By: Diane Benjamin
Renner didn’t ask to extend the time so everybody could speak, so everybody didn’t get to. Tari did make sure Mike McCurdy of Bike Blono, WGLT radio, and Connect Transit got to speak though.
To hear all of the public comment – just hit play below. Then listen to the second Public Comment beginning at 58:15 during the hearing to annex property south of Bloomington.
Three topics surfaced:
- the couple who wanted the Council overrule the ZBA: https://blnnews.com/2017/06/13/council-fun-part-1/
- the low income housing project in south Bloomington (second hearing)
- bike lanes on east Washington
Almost every homeowner on E Washington is opposed to the bike lanes. Safety is a big problem. Many need to back out of their driveways while dodging heavy traffic. They don’t need the stress of trying to see a bike too. Note the second speaker – Treasea Enyeart. She mentioned Alderman Buragas stated to her that her family will not be using it because it’s too dangerous. She also mentioned her house being used by Bike Blono as intimidation. Her husband mentioned it again a little later. Fast forward to alderman comments around 2:44. I will get back to Alderman Karen Schmidt, but after her Buragas attempts to clarify her statement. Alderman David Sage then stands up for Enyeart against Bike Blono. Buragas is obviously assuming it will pass the Planning Commission.
In case you don’t know, this is what Bike Blono wants to do to the road. Most of the time there won’t be any bikes, but they still get two lanes on a very busy road. Buragas claimed at the Open House the Vehicle lanes would be 11 feet wide – this pic from the City shows 10 feet. The pic really needs a City bus and an ambulance trying to get to St Joe’s. You can click to enlarge it – the lane captions are at the bottom.
I remember when the city began rolling out Master Plans under Renner. Each one spends your money and allows government to decide the future instead of the free markets. Government plans always fail because they are attempt to create demand – think Connect Transit and the Coliseum. MILLIONS later both are still failures. bike lanes will be no different.
The comments by Alderman Schmidt show the course change I expect Bike Blono to use to coerce the Planning Commission. (1) The poor need them. (2) Some people can’t afford vehicles. (3) This is their only transportation. (Grove Street isn’t an opposition!) I’d like to ask Karen how many poor people live in the mansions on the north side of E. Washington or in the beautiful houses on the south side? Why would they ever need to ride on E. Washington? Karen – you voted for every tax increase which made the poor even poorer. Your concern for their welfare now is a farce.
There is another public hearing tonight from 4-6 in the McLean County History Museum. Bike Blono will be there for more intimidation. Those opposed need to be there too. Since Complete Streets wasn’t a suggestion – E Washington is the first step to protecting vehicle traffic from bikers breaking the rules of the road and being invisible even more so than motorcycles. Don’t forget the City wants the State to put in bike lanes on Main and Center Streets if they ever find the money to resurface them.
The Planning Commission will decide tomorrow at 4:00 to proceed or not: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/5654/17?backlist=%2f
Think 4:00 meetings is by accident?
It will be telling whether the people who live on E Washington have any property rights. It should be a slam dunk to kick Bike Blono to another road when these lanes would make driving even more difficult for residents.
Mike McCurdy: My son and I used to bike the trail. We DROVE to the trail and then biked. I bet your biggest supports are Orthopedic Surgeons. Your facts smell like Fake News, but soon your members will be needing Fake Knees. I hope you won’t want taxpayers to fund those since bike lanes caused them.
The housing project got tabled. The Public Comment on this issue is very revealing. A lawyer for Unit 5 was the first speaker, it looks like the City didn’t bother to talk to them about the impact of bringing more low income housing to the Cedar Ridge school area. This school is currently 76% low income with very little parental support. The also are forced to hold bi-lingual classes. If this project is approved, it will make conditions at Cedar Ridge even worse.
Does education matter to this Council? Stay tuned.
“Mike McCurdy: My son and I used to bike the trail. We DROVE to the trail and then biked.” What a wuss you are Mike! When I was a kid we left the house on a bicyle and came home on a bicycle,,,we rode our bikes all over town and we stayed off the busy streets during heavy traffic times. We didn’t wear fancy bike pants or wussie helmets. You drive to the bike trail? Lol.
We’ve always lived in the country. Kind of defeats the purpose of riding the trail if we had to bike 10 miles to get to it!
Bike BloNo and the like promote bike riding due to the exercise and saving greenhouse gasses. If exercise, then why does one need a special trail? Asphalt is everywhere these days. Asphalt isn’t near sustainable. Dirt tracks are though. Where are they? If saving greenhouse gasses, then driving there defeats the purpose as claimed. It’s no different that the carbon-nazis flying all over the world to deliver speeches about saving the planet when they could just skpe in. The whole global warming thing is a scam.
A sore point for me is that I rode my bike all around town, even across 6 lanes of traffic on Veterans. I rode my bike to the Trail–4 miles from my home. Never once did I ask or expect government to provide special provisions for my choices. There is a thing called personal responsibility. The poor have tax-supported CT as an option.
Using the poor as an excuse is manipulative. Just like using “mental illness” as a reason to increase sales taxes to be given to McLean County for jail expansion to include only 10 beds for the mentally ill. The remainder is for court related “behavioral issues” and female inmates.
I just drove down Washington Street for lunch, and in order to avoid the potholes in the road, I had to swerve into the bike lanes. But I know this is all by design, to get people out of their cars and onto their bikes and public transportation.
B–the whole rush for putting bike lanes on Washington now is the City will be resurfacing that stretch of the street this summer. It will cost more to do/redo the lane markings later if the Plan is not amended now. My problem is there has been little or no information/education about the impact of the changes before the changes will be made.
Thanks for continuing to report on the bicycle “transportation” boondoggle. The attention given to a small fraction of a percent of the population is beyond stupid. Good sense is sadly lacking in the decision making of our local elected officials. There is no good reason to propose bicycle facilities on arterial and collector streets for bicycles when there are parallel local streets that can be used safely and not impede through traffic.
I hope you are coming tomorrow!
Grove Street is the street currently earmarked for bike lanes. Bike BloNo does want to use that street because they “have to dodge parked cars.” Never mind that the number of vehicles traveling in Grove is minuscule and there are no stop signs/lights. Travelers on Grove have the right of way from Mercer to Clinton. 11,000 cars use Washington Street. There is another cost issue no one has mentioned yet. Bike BloNo (Bike Plan) calls for specialized sensors embedded in the street at stoplights so the bike can trigger a change similar to a car. Washington Street has more stoplights. Also, the intersection at Towanda by the school will be a nightmare to navigate.
Grove Street has too many potholes and is not scheduled for resurfacing until the sewers are fixed.