The Roswell Loop... A Project We Should Get Behind

This is an enhanced cross-post from my montly column, Community Design Matters, in The Current.  There may be some editorial differences.

 

I brought this up last month and wanted to expand on it. From what I can tell,much of Roswell is completely unaware of the Roswell Loop. It’s time to change that. Imagine a project that would completely transform the way our city gets around, a project that would change the way you connect with your neighbors, a project that would spur significant economic development. Imagine feeling comfortable letting your kids ride their bike a couple subdivisions over because they can get on a trail through neighborhoods instead of having to ride their bikes out to a main road to get to a friend’s house. Imagine being able to commute to work by bike without risking your life while choking on exhaust. Imagine safely riding your bike to get somewhere where you can safely ride your bike instead of driving your car to get to that place where you can safely ride your bike.  Novel idea...

The Roswell Loop makes all of this possible. It was hatched back in 2006 as part of a brainstorming session with the city and a consultant. The idea was to create an innovative solution to connecting our schools, parks and neighborhoods. It grew some legs and actually made it into our Transportation Master Plan. As an interconnected series of five loops that create a larger loop through our city, it would link our parks, schools, neighborhoods, natural amenities and historic center together to form a safe network of connectivity. It would also tie in with other trail networks like the Big Creek Greenway and Lower Roswell Rd Trail leading into Cobb County.

With a commitment and evidence of investment, developers would begin to develop along the trail network unlocking value in areas of the city that are stagnant. We have a number of examples of extremely popular multi-use trails around the region that have done just that. The PATH Foundation has been working to build these trails in the region for 20 years. They have built over 160 miles of trails to date. Many of these trails are nothing short of amazing. Adjacent neighborhoods and businesses use these trails as amenities and the trails themselves encourage development.

Think of the Big Creek Greenway, Silver Comet Trail or the Stone MountainTrail. These are all fantastic trails but most people, even those who live near them, still have to drive to get there. The Loop would enable people to ride or walk to the trail instead of hopping in a car to get there. Perhaps the most transformative trail in the region is the newly opened Beltline Eastside Trail that stretches from Piedmont Park to to just south of Inman Park in Atlanta. It is ar elatively short stretch at almost 2.5 miles but it connects a number of amenities and neighborhoods in a way no one in Atlanta would have imagined ten years ago.

In the past seven years, there has been more than $775 million in private investment within half a mile of the new trail. Visiting the trail on a weekend, it’s obvious why businesses that back up to the old deserted railroad tracks are now working to open new entrances to front the trail. Check out this time-lapse video from the Streets Alive event in October.  This was a week before it's offical opening.

Just eight weeks after it's official opening, the Woodruff Foundation committed $3M to extend the path further south.  The trail has created instant value in the form of a useful alternative route by foot or bike and given adjacent businesses additional visibility from passers by that are much more likely to stop by serendipitously than a car would be. Recent studies have actually shown that bicycle commuters tend to spend more when they visit local stores. It’s all starting to make sense.

So, back to this Roswell Loop idea. How do we make it a reality? First, according to Roswell DOT, we actually have about 15% of it in place. Those are parts of Old Alabama Rd, Willeo Rd, Azalea/Riverside Rd and Mimosa Blvd along with another two miles that are in design that should be completed in the next couple of years. In order to complete the remaining 85%, there are a couple of things we should do.

First, following the Beltline model, we should identify the segments that would see the most traffic and start those ASAP. We should consider offering incentives to developers who are interested in building along the trail as well as property tax incentives to residents who want to open up their property lines to create trail connections with neighboring subdivisions. We should market this project and get the Downtown Development Authority involved and consider bringing in partner organizations like the PATH Foundation. Additionally, the city should commit to the project by creating an official Pedestrian and Bicycle planand budget accordingly.

Finally, the loop should be branded and we should label the trails that already are in place. This network would increase quality of life by making the city easier to get around for all our citizens not just those who are fortunate enough to be able to drive. It would make Roswell more desirable to potential residents and business and we could become a model for suburban connectivity.

