By: Diane Benjamin
You are focusing on Christmas, so not only is Tari holding Town Hall meetings now, the City is holding a Public Meeting FOUR days before Christmas! All are hoping you don’t show up!
http://www.cityblm.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/7657/17
The City wants to redesign the intersection of Fairway Drive and Empire to include BIKE LANES and a sidewalk.
It doesn’t matter that very few (I’ve never seen one) bikers are using the lanes on Washington. Ditto Jersey Ave.
EMPIRE STREET AT FAIRWAY DRIVE
PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE
BLOOMINGTON, IL- The City of Bloomington Public Works Department is considering improvements to the intersection of Empire Street and Fairway Drive. Conceptual plans include adding bike lanes, reconfiguration of vehicle lanes, adding sidewalk, and constructing a raised median on the north leg of Fairway Drive. This work would be done in conjunction with asphalt resurfacing.
All persons interested in the proposed improvement are invited to discuss the Empire and Fairway Intersection Improvements at a public meeting on December 21, 2017 from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M., at the United States Postal Service, 1211 Towanda Avenue, Bloomington, IL. The meeting will be an informal open house format and interested persons may stop by any time between 4:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M.
.
Merry Christmas from Bike Blono!
Special interest groups who helped elected the current Council run Bloomington. You get the bill.
Corruption?
Why else would Public Works waste money on bike lanes when many streets aren’t fit for vehicles?
.
.
.
This intersection could only get worse with bike lanes! Why don’t they just resurface and resurface other badly needed roads for the same cost?
they’ve put all kinds of trails in for walkers and bikes .. now bike lanes on busy roads … I say if and when there are caps on property taxes , self paid into pensions , city owned ventures like the coliseum making a profit , and we stop subsidizing things like down town and let free enterprise decide markets , and get out of debt with some money to put into other pet projects , then this should not even be thought about . too many other things being glosed over , I just saw where now the average homer owner will be adding 30 cents a day more to their bills to upgrade a library that is fine as is . this has to stop .
It doesn’t matter when this presentation is given because the decision has already been made. Fairway to Empire is part of the Bicycle Master Plan to create the loop between OSF/State Farm, the Mall, IWU, Downtown and Green Top Grocery. The “mult-modal” concept requires sidewalks for bus stops. I don’t believe making Faitway into a Boulevard was part of the original plan but it fits the model to create congestion and slow traffic.
It doesn’t matter if the bike lanes are used. Having bike lanes all over the City to get an award as a “bicycle friendly city” (like Normal) in order to attract people to live here—quality of life. shoot the messenger!
^^Don’t shoot the messenger.
The bike master plan can be scrapped for lack of use – just like all the other master plans can be thrown in the garbage as un-affordable!
Diane, you and I know that the plans can be scrapped but the Council believes all of this stuff will have a positive economic impact. They are delusional.
Think people are finally noticing?
Based on the comments at the Town Hall meeting, I do believe people are beginning to notice. I spoke with someone who lives near there. She didn’t understand. I explained.
One more thing, I believe that Fairway, north of Empire, is within the Empire TIF District and qualifies for TIF perks.
Yes, because Green Top is such a top destination – oh, wait, no it’s not, never-mind – I too am not seeing any increase in bike “traffic” however I DO notice that that newish thing on the corner on West Washington street the “West Bloomington Revitalization Project” (if that isn’t a name dripping with “progressive” ideas I don’t know what is) seems full of bikes – I need to check that place out further – my instincts tell me it is NOT good, at ALL and that all of those bikes are going to be “gifted” to certain people… special people… I also KNEW that the “Tool Library” though actually a good idea in many ways, had other future motives planned
http://www.westbloomington.org/
should have done that a long time ago, just looked it up, I simply could not make myself stop in there to get the drift of the place, now I don’t need to. I kind of feel sorry for some of the “do-gooders” who simply can’t comprehend what they are really doing, and yep my instincts were correct SOME people will get free bikes, imagine that….
Police were jut given authority to “dispose” of them last Monday night.
ahhhhhh, well I’ll be going by there again today I will go extra slow see if even more have made their way into that building
Simple answer? Back Door Deals. They must have supported the current appointed council.
Angela, the Council was elected. The problem is, not enough people voted.
That intersection has been in need of an overhaul forever. Eliminate the service road access, dead end them at Fairway. But don’t add a sidewalk with bike lanes. What nonsense. What are they trying to do? Cause accidents? Related – I want bicyclists to have to get license plates so they can be held accountable. I’m tired of them disobeying multiple rules of the road. THEY are the problem!
