Comments for Midwestern Consulting

Comment on Complete Streets at What Cost? by Andrew Mutch

Andrew Mutch — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:12:09 +0000

I would think that the design and engineering community would embrace the effort to find ways to incorporate Complete Streets concepts into new and reconstruction projects in a way that is cost-effective for the client communities. For example, bike lanes can be accommodated with wider shoulders which provide a benefit for bikers while reducing long-term roadway maintenance costs. That’s a win-win solution. Costs will always be an issue but many of the standards of Complete Streets can be met by taking off the blinders that focus only on what’s best for cars and trucks and thinking about how roads can be designed to meet the needs of all users.

Comment on Complete Streets at What Cost? by Libby

Libby — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:44:47 +0000

Often, it’s at no cost. We recently worked with the City of Detroit to add a bike lanes to a street that was on their resurfacing schedule. Instead of painting the traditional lines, we added bike lanes at no extra cost to the project. Now, we are happy to have access for cars, pedestrains, and bicyclists on Detroit’s eastside as part of the Conner Creek Greenway.

Comment on Complete Streets at What Cost? by Janet DeGras

Janet DeGras — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:15:41 +0000

Riding a bike on streets where drivers act out their belief that we aren’t welcome is really tiresome. Dealing with drivers who are distracted on their cell phones puts us in danger. Cycling is our exercise and our entertainment and we will not compromise on keeping it a priority in our lives, even if that means leaving Michigan for a more bicycle friendly community in a few years. Educating drivers, creating bike lanes, and requiring bike parking are a small price to pay to keep my retirement dollars here for the next few decades, aren’t they?

Comment on Complete Streets at What Cost? by Hart

Hart — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:50:55 +0000

The cost of NOT building livable communities and complete streets has already been seen in the economic collapse of the United States. People are separated from each other socially, we no longer have central meeting places, and we’re forced to use cars to get everywhere while most Americans can barely afford housing, let alone an extra six grand a year for vehicle upkeep.

We need to change this. We need to invest in infrastructure that intigrates commercial and residential needs, and allows people to interact with their neighbors.

Comment on Complete Streets at What Cost? by John Lindenmayer

John Lindenmayer — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:18:43 +0000

Please remember that the Complete Streets legislation passed by the Michigan Legislature focuses on MDOT controlled roads, so counties, cities and townships will not have additional costs pushed upon them unless they too decide to endorse this simple design principle and adopt a local Complete Streets policy. Communities like Lansing, Flint, Jackson, Grand Rapids, Midland, Detroit, Saline, E. Lansing, Houghton, Marquette Charter Township, Linden, Ferndale and many others are doing just that and are all in different stages of developing their own local policies. More than 120 jurisdictions have adopted Complete Streets policies nationwide, including nearly 35 communities in just the past two years.

At what cost is the exact question to be asking, but I believe you are framing the issue incorrectly. What cost are Michiganders paying for an obesity epidemic, rising diabetes and heart disease rates, etc, all largely the results of infrastructure that discourages physical activity? At what cost do we as a society pay for the thousands of pedestrians and bicyclists that are involved in automobile accidents each year because of unsafe roadways that lack sidewalks and bike lanes? And at what cost are we paying for Michigan’s “brain drain” as young professions are now choosing to move to walkable/bikable communities first and then secondly looking for employment? This doesn’t even touch on the fact that Complete Streets are proven to increase residential and commercial property values and encourage economic development.

The other very important thing to remember is that Complete Streets is about thinking and planning differently, which costs nothing. Many of these features, especially when incorporated from the very inception of a project add minimal expense. In many communities a bike lane could be installed with only the expense of paint, as many roads across Michigan are overbuilt in terms of lane widths and the number of travel lanes.

A basic fact sheet about the economics of Complete Streets in Michigan can be found at:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34326124/Complete-Streets-Economy

Comment on College and University Capital Outlay Bills Languish by Internet Income Academy Review: Traffic generation Tactics | Internet Income Academy Review

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:49:43 +0000

[...] Midwestern Consulting » College and University Capital Outlay … [...]

Comment on Historic Fishtown – Revisited by TopconLasers

TopconLasers — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:05:53 +0000

Very cool application! I work with a lot of high end laser scanners and other construction grade equipment, and it’s always cool to see what people are doing with laser technology. Great scans of historic Fishtown!