Red Light Cameras - A Love Hate Relationship

The Roswell Neighbor had an article today that caught my attention.  If you are familiar with NUR, you know that I firmly believe that roads should be designed for more safety.  That usually means narrower lanes, fewer straightaways and more intersections.  That doesn't make for what most consider a driver's paradise but it does make for a safer environment with fewer severe injury and fatality crashes.  I actually think the latter is a driver's paradise.  An environment that gets Americans home to their families a higher percentage of the time is what we should all want.

The article in The Roswell Neigbor by Joan Durbin, City May Ditch All Red Light Cameras, is bound to get people excited.  It certainly got a couple of commenters excited.  But, after I read the article, it left me disappointed in our city council, mayor and DOT for (in my opinion) not lookng at the big picture. 

The article leads one to believe that the city is strongly considering removing the cameras based on data from the two intersections over the 25 months preceeding camera installation and the 22 months following their installation.  In a nutshel, there have been three crashes related directly to red light runners pre-installation and three crashes post-installation.  In addition to this, the revenue generated from citations issued has declined significantly.

At first glance, you simply say, there has been no improvement in safety.  Then you may say, revenues have declined significantly and are just barely turining a profit.  You may then reach the conclusion as our mayor and council did, that givien that there is no improvement in safety and revenue isn't paying for the cameras, you should just remove the cameras.

NOT SO FAST!

We should expect more from our mayor, council and DOT.  How quickly do we forget...  This is from a 2010 article from NorthFulton.com titled Red Light Cameras Doing Job in Alpharetta, Roswell:

Roswell reported head-on collisions at Holcomb Bridge dropping drastically between last year and this year (even though at Mansell Road, such collisions went from none to one over the same period)

My take..  The city Making conclusions from data collected from two cameras within a mile of eachother to determine that they have no impact on safety is like looking at an overweight person eating a salad and determining that salads make you fat.  You have to look at a broader populstion.  The statistics are out there and they aren't debatable.  Traffic Cameras SAVE LIVES.  

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released their findings from a study on the subject last year (link).  They looked at 14 cities that installed cameras in the mid-00's. 

Researchers concluded that the rate of fatal red-light running crashes in cities with the cameras was 24 percent lower than it would have been without them. The study compared crash data collected in 2004 to 2008 with the period between 1992 and 1996 — before the 14 cities had any cameras.

Based on their calculations:

"if red light cameras had been in place for all 5 years in all 99 US cities with populations over 200,000, a total of 815 deaths could have been avoided."  

I'm not a fan of having cameras everywhere and those flashes are freaking annoying (there have to be better systems) but I am a fan of people not dying and getting maimed in car crashes.

Red light cameras are a tool in the city's arsenal that should be used at high velocity intersections (40 mph+) where right angle crashes due to red light runners have a high probability of killing or seriously injuring drivers.  Cameras coupled with smart road design (narrower lanes, fewer straight aways) can seriously reduce serious injury crashes.  Why? Because they force drivers to PAY ATTENTION.

As far as revenue is concerned, it makes total sense that revenue would be decreasing.  The article states that revenue dropped from $835k in 2008 to just over $100k in 2010.  That's not a sign that the cameras aren't worth the investment.  It's a sign that they are doing their job. Drivers are PAYING MORE ATTENTION at the intersections.  They are running the light fewer times.  

A small sample of intersections may not have shown a reduction in accidents but it has most definitely shown a reduction in people running red lights which is the actual key driver behind accidents at intersections.  Don't look at the accidents, look at what causes the accidents.  Then make your decision on whether they are helping make our city safer.

Bicycling - Safety vs Preference

I came across a great article today on what types of bicycling infrastructure is the most preferred and compares it to what type of infrastructure is the safest.  The studies cited go a little against conventional wisdom.  I really thought the scatter plot chart below was telling and city transportation engineers and DOT's should take note.  