There is a way to pay for the bike lanes. All bikes have to have a license plate attached to the bike and have to be renewed each year all bicyclists have to pass a test and be licensed which must be carried with them at all times. Yes there will be a charge for the plates and the license. Our wonderful leaders believe they are promoting a healthy lifestyle by providing bike paths yet they are creating a possibility of a bicyclist getting seriously hurt because they, those on bikes do not follow the same law as cars do on the streets.
We need to have the same licensing process in place for riding a bike as we do driving a car why, because the majority of those riding bikes do not follow the law. They don’t stop at stop signs they pass you on the right between the curb and your car they pass you on the left between your car and the one next to you and each one will zip through the stop sign that you are stopped at.
If you don’t believe me come to uptown Normal corner of North street and Broadway I have not observed a bicyclist stopping there in years, wait I take that back I have seen one a Normal police officer stopped on his bike. And be very careful on the sidewalks in uptown Normal you could very well get hurt by he bikes screaming down the walks. If I did not know better one would think that Normal’s mayor owned a bike shop.
Don’t get me wrong I am not against those on a bicycle I commuted to work on one for over two years and only had one incident 9 riders 3 wide and 3 deep riding on the trail ran me into a ditch, laughed as they went by I am not bitter though.
I must be missing something as in bike riders on Fairway Drive and East Washington streets enough to warrant adding the bike lanes..
I’m trying to remember if bikes are allowed on the streets of downtown Chicago such as on Michigan Ave. I was up there last week and saw the rental bikes parked on the sidewalk for rent and a few of them appeared to be gone. I can’t ever remember any being on Mich. Ave. when I have driven on it during the summer.
A friend of mine (has moved) used to ride his bike here in B-N to work and home, weather permitting. Temperatures didn’t matter as he was a Cross Fit participant working hard to increase his stamina and overall good health. Ice, snow, and bad rains were avoided as there was no reason to chance an avoidable injury. At 6’3″ and about 200 lbs he was in great shape, never bothered by shakey neighborhoods, just got on his bike to enjoy and work the ride. Most of the time he rode on the sidewalks to avoid the dangers of mixing with automobiles on the street.
Till people in numbers stand up, speak out facts and challenge those that are in power dramatically increases in a hurry here both in voting and personally appearing at public meetings.
These cities and the county will still be ran by big money from outside and inside by biz owners that can only survive on contracts with the cities and county.
Yes to licensing bikes need new law in Illinois for Sec. of State DMV to do this. Can be done locally and charge them a vehicle tax which is legit to do existed many years ago. Remember Ratazzini wanted to impose it for all cars if you lived here. Do this for ONLY bikes earmark the money for ER visits.
I travel E washington to Veterans at least four times a day and have only seen one biker. He happened to role through Mercer and E Washington without stopping. I’m SPECIAL.
Did I mention that those that ran me off the trail were all dressed in their cute little spandex outfits I point this out because I don’t believe that they were novice riders
I see a bicyclist getting killed BEFORE July! for ONE, in the WESTBOUND lane of Empire is a NO TURN ON RED sign, just watch how MANY people ignore that, not to mention the stop signs on the service road. This intersection is confusing enough for MOST folks, let alone throwing the Blo-No crowd. I know, as I LIVE in this neighborhood and have to be VIGILANT every time I use that intersection OR the one in front of Dicks.
This is the WORST ideal they have EVERY come up with!! Maybe the bike folks can get TARI to fix the streets here then!! Joni sure as heck hasn’t done it.
That intersection is horrible as it is. If you are stopped at the frontage road, only two cars can fit at the light. If you need to turn East onto the frontage road, you are waiting if you aren’t first. So, YES! Let’s add more congestion.
Speaking of bike lanes. I was waiting at the light on Washington/Regency. A biker was actually IN the bike lane! But, alas….he did not wait for the light to change. He did look both ways and proceeded to pedal his way through. He was decked out in his gear too so I really thought he knew the rules of the road. BTW – first bike I’ve seen in the lane in a month!
I like how the “blinking” sign on the southbound lane of Fairway only states that’s it’s an “open house” (Do WE get a light lunch/dinner @ 4 p.m. from Marcos or Monicals like the council-HUH JOHNEE??) And it says NOTHING about bike lanes. ALL the neighbors are in a tither as we ALL know that intersection is BAD ENOUGH without pompous and law breaking bicyclists! Even several friends who I have told about this have said “You gotta be Sh*****g me! That’s just plain STOOPID! Most ALL of them, have said that’s a law suit just WAITING to happen. What next stroller paths on the constitution trail-OH WAIT our council don’t know about the constitution…
If they don’t show up it doesn’t matter.