LexRides

[politicalhero]

Below is the editorial from the HL this morning considering the city council's action to table the Tates Creek sidewalk plan.

A few things to think about:
1) LFUCG received 4/5 of the projected cost from the state. So LFUCG only had to put up $200K for a $1 Million projected cost.

2) It all comes back to the plans for the city that the council has accepted as guiding documents for the future of Lexington.

3) It is all about connectivity. Why should just a small amount of people be able to stop the government for being able to use the right of way to help build community. Additionally, this sidewalk would connect to the arboretum, so it is all about connectivity stupid!

If you have ever run down tates creek from the enclave to Alumni there is already a foot breaking path and sidewalk would be a huge visual improvement.

Read the article below and email your council person. If they voted to table the issue give them hell; if they voted against tabeling the issue please give them praise and support! http://www.lexingtonky.gov/index.aspx?page=1475

Rethink tabling of sidewalks
Want to hear a sad story about why people are cynical about government, why Lexington chronically falls short of its ambitions?

The Urban County Council wrote a chapter Tuesday.

In 2007, Fayette and Jessamine counties adopted a smart plan for making our metro area more pedestrian-friendly: The Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. It was the result of months of study and comments from over 600 people.

*

Among the projects recommended was building sidewalks on both side of Tates Creek Road from about Lakeshore Drive to the Lansdowne Shops.

Makes sense: Major artery with heavy vehicle and foot traffic and the city owns right-of-way on both sides wide enough for a sidewalk.

Last year, the Urban County Council voted to apply to the state for federal funds for 75 percent of the cost of designing and building the sidewalk.

Property owners along the route raised a fuss and the city held a meeting in November to get comments. About 150 people came, some 30 spoke, of whom about two-thirds favored the sidewalk.

Recently, the state approved the grant so Lexington can snag $800,000 for a match of about $200,000. All that remained was for the council to vote Tuesday to accept the grant and pledge our share.

Instead, a majority voted to table the motion to approve the grant — meaning the council can't discuss or act on it. The timing isn't clear, but it's possible that, if the city dawdles past July 1, the state will reallocate the funds to another Kentucky community.

Why did this happen when our best planning efforts say this is the kind of project we need to encourage more people to walk and make it safer for those who have no choice but to walk along that heavily traveled road?

If you listened to the meeting, it's hard to answer that question. It seemed to come down to the fact that some residents along the route just don't want a sidewalk built in the public right-of-way in front of their homes.

That's a lousy, dispiriting way to leave this story. Last summer, the city abandoned the excellent Downtown Lexington Masterplan for CentrePointe, only to wind up with a muddy hole in the middle of downtown. Now this.

If plans are to mean anything, we can't just run and hide when what they tell us runs up against some opposition, as it inevitably will.

Only a council member who voted to table the motion can make the motion to bring it back for debate and vote.

That's the least the community deserves, particularly the hundreds of people who have taken the trouble to attend meetings and offer their thoughts on this project and on how to make Lexington a more walkable city.

How the council voted on a motion to table, or end, discussion of accepting a grant for sidewalks along Tates Creek Road:For: Julian Beard, Cheryl Feigel, Chuck Ellinger, Kevin Stinnett, Andrea James, Ed Lane, K.C. Crosbie, Peggy Henson and Doug Martin. Against: Jim Gray, Linda Gorton, Tom Blues, Diane Lawless, George Myers, Jay McChord.

[elzie5000]

That vote list gives you a pretty good accounting of who's for and who's against continuing the culture of incompetence in city government that continually holds Lexington back.

[brokebike]

My councilperson is one of the few progressive and sensible voices on the Council... and thankfully she voted against tabling this issue. I can't figure out why our city council is so ineffective when it comes to matters such as this.

The public does plenty to speak up for itself (although many times it's too late for everyone to understand exactly what's at stake and take action), but it's the council that can prevent a lot of this stagnation in Lexington... they just can't seem to muster the teeth to do it.
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[politicalhero]

Update: Council member Beard is the one who made the motion to table (lives off Glendover Rd) Any of the 9 who voted to table it can initiate a vote to
untable it.