The real surprise to me was that paved multi-use paths were the second most preferred type of infrastructure but they were also the second most dangerous.  

Check out the article for an interesting read.

Dedicated Bike Lanes Can Cut Cycling Injuries in Half - The Atlantic Cities

The Pollution We Don't See

This is an enhanced cross-post from my montly column, Community Design Matters, inThe Roswell Current.

They are there for our safety.  To protect us from others and ourselves.  They inform us and guide us.  But, until you sit back and look at all of them in their glory, you don’t realize that they suffocate us, degrade our environment and tell us just how stupid others think we are.  Most of them serve a purpose but many of them are redundant.  Virtually all of them have a colored front, a shiny back and are supported by a cheap steel bar.  They lack any level of charm and are often put in precisely the wrong place. 

I hope this isn't occurring frequently enough to warrant a sign

What I’m talking about are signs.  Just look around the next time you are at an intersection.  You would be hard pressed to find a place that has fewer than 10 signs of some sort visible.  We don’t accept litter, we regulate air and water pollution.  However, when it comes to sign pollution, the polluters know no bounds.  Case in point is the recent courtroom victory of georgia billboard companies versus north fulton cities that don’t want billboards polluting their cities.  Rather than siding with the people and the cities, the court has ruled that North Fulton cities must reimburse the billboard companies $4 million.  Get ready for more billboards!

Here’s a sample of the sign pollution that goes largely unnoticed every day: 

Entrance, Do Not Enter, Wrong Way, Stop, Yield, 4 Way Stop, 3 Way Stop, Yield to Oncoming Traffic, Keep Moving, Slow Traffic Keep Right, Blind Driveway, No Trucks, No Parking, Parking, Compact Cars Only, Handicapped Parking, Fire Lane, Turn Arrows, No Turn Arrows, Speed Limit, Round About Ahead, Stop Ahead, Speed Bump, Speed Hump, Dip, Gas, Lodging, Food, Mile Marker, No Left Turn, No Right on Red, Watch for Pedestrians, MARTA, Kiss-Ride, Airport, Low Flying Planes, Speed Monitored by Detection Devices, Slow Children at Play, Animal Crossing, Thru Traffic, Hospital, School Zone, Walk, Don’t Walk, Neighborhood Watch, Adopt a Highway, Body of Water Notice, Watershed Notice, Bridge May Ice in Winter, Use Headlights When Raining, City Limits, County Line, State Line, Overhead Clearance, Commemorative Road Markers, Keep off Grass, Historical Markers, Memorial Highway, Memorial Bridge, Tourist Interest Signs, Highway #, Billboards (electric and traditional), Subdivision Signs, Street Signs, Shopping Center Signs, Store Signs, Exit

Are half of those are even necessary?  Do we really need to be on the look out for Low Flying Planes and in the know that Speed is Monitored by Detection Devices?  Do we really need 8 Wrong Way signs at one off ramp?  Head on collisions are tragic but most are caused by drunks who would miss a hundred wrong-way signs. 

Are we truly safer with all these signs or is it DEsigns that make us safer?  There is a concept in Europe called a woonerf devised by a radical traffic engineer where all traffic signs and signals are absent.  It looks like chaos but it’s actually much safer than a standard intersection.  Why?  Because drivers are forced to pay attention.  When a driver feels uncomfortable, the driver pays more attention.  When drivers pay more attention, they crash lest often.  Our roads have been designed to make it easy to not pay attention.  Their straight & wide designs forgive us for texting, eating, looking down and generally not focusing on the road.

Do we need more signs or do we need better roads?  The next time your DOT wants to put up another sign, think about the true necessity of that sign and ask if we need a new sign on that road or a redesign of that road.

Above, I mentioned a woonerf which is a signless intersection.  The Strong Towns Blog which I follow regularly recently had a post with a number of video links that illustrate the power of the signless intersection.  This one was my favorite because it illustrades how the same intersection works with and without lights.  There are several more videos that get into more detail and examples that you can check out here.

