[Vision2020] Moscow neighborhood fears a bridge too much

Sat Aug 12 17:46:04 PDT 2017

It appears some people are approaching this discussion about the Third St.
bridge plans and the impacts of increases or decreases of traffic along
various motor traffic routes in Moscow as though increases in population
and development will continue to follow the model of increasing personal
motor vehicle use dominating transportation options in Moscow.

There is a long list of advantages to moving away from this model of
lifestyle and city planning.  Of course personal motor vehicles are a major
aspect of social and personal identity, lifestyle and economic activity in
the US.  But given the costs, to consumers wallets, the livability of
cities, death and injury impacts, and the damages to the biosphere, coupled
with the rapid development of alternative technologies and sustainable
urban planning, we are fast approaching a future where the domination of
the personal motor vehicle can, indeed should, be abandoned.

Self driving motor vehicles will in a matter of decades be replacing human
operated vehicles, and this cannot happen fast enough, if for no other
reason than human driving errors resulting in the death and iinjury of
tens of thousands every year:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year
"In 2014, 32,675 people were *killed* in 29,989 *crashes*, an average of 96
per day. In 2010, there were an estimated 5,419,000 *crashes* (30,296 fatal
*crashes*), *killing* 32,999 and injuring 2,239,000, and around 2,000
children under 16 years old *die* every year due to *traffic* collisions."

To further support my statements above, consider this study from IMIT,
showing that  a ride sharing system (and I'm assuming this model coupled
with self driving vehicles) can in part support city transportation needs
for many people without personal owned motor vehicles:

http://www.csail.mit.edu/ridesharing_reduces_traffic_300_percent

One way to improve traffic is through ride-sharing - and a new MIT study
suggests that using carpooling options from companies like Uber and Lyft
could reduce the number of taxis on the road 75 percent without
significantly impacting travel time.

Led by Professor Daniela Rus of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial
Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), researchers developed an algorithm that
found that 3,000 four-passenger cars could serve 98 percent of taxi demand
in New York City, with an average wait-time of only 2.7 minutes.
----------------------------------------
Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett

