New Albany learn to tell time?
Friday, December 23, 2011
Return of "Commuting to Nowhere."
From the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Ohio River Bridges Project, and including Spring Street in New Albany, we hear the voices of those who simply cannot imagine a future world without the predominance of big-oil fueled internal combustion transport. It's an absence of imagination paralleling that of so many military leaders during the Great War, who could not fathom combat without cavalry charges and the fixing of bayonets.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis is working on its $1.3 Billion regional transportation plan that includes the following:
ReplyDeleteBus: Doubling of the current bus service in the first 10-years, with eventual expansion to nearly triple the current size.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): Four BRT lines that provide service to highly traveled areas. BRT runs every 10-15 minutes and controls traffic signals to reduce travel time.
Rail Transit: The first phase of this plan envisions rail transit northeast between downtown Indianapolis and Noblesville, with frequent stops in Marion County. In the future, additional lines could extend south from Indianapolis to Franklin and northwest from Indianapolis to Zionsville.
Light Rail: Over time, some corridors initially introduced as Bus Rapid Transit would become light rail transit – which is a rail service that runs in dedicated lanes but is separated from traffic.
Bike and Pedestrian Pathways: Plans for hundreds of miles of proposed trails and pathways that connect to buses, rail and roadways and to indentify gaps where connections are missing.
Roadways and Bridges: Expanding, maintaining and improving the roadway and bridge system includes road resurfacing, bridge repairs, intersection and pavement improvements, as well as connectivity with walkers and bikers through new sidewalks and bike lanes and paths.
(SEE http://www.indyconnect.org/ )
From the press release at the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce website, it appears that local officials and business leaders are on board with the plan, which they intend to take to the legislature in 2012.
http://www.indychamber.com/527/news-and-multimedia/newsroom.aspx?NewsId=340