Now, where could we put in a woonerf and create a shared space in Roswell?  I think there are two spots in particular that would serve as a perfect testing ground..  They are the Norcross St. and of Webb St. intersections on Canton St.  Traffic is slow enough that cars, pedestrians and bicyclists can all interact well with eachother.  I would go further and propose that the speed limit be reduced from 25 mph to 15 mph from Goulding south to Magnolia.

These are the types of ideas we need to be thinking about and implementing.  They are cost effective, decrease traffic and safer when implemented correctly.

image: fanpop.com

City Hall Square Concept Gaining Traction in Roswell

This eveining at City Hall, Roswell City Council and the public had the chance to see an evolutionary proposal for what the heart of our city could be.  City staff and the Downtown Development Agency presented and opined (in that order) on a transportation and economic development (in that order) project that will impact the heart of our city.  There were about 30 citizens and stakeholders present to see the concepts that were sparked from (but wildly different than) the DPZ master plan concept.

The configurations that were presented (all slight variations from the image above) are significantly different from a traffic flow standpoint than what Andres Duany and DPZ proposed for the area but DOT couldn't make the DPZ proposal work with traffic models.  The good thing is that DOT has a CNU accredited staffer in Clyde Stricklin who worked on the post-street design configuration.  It heps to have someone who at least speaks the language of urbanism to refine design around big roads.  

Pretty much everyone in the room was in favor of moving forward, albeit cautiously, with planning this project.  The mayor requested that staff and the DDA work together to try and refine the design details and potential economic impact before going external to hire a town planner.  I agree with the approach but feel this is a very delicate project.  If it is done incorrectly, it could be disasterous for the heart of Roswell.  If it is done correctly it could be huge.

The estimated costs are $8-$11M for the roadway and park features.  Buildings, etc. would be a separate tab with a mixture of public and private uses.

What are your thoughts?

tsp-LOST.. Where Are We Now?

image: FakeMARTAWell, that was fun.  I'm glad it's over.  My $99.00 grocery bill won't become $99.99.  That's what I was really worried about.  I hope I never have to hear the horrid TSPLOST acronym again.  You'll hear a lot of post-mortems over the coming weeks and this one is in no way comprehensive but it's representaive of where I stand.

TSPLOSTs got thumped around the state and that should tell you something.  The fact is that the legislation sucked.  It was drafted under a gold dome that didn't want anything to do with a functional transportation bill.  It took a last minute deal in 2010 just to hammer something through and finally break the multi-year deadlock.  

They effectively punted the responsibility to the citizens by telling us that if we want infrastructure improvements, we will have to design a project list ourselves and then vote to pay for it ourselves.  Oh yeah.. if you don't vote for it, your state local match for road projects will be cut from 90% to 70%.

Apparently, we don't like having to compromise with our neighbors and we really don't like being told that we will have to pay for it and be penalized if we don't.  TIA was riddled with flaws ranging from how the project selection would take place to how it hamstrung MARTA as the ONLY transit system in the state that was not allowed to directly benefit from the tax revenues.  It did not create a region-wide transportation system and it left too many vagaries as to how the funds would be managed, spent and accounted for although there were provisions that feigned oversight.  Unfortunately, the devil was in the details and the devil was teased out over time.

So, we're back to the drawing board.  What's next?  That would be the enigma that is "Plan B." I'm sure you will see a dozen new Plan B's over the next month or so and each one of them will push more roads growing ever wider. EXACTLY WHAT WE DON'T NEED.  In fact, the governor already has one... and it's said to be pretty top-down just like those wiley, patriotic liberty loving Tea Partiers like it.

Why did it fail?

Regardless of what the naysayers say, this didn't fail because of the project list.  It didn't fail because there was 52% transit versus 48% roads.  It failed because of the structure of the legislation and VERY poor messaging by its supporters.  It failed because of a massive conservative led and stoked distrust (in some cases well founded) in the government which is ironically overwhelmingly conservative run at the moment.  Let's not forget that the legislation (intentionally?) set the vote for what would be a Republican dominated state primary with a historically low turnout of just the type of voter who would vote for a tax increase.

