Month: June 2011

I have envy. One of the dread Capital Vices, a.k.a. the seven deadly sins.
Traffic control envy.
Everyday I bike through the 2nd Street Northwood corridor of Charlottesville . This is a lovely neighborhood with many traffic calming measures, excellent pedestrian facilities and little cut-through traffic. This neighborhood is eminently walkable. From the sign above, It looks like they are fixing to get roundabouts? Good idea…
My envy, my argument on this subject is one of need and equity. Lets use geospatial technology to see where our City spends its capital improvement dollars and help direct the allocation of those funds. GPS analysis might help us combat the “two Charlottesvilles” problem. When we spend money to address quality of life, traffic and safety issues we should strive for even handedness. I think the CIP/GPS overview would produce revelatory results.
A year ago I posted a video of a street I walk every day, Franklin Street. Franklin has no sidewalk. 75% of Franklin’s motorists are short-cutting through residential neighborhoods (Belmont and Woolen Mills) to save time. This is an issue raised with the City over twenty years ago. Remedial action has been proposed in the next five years.