We had yet another interesting time using "alternative means of transportation" this week. On Labor Day, my older daughter and I rode our bikes to the MARTA bus stop, loaded our bikes on the bus and took the bus to the Sandy Springs station, locked the bikes and walked to the movie theater, saw Mama Mia (a campy mother/daughter film if ever there was one), walked back to the station and rode our bikes the four or five miles home. Here are the things that jumped out at us:
1. Our continual surprise at how few people ride the bus. This morning, during rush hour on Mt. Vernon (when this photo was taken), I counted a record-breaking six passengers on this bus. When we traveled the other day, there were four of us.
2. Our growing realization of how few "integrated pedestrian accommodations" there are in this soon-to-be-city. We got off the bus at the Sandy Springs station with the desire to get to the other side of the parking deck to go to the movie theater. Yet, there was no easy way to do this logically. We ended up trudging through the dark parking deck, up the ramp and out the vehicular exit. Then, of course, we were in the middle of a parking lot, dodging cars to try to get to the other side.
For good examples of integrated pedestrain accommodations, walk the route a pedestrian would take from the Dunwoody MARTA station to the mall, as well as the pedestrian walkway that runs through the middle of the parking lot at Target. All you have to do to know what works and what doesn't is to travel as a pedestrian. It is clear many urban planners are simply not doing this.
3. My discovery of dramatic changes in my children and my relationship with them. First of all, walking, biking and busing with my kids makes me a "co-traveler" on the journey with them, rather than merely the chauffeur. We are figuring things out together and sharing some really unique experiences, as equals. It is a particularly potent "power shift" when trying to keep a bridge built to a teenager. Second, I have noticed huge (and almost immediate) changes in my childrens' judgment and map skills. I believe map skills are typically among the lowest scores on our state's education exams. Hmmm. Maybe we'd see some education gains if kids could ride and bike more easily. Worth trying.
Interestingly, the State of Georgia is currently working with McKinsey and Company, the consulting firm, to develop a tranportation investment strategy. A survey sent to residents asks questions that focus on commuting habits. No questions are asked about quality of life issues such as the ability for our children to bike or walk safely to school, or concern about the environmental or health impacts of communities that are custom-built for vehicular traffic only. In fact, the Investing in Tomorrow's Transportation Today website specifically lists the goals of the initiative as supporting Georgia's economic growth and competitiveness. It lists as goals:
Ensure safety and security
•Reduce injuries and fatalities on the transportation system
•Minimize losses due to freight incidents / accidents on road and rail
•Create a transit environment perceived as “secure” throughout the day
Maximize the value of GA’s transportation assets
•Sustain existing transportation infrastructure at a level that balances efficient use of resources and usable life
•Optimize throughput of people and goods in network assets
•Accelerate the delivery of new capacity, while balancing quality and cost
Protect the environment
•Improve air quality and reduce the number of smog days
•Minimize impact of transportation on the environment (e.g., land and water usage; energy use)
Source: State transportation plans; Congestion and Mobility Task Force; MPO / stakeholder interviews; Board
When you start referring to people as being "moved" through the system (as it says elsewhere on the site) or optimizing "throughput" of people, I don't get a strong pedestrian/biking accommodation feeling here, folks.
The governor is holding listening sessions throughout the state in the next month or two. Here is his press release from June on this topic. Stay tuned, speak out and make sure that transportation changes in Georgia are not made merely to benefit big business (I can't count how many times "freight companies" were mentioned in the materials I read) but to help the little people (like me) who just want to get from a train station to a movie theater, or from home to school, logically and safely.
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3 comments:
Here are a few links you may enjoy.
Walk, Bike, Marta
http://trip.atltransit.com
Traveler IQ Challenge
http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq
Pattie, i too have been amazed at how my awareness has grown once i stepped outside a car and began walking/biking around my community in the last 2 years. moving around outside a car can be challenging in a culture which tends to put cars first without question on almost every issue.
celebrate one tiny success with me! recently i wrote to my local community council regarding the timing on the pedestrian crossing lights on major intersections. this info was referred to our county dept. of transportation. i'm still awaiting action on that. however, one other request has already been addressed. it concerned access to a shopping center using sidewalks without having to enter with car traffic via the street. i pointed out that a simple gap in the sidewalk of about 5 feet could be filled in which would then provide safe entry/exit for pedestrians and the disabled. walking to the same center last week i noticed MY new sidewalk. (i do think of it now in personal terms.) i did a celebratory little dance on it for christening purposes!
so, about that gap from the marta stop to your destination, you might want to write to your local community govt. or dot, pointing out the dangers of having access only via structures designed for cars.
walking/biking often is a constant call toward gratitude- for the two legs that get me where i'm headed, among other things. the flip side is an increasing sensitivity for the safety and convenience for our elderly, children and less abled.
John: That travelpod site that asks "How well do you know our world? reminded me how little I know our soon-to-be-city! I have to Mapquest addresses any time it's off a major road becuase so many street names sound the same that I'm never really sure where I'm going. I am reminded of what my father used to do back in my hometown of Mineola, New York. Every summer, he would thumb-tack the map of Mineola from the phone book onto the wall in the garage. Then, he would spend the entire summer bike-riding every single street, marking them off with pencil after each bike ride. He knew every single street in my town, inside and out. Now, granted, we had a very flat town so riding was quite pleasant. Can I possibly do this in Dunwoody? Hmmmm. A thought.
And Anonymous, your post was very moving to me. I appreciate your positive energy and your sharing your success and suggestions. I especially identified with your feeling of gratitude. Thank you for commenting.
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