City Council Tables Bayfront "Parkway" ExpansionProject

Jet24/Fox66 News, July 1, 2020

Jet24/Fox66 News, July 1, 2020

On July 1, Erie City Council members Allen, Brennan, Keys and Schaaf voted to TABLE the Resolution to initiate construction of PennDOT’s $100 million dollar Bayfront “Parkway” plan that will expand the existing roadway and help double the number of motorcycles, cars, vans, trucks, buses and tractor-trailers along the waterfront. - most of which are using the lakeside route to “cut through” the City of Erie. For full transparency, City Council needs to hold a STUDY SESSION inviting members of the ERIE BAYFRONT COALITION as well as PennDOT to discuss the need for a full environmental review of this massive confusingly named project. (Parkways are landscaped roadways within (or connecting to a park). Parkways are not open to commercial traffic, especially trucks, tractor trailers and other heavy vehicles. Thus, the roadway along Erie’s waterfront isn’t a parkway, and, the proposed $100 million PennDOT vehicular improvements (wide roadways and shoulders, double-lane roundabouts, an underpass, exit ramps) - along with a ban on roadway parking and a lack of street trees - will move the roadway even closer to a highway designation.

SIA presents "Infrastructure & Social Justice" including "Erie Viaduct, 1938 - 2019"

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The Society for Industrial Archeology is hosting a series talks on IA topics including “Infrastructure & Social Justice.” Officers from CONNECT URBAN ERIE, formerly ErieCPR, will be discussing the McBride Viaduct / East Ave Bridge that stood in Erie, PA from 1938 - 2019. Prior to its demolition - a painful act of 21st century redlining in the middle of some of the nation’s most diverse and impoverished neighborhoods, Erie was named as 2017’s “worst city for African-Americans.”

FREEWAYS WITHOUT FUTURES

IMAGE: 8664 - Rendering of Louisville, KY waterfront

IMAGE: 8664 - Rendering of Louisville, KY waterfront

THE CONGRESS FOR THE NEW URBANISM REPORTS: Communities across North America are facing a watershed moment in the history of our transportation infrastructure. With cities, citizens, and transportation officials all looking for alternatives to costly highway repair and expansion, these ten campaigns offer a roadmap to better health, equity, opportunity, and connectivity in every neighborhood, while reversing decades of decline and disinvestment.

Freeways Without Futures 2019 is the tale of ten freeways in cities coast to coast where this movement has spawned active campaigns for transformation. Here are the fundamental questions that these campaigns raise: Do we continue to funnel billions of taxpayer dollars into an aging system that pollutes cities, divides neighborhoods, and occupies valuable land that could instead be used for homes and businesses? Or is there an alternative solution that creates stronger cities and communities?

EXAMPLE: What New Orleans’ Claiborne Avenue looks like today:

PHOTO: I-10, The Advocate

PHOTO: I-10, The Advocate

Take a look at this CNU vision for New Orleans’ Claiborne Avenue:

IMAGE Congress for the New Urbanism

IMAGE Congress for the New Urbanism

What makes a neighborhood walkable?

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Walkscore lists seven attributes of walkable neighborhoods:

  • A center: Walkable neighborhoods have a center, whether it's a main street or a public space.

  • People: Enough people for businesses to flourish and for public transit to run frequently.

  • Mixed income, mixed use: Affordable housing located near businesses.

  • Parks and public space: Plenty of public places to gather and play.

  • Pedestrian design: Buildings are close to the street, parking lots are relegated to the back.

  • Schools and workplaces: Close enough that most residents can walk from their homes.

  • Complete streets: Streets designed for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit.