You have to learn the new language. We no longer have “bikes”. Nope. We have “human powered Transportation”. That could be a bike or walking. Either way the car is gone. Your ability to travel is controlled by government—THEY will provide a bus or a train—they will decide when you can leave and when you must return. Or, you take your bike from eureka to San Fran—might take a few days.
“The Eureka City Council last night unanimously put its seal of approval on a 518-page document meant to shepherd the city away from the present state of its streets, toward a more bike-friendly future.
Page 26 of the Bike Plan shows a map of “existing, planned and programmed” bicycle-friendly improvements to city streets. Click to enlarge.
The Eureka Bike Plan, as it’s called — get the document here — contains a whole slew of different improvements all across the city. Its goal is to make the city safely navigable for bikes.
Some of this work has been done recently, and more is on the near horizon. For instance, the city’s “C Street Bicycle Boulevard” project, which will alter C Street’s design to prevent people from using it as a north-south car corridor, has already been funded, and work is scheduled to begin next year.
But the plan — which was worked out in collaboration with the Mark Thomas consulting firm — looks even further into the future, imagining north-south and east-west bike lanes, trails and other amenities reaching almost every part of the city.
Yup, 518 pages, the cost of consultants, just to tell you how you can go to work, visit or school. Sounds like a George Orwell novel, not America. Of course, this is California, what do you expect?
Eureka City Council Unanimously Adopts 518-Page Bike Plan, a Master Plan for Human-Powered Transportation Improvements Throughout the City
Lost Coast Outpost, 9/18/24 https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2024/sep/18/eureka-city-council-unanimously-adopts-516-page-bi/
The Eureka City Council last night unanimously put its seal of approval on a 518-page document meant to shepherd the city away from the present state of its streets, toward a more bike-friendly future.
Page 26 of the Bike Plan shows a map of “existing, planned and programmed” bicycle-friendly improvements to city streets. Click to enlarge.
The Eureka Bike Plan, as it’s called — get the document here — contains a whole slew of different improvements all across the city. Its goal is to make the city safely navigable for bikes.
Some of this work has been done recently, and more is on the near horizon. For instance, the city’s “C Street Bicycle Boulevard” project, which will alter C Street’s design to prevent people from using it as a north-south car corridor, has already been funded, and work is scheduled to begin next year.
But the plan — which was worked out in collaboration with the Mark Thomas consulting firm — looks even further into the future, imagining north-south and east-west bike lanes, trails and other amenities reaching almost every part of the city.
Why the need for a such a plan? Well, if the goal is to build a network, rather than just a bike path here and there for recreational purposes, it helps to have an idea of that network in mind.
But also an on-paper plan helps get things done in a million other ways. Consultant Paul Martin of the Mark Thomas firm told the council that among other things, a comprehensive document like this is of great help when the city is looking for funding opportunities.
“When we advance our transportation planning studies, the name of the game, frankly, is money, and how we can position the agency for grant success,” he said.
Paul Martin.
As became clear during public comment, the city considers the plan a “living document” subject to change, rather than a set of hard goals with hard timelines.
Rick Knapp, president of the Humboldt Bay Bicycle Commuters’ Association, told the council that while the plan was an “impressive document,” its full content — including appendices detailing potential costs — wasn’t available until five days ago.
“I just wonder whether it’s appropriate for the city to adopt this tonight when nobody really got to see it,” Knapp said. “So that’s kind of an open question to you: Is five days from the time you sent out an email to some people enough time?”
But city staff assured the council that the document is easy to amend in response to changing circumstances and evolving technology, and that seemed to be enough to sway a couple of questions councilmembers had about timing. The document was approved on a 5-0 vote.
###
Did they make any accommodations for the disabled and the elderly?