Turzai and Vulakovich letter, first draft
Dear Sirs,
I am sure you are aware of the 30 August death of a cyclist on West Carson Street, only nine days after PennDOT opened the road after a complete reconstruction. In the 33 months the road was restricted to single-lane, 25 mph operation, there were few wrecks and no fatalities.
My beef with PennDOT requires your attention because it is supposed to be responsive to its superiors, namely state government leaders, the citizenry's elected representatives -- you. To do your jobs effectively, you need to be informed what the citizenry needs.
In that part of town -- McKees Rocks, the Bottoms, Esplen, Presston, Sheraden, Elliott, Stowe -- car ownership is far less than in other parts of the city and inner suburban areas. Able-bodied people are dependent on the bus system, and I need not elaborate upon the many service cutbacks in recent years. Using a bike to commute from the area served by West Carson, though, which would be a great way to get back and forth, essentially cannot be done using this road design. Even experienced cyclists like myself do not consider it safe to ride -- and I regularly ride on McKnight Road.
I need you to understand that people regularly commute by bike, some by choice, others by necessity. They need PennDOT to design roads to allow them to use the road system safely -- even if it means less capacity and lower speed limits, which they are adamantly opposed to.
That last point is critical: Roads like West Carson need to be posted 25, not 35, so that non-drivers can use it safely. We do not care if that is not popular, and we don't want you to care, and we don't want PennDOT to care. Safety is more important than capacity. We want to use the roads without fear of losing our lives.
Never mind bicycles. Simply put, would you change a left flat tire on West Carson?
PennDOT needs to think differently. YOU need to think differently, if you are not already fully on board with getting PennDOT to change.
I thank you in advance for your concern.
Sincerely yours,
Stuart Strickland
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Turzai and Vulakovich letter, first draft
Turzai and Vulakovich letter, first draft
Dear Sirs,
I am sure you are aware of the 30 August death of a cyclist on West Carson Street, only nine days after PennDOT opened the road after a complete reconstruction. In the 33 months the road was restricted to single-lane, 25 mph operation, there were few wrecks and no fatalities.
My beef with PennDOT requires your attention because it is supposed to be responsive to its superiors, namely state government leaders, the citizenry's elected representatives -- you. To do your jobs effectively, you need to be informed what the citizenry needs.
In that part of town -- McKees Rocks, the Bottoms, Esplen, Presston, Sheraden, Elliott, Stowe -- car ownership is far less than in other parts of the city and inner suburban areas. Able-bodied people are dependent on the bus system, and I need not elaborate upon the many service cutbacks in recent years. Using a bike to commute from the area served by West Carson, though, which would be a great way to get back and forth, essentially cannot be done using this road design. Even experienced cyclists like myself do not consider it safe to ride -- and I regularly ride on McKnight Road.
I need you to understand that people regularly commute by bike, some by choice, others by necessity. They need PennDOT to design roads to allow them to use the road system safely -- even if it means less capacity and lower speed limits, which they are adamantly opposed to.
That last point is critical: Roads like West Carson need to be posted 25, not 35, so that non-drivers can use it safely. We do not care if that is not popular, and we don't want you to care, and we don't want PennDOT to care. Safety is more important than capacity. We want to use the roads without fear of losing our lives.
Never mind bicycles. Simply put, would you change a left flat tire on West Carson?
PennDOT needs to think differently. YOU need to think differently, if you are not already fully on board with getting PennDOT to change.
I thank you in advance for your concern.
Sincerely yours,
Stuart Strickland
Dear Sirs,
I am sure you are aware of the 30 August death of a cyclist on West Carson Street, only nine days after PennDOT opened the road after a complete reconstruction. In the 33 months the road was restricted to single-lane, 25 mph operation, there were few wrecks and no fatalities.
My beef with PennDOT requires your attention because it is supposed to be responsive to its superiors, namely state government leaders, the citizenry's elected representatives -- you. To do your jobs effectively, you need to be informed what the citizenry needs.
In that part of town -- McKees Rocks, the Bottoms, Esplen, Presston, Sheraden, Elliott, Stowe -- car ownership is far less than in other parts of the city and inner suburban areas. Able-bodied people are dependent on the bus system, and I need not elaborate upon the many service cutbacks in recent years. Using a bike to commute from the area served by West Carson, though, which would be a great way to get back and forth, essentially cannot be done using this road design. Even experienced cyclists like myself do not consider it safe to ride -- and I regularly ride on McKnight Road.
I need you to understand that people regularly commute by bike, some by choice, others by necessity. They need PennDOT to design roads to allow them to use the road system safely -- even if it means less capacity and lower speed limits, which they are adamantly opposed to.
That last point is critical: Roads like West Carson need to be posted 25, not 35, so that non-drivers can use it safely. We do not care if that is not popular, and we don't want you to care, and we don't want PennDOT to care. Safety is more important than capacity. We want to use the roads without fear of losing our lives.
