I'm also not interested in placing blame, but do agree we've got an
opportunity to do a lot better in the future.
While I appreciate the wrinkle introduced by the BTTW date change, it seems
that that only impacted the poor, last-minute communication to the
community. Based on that communication ("There will not be a marked detour
as it is assumed that bicyclists and pedestrians will choose the
alternative on-street route that best serves their needs") and everything
I've heard, it sounds like the decision to not accommodate users with any
of the following was independent of the date change: 1) use of part of John
Nolen Dr for path traffic 2) a temporary, alternate path through the park 3)
a marked detour 4) sufficient advance warning as to avoid forcing users to
turn around and significantly back track. *#4 is still needed and would
take a small crew a few hours to complete and should really be in place
before Monday.*
#1, #2, and #3 all have their pros and cons and I can understand rationale
for and against each of them. As much as I generally support a concept like
#1 and believe it would be the best for path users, I do think the impact
it would have on all users would be tremendous, especially considering the
ingress needed into Monona Terrace. It could also introduce some real
safety issues for all users and I can understand why we don't have it in
place. (I think such an accommodation would have been warranted when the
bridge was replaced last year on the causeway, especially given the
significant impact to path users at that time and the much simpler MV
traffic patterns that would have been interrupted.)
I also feel strongly that choosing to not do #1, #2, *or *#3 is
insufficient. It should not be ok to close a primary bike artery like this
and expect that cyclists just figure it out for themselves. While the
majority of construction projects may not include a marked detour, the
relative impact of this work on bike/ped traffic is akin to the impact of
the E. Johnson St. work on MVs. I understand the volume of total users is
not equivalent, but this route is as important to our bicycle traffic
infrastructure as E. Johnson is to our MV traffic infrastructure. In this
case, we marked an alternate route AND maintained through access for
traffic.
If we truly have a commitment to promoting and supporting cycling as a
viable transportation mode, we have to commit to appropriate supports
during construction. As much as a marked detour has been discounted by
some, I do think it was a reasonable provision and would have significantly
decreased the angst and frustration associated with this work. I've been
detouring over the hill since the closure and see a fair number of other
cyclists that I would regularly see on the path during commutes.
One last opinion that others may not share: if the last-minute scramble
couldn't be accommodated appropriately we shouldn't have made the change.
While it'll be great to roll up to my bratcakes on the new path, I don't
think trading appropriate accommodations during this month+ of major
construction was worth it. I would have rather seen the city stick to plans
and have us move our bratcakes over to Brittingham.
On Fri, May 8, 2015 at 8:01 PM Larry D Nelson <[email protected]> wrote:
> As a member of the Bike Fed, I look forward to a response from the Fed
> regarding this issue. I am not interested in the blame game: this needs to
> be avoided in the future. From a project scheduling standpoint, these type
> of issues should be addressed in the 4th quarter of the year prior to
> construction.
>
>
>
> Larry D Nelson
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Bikies [mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of
> *Spencer
> Gardner
> *Sent:* Friday, May 08, 2015 3:46 PM
> *To:* [email protected]
>
>
> *Subject:* Re: [Bikies] Notice of closure of John Nolen Path in Law Park
>
>
>
> I can’t comment on the execution of the closure as my route doesn’t take
> me through there. But I wonder how many voicing concerns here have
> contacted their alder or the mayor’s office. I’m sure Tony and others
> employed by the city benefit from your feedback, but as Steve rightly
> pointed out this is fundamentally a political problem. Concerns voiced on
> this list are not going to be translated a change of culture unless they
> are also raised through other, more official channels simultaneously.
>
>
>
> *Spencer Gardner* <[email protected]>*, AICP *
>
> Planner
>
>
>
> *Toole* *Design Group* <http://www.tooledesign.com/>
>
> p 608.663.8082 x404
>
>
>
> *From:* Bikies [mailto:[email protected]
> <[email protected]>] *On Behalf Of *Robert F. Nagel
> *Sent:* Friday, May 08, 2015 3:04 PM
> *To:* Steve Goldstein
> *Cc:* [email protected]
> *Subject:* Re: [Bikies] Notice of closure of John Nolen Path in Law Park
>
>
>
> Steve is right on. And, not to hijack this link, but if it happens, it
> happens, because I think plenty has been said about this problem.
> Meanwhile, what could be part of a solution to this problem seems to have
> fallen on deaf ears. Recently, I posted about the cluster-f-whatever
> between Henry and Bedford streets on West Washington. I do not recall a
> single response to that post. It seems that some lane lines could be
> painted pretty fast that could help create a safe alternative to the John
> Nolen path closure. I'll reprint my old post here:
>
>
> Robert F. Nagel <[email protected]>
>
> Apr 22
>
> [image: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif]
>
> [image: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif]Reply
>
> [image: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif]
>
> to bikies
>
> [image: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif]
>
> Does anyone have any insight into what the plans are for three blocks of
> west washington between bedford and henry? There's a broken yellow line
> down the middle of the street. The street is wide enough for a car lane, a
> bike lane, and a parking lane, but because there are no lines painted, cars
> seem to think that it's wide enough for two car lanes and a parking lane.
> It's really the wild west. It's not safe for bikes, peds, or even cars. It
> seems like a little paint would go a long way here. Not sure why it hasn't
> happened yet. It's been like this for years. I've been meaning to complain
> about it here for at least that long, too.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---
>
> Robert F. Nagel, Attorney
>
> Law Offices of Robert Nagel
> [email protected]
> www.nagel-law.com
> Thirty on the Square, 10th Floor
> 30 W. Mifflin St., Suite 1001
> Madison, WI 53703
> 608-255-1501 office
> 608-255-1504 fax
> 608-438-9501 cell
>
>
>
> On Fri, May 8, 2015 at 7:03 AM, Steve Goldstein <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> On 5/8/15 12:13 AM, Melanie Foxcroft wrote:
>
> I think this is another demonstration of why Madison doesn't receive a
> "platinum" award for bicycling. This disaster is simply not acceptable.
> The double standard of cars vs. bikes is too much. Hopefully city
> transportation people will learn from this disaster and do better next time.
>
>
>
>
> The "city transportation people" are the traffic engineers who, after
> considering the alternatives, have been forced into this decision because
> nothing else meets minimum engineering standards. We all see the logic of
> Tony's deliberations and conclusions.
>
> The problem is that an engineering-only approach doesn't solve this
> problem and that was the end of the discussion. If there were enough
> political pressure, the discussion could have started out with the
> *requirement* that the most heavily traveled bike route in the city
> remain passable during one of the peak months of biking. If that were the
> case, other alternatives might have been on the table --- for example,
> staging the project to enable access or closing lanes on John Nolen.
>
> Many on this list will recall the activism opposing of the closing of the
> Law Park path during construction of the convention center achieved partial
> success. Tony's sensitivity to the issues shows some things have improved
> over the past twenty years, but this disaster shows we need more effective
> activism.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> [email protected]
> http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
>
>
>
>
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