Many of those who voted no had no idea what was on the project list.  They were ideologically against tax increases.  Additionally, there was a pervasive misunderstanding that this was going to be an $8.5 billion bailout of MARTA which would ultimately result in trains, crime and density in the suburbs.  

You can't combat that level of ideology and misunderstanding with an alternative ideology. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the UntieAtlanta campaign tried to do.  It failed miserably. The ad campaign was opaque at best and never resonated with any faction of the electorate.  It relied on people doing their own research.  You have to be OUT OF YOUR MIND to think that the average voter who already feels they are over-taxed is going to check out a list of 157 projects and then sift through local news or municipal websites to find their local share projects.  Most people didn't even know there was a 15% local share.  The marketing was a collosal waste.  

Oh yeah... let's not forget the hot lane and GA400 disasters that were so well timed ahead of this vote as well as the crazy Agenda 21 nuts that started coming out from the fringes this year.  The horrid acronym that became attached to the Transportation Investment Act didn't help either.  TSPLOST just sounds like a monster waiting to get voted down.

This was a perfect storm that swamped the TSPLOST.

Last but not least, I can't really blame the asshole who stole the one Vote Yes sign that I put up the day after I put it up but that was just wrong.  I'd like to assume it's the same asshole who stole the lone Vote NO sign in the neighborhood the day after I sent this email to my neighborhood about it. But it was probably dueling sign bandits. Interestingly, only TSPLOST signs seemed to be disappearing though as the other signs were still there. Odd.. Do signs really even influence votes anyway? 

If I thought it was bad legilsation from the get-go, then why did I support it?  

I play with the cards I'm dealt.  All in all, the project list was solid and very compromising for the region.  I prefer to see action rather than inaction.  An imperfect plan that ultimately gets the job done is better than no plan at all.  It's also better, in my opinion, to start now with a plan that works than wait years into the future to see if a perfect plan comes along.

Any real visionary action in our region has now been pushed 4 years down the road.  That's FOUR YEARS if we are lucky.  That's the same amount of time it takes to get a college education.  That's A LONG time.  I'd rather get to work than sit and wait for politicians to come up with something else that may or may not work.  Maybe I'm just too impatient.  

What's Next?

I will continue to advocate for places that enable people to drive less and enjoy life more.  The new Roswell Gateway Master Plan is just that and we will continue to work to bring awareness of its benefits.  Unfortunately, the $20.4M that would have funded the critical Hwy 9 redesign that would have helped bring the master plan to fruition just got tspLOST.

Here's what we can expect to see around the region in exchange for that penny.  

• Lots of one sided Plan B's
• Lots of fragmented local projects that don't help the 65% of us that commute between more than one county
• Lots of people saying this is a mandate that we ONLY want road expansion in the Atlanta region
• More toll road proposals
• More toll road proposals... so get your PeachPasses
• Increased Local Share Responsibility on Road Projects (10% becomes 30%)
• No Transit Expansion up 400 or into Cobb or Gwinnett or out I20 or into Clayton
• MARTA Cuts
• GRTA Cuts
• Fewer sidewalk projects
• Fewer bike lane projects
• Increasing commute times
• Increasing air pollution
• The list goes on.....

I don't know if penny pinching feels so good when I see that list but at least my $99.00 grocery bill is still $99.99.

TSPLOST Letter to the Neighborhood

I figured I'd share a letter I sent out to my neighborhood earlier this week with the NUR readers since it might pertain to some of you...  

Hi everyone!  When I got home today, I noticed a vote NO sign sitting at my neighborhood entrance.  It surprised me to have a bold NO shouting at me before I even walked in the door.  That is generally my 3 year old's job.  I attached another Vote NO sign to this email that makes me feel better.  

Up front, this email isn't for anyone who can't get past a no-tax ideology or an anti-transit bias.  If that's you, by all means, vote NO on Wednesday.

