In urging New Albany's Common Council to join Jeffersonville and Clarksville in passing a no tolls, East End Bridge focused resolution, the New Albanian yesterday alluded to the long-term, negative impacts a toll financed Bridges Project would bring to the city, saying "... it is imperative for New Albany to take back the city's streets now, with a plan for two-way traffic, traffic calming and 'complete streets', before our avenues become a de facto grid of on-ramps for pass-through traffic." The City's best defense against the unwanted, toll-based behemoth beyond project related activism is a proactive approach to improving the streets over which we have more direct control.
His comment is mirrored by the Federal Highway Administration as part of the Bridges Project's Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement. The FHWA not only suggests an increase in mass transit to offset the public burden of the Bridges, but refers to New Albany two-way street reclamation and other traffic calming measures as a means to mitigate negative impacts as well. The relevant bit is shared below, emphasis mine:
The City of New Albany developed the New Albany Inner-City
Grid Transportation Study (NAIGTS) in 2007 to identify solutions to make
transportation in downtown New Albany safer and more pedestrian friendly. Because
of its location and proximity to I-64, New Albany experiences a notable
amount of “cut through” traffic. New Albany’s streets, particularly
Spring Street and Elm Street provide connections to I-64 for motorists in
Harrison County, Clarksville, and Jeffersonville. This study sought
strategies to manage traffic in the downtown area to improve efficiency,
safety, pedestrian use, and the quality of life of city residents. The
goal of the Study was to examine traffic calming solutions that would
create a more pedestrian friendly downtown area. Speed was the primary
concern in regards to safety issues for those living and working in the
downtown area, as opposed to traffic congestion. The majority of
respondents indicated that the conversion of the one-way street system to
a two-way system would be a desired to improve traffic movements and
reduce travel speeds.
The traffic calming solutions examined include changes in
street alignment and installation of other physical barriers to reduce
traffic speeds and/or cut through volumes in the interest of safety,
livability and other public purposes. Traffic calming techniques include
the use of speed tables, raised intersections, traffic circles, and travel
lane width reductions to slow travel speeds, and increase the safety of
pedestrians while providing an increased quality of downtown livability.
The study noted that increased pedestrian foot traffic as a result of increased
safety could have effects resulting in increased economic viability of the
downtown area and overall community cohesion.
In relation to the LSIORB Project, these types of traffic
calming measures could reduce the desirability of using these roadways to
avoid the tolled I-65 bridges. The implementation of speed reduction
techniques on these urban roadways may increase travel times to the extent
that traffic would not seek these roadways as alternatives to the Modified
Selected Alternative.
This is a good point Jeff. If we don't ASAP take control of our residential streets and create traffic, bike, and foot traffic patterns that benefit the city, we are doomed forever to being used as a high-speed "cut-through" town. Any i-65 tolling will create "diversion" traffic to i-64 and it's hard to imagine the town with more cut-through traffic than we have now, which is like half of all our traffic I'm guessing. Personally, living on a State Hgwy that cuts up one of Indiana's most historic streets, I see where the priorities are - MOVE TRAFFIC AND TRUCKS! It's a mess.
ReplyDeleteAs I've mentioned before, for a mere two or three billion in wayward expenditures, the federal government will step in and remind us of what we already knew on our own by the mid 1800s.
ReplyDeleteAs Roger mentioned, that sort of forgotten knowledge would be front and center in a more meaningful approach to our bicentennial and still could be, if we ever adopt a historical vision that includes the progression of time and decision making outcomes rather than the very temporary suspension of them.