Never mind bicycles. Simply put, would you change a left flat tire on West Carson?
PennDOT needs to think differently. YOU need to think differently, if you are not already fully on board with getting PennDOT to change.
I thank you in advance for your concern.
Sincerely yours,
Stuart Strickland
Turzai and Vulakovich letter, first draft
Turzai and Vulakovich letter, first draft
Dear Sirs, I am sure you are aware of the 30 August death of a cyclist on West Carson Street, only nine days after PennDOT opened the road after a complete reconstruction. In the 33 months the road was restricted to single-lane, 25 mph operation, there were few wrecks and no fatalities.
My beef with PennDOT requires your attention because it is supposed to be responsive to its superiors, namely state government leaders, the citizenry's elected representatives -- you. To do your jobs effectively, you need to be informed what the citizenry needs.
In that part of town -- McKees Rocks, the Bottoms, Esplen, Presston, Sheraden, Elliott, Stowe -- car ownership is far less than in other parts of the city and inner suburban areas. Able-bodied people are dependent on the bus system, and I need not elaborate upon the many service cutbacks in recent years. Using a bike to commute from the area served by West Carson, though, which would be a great way to get back and forth, essentially cannot be done using this road design. Even experienced cyclists like myself do not consider it safe to ride -- and I regularly ride on McKnight Road.
I need you to understand that people regularly commute by bike, some by choice, others by necessity. They need PennDOT to design roads to allow them to use the road system safely -- even if it means less capacity and lower speed limits, which they are adamantly opposed to.
That last point is critical: Roads like West Carson need to be posted 25, not 35, so that non-drivers can use it safely. We do not care if that is not popular, and we don't want you to care, and we don't want PennDOT to care. Safety is more important than capacity. We want to use the roads without fear of losing our lives.
Never mind bicycles. Simply put, would you change a left flat tire on West Carson?
PennDOT needs to think differently. YOU need to think differently, if you are not already fully on board with getting PennDOT to change.
I thank you in advance for your concern.
Sincerely yours,
Stuart Strickland
Dear Sirs, I am sure you are aware of the 30 August death of a cyclist on West Carson Street, only nine days after PennDOT opened the road after a complete reconstruction. In the 33 months the road was restricted to single-lane, 25 mph operation, there were few wrecks and no fatalities.
My beef with PennDOT requires your attention because it is supposed to be responsive to its superiors, namely state government leaders, the citizenry's elected representatives -- you. To do your jobs effectively, you need to be informed what the citizenry needs.
In that part of town -- McKees Rocks, the Bottoms, Esplen, Presston, Sheraden, Elliott, Stowe -- car ownership is far less than in other parts of the city and inner suburban areas. Able-bodied people are dependent on the bus system, and I need not elaborate upon the many service cutbacks in recent years. Using a bike to commute from the area served by West Carson, though, which would be a great way to get back and forth, essentially cannot be done using this road design. Even experienced cyclists like myself do not consider it safe to ride -- and I regularly ride on McKnight Road.
I need you to understand that people regularly commute by bike, some by choice, others by necessity. They need PennDOT to design roads to allow them to use the road system safely -- even if it means less capacity and lower speed limits, which they are adamantly opposed to.
That last point is critical: Roads like West Carson need to be posted 25, not 35, so that non-drivers can use it safely. We do not care if that is not popular, and we don't want you to care, and we don't want PennDOT to care. Safety is more important than capacity. We want to use the roads without fear of losing our lives.
Never mind bicycles. Simply put, would you change a left flat tire on West Carson?
PennDOT needs to think differently. YOU need to think differently, if you are not already fully on board with getting PennDOT to change.
I thank you in advance for your concern.
Sincerely yours,
Stuart Strickland
Turzai and Vulakovich letter, first draft
Turzai and Vulakovich letter, first draft
Dear Sirs, I am sure you are aware of the 30 August death of a cyclist on West Carson Street, only nine days after PennDOT opened the road after a complete reconstruction. In the 33 months the road was restricted to single-lane, 25 mph operation, there were few wrecks and no fatalities.
My beef with PennDOT requires your attention because it is supposed to be responsive to its superiors, namely state government leaders, the citizenry's elected representatives -- you. To do your jobs effectively, you need to be informed what the citizenry needs.
In that part of town -- McKees Rocks, the Bottoms, Esplen, Presston, Sheraden, Elliott, Stowe -- car ownership is far less than in other parts of the city and inner suburban areas. Able-bodied people are dependent on the bus system, and I need not elaborate upon the many service cutbacks in recent years. Using a bike to commute from the area served by West Carson, though, which would be a great way to get back and forth, essentially cannot be done using this road design. Even experienced cyclists like myself do not consider it safe to ride -- and I regularly ride on McKnight Road.