Seriously though, this is an important vote and the Mill Village is significantly impacted by the projects on the list.  It's easy to say no, but everyone should know what they are saying no to.  There are 157 total projects on the list that cover 10 counties.  The tax will raise about $8.5B over its 10 year life. The regional list will receive 85% of the total funds (~7.2B).  The other 15% will be divvied up by the region's municipalities for individual local projects.  See the Roswell list here.  Of the 85%, 52% will go to transit (that's bus & rail) and 48% will go to roads.  But, that's a little misleading since the road projects in many cases will qualify for matching state or federal funds.   So, it's more like 67% roads, 33% transit in addition to the 15% that will go to the localities which can be used as they please, primarily, from what I've seen, on roads and sidewalks. Here are some points everyone should know.

• Public Input - Over 200,000 metro residents had the opportunity to give input.  Actually everyone had the opportunity but 200,000 participated in some way.
• Local Control - 21 elected representatives from all around the region were tasked with putting the project list together.
• Unanimous Agreement - Once the project list was whittled down, all 21 officials AGREED that it was a list that met the needs of the region. 21 Politicians AGREED on something?
• Tax Sunset - This tax sunsets in 10 years or when the projected funds are raised.  An extension must be voted on by the region.  This is not another GA400 toll.
• NO PLAN B - The real Plan B is the status quo. So, if you like the status quo, vote no. Anyone who says there is one is pushing their own agenda or they just have their own idea of a better plan.  

How does this directly impact Mill Village?

A YES vote will accelerate the timeline for removal of the reversible lanes on Atlanta Street by ~4-5 years.  This project is fully funded by TSPLOST.  So, instead of getting a safe road in ~2020-2021, we would likely have one by about 2016-2017.  That in itself is enough secure my YES vote.  If you are considering voting no, just remember that you will undoubtedly be locking yourself into 8-10 more years of the suicide lane.  This road project also complements the DPZ Master Plan that was presented to the public last night at City Hall.

 

Other major projects that will impact us here in North Fulton are the $48M ($23M TSPLOST + $25M Federal) to improve traffic flow at the Holcomb Bridge/GA400 interchange and a total of $450M ($112M TSPLOST + $337M Federal) to improve flow at the I-285/GA400 interchange.  There's also a ton of money in there for roads all around North Fulton such as Arnold Mill and Old Milton.  These projects will be accelerated with TSPLOST and may never happen without it.

 

There will NEVER be a list of projects that suits everyone and there may never be an opportunity like this again in our lifetimes.  Remember that a no vote gives complete control back to GDOT and the state and takes it away from the region and municipalities.  Let me know if you have any questions as

I've done a lot of research on this topic.  You can also check out my article in the Roswell Current here.

 

Thanks!

 

Mike Hadden

image courtesy FakeMARTA

Multimodal Passenger Terminal Update

This is not Roswell related per se but I happened to be in the area this afternoon so I stopped in on the Multi Modal Passenger Terminal public information session downtown. Today's meeting was the first meeting where the public was able to see preliminary renderings of the three concepts.

My thoughts are mixed on the project. It is something that can be truly transformational for the city and the downtown area if done right. Situated between Five Points Station and Phillips Arena, it will occupy some prime real estate that is severely underutilized currently. Here are a couple photos that I took today.

My reservations are primarily in the area of design. I won't argue that the team that has been assembled to design this project doesn't know what they are doing. I'm sure they can get the engineering and function right. What I'm concerned with is that we will end up with another over-glasses modernist design that in no way reflects the place and history. The building(s) that are produced should fuse Atlanta's past with her future and not shoot to be the trendiest architectural novelty du jour. Here are three photos of the rendering boards that were on display, one for each concept. Cool, yes. Meaningful, I don't think so. I got the feeling that the crowd of 150+ was less than enthusiastic as well but I didn't run a poll.

