(27th in a series of posts on Walkability and Bikeability)
(As you listen to the speeches, you can’t help but note the angry growls of car and truck traffic surrounding and menacing the enclave of walkers and bikers!)
“For many, many years after the car was invented, we have built communities
for the car and not for people.”
Becky Bradley
“If you build more roads, you’ll get more cars. You’re not really solving the problem.”
Phillips Armstrong
“We’re trying to create a movement here.”
Steve Repasch
“A successful city is one in which people choose to walk.”
Bob Donchez
“We look forward to helping all of you get to where you need to go.”
Owen O’Neil
“We have work to do . . . to bring humanity back to transportation.”
Scott Slingerland
“If you make it accessible, everybody will come.”
Greg Bott
“To me, my bike is freedom.”
Eric, Community Bike Works intern
“We get to dance in the streets today.”
Becky Bradley
Morning Call photo
Some people “we” know were among the dancers!
- Normally, partying in open traffic is the type of behavior municipal planners, safety officials and transportation advocates frown upon. But a host of local government and nonprofit entities threw the dance party at New and Broad streets to promote Walk/Roll LV, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s soon-to-be released study on alternative transportation in the Lehigh Valley.
- As