[Lincolnparkdc] Reducing Number of Flexipodts 1
Jonathan Bettin
jonathanbettin at aya.yale.edu
Sat Oct 17 08:25:48 EDT 2020
I think I need to clarify. I was suggesting that for loading and unloading
of packages the city could put up the yellow loading/unloading only signs
somewhere on the 100 block. They would also need to ticket/tow cars that
were parked there.
A No Standing sign does not allow loading and unloading of packages, goods,
etc. It only allows for pick up and drop off of passengers. If it is not
what the neighborhood wants then we should probably petition to change the
signs.
People seemed to indicate that they parked closer to the intersection
(Especially at night). If that is not allowed for safety and line of sight
issues, I would hope that it is enforced.
I am merely a neighbor who wrote to the reps offering support for the bike
lanes but understanding we can also ask for different solutions.
Jonathan
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 17, 2020, at 7:58 AM, John Hirschmann <hirschj154 at gmail.com> wrote:
Jonathan
Several key points.
The lanes as drawn are only one car width wide. So if you stop, you block
traffic
You said it does permit unloading packages, but that a key need and far
more frequently needed than dropping off a passenger.
I’m almost positive the city would object to allowing parking even
temporarily closer to an intersection. It has to do pedestrian safety,
lines of sight, etc.
You said “we can offer some changes...”. Are you serving in some official
or informal capacity in connection with this project?
John
John F Hirschmann
hirschj154 at gmail.com
Sent from my iPad
On Oct 17, 2020, at 07:26, Jonathan Bettin <jonathanbettin at aya.yale.edu>
wrote:
One sticking point seems to be the areas currently labeled “no standing or
parking anytime.” This may be an area where we can offer some changes that
are equitable.
No standing allows for passenger pickup (if the passenger is there and
waiting) and drop off. It does not allow loading and unloading of goods.
If we made a spot available for loading and unloading, perhaps this would
alleviate some worry about groceries and folks who need short 5 minute
access. And then enforce the rules of the sign.
If the bike lanes are ultimately not put in, I would recommend removing the
no standing signs and opening the corners for parking to everyone or
enforcing the signs as they are. Otherwise it seems like we are suggesting
there are reserved parking spots for some people but not others.
Jonathan
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 17, 2020, at 6:32 AM, John Hirschmann <hirschj154 at gmail.com> wrote:
Very well said. Thank you.
John F Hirschmann
hirschj154 at gmail.com
Sent from my iPad
On Oct 17, 2020, at 01:11, David Morris <figaromorris at gmail.com> wrote:
Mark, I think this reasoning is flawed. Even if we all agree that improved
bike infrastructure is a good thing generally, it does not necessarily
follow that it is a good thing in a particular case such as this
intersection. And even if we agree that it is a good thing in this case, it
does not necessarily follow that DDOT's plans are the right way to go about
it.
This confusion of the general with the particular carries an
inherent insensitivity to local conditions which I have noticed in a lot of
bike advocacy. The people affected are expected to readjust their routines,
make new arrangements, and deal with it. Their criticisms and concerns are
discredited by appeals to the general goal of better bike infrastructure.
But it is precisely these local effects that ANC commissioners and other
local leaders are elected to hear and incorporate into their
decision-making, even if people agree that improved bike infrastructure is
generally good.
Many residents near this intersection have given direct and personal views
on how these plans would affect their daily lives. These local and
closely-felt effects are the proper focus of this debate. They need to be
heard, and they should be the focus of DDOT's and elected leaders' review
of this plan--not general notions of bike vs. car.
David
On Fri, Oct 16, 2020 at 10:42 PM Mark Jordan <mark at markjordan.me> wrote:
> At the risk of beating this dead horse further, I shall weigh in for the
> defense. Also copying other elected representatives included on other
> strings so they can add this to their deliberations.
>
> I hear at least three distinct lines of arguments:
>
> (1) The proposal would reduce parking spaces;
>
>
> - Assuming no reduction in cars in the neighborhood, some people will
> have to park farther away.
> - For some people, lost parking spaces could make mobility / access
> issues more acute (i.e., grocery dropoffs, longer walks to a car);
> - A longer walk from one's car at night could lead to increased
> exposure to potential victimization.
>
> (2) The vertical plastic objects (by any name) are unsightly and don't
> last long; and
>
> (3) The proposal will reduce property values (perhaps more severely at
> houses with pylons in front of them).
>
> Here's how I think about these issues and how I would encourage the
> executive branch to think about them as they make their decision:
>
> As a policy matter, the city needs more bike infrastructure. including
> bike lanes. I don't think any policymaker in DC will dispute this at this
> point.
>
>
> - Bike lanes make bikers safer.
> - Inducing bike riding is better for the environment. California
> thanks you.
