BIKE: Mostly Well-Done AusChron Article on SCB (Bury the Hatchet)

[Stuart Werbner]

>From: Lane Wimberley <bikelane>
>
>Just to set the record straight, I did participate in the process, right up 
>to
>the point that the Gandy proposal was rejected by the city, at which point
>the working group was completely out of the picture, and Gandy, Nagy and
>a few others had complete control to do whatever they wanted.  At that 
>point,
>any cyclist perspective or representation was completely out of the 
>picture,
>to the best of my knowledge.

You missed quite a few meetings throughout, so I was/am having extreme 
difficulty in
remembering exactly when you stopped participating.

Had you participated more in the W/G, you would have been aware of the 
following:
1) The last and final version of the Working Group (W/G) plan that was 
rejected by the city
staff was not significantly different from what is now on the verge of being 
implemented.
2) Charlie Gandy, himself, made a point of advising EVERY participant in the 
W/G of what
minor changes would likely be made in the proposal to reach a final 
compromise with city
staff, in the event that the staff rejected the first proposal.
3) Paul Nagy actively and consciensciously disseminated any and all 
information that became
available from staff. How do I know? Because I going around him a few times 
just to make
sure I wasn't missing anything, and guess what? I wasn't. I still feel 
pretty sheepish about
that...

>And, I was an active participant -- to the extent that I could be.

Good for you. A star on your forehead.

>There were many voices there, and it was a struggle to keep things civil, 
>to keep them
>from devolving into chaotic argumentation.

I'm sorry you were having such difficulty getting along with your own 
neighbors.

Funny, I seem to remember things calming down more and more, especially 
after about 6 of the meetings, or so. It started happening to me around the 
time I started realizing that the city
staff member designated to guide us toward a consensus solution was actually 
impeding our progress. I had made the mistake up to that point of thinking 
it was more the fault of the residents,
or maybe that a compromise solution wasnt even possible. Both, of course, 
were incorrect.

>My principal goal in the process was to make sure that folks understood
>the importance of the corridor to cyclists, and the importance of the
>city's responsibility to provide for cyclist safety.  Other than that, I 
>kept
>quiet.

Thanks for your contribution.

>Your words remind me of a heated response I arroused in Alan Lampert
>after I complained about the outcome, in which he felt that it was unfair 
>of me
>to complain when he perceived that I hadn't contributed.  Ironically, he 
>was
>the only person in the group to attack me during one of the working 
>sessions
>for attempting to contribute.

I'm sorry you also had difficulties with Alan. Both he and Curba are very 
good people, and cared a whole lot about the outcome of the process, even 
after they moved off of SCB into a Rosedale home; and still, even after they 
started preparing for their move to S. Carolina.

But, you have definitely aroused a heated response in me, too.

Why? Because you have basically dissed virtually everyone who actively 
participated in the Working Group.

Why/How? Because you are implying that everybody allowed themselves to be 
hoodwinked by that infamous Gandy/Nagy Axis of Evil.

Ok, so you think I'm a naive fool. I've been called a lot worse before. But, 
everyone else on it, too?

What about Mayor Pro Tem Jackie Goodman, who personally intervened a number 
of times to keep the process on track? Is she another naive fool, or just an 
un-named co-conspirator?

How about Preston Tyree, a local nationally recognized traffic and bicycle 
safety expert who I worked with to get the ACA to officially endorse the W/G 
proposal? It did, BTW, officially endorse it in April 2002.

And, what about Paul Nagy -- President of Allandale NA at the time, who 
worked his ass off on this 5+ year effort? Extra meetings with city staff, 
council staff, forwarding emails, answering questions. Putting up with 
impatient and initially suspicious cycling advocates such as myself. There 
isn't one email I sent him that he didn't at least acknowledge. And, he 
answered virtually every question I asked him. And, not only that, but I 
can't even remember one wrong answer.

Paul was instrumental in the solution that we now have, that is good for 
both cyclists and
the residents of his and the Rosedale NA. Easy to see why he was President 
of the Allandale NA.

And, what about Charlie Gandy, himself? Here is a man who also (in addition 
to Preston) makes
his living promoting traffic solutions that improve safety, as well as other 
worthy goals. Guess what he got out his efforts, besides his consulting fee, 
which DID NOT a penny of the crapload of
OT he donated? I'll tell you -- the privilege of being virtually condemned 
by city staff. Do you really
think he was willing to suffer that just to help a bunch of folks keep their 
precious on-street parking?

Maybe he cared about his own city, and the people in it. Maybe he cared 
about doing the right thing.

Here is truly The Big Lie -- that somehow the W/G agreed on one thing, and 
it got
hijacked and contorted and perverted by Nagy (a casual cyclist himself, BTW) 
and perhaps Gandy. And, what we are about to see implemented bears no 
resemblance to the final W/G proposal -- this
is a total myth.

It is utterly ridiculous, and you know it. Just pull the electrodes out of 
your skull for a second, and admit it.

I am terribly disappointed in you!

>I also remember a break-out group I participated in that consisted of
>residents, cyclists and a city planner/engineer-type.  The recommendation
>that we jointly came up with was excellent, and we were all very excited
>that it was a good, safe compromise with unanimous consensus within the
>group.  But, because it did eliminate some (not all) parking, it was
>rejected out-of-hand by the Gandy/Nagy faction.

This is untrue. It was rejected out of hand by the city staff, instead. This 
was why
the Mayor Pro Tem effectively intervened, yet again. The staff wouldn't even 
compromise at this point. Funny, how close we actually were, in retrospect.

The original W/G consensus plan, as well as what is now about to be 
implemented
all eliminate "some" parking due to the placement of curb extensions.

I still don't understand what you want/wanted and what you don't/didn't 
want. Not even a clue. And, at this point, I no longer care. And, if you do 
respond, I am going to flush your response
down the digital commoden without reading it.

>In addition to this, I participated in several other ways by volunteering
>my time to gather data, etc.  I also tried to keep the folks on this list 
>up
>to date on the progress, to solicit their ideas and concerns and to
>communicate those (again, to the extent that I could) to the working
>group.

I don't recall ever getting any email from you while you claimed you were 
participating.

>So, just to be clear, I did participate in good faith, and I did make
>suggestions and recommendations.  I think I've earned the right to complain
>and be critical of both the outcome and the process.

You certainly have the right to complain, even if you never spent a second
participating on the W/G. So, the fact that you did really doesn't make
any difference.

I was just making the point that complaining is not nearly as effective and
as much of a contribution as proposing SOMETHING. "No" or "that idea sucks"
is a heckuva lot easier to say than "how about if we did this instead".

This world is not short on complainers, but it is very short on doers and
consensus builders. This is central the reason why it is in such a mess now,
has been in such a mess before, and will be in such a mess in the future.

> > I'm sorry you feel that way. You're part of the less than 40% of SCB
> > residents
> > that voted against the final proposal.
>
>I don't think *anyone* had the opportunity to vote on what truly became
>the final proposal.

Dream on.

This is the last time I am going to waste any of my precious time responding 
to
this garbage.

You and whoever else will have to find another pathetic, unfulfilling 
pursuit, now.

Best of Luck,

   __o
_`\<,_
(*)/ (*)
~~~~~~~~~
Stuart Werbner
Annuit Coeptis

"Braggin about his big, burly man date while demagogically opposin gay 
marriage."