Bikies, March 24th is a busy night. Also that night is a public meeting to discuss the proposed Tocora Lane ped/bike connector into the UW Research Park from the Midvale Heights Neighborhood. The meeting will be held:
Tuesday, March 24, 2009, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm Sequoya Branch Library (Corner of Midvale Blvd. & Tokay Blvd.) Contact for questions: Tony Fernandez (608) 266-9219 or [email protected] Why is this important? There is currently no safe and convenient route to bike to the research park from the east. This is especially true when heading east to go home in the evening. I have been trying since 1996 to get connectors at Tocora Lane and/or Manor Cross but vocal neighbors in the vicinity of the proposed connectors have successfully blocked past attempts to build these connectors. See the long version below. I am looking for people who a) live in the Midvale Heights Neighborhood, b) work at the UW Research Park and bike or walk to work through the Midvale Heights Neighborhood or would like to do so, or c) both a) and b). If you fit this description, email the people in the To and Cc lines below (except substitute Tony Fernandez for Larry Nelson), come to the meeting on the 24th, or better yet, email and come to the meeting. Mark Shahan -- Mark N. Shahan ------ __o 607 Piper Drive ------- _`\<,_ Madison, WI 53711-1338 ---- (*)/ (*) (608) 274-9367 [email protected] ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mark Shahan <[email protected]> Date: Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 8:32 AM Subject: Tocora Lane Ped/Bike Connector To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected], [email protected], "Nelson, Larry" < [email protected]>, "Ross, Arthur" <[email protected]>, [email protected] Dear Alder Pham-Remmele, I am writing to you to express my strong support for the Tocora Lane ped/bike connector to the UW Research Park. I probably will not be able to attend the March 24th public meeting for this project as the Pedestrian/Bicycle/Motor Vehicle Commission which I chair meets the same night so I am writing to you instead. I have lived in the Midvale Heights Neighborhood for 18 years. My wife and I decided to live in this neighborhood because we could walk, bike, or take the bus to our jobs and to many shopping destinations. I bike year round and my wife bikes 9 months of the year. One destination to which it is very difficult to bike is the UW Research Park where I have worked for the past four years. In 1996, I tried to help friends who worked at the Research Park get connectors constructed at Tocora Lane and Manor Cross into the Research Park. A survey was taken of residents in the area near the proposed connectors by then Alder Sue Bauman that showed about 57% of the neighbors supported the connectors. However, Alder Bauman was not comfortable going ahead with the project without a larger majority and because the Research Park was not in favor of the project. Thirteen years later, some things have changed. The Research Park now supports constructing these connectors spurred by a new tenant that moved to the Park from the east side of town. Many of this tenant’s employees complained about the lack of good bike connections to the Research Park. The Midvale Heights Community Association Board supports the connector. And now, I am the one who needs this connector, not my friends. Why is this connector needed? In a word, safety. There is no good bike route to the Research Park from the Midvale Heights Neighborhood. This is especially true coming home in the evening when headed east. Contrary to what some in the neighborhood believe, you can’t simply go around the Tocora Lane and Manor Cross area. My choices when heading east are: 1. Go the wrong way on Tokay Blvd for 100 feet from the UW Sports Medicine drive, 2. Bike on Whitney Way which is a 6-lane road with no bike lanes, 3. First bike further west on Research Park Drive, then turn south and cut through a parking lot where motorists aren’t looking for bicyclists to get to Tokay Blvd, or 4. Bike across the green-way to get to Manor Cross or Tocora Lane if it is not too muddy, snowy, and you have a bike that can handle the terrain. Not very good or safe choices. The biggest complaint neighbors seem to have is that they believe the Tocora Connector will increase crime and vandalism. In particular, they fear that trouble-makers at the west transfer point will suddenly start terrorizing the neighborhood if the connector is built. Such concerns are completely unfounded as outlined below. 1. A Rails-to-Trails Conservancy study from 1998 ( http://www.railstotrails.org/resources/documents/resource_docs/Safe%20Communities_F_lr.pdf) makes clear that “when compared to the communities in which they exist, compared to highways and parking lots, and compared to many other public and private places, rail-trails have an excellent public safety record.” 2. City experience with the Isthmus and SW Paths has been in agreement with the above Rails-to-Trails Conservancy study, namely, that crime and vandalism tended to decrease once the paths were built because “crime generally does not occur in places where there are lots of people and few hiding places.” 3. The same fears were expressed about the SW Path and haven’t materialized. 4. Most users will be your neighbors and most bicyclists are above average income, hardly the demographic that causes crime and vandalism. 5. If people from the west transfer point wanted to hang out in this area they can do it now. The connector isn’t going to magically make them want to come to this area if they aren’t already. 6. The Tocora connector is really no different than the existing mid-block sidewalks found throughout the Midvale Heights Neighborhood. Another concern heard is that motorists will use this connector as a short cut. This is unlikely to happen in my view but if it does, the City has dealt with this situation before. Two examples are the Parman Terrace connector on the SW Path and the Struck Street underpass of the Beltline. In both cases, these connectors were adjacent to heavily traveled roads and were used as short cuts by motorists. And in both cases, the cut through problem was essentially eliminated by the installation of barriers of one sort or another. The same can be done for the Tocora connector if necessary. Some people don’t want any more people walking or biking down their street. This is short sighted as well as contrary to the Comprehensive Plan. If people can’t easily, safely, and conveniently walk or bike to their destinations, they will drive. The more people drive, the harder it will be for all modes to use neighborhood streets and especially to cross or access streets such as Mineral Pont Road. The arguments against the Tocora connector remind me of the debate before the SW Path was constructed. Many of the same fears were expressed but the good news is none of them came to fruition. I believe the same will hold true for the Tocora Connector. The good news gets better. A number of people in the Midvale Heights Neighborhood work at the Research Park. This connector will provide them a safe and convenient route to bike or walk to work. Encouraging them to do so is good for the health and pocketbook of the individual, good for the health of our community, and saves taxpayers on the cost of roads. Despite the challenges, people are already using Manor Cross and Tocora Lane as connectors contrary to what some would have you believe. Most of the users are pedestrians and dog walkers but a number of bicyclists use these routes including myself. Finally, the Tocora Lane connector is good economic development. High technology businesses prefer to locate in communities that have amenities such as bike and walking paths that enable their employees to bike and walk to work. Sincerely, Mark Shahan -- Mark N. Shahan 607 Piper Drive Madison, WI 53711-1338 (608) 274-9367 [email protected]
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