[BikeLongmont] BL May meeting and Emery closure position paper

[The Stouts]

Nenad,

Thank you for your work on putting together this position.  I think it
is well thought out and takes into account some legitimate
transportation needs within our city.  I hadn't thought about the fact
that a new RR crossing would need to be made to accommodate a new
throughway from the fire training path to down town!

At a time when transportation and energy is in such a state of
uncertainty and turmoil, the city ought to be giving serious thought
to expanding cycling infrastructure and making it more accessible, not
the other way around!  With gas anticipated to reach $4/gal, it is
likely we will see a lot more cycling for transportation in the days
to come.  And I hope we will, cycling has a direct benefit to the
city.  When people ride bikes, our money stays in the community
instead of going to hostile overseas oil companies.  Our citizens stay
more fit, the global climate crisis is addressed by each individual's
actions, and we teach personal responsibility to our children.

Also, I see no reason why "the welfare of the business should take
president over bicycle access".  The street was paid for by tax
dollars and belongs to the citizens.  I see no reason why we should
give up a public road for nothing, without making sure that
satisfactory alternate arrangements are agreed upon.  Particularly
when north south access is already a problem.

Perhaps the city engineers have something in the works already to
address this area?

Thanks again for all your work,
Nickie

On Wed, May 7, 2008 at 7:43 PM, Nenad Rijavec <nenad at bicyclelongmont.org> wrote:
>
>
> Hi,
>
>  Bicycle Longmont May meeting is tomorrow, Thursday, May 8, at 7PM in the
> Smart Etailing space above High Gear. We'll talk about the Bike to Work Day
> preparations, as well as the Emery closure proposal.
>
>  The sense at our last meeting and the email traffic on the list indicate
> that there is a broad consensus that closing Emery is not a good thing for
> cyclists (or motorists, for that matter). We decided to draft a position
> paper outlining our concerns and submit it to the City for consideration. I
> am attaching the draft below. Please take a moment and let us know your
> thoughts - I urge you to send your comments to the whole list (email to
> bike at bicyclelongmont.org), but you're welcome to send them just to me if
> you'd rather keep them private. Or, best yet, stop by tomorrow night! My
> goal is to make sure that whatever we submit reflects the consensus in the
> group.
>
>  Regards, Nenad
>  ...your friendly Bicycle Longmont coordinator...
>
>
>  Bicycle Longmont Position Paper on Emery Street Closure Proposal
>
>  Bicycle Longmont opposes the proposed closure of the Emery Street between
> First and Second Avenues. Our concerns are as follows:
>
>
>
> Emery Street is a natural bicycle access route to the downtown from the
> south and south-east. It enables bicyclists to avoid the crowded and
> dangerous Main Street corridor. If Emery is closed, the bicycle traffic will
> be forced to either follow Main Street or detour east to Martin.
>
> The City has constructed a bicycle path from the Highway 119 to the First
> Avenue at the fire training facility. Emery Street closure would close the
> downtown access from the path. The alternative route via Martin is less
> suitable. There is more traffic and in particular the right turn into First
> Ave. riding southbound is narrow. Finally, access from the path north via
> Emery requires taking a left from the path, where it is safe to wait for a
> break in traffic; return is a simple right turn from the First Ave. Taking
> Martin, exit from the path is to the right, but cyclists trying to enter the
> path must take a left on First Ave. This is unsafe, since there is no turn
> lane and the traffic may be heavy.
>
> Martin tends to be closed by the maneuvering trains more often than Emery,
> so Emery is a natural bypass route if the Martin is closed, especially for
> the northbound traffic. Closing Emery would force the traffic, both bicycle
> and automobile, to Main Street at the times Martin is blocked.
> Longmont already has a problem with north-south connectivity in the vicinity
> of St Vrain and railroad tracks. Closing Emery would make the problems
> worse. This is likely to become even more pronounced as the commuter traffic
> starts using the railroad.
>
> Closing Emery would mean losing one railroad crossing. Since adding new
> crossings requires the railroad concurrence and is thus practically
> impossible, we are concerned that this loss would be permanent.
> While closing Emery might not have significant adverse impact on the traffic
> counts on neighboring intersections, the city should consider impact on the
> traffic, both bicycle and vehicular, that uses Emery and would be forced to
> alternate routes.
>  We understand that closing Emery would make Butterball operations simpler,
> but the transaction seems one-sided: all the benefits accrue to the plant
> and all the costs fall onto the public.
>
> _______________________________________________
>  Bike mailing list
>  Bike at bicyclelongmont.org
>  http://www.bicyclelongmont.org/mailman/listinfo/bike
>
>