I need you to understand that people regularly commute by bike, some by choice, others by necessity. They need PennDOT to design roads to allow them to use the road system safely -- even if it means less capacity and lower speed limits, which they are adamantly opposed to.
That last point is critical: Roads like West Carson need to be posted 25, not 35, so that non-drivers can use it safely. We do not care if that is not popular, and we don't want you to care, and we don't want PennDOT to care. Safety is more important than capacity. We want to use the roads without fear of losing our lives.
Never mind bicycles. Simply put, would you change a left flat tire on West Carson?
PennDOT needs to think differently. YOU need to think differently, if you are not already fully on board with getting PennDOT to change.
I thank you in advance for your concern.
Sincerely yours, Stuart Strickland
Dear Sirs, I am sure you are aware of the 30 August death of a cyclist on West Carson Street, only nine days after PennDOT opened the road after a complete reconstruction. In the 33 months the road was restricted to single-lane, 25 mph operation, there were few wrecks and no fatalities.
My beef with PennDOT requires your attention because it is supposed to be responsive to its superiors, namely state government leaders, the citizenry's elected representatives -- you. To do your jobs effectively, you need to be informed what the citizenry needs.
In that part of town -- McKees Rocks, the Bottoms, Esplen, Presston, Sheraden, Elliott, Stowe -- car ownership is far less than in other parts of the city and inner suburban areas. Able-bodied people are dependent on the bus system, and I need not elaborate upon the many service cutbacks in recent years. Using a bike to commute from the area served by West Carson, though, which would be a great way to get back and forth, essentially cannot be done using this road design. Even experienced cyclists like myself do not consider it safe to ride -- and I regularly ride on McKnight Road.
I need you to understand that people regularly commute by bike, some by choice, others by necessity. They need PennDOT to design roads to allow them to use the road system safely -- even if it means less capacity and lower speed limits, which they are adamantly opposed to.
That last point is critical: Roads like West Carson need to be posted 25, not 35, so that non-drivers can use it safely. We do not care if that is not popular, and we don't want you to care, and we don't want PennDOT to care. Safety is more important than capacity. We want to use the roads without fear of losing our lives.
Never mind bicycles. Simply put, would you change a left flat tire on West Carson?
PennDOT needs to think differently. YOU need to think differently, if you are not already fully on board with getting PennDOT to change.
I thank you in advance for your concern.
Sincerely yours, Stuart Strickland
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Safety should be a pre-condition, not a goal
Pre-Script: I wrote the following as a comment on a Bike-Pgh message board thread on 30 August 2013, three years to the day before Dennis Flanagan was killed. Fresh in mind was PennDOT's mis-handling of the West Carson Street project. It is almost the same message I started to say at the Oakland Forbes Ave meeting last night. My, how little has changed.
Original thread: http://www.bikepgh.org/message-board/topic/do-you-have-bike-safety-concerns/
Original thread: http://www.bikepgh.org/message-board/topic/do-you-have-bike-safety-concerns/
*
I guess I better get my pen busy.
Safety should not be a goal of any road project or transportation maintenance plan, but rather a pre-condition. The distinction is critical. To have safety as a mere goal means it’s a thing you strive for, instead of something that’s flat-out-assured before you push a pencil, a lever or a shovelful of dirt.
Safety should not be a goal of any road project or transportation maintenance plan, but rather a pre-condition. The distinction is critical. To have safety as a mere goal means it’s a thing you strive for, instead of something that’s flat-out-assured before you push a pencil, a lever or a shovelful of dirt.
The other side of it, and I’d better give this a good solid scouring before I say anything to them, but I’ll air it here, is that I am sure they are all about maintaining congestion free roads, disrupting traffic as little as possible, getting cars and trucks to and from efficiently.
I dispute this approach. I think we really want the opposite, to make it slower, make it harder to get around *by car* *so that* safety is assured when getting around by any other means, like crossing a street getting off a bus, like bicycling.
* Road diets
* “Twenty Is Plenty” campaigns in residential areas
* Dropping every speed limit on every non-superhighway by 5 mph
* Getting rid of multiple lanes
* Stricter conditions for getting and keeping a driver’s license
* “Twenty Is Plenty” campaigns in residential areas
* Dropping every speed limit on every non-superhighway by 5 mph
* Getting rid of multiple lanes
* Stricter conditions for getting and keeping a driver’s license
In short, pretty much everything they wanted to do in 1972, do the exact opposite. My guess is that all these white-haired senior managers all got their driver’s licenses in or about 1972 (I got mine in 1976 and I’m 54), so their entire mindset, their whole philosophy of life, their entire careers, is built on how things worked back then. I use the year 1972 because it was just before the 1973 Arab oil boycott, the first time in over a generation (WW2 rationing) anyone had to think about gasoline.
And that’s what we’re up against.
*
In a later comment, I added this:
I think the short version of my message is, if you’re within the Blue Belt, and are in a car, you’re doing it wrong. For PennDOT, plan your capacity accordingly.
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