People everywhere are making the case for Complete Streets – a movement that says streets ought to be for everyone, whether young or old, motorist or bicyclist, walker or wheelchair user, bus rider or shopkeeper. Many states, cities and towns are instituting policies requiring streets that are designed for people, not just cars. Unfortunately, not all tranportation planners and engineers have gotten the message.
Check out this music video on YouTube by Clevelanders protesting the design of a new bridge over the Cuyahoga River that fails to include pedestrian and bike access. The Ohio DOT says it’s too late to consider changes to the Environmental Impact Statement on the project. But the rappers ask that the State of Ohio “take a step forward and not a step back”, to “make a transition from the tradition of carbon emissions” , and “engineer a bridge that will bring new people” to Cleveland to help it thrive. They make the call for a Green city to embrace healthy tranportation for a healthier population, and “lead the nation with green alternative transportation”. Here are a few of the lyrics:
Look to the future and lead the nation
With green alternative transportation
Now is the time to make a transition
From the tradition of carbon emission
Make our streets and bridges complete
Not just for cars but for bikes and feet
The people have spoken and make no mistake
They want a green city on a blue lake.
Will residents of Syracuse and Onondaga County sing this song?
UPDATE: From GCBL:
Will calls for a bike and ped crossing over the Cuyahoga River be heard? Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) met yesterday [Feb. 24] with members of the Cleveland Planning Commission, including director Robert Brown, to discuss the path forward to ensure that plans to replace the I-90 Innerbelt bridge include a separate roadway for bikes and pedestrians. “The State of Ohio should be encouraging opportunities for the people of Cleveland to cross the Cuyahoga River in a way that is good for public health, good for the environment, good for businesses, and good for communities,” Kucinich said.
Thanks to a coalition fostered by FOCUS Greater Syracuse, issues such as the need for planning for pedestrian and bicyclist use in design of the new bridges, i.e., the Cuyaahoga River Bridge in Cleveland, are on the radar screens of many CNY organizations. Visit the temporary website at: http://cnypath.pbworks.com/w/page/35109121/walk,-cycle,-wheel-on-CNY-Pathways for information on walking, cycling, wheeling, hiking and running options in our community.
This is the type of collaborative effort that makes me proud to say I’m from Syracuse, NY where a shared vision can become a shared opportunity.
VISION: Make CNY a healthy place where human modes of travel
are safe, accessible and easy.
MISSION: Create a clear, unified Citizens’ Plan for Action with specific goals for a connected network of routes for cycling, hiking, walking and wheeling throughout CNY. (soon to be added….running….!)