I'm also concerned that this won't ever become a reality.  The plan is for inter-city rail, commuter rail and eventually high speed rail.  With the way the TIA vote is looking, people don't want to pay for trains.  They want to pay more for roads.  (this is not part of the TIA project list).  Either way, it will be nice to see what the final concept is but the jury is out on whether this will ever happen.

There is much more to come on this project and there will be a lot of refinement in the months and years ahead.  If you are interested in learning more, you can go to GDOT's site below.  The renderings above are not online yet but should be within the next week. (sorry for the crude pics)

http://www.dot.ga.gov/informationcenter/p3/projects/mmpt/Pages/default.aspx 

TIA2012 - Roswell Local Projects

As you may know, the TIA2012 or TSPLOST will return 15% of the total tax receipts back to local municipalities.  Roswell has been a little late to the party laying out it's project list.  Many municipalities aren't even producing a local list with the expectation that the tax will fail on July 31st.  Those elected officials obviously weren't Boy Scouts.  Roswell DOT presented our list to council at Monday night's city council meeting.

The great thing about our list is that it really focuses on pedestrian and bike resources.  It will improve overall safety and improve connectivity.  There are two groups of projects.  The first are signature projects and the second is 'potential projects' which fall into three main categories; sidewalks, complete streets, redevelopment connectivity.  Check them out below:

Signature Projects

• Early Off Ramp from SR 400 NB to Market Boulevard
• Holcomb Bridge Road Multi-Use Trail, Phase 2 (Steeplechase to HBMS)
• Holcomb Bridge Road Multi-Use Trail, Phase 3 (HBMS to Nesbit Ferry)
• Holcomb Bridge Road Multi-Use Trail, Phase 4 (Nesbit Ferry to Barnwell)
• Holcomb Bridge Road Multi-Use Trail, Phase 5 (Barnwell to Gerrards Landing)
• Eves Road Complete Street (Riverside to Eves Circle)
• Eves Road Multi-Use Bridge over Holcomb Bridge Road (Eves Circle to Scott Road)
• SR 120 Improvements (Trail Connection from Willeo Road to Square; Sidepath from Kroger to Just Friends)

Potential Projects List

• Old Mountain Park Road (Cobb County to Mountain Park Road)
• Select items from over 150 other projects on the Sidewalk Program Matrix
• Hardscrabble Green Loop Phase 2 including Hardscrabble/King intersection (Target/SR 92 area to King Road)
• Any Roswell Loop-related project
• Oxbo Road ROW and/or CST
• Sun Valley Road Phases 1, 2 and/or 3 ROW and/or CST
• Over 200 other projects on the Connectivity Program List

VOTE YES on July 31st, 2012

Vote No on August 1st, 2012

NUR Weekly - TSPLOST, Parking, Restaurants, Blocks & Mixed-Use

I keep coming up with good ideas for this weekly digest so I had to add a section.  The last part is dedicated to fun stuff and may or may not relate to what we discuss on the NUR blog.  This week, Joan Durbin at the North Fulton Neighbor was on fire with several notable stories.

What’s Up in Roswell

Holcomb Bridge/GA 400 Improvements Tied to TSPLOST - North Fulton Neighbor

Here’s the gist from city council woman Betty Price:

Whether or not T-SPLOST passes, some interim improvements will be evident in the near future. With additional funding and guided by the recommendations of this study, whole-scale improvements can be made in the future that will revitalize this inadequate intersection, bringing with it a welcoming and functional entrance to Roswell from 400.  

Pay Parking May Come to Roswell Historic District - North Fulton Neighbor

My prediction...  People are going to hate this more than they hate looking for a space.  If you’re willing to walk 200 yards, there is NO parking problem.  Key Excerpt:

The locations are the lot next to Wells Fargo on the west side of Canton Street and a lot on the east side between Ga. Hwy 9 and Canton Street that used to be the old city fire department years ago. 