On Fri, Aug 11, 2017 at 1:53 PM, Darrell Keim <keim153 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Sixth St. is fairly busy, while running through a nice somewhat
> older/historic neighborhood.  Has churches and even a pre-school along it.
> D St. is busy, runs through a nice neighborhood, and has a school
> practically straddling it.  Walking across highway 8 ought to require an
> insurance waiver.
>
> I wonder if residents along those streets would appreciate a decrease in
> traffic on those, thus promoting their safety and liveability?
>
> If only there were some way to accomplish that relatively cheaply and
> easily using our existing street structure...
>
> On Fri, Aug 11, 2017 at 1:39 PM, Moscow Cares <moscowcares at moscow.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Courtesy of yesterday's (August 11, 2017) Lewiston Tribune.
>>
>> ----------------------------------
>>
>> Moscow neighborhood fears a bridge too muchResidents along city's Third
>> Street don't want to see more traffic
>>
>> MOSCOW - Residents fear the city of Moscow's proposal for a multimodal
>> bridge connecting Third Street and Mountain View Road will lead to a spike
>> in traffic and cause property values to plummet in one of the city's most
>> historic neighborhoods.
>>
>> Funding for the estimated $595,000 bridge was included in the council's
>> 2018 annual budget, which the council unanimously passed Monday, after
>> concerned residents spoke about the bridge and dominated a tense public
>> hearing that lasted more than an hour.
>>
>> "Third Street contains a lot of foot traffic," said Amy Ball, president
>> of Citizens for a Livable Community Inc. "If more cars are driving on Third
>> Street and they're expecting to travel faster, it's going to pose a huge
>> safety issue. It's going to decrease property values and all those that
>> live east of Hayes (Street) will see an enormous increase of cars driving
>> by their homes."
>>
>> Ball said the increased traffic could jeopardize safety for students of
>> Moscow High School and Lena Whitmore Elementary School who walk to class,
>> as both schools are near Third Street. She said a petition against the
>> bridge is nearing 500 signatures.
>>
>> Nels Reese, vice chairman of the Moscow Historic Preservation Commission,
>> lives about nine blocks from the proposed bridge site - on the corner of
>> Hayes and Third streets in the Mason Cornwall House, which is on the
>> National Register of Historic Places. Reese said he signed the petition
>> because connecting Third Street and Mountain View Road would add too much
>> traffic to his already busy street.
>>
>> "It seems pretty clear traffic would be increased," he said. "We already
>> have 5,000 to 7,000 - maybe 8,000 - cars a day, which is pretty destructive
>> to a neighborhood. And this street is one of the most historic streets in
>> Moscow."
>>
>> Reese said Moscow City Hall, the 1912 Center, First United Methodist
>> Church and the Mason Cornwall House he lives in are all listed on the
>> National Register of Historic Places. He said the street also is just one
>> block from the McConnell Mansion and the Moscow City Library, both of which
>> also are listed on the national register.
>>
>> "It seems like the city would want to limit rapid traffic as much as
>> possible, but somehow they've convinced themselves they should put more
>> traffic by all these treasures they claim to adore," he said.
>>
>> Assistant City Supervisor Jen Pfiffner said while the bridge upsets some
>> in the neighborhood, the project is to benefit transportation flow and
>> public safety for all of Moscow.
>>
>> "It's for the greater good of the community," Pfiffner said. "We've
>> studied it."
>>
>> Pfiffner said the bridge will create connectivity through Moscow and will
>> provide easier access for emergency response vehicles to access eastern
>> areas of the city.
>>
>> "City council approved the vision, now we carry it out," Pfiffner said,
>> noting the council did receive some feedback from residents in favor of the
>> bridge.
>>
>> "We rarely get citizens that come in and say 'we're for this,'" Pfiffner
>> said.
>>
>> She urges community members who are upset by the bridge to continue to
>> speak to council members.
>>
>> "Staff has received a direction," Pfiffner said. "It's staff's response
>> at this point to carry out that direction."
>>
>> The idea of a Third Street bridge spanning Paradise Creek isn't anything
>> new. It was first proposed to the city back in 1994.
>>
>> Linda Pall, who sat on the Moscow City Council for 18 years - including
>> when the bridge issue re-emerged in 2005 - said she remembers the council
>> passing a resolution in 2007 authorizing the construction of a pedestrian
>> and bicyclist bridge, and no longer categorizing Third Street as an
>> arterial road.
>>
>> "It goes against good planning," Pall said. "Why would you want to ruin
>> your central neighborhood?"
>>
>> The idea of a walking bridge received more than $7,900 in resident
>> donations - not enough to fund the estimated $60,000 foot bridge.
>>
>> At Monday night's council meeting, City Supervisor Gary Riedner agreed to
>> return the public donations if the multimodal bridge is constructed, as
>> those donations weren't meant for a multimodal bridge.
>>
>> Citizens for a Livable Community and other Moscow residents still hope to
>> halt the project.
>>
>> "We are going to continue to put pressure on city council and inform more
>> people of what's going on," said Joann Muneta, a member of Citizens for a
>> Livable Community. "Hopefully the city council or the newly elected city
>> council members will become more responsive and thoughtful about planning
>> for the future for the whole community."
>>
>> Pall and Reese said it's time to show up to city board and commission
>> meetings and follow the project through, if the project is going to be
>> halted.
>>
>> "Depending on how it's designed, when the bids come in they may not get
>> the price they want," Reese said. "That will be a time to make ourselves
>> known. I suspect the bridge is going to get built; the important thing to
>> do is to continue to let people know how we feel."
>>
>> ----------------------------------
>>
>> Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .
>>
>> "Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
>> http://www.MoscowCares.com <http://www.moscowcares.com/>
>>
>> Tom Hansen
>> Moscow, Idaho
>>
>>
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