[brokebike]

I'm glad 3rd District Councilperson Lawless is a member on our forums here, and supports a lot of the bike and pedestrian issues. I wish citizens of our persuasion had more influence on the council... but get outside of the circle (New Circle) and all that seems to go out the window.
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[politicalhero]

Update: So Beard is the person who motioned to table. I spoke with some folks this afternoon and it was explained to me that A) the use of the table tactic has not been used in a long time and B) when there is a motion to table there is no discussion. What this means is we have no public record as to why the motion was made or why people voted for/against it. Basically it is a coward move where someone does not want to vote for or against something so they just kill it. Just like when someone steps out of the room for a "phone call" before a controversial vote and then returns quickly after the vote.

However, since anyone who voted for the table can initiate the discussion again there are some key members who voted for the table that are bike/ped friendly and they could easily open the discussion back up again.

Ellinger, James, Henson, and Martin.

If these are your folks start talking to them

[brokebike]

and you North Siders... since such a large contingent of our community here resides in the 1st District now, email Andrea James and ask her WTF?
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[brokebike]

Someone motioned to un-table it!
http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/796327.html
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[politicalhero]

I am confused, it was Lawless who motioned but as I understand it only people who voted to table it can untable it.

Anyway, now there should be some public discussion and we can hear folks rationale for and against the project during the council meetings.

[brokebike]

yeah, that's confusing...
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[roller]

Van Meter Pettit sent a message to the members of Friends of Town Branch Trail, Lexington, KY.

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Subject: Follow-up on the Tates Creek sidewalks

5.15.08

Friends

In an equally surprising turn-around, the council voted last night to put the CMAQ grant back 'on the table' and gave it a first reading. The grant is for $800K to build sidewalks on either side of a one mile stretch of Tates Creek Road. In two weeks the council will give it a second and final vote.

What we need to do in the interim is to call or email directly our at-large and district council members and let them know that sidewalks connecting neighborhoods with UK and the Arboretum are important and need to be built without delay. The university cities we visit as a community annually to draw inspiration, like Boulder Austin or Madison are covered with trails and bike/ped facilities. These cities have stronger economies and university communities in part because of their commitment to these kind of amenities. We need to follow their lead to make Lexington an outdoor recreation- health and fitness oriented city.

Please call or write the Vice Mayor, the at-large council members and you district council member and let them know in your own words what you think, who you are, and where you live. They need to know how much support this issue has. It is not a bother. It is what they signed up for. It is more effective to send one at a time and to put it in your own words. And let's stay as positive as possible. Trails and greenways require a lot of goodwill and cooperation. Let's build that up as we prepare to build the trails.

Thanks for your interest and help!

Van Meter Pettit, AIA
Town Branch Trail, In

[politicalhero]

[alex]

Talked to a trusted friend who knows a lot about the council, as well as a lot of you, and have decided this is worth fighting for. As far as I can tell, the only negative argument is that a few rich people don't want a sidewalk in their yard. People are already walking there and there's already a dirt trail, why not make a paved sidewalk?

I believe the council is voting on this on the 11th, so now is the time to write your council member. And my friend says that we should email ALL of the council members, not just your personal member.

I'm not usually into letter writing and am pretty cynical about politics (centrewhat?) but this is our town dammit, it doesn't belong to certain folks just cause they have more monetary wealth than the rest of us.

[taylor]

Alex- I think you're right about this being something to fight for, and getting in touch with councilmembers to voice support is definitely the best way on something like this, since most of them are neither here nor there on the issue, and can be persuaded pretty easily.

I'm not sure emailing EVERY councilmember is a good idea (you always get back bitchy responses about how you're not one of their constituents), but getting the at-large councilmembers should be just as important for everyone, especially those of us who have councilmembers who already know what they're doing. ahem. Also, don't send the exact same email to a bunch of different people, as they'll generally know that you aren't being thoughtful about it and generally not really give a shit. Just some suggestions.

That said, should we put together a quick set of issues for everyone to address in writing to their elected officials?

[brokebike]