Matt Burton-Kelly's home on the Web
grab some comments from AV http://topics.areavoices.com/2012/11/27/grand-forks-officials-seek-traffic-signal-at-crash-prone-crossing/
Tyrone FB discussion 11/27 https://www.facebook.com/tyrone.grandstrand/posts/10100393608477545
http://bismarcktribune.com/bakken/north-dakota-s-first-highway-roundabout-working-out-well/article_5c544faa-22db-11e2-bc55-001a4bcf887a.html
http://www.wdaz.com/event/article/id/14023/
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/250822/
How was your experience with the construction?
How has the new, wider stretch changed your life?
Jason Schaefer has an idea, originally posted to the Northern Star Cycling Club on Facebook:
“I’d love your thoughts and feedback on this. Kind of one of those things where I have an idea, but not sure exactly what to do with it.
I have an idea for a bikeway that I think would be a wonderful recreational asset while also providing kids with a safe route to schools, parks, the library, the greenway and more. The safe routes to schools aspect could perhaps help secure some federal or state DOT funding for the project.
I’ve included a map with some details. I’m reaching out to you all in hopes that you would have some good ideas as far as the design and how to make it happen. It actually seems ripe for collaboration as it incorporates Park District, Library, Museum, Greenway and City properties.
2.) Upon completion, this path would connect the Greenway trail network with the English Coulee trail network.
3.) Public assets connected include:
-Lincoln Golf Course & Greenway Trailhead
-Lincoln tennis courts
-Myra Museum
-Viking Elementary School
-Cox Park
-South Washington pedestrian underpass
-GF Public Library
-Cushman Athletic Complex
-Eagles & Blue Line Arena’s
-Red River High School
-Apollo Softball/Baseball Complex
-Kraft Field
-English Coulee trail network
-Lions Park
-Century Elementary School
*NOTE: the line on this path is a general idea. Upon further study and input, a more exact route would be developed. http://goo.gl/maps/zlhMe
Furthermore, there are a number of questions to be answered as far as the design. I would like to see this designed with children in mind, so for the sections that run along streets (23rd Ave So and 20th Ave S), I think something more than a simple striped bike lane would be necessary. Your insights on this aspect would be particularly valuable!”
UND geology Ph.D candidate Ted is spending a month using some of Purdue’s fancy equipment and using a bicycle to get around. He sent in these photos of a campus bike station, which lets anyone fill up his or her tires or fix other bicycle issues without having to own all the tools. How cool would it to have one of these at UND, or even downtown?
UPDATE 2013-08-13: I hear the city is in the process of removing these signs.
Ask around with GFK city to see what happened to the roundabout that was supposed to go up.
http://mattbk.com/sites/default/files/blogger_importer/06/grand-forks-first-roundabout.html
The bike lanes have been freshly painted on University Avenue where they exist, between Columbia Road and 42nd Avenue North. Additionally, I was greeted with this wonderful sight on Tuesday on my way to a meeting at the CVB via 42nd Street North:
Looking south on 42nd Avenue N.
The new striped bike lane starts at Gateway Drive (Route 2) and lasts until 6th Avenue N (on the east side) and aaaaaaalllmost University Avenue on the west side (this is a story for another day). Slowly but surely, bicycles are gaining a little city-approved space on the roads in Grand Forks.
Here’s an idea fresh off the Streetsblog network from Vancouver, a place that I suppose gets more rain than snow, but still must have to deal with such weather occasionally. It goes back to the idea of pocket parks, or creating what you can in the small spaces that get overlooked and trashed.
The alley is always in bad condition with bad pot holes because of such high use. Please close it off permanently before someone gets hurt by a driver or at least pave it due to high traffic.
In other news, had a brief chat with Jason Schaefer the other day about improving the downtown and near-downtown area by planning for more efficient land use where it counts: parking lots. More on this later.
Cool beans, hopefully this will be only a small part of an overall project to make South Washington look less blighted (source).
Grand Forks, ND –The City of Grand Forks and the North Dakota Department of Transportation are partnering on a storm water and right of way improvement project on the SW corner of South Washington Street and 17th Avenue South.
The project will remove an old section of frontage road pavement and jersey barrier’s. In their place, a storm water Best Management Practices (BMP) filtration device (a.k.a rain garden) will be constructed in conjunction with landscaping.
In addition, a kiosk will be constructed where the benefits of rain gardens will be described along with information on designing and building rain gardens.
