Frank,
I applaud your credentials and understand your
position well. I appreciate your voice and concerns. I
also appreciate you copying your bike board so they at least
know there are other thoughts and processes other than
AASHTO out there.
I do hope that in time AASHTO, MUTCD and NACTO
can merge their recommendations so we don't have these
competing thoughts on safety and infrastructure.
At the end of the day, I just want to get on my
bike and ride, anywhere and anytime. Every day is getting
better and to encourage that I will identify, learn and then
spread all information that helps to make it so.
At this point I think it is safe to say you and I
have differences of opinions on this. And like I said I
value yours. But let's get back to helping our communities
increase access and safety for walking and bicycling. You
and I could keep this thread going for a while but that
would have no point.
So keep up the great work and one day I hope all
of our successes eventually join together somewhere around
Orma.
From: Frank
Gmeindl [mailto:frank.gmeindl@comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2011 3:28 PM
To: Strawn, Dennis A
Cc: Kimberly Jo Coram; John Francis; Bicycle
Board
Subject: Re: NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide
Dennis,
You're welcome. I have learned that the
key to cyclist safety in traffic is visibility and
predictability. Any facility that makes cyclists less
visible to motorists and leads a cyclist to execute
movements that motorists don't expect must be questioned.
I am a scientist and engineer and I'm all
for experimentation, data collection, analysis, pilot
testing, rational implementation and continuous improvement.
When I see results that prove that these forward thinking
concepts increase bicycle safety as well as bicycle use, I
will support them. Implementing unproven concepts when
cyclists' lives are at stake is irresponsible.
Frank D. Gmeindl
Chairman, Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board
LCI #1703
491 WilsonAvenue
Morgantown, WV 26501
304-376-0446
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as
drivers of vehicles
On May 4, 2011, at 2:36 PM, Strawn,
Dennis A wrote:
Thanks for this insight. I too
rely on AASHTO greatly, as does the city. But I
love the forward thinking of the NACTO guide. Now
we have more choices to better fit our individual
situations.
From: Frank
Gmeindl [mailto:frank.gmeindl@comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday,
May 04, 2011 2:27 PM
To: Kimberly
Jo Coram
Cc: Strawn,
Dennis A; John Francis; Bicycle Board
Subject: Re:
NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide
Morgantown as well as the
Morgantown Monongalia MPO adopted Complete Streets
policies a couple years ago.
I question the competence of
NACTO. Certainly the cities they represent have
installed attention-getting bicycle facilities but
the safety and sustainability of those facilities
remain to be assessed or proven.
Frank D. Gmeindl
Chairman, Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board
LCI #1703
491 WilsonAvenue
Morgantown, WV 26501
304-376-0446
Cyclists fare best when they act and
are treated as drivers of vehicles
On May 4, 2011, at 2:16 PM,
Kimberly Jo Coram wrote:
AND I cannot believe I forgot
this: we are asking all communities we
are giving grant funds to to adopt complete
streets policies! I think
we have 2 cities on board for sure! How cool is
that! The CDC grant
covers 6 counties so the potential to get
complete streets adopted
over the entire region very promising!
On Wed, May 4, 2011 at 2:13 PM, Strawn, Dennis A
<dennis.strawn@highmark.com>
wrote:
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, May 04,
2011 2:12 PM
Cc: Frank Gmeindl; John C
Francis
Subject: Re: FW: NACTO
Urban Bikeway Design Guide
Yes, they announced it at
the bike summit and I sent it instantly to
our transportation
planners. Thanks for sharing this! Too much
going
on here to list. I am
meeting with the CDC tomorrow to go over the
progress of our alternative
transportation system across 6 counties.
Our grant for signage for
our first cross town bikeway has been
approved and we are forming
the five E committees at the Mayor's bike
board to focus on the roll
out. Our first cyclovia is tentatively
scheduled for September.
Great stuff for sure!
On Wed, May 4, 2011 at 1:51
PM, Strawn, Dennis A
I have been talking to
this guy a little about using the design
guide for
our improvements in town
and thought you guys might like to see it
too. ( If
you haven't already seen
it). Feel free to contact him directly,
he's easy
to work with. I am
putting this document in front of as many
dept heads as
Kim- I think you first
heard about this at the national bike
summit.
Two updates from here -
the city is on the Kanawha Trestle and a
line item
has been created in the
city budget titled "Rail Trail". South
Charleston
starts their ped/bike
study next week.
Stay safe and keep up the
good work.
"New ideas pass through
three periods: 1) It can't be done. 2) It
probably
can be done, but it's not
worth doing. 3) I knew it was a good idea
all
along!" (Arthur C.
Clarke's dictum on intellectual progress)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
My name is David
Vega-Barachowitz and I am a fellow at the
National
Association of City
Transportation Officials (NACTO). Last
month, as part of
its Cities for Cycling
campaign, NACTO officially released its
Urban Bikeway
is an interactive, online
tool which provides technical guidance on
the
most-up-to-date and
innovative bicycle facilities in the United
States. (A
print and PDF companion
to the guide will be released late
summer/early fall
Following the guide's
initial release, I have been leading the
promotional
effort for the guide and
reaching out to advocacy groups that
specialize in
bicycling and walking
issues at both the state, city, and local
level. NACTO
believes that the guide
is an important tool that can help with the
implementation of
Complete Streets policies, and, as a
reference, builds on
the best practices in the
USA and internationally.
I am trying to get more
information about how West Virginia might go
about
adopting, using, and
implementing this resource-whether the
process is
partly legislative,
administrative, an internal policy, or
otherwise.
You can reach me at (212)
839-6421.
National Association of
City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
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