Bicycle Austin forum

eraycollins

Member

Registered: 2008-06-02

Posts: 7

anti-traffic-calming-measures flyer

See the link below for the flyer I found on my door over Thanksgiving.
If you live in this area, please vote FOR the traffic-calming measures. You have
probably just received your ballot. If you have any influence with
someone who lives in this area, please ask them to vote FOR the
traffic-calming measures.

I also have a question for the forum. The flyer makes reference to the
COA of Redd St. What is the COA? I can tell you that the speed limit
was reduced to 25 mph on most of Redd earlier this year, followed by
the usual short period of radar enforcement of the new speed limit. My
estimate of the average driver's speed on Redd St. between Manchaca
and Mt. Vernon Dr. is ca. 40 mph. How does that relate to whatever COA
means?

E. Ray Collins
----------------------------

The SouthWood Neighborhood Traffic Calming Plan:
• 5 1 SPEED BUMPS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

In the next couple of weeks you will get a ballot in the mail about the Traffic
Calming Plan. You will be asked to vote for, or against the plan. We cant
change it or ask for a better plan.

That's unfortunate, because this plan places speed bumps everywhere the city
will allow them. Fifty one speed bumps in our little neighborhood! Speed
bumps we will have to drive over two or more times every day. It's hard on the
equipment. And if you're not young and supple, they hurt. And yes, it will slow
down emergency vehicles. Seconds count.

Do we need this?
The speed limit on our streets was lowered a couple of years ago. The traffic
calming survey was based on the new speed limits. If the limit were still 30
mph. as it still is in the school zones on Redd at Joslin or on St. Elmo at the
school, only Lansing would qualify at all. Yes, we do need speed bumps on
Lansing.

Why didn't we get a more reasonable plan?
Some folks tried. Fifty two neighbors petitioned the working group to ask
"please don't put speed bumps on Redd St" F o r these people, Redd is a
dealbreaker. Many of them wanted to support a more moderate plan.

What's special about Redd? Redd is the primary access route for the
neighborhood, as well as the route all emergency vehicles must use. 4,300 trips
a day and most of it us. That's 3 times the volume of the next busiest street in
the neighborhood.

And Redd barely qualified! Redd traffic was only 2.7 mph. over the COA
cutoff to qualify at all. The APD has done a great job of enforcement.

The working group decided that only those who signed up at the original
meeting and volunteered to be on the committee deserved a voice in designing
the plan. The petition was ignored. So unfortunately,

It's not OUR plan.

If you think that 51 speedbumps is just to many speedbumps for our little
neighborhood, you need to vote against, please. If you'd like to hear more, or
maybe even be willing to help spread the word, contact us at

Southwood_NO_BUMPS-owner@yahoogroups.com

m1ek

Member

Registered: 2008-06-02

Posts: 153

Re: anti-traffic-calming-measures flyer

Actually, most traffic-calming measures are awful for bikes. For instance, I see a bunch of new stop signs on my old bike route on Harris Blvd through Pemberton. You either get to break the law or suffer disproportionately compared to the corresponding car corridors (Lamar, Mopac). Likewise, speed bumps and traffic circles aren't so great for bikes.

Don't get co-opted here; the interests of cyclists rarely match the interests of reactionary neighborhoods.