To make a long story short, a lot of people aren't happy about the "traffic calming" remedies of the green central planners...
The number of accidents on Riverside Drive have almost doubled and a lot of people showed up at the last public meeting in opposition of the dangerous bike lanes...
Do the green central planners care? Nope. Central Planners gonna plan...
I received this in my email from Livable Memphis...
Dear ****,
The current debate about the trial design of Riverside Drive in Downtown Memphis has prompted some heated discussion about how we access our most valuable public space – the Mississippi River front. We think the current trial design that allows space for automobiles AND safer access for pedestrians and people on bikes is a vast improvement over the speedway that once was Riverside Drive. (Pay no attention to the doubling of car accidents, that would be inconvenient) Mayor Wharton and the Memphis Division of Engineering should be commended for the amount of public engagement on this project, (If by public engagement you mean those who work for the government, those who work for a bureacracy in the government, those who receive grants from the government ...then yes that is what you call planned public engagement and it works out as well as centrally planned government which is to say....not very good) and for using innovative design compromises to balance the needs of our riverfront. (You see how that works comrade? design compromises? Meaning we are sorry for the doubling of car accidents but it is all for the collective good of society...)
Unfortunately, this debate has also prompted some of our elected officials to question the value of the bicycle lane program city-wide in Memphis. (Oh my, you mean the plebes have been contacting their leaders and telling them to return the lanes to the 13,000 cars that drive through there everyday? Do they not care about the 18 bikes (average) that ride through there? Sheesh, those selfish drivers not wanting to compromise so we can continue to get our government crack money to centrally plan their lives and do what's best for the collective good. I can see some education camps will be needed here in Memphis soon...).
Despite what the data says or how you might feel about Riverside, I think we all can agree that the work the city has done to rebuild our streets for people on bikes, people walking and rolling, has been a huge win for Memphis. It would be extremely short-sighted to let one pilot project affect the future of both bicycling and safer, more accessible transportation in our city! (Ummmm more accessible for the 18 bikers? The accident rate has doubled! If you return the bike lanes to traffic lanes I have a feeling though it's just a feeling, bikers will still bike though probably not on the extremely busy thoroughfare that is Riverside Drive. I think we can all agree that you have an agenda that doesn't agree with a majority of residents who live downtown. Shortsighted? Says who?)
In five years we’ve seen a boom in riding for both transportation and recreation among Memphians as diverse as the city itself. (Yes, and a boom in car accidents, don't forget that...) A lot of Memphians either don’t have reliable access to a car or spend a huge part of their income owning one. One by one, we’re redesigning streets that are safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers, and that connect people to transit and the places they need to go every day. (Ummmm, how is doubling the car accidents safer to drivers? They will then have no car to drive so they will have to walk or bike which will then keep them from being in another car accident? Please explain...)
We’re asking you to write AND call Mayor Wharton and your members of the Memphis City Council and voice your support of a continued vision of safer, more accessible streets for ALL Memphians. The benefits of our growing network of “complete streets” are many and include:
- Safer speeds and easier street crossings for people walking and rolling: The majority of our streets are overbuilt, sometime with single lanes as wide as 20 feet! Reclaiming some of this space for people on bikes and walking leaves plenty of room for vehicles while vastly improving safety for everyone. (Except for drivers)
- Building on our successes: Memphis has moved from the bottom of the barrel – we were named “Worst City for Cycling” twice running – to being a national model for economical, innovative approaches to better transportation (you know, the GOOD lists!). This didn’t happen overnight, and it wasn’t unintentional – people like YOU spoke up and demanded better from our leaders. Memphis is now a bigger draw for new business, new development, and tourists – and bikes are part of that equation! (People are speaking up and they want the Riverside Bike lanes removed)
- Bicycling and safer streets are for ALL Memphians: (Except for Drivers, sheesh, why do you keep skipping that fact?) the number of people riding to work (the best data source we have for comparison) has increased across all demographic groups in the city, and more and more people are using bikes to access transit. In fact, the neighborhoods with the most people commuting by bike are Klondike-Smoky City and Binghampton. We aren’t building a network just for recreation – we are getting people where they need to go, however they get there!
Thanks for your support for building a more Livable Memphis!
John Paul
(They wrote this email for you to contact your elected officials and tell them to support the bike lanes but....you could contact your elected officials and tell them the car accident rate on Riverside Drive has doubled and please remove the bike lanes for the cause of safety. It's for the collective good!)
Your elected officials:
Mayor A C Wharton, Jr. – mayor@memphistn.gov – 901-636-6000
Visit www.memphistn.gov/government/citycouncil.aspx to find your 4 representatives (1 district and 3 super district) on the Council
Memphis City Council
District 1 – Bill.Morrison@memphistn.gov
District 2 – Bill.Boyd@memphistn.gov
District 3 – Harold.Collins@memphistn.gov
District 4 – Wanda.Halbert@memphistn.gov
District 5 – Jim.Strickland@memphistn.gov
District 6 – Edmund.Fordjr@memphistn.gov
District 7 – Berlin.Boyd@memphistn.gov
Super District 8
Joe.Brown@memphistn.gov
Janis.Fullilove@memphistn.gov
Myron.Lowery@memphistn.gov
Super District 9
Kemp.Conrad@memphistn.gov
Shea.Flinn@memphistn.gov
Reid.Hedgepeth@memphistn.gov
City Council Office Phone (all council members) – 901-636-6786