My two-way street project and how you can help.

Updated with additional links on November 21

During the past few weeks, little by little and as time permits, I’ve been visiting downtown businesses and chatting with owners and managers about the advantages of a two-way street grid in the context of downtown New Albany’s ongoing revitalization.

These advantages include slower traffic, less confusion for visitors, enhanced walkability, greater safety for all street users (both automotive and non-automotive), and overall, a better atmosphere for the new generation of shops, restaurants, bars and other attractions downtown.

These two-way advantages apply equally to downtown neighborhoods near the historic business district. Verily, the era of higher-speed arterial streets catering to pass-through traffic to the detriment of neighborhood residents and small indie businesses alike is just about over.

All across the country, communities are taking control of their street grids – retrofitting two-way streets, calming traffic and completing streets for the greater good of all users, not merely automotive traffic. It is perhaps the ultimate quality of life issue for our time. One might say that it's a no-brainer.

In New Albany, the two-way effort is alive, but stalled. A measure to fund a traffic study failed to pass a third reading in council. Concurrently, many of us feel that a study is not necessary, and that we're already in possession of the information necessary to act (see the Speck link below). Now more than ever, local political leaders need to know that the emerging local indie business community supports two-way streets … and we also vote.

Hence, my project. Out of my own pocket, I’ve made photocopies of the two-way street sign pictured above. One at a time, I’ve been asking business owners to affix one to a street-side window, where it can be seen by customers and passers-by. Purposefully, I have place no wording on these. The idea is to arouse curiosity and stimulate conversation.

Once on display, I will snap a photo of the sign, and place it on my blog with a link to the business. The goal is one placement/posting per day. Once there are sufficient numbers (currently more than two dozen businesses are aboard), we’ll find a downtown window to display photocopies of them all, and add to the information gallery as signs are posted. The next big downtown event in terms of visiting throngs will be the Jingle Walk on Thanksgiving weekend. That's the 30th of November. Can we have some semblance of critical mass by then? If so, the educational benefits are obvious.

My position is clear. However, don’t just take my word for it. Below are links to various on-line articles helping to make a very strong case for two-way street conversions. In fact, apart from the largely discredited Thoreau Institute (a somewhat dated appendage financed primarily by Big Oil), there is precious little material to be found on-line in support of one-way streets.

Browse these articles, and decide for yourself. Then let me know, and I’ll bring an emblem and take a photo. So far, this project is being undertaken by me, and me alone. It’s been my money, and my time. Like so many of you, my life savings have been invested in downtown New Albany’s revitalization, and I feel strongly that two-way streets are the way to go so as to increase the pace of progress.

For the city to move decisively reclaim its streets would be the fairest and most equitable way for government to provide a major boost to small indie businesses and neighborhood residents alike by dictating the terms of infrastructure engagement when it comes to our streets, which after all add up to the largest piece of acreage controlled by the city.

The handbill is ready: 21st CENTURY CITIES SUPPORT TWO-WAY STREETS.
http://cityofnewalbany.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-handbill-is-ready-21st-century.html

Wake up, Bob: Two-way street conversions for 400K ... now get the hell out of the way, at NAC
http://cityofnewalbany.blogspot.com/2013/11/wake-up-bob-two-way-street-conversions.html

Send the Antebellum Caesarite faction a strong message at DNA's web site, at NAC with link to Develop New Albany's two-way survey
http://cityofnewalbany.blogspot.com/2013/11/send-antebellum-caesarite-faction.html

More on the two-way street project -- a follow-up
http://cityofnewalbany.blogspot.com/2013/10/more-on-two-way-street-project.html

Two-Way Streets: Best Practices, by Randy Smith (The NewAlbanist)
http://newalbanist.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/two-way-streets-best-practices/

“Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time” Excerpt (Congress for the New Urbanism)
http://www.cnu.org/node/5500

Converting One-way Streets to Two-way: Managing Traffic on Main Street, by John D. Edwards (National Main Street Center)
http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/main-street-news/2002/06/converting-one-way-to-two-way.html

How One-Way Thinking is Hurting Historic Downtown Neighborhoods, by Matt Hanka, ABD and John Gilderbloom Ph.D.
http://sun.louisville.edu/preservation/one-waystreetver12-012908-5B1-5D%20.pdf

Studies Refute DOT’s Claim That One-Way Avenues Are Safer, by Sarah Goodyear (streetsblog.org)
http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/22/transportation-planner-one-ways-hurt-more-kids/

Two-Way Street Networks: More Efficient than Previously Thought?, by Vikash V. Gayah (uctc.net)
http://www.uctc.net/access/41/access41_twoway.shtml

The Return of the Two-Way Street; Why the double-yellow stripe is making a comeback in downtowns, Alan Ehrenhalt (Governing)
http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/The-Return-of-the.html

The road to better neighborhoods goes two ways, by Erika D. Smith (Indy Star)
http://www.indystar.com/article/20131018/NEWS19/310180056/Erika-D-Smith-road-better-neighborhoods-goes-two-ways

Two-way street discussion moving ahead, by Erin Blasko (South Bend Tribune)
http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/keynews/localeconomy/article_d2653124-0141-11e3-b0e4-0019bb30f31a.html

Updating the two-way street discussion in South Bend: Conversions coming soon, at NAC
http://cityofnewalbany.blogspot.com/2013/11/updating-two-way-street-discussion-in.html

Redevelopment Commission on traffic studies, and why YOU NEED TO GET INVOLVED with this, at NAC
http://cityofnewalbany.blogspot.com/2013/11/redevelopment-commission-on-traffic.html