> - Streets are for all travellers. However, the current allocation of
> public resources to cars specifically is, to put it gently, absurd (how do
> we get essentially unlimited parking for $35 per car per year?). Detroit
> thanks you. Or at least they used to.
> - Bikes are a more affordable mode of transportation than cars.
> Subsidizing bikes rather than cars is an equity issue.
> - Having bikes in their own lanes is generally preferable to car
> drivers too, who don't have to slow down for bikers in the road.
>
> I think the only question for DDOT is *where* do additional bike lanes go
> and who will absorb the associated costs, like lost parking. For my part,
> I'd like Kentucky Ave (all eight blocks) to be part of the solution and if
> my neighbors are stuck with more of the cost I'd like to figure out how we
> can all chip in to mitigate it.
>
> To the specifics:
>
> (1) Parking
>
>
> - As has been said before, none of us is entitled to parking spaces
> anywhere near our house. Do I prefer them? I do. But you are all free to
> use them.
> - There are, to be sure, circumstances in which individuals with
> mobility limitations need a space very near their homes. The city has
> accomodations for that. There is at least one reserved spot on our block
> already.
> - If we need more restricted parking spaces on our block to
> accommodate those who need them, I'd be in favor of it. Yes, it would
> reduce parking even further, but that's what neighbors do for each other to
> make neighborhoods work. I'd be OK with walking farther for a good cause.
> I suspect there are many others on this block who would feel the same.
> - As to the increased safety risks associated with longer walks for
> those displaced by lost parking spots, I would just say you have to look at
> the other side of the ledger. How many bikers on Capitol Hill - of all
> ages - are at greater risk *right now* because of insufficient bike
> infrastructure and having to share roads with cars? I'd venture that there
> would be a net gain in human safety with the bike lanes.
>
> (2) The plastic pylons
>
>
> - Agreed, I don't love them. And if there's a way to reduce the
> number or use an alternative, that'd be great. But the aesthetic objection
> by itself I don't think outweigh the merits of the change overall.
> - I will say that I am reminded to some extent of the public
> discussions when Capitol Bikeshare was proposed for Lincoln Park. There
> was quite a bit of opposition for a range of reasons. Ultimately, when the
> station was installed, it seems to have been integrated seemlessly into the
> neighborhood and I think it's widely considered an asset.
>
> (3) Property Values
>
>
> - I actually think there's a good chance that if there's an impact on
> property values, having a street with bike lanes in both directions will
> increase values, particularly in a neighborhood as walkable / bikeable as
> ours.
>
> I recognize e-mail is not a great medium for public debates. (Twitter is
> really much better :) ). But it's what we've got right now. Thanks,
> neighbors, for a civil and thoughtful debate.
>
> Hopefully see many of you at tomorrow night's toast at 5:30.
>
> All the best.
>
> Mark
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 16, 2020 at 9:09 PM Sharon Raimo <SRaimo at stcoletta.org> wrote:
>
>> John? This is so well said. And you , like many of us, have raised
>> children on the Hill and walked them through crowded intersections . This
>> is one of the trade offs for living in a city. We do not need to barricade
>> ourselves.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Oct 16, 2020, at 8:37 PM, John Hirschmann <hirschj154 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> Peter and Regina
>>
>> I have seen the messages you each sent to the LPDC earlier this evening
>> on this general topic.
>>
>> I think you have seriously missed the primary concern that is being
>> raised. It has to do with the inability to longer to be able to park in
>> front of your home, even stop a few minutes to carry packages into your
>> home, and having in all likelihood to park further from your home. But
>> most importantly regardless of the design or the exact number of flex
>> posts used, it will require the residents of these homes to incur greater
>> risk of being harmed, particularly if they need to return to their home
>> after dark.
>>
>> Other messages today to LPDC have detailed the fact the vast majority of
>> thes residents are elderly and many are widows. They don’t have people to
>> make sure they have gotten from their car to their home safely. Have you
>> asked yourselves whether the greater risk your asking them to incur is
>> somehow offset by the greater security or view others will gain. There are
>> important tradeoffs to be seriously thought about.
>>
>> Have you also thought how you would feel if the city announced it was
>> taking away your parking space (assuming you don’t have off street parking)
>> and the spaces for 4-5 homes to your right or left.
>>
>> It just happens that almost all those most directly impacted have lived
>> here many years. We’ve seen the neighborhood through many challenging
>> years. You have residential parking program to thank. It was created to
>> combat all the traffic at most hours of the day that was created by many
>> homes in the 1200 block of Massachusetts renting their rooms by the hour.
>> There were also the homes mid block on the 100 block of 13th that the
>> police visited frequently and referred to as the drug stores.
>>
>> Many of us would like to live the last years of lives in our current
>> homes. Being able to easily access either your vehicle or others providing
>> you a ride becomes increasingly important.
>>
>> John
>>
>> John F Hirschmann
>> hirschj154 at gmail.com
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>>
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