Roswell’s Red Light Cameras May be Relocated - North Fulton Neighbor

This is fairly controversial to some.  Here’s my 2 cents.  These cameras tend to reduce deadly ‘perpendicular’ or ’T-Bone’ crashes at intersections but increase rear-end collisions.  Generally, anything that causes people to pay more attention

Four Canton St Restaurants on Jezebel Magazine’s Top 100 Restaurants for 2012

This is a great sign that Canton Street is doing all the right things.  Little Alley Steak, Inc Street Food, Salt Factory and Table & Main made the list in that order.  You’ll have to check out the magazine to see where they weighed in.

4th Annual Trilogy Trolley Crawl Tix on Sale

Top 5 Articles of the Week

What is a Block? - Better Cities and Towns

The block is something that confuses most people.  This article takes a stab at defining it and does a pretty good job.  Here’s how they define one:

the definition of a block should be based on the legal structure of urbanism. Therefore, a block is legally defined as private property surrounded by public rights-of-way. By this definition, a block is one of the two fundamental units of urbanism (alongside the right-of-way) reflecting the two types of property (private and public, respectively).

The article also uses an example from up the road in Alpharetta to illustrate the absurdities of suburban ‘blocks.’  They managed to find one has a perimeter of 12 miles!  We need more connectivity and smaller blocks. 

Don’t get Mixed Up on Mixed-Use - PlaceShakers

Mixed-use is one of those terms like sustainability.  It is over used and often used out of context.  This article lays it out pretty well:

Today, the most common misunderstanding I find about mixed-use is that most people think it equates, on any street or in any context, to a shopfront with housing above.

In short, mixed-use makes for three-dimensional, pedestrian-oriented places that layer compatible land uses, public amenities, and utilities together at various scales and intensities. This variety of uses allows for people to live, work, play and shop in one place, which then becomes a destination for people from other neighborhoods. As defined by The Lexicon of the New Urbanism, mixed-use is multiple functions within the same building or the same general area through superimposition or within the same area through adjacency… from which many of the benefits are… pedestrian activity and traffic capture.

How to Get a Trader Joe’s - Smyrna is signing a petition - Smyrna Patch 

I’d love it if it were just this easy to get a grocery store where you want it.  I’m sure we could collect a lot of signatures to get one here in Historic Roswell.  This commenter said it best:

Ultimately Smyrna has to prove we have the demographics to ensure Trader Joe's can survive. It's not about where we want it and why. Will Trader Joe's consider Smyrna and why?

Cops Set Up Sting to Keep Pedestrians Safe - AJC

Read this article, you just might learn something that will keep you out of trouble when walking or driving.  Here’s a stat that I wanted to be sure got out there.

...four people are hit by cars each day in the metro Atlanta area. (Sally) Flocks said between 70 and 80 pedestrians are killed each year in the metro area and more than 20 percent within 100 feet of a transit stop.

Alpharetta Downtown Development Picks Up Speed - ABC

Keep moving forward Alpharetta!  This will be a big boost to walkability in North Fulton.  I thought this excerpt was noteworthy:

In the past decade, other suburban cities including Woodstock, Norcross and Suwanee have tried to reinvent their downtowns by launching major projects.  Those ideas reflect principles of New Urbanism, a countermovement to the development patterns in the 80s and 90s across metro Atlanta that to suburban sprawl. New Urbanism aims to create public spaces, such as a city center, where people can congregate in parks that are near shopping, restaurants and entertainment.

Unfortunately, Roswell didn’t get a mention in the article but we are doing great things and our historic district has arguably been more successful than any of the towns that were mentioned even though they pursued very high profile projects.

Fun Stuff

Church vs Beer Map - Guess Where Georgia Is

Beijing’s Olympic Ruins - Much worse than Atlanta’s Ruins

Top 10 Best & Worst Cities to Live - This ranking used a very interesting methodology.  Number one on the list, Hong Kong.  Last on the list, Tehran.  Best US City, Washington DC.  

What the World Would Look Like Covered in Lego - Simple and Fun.. I’d love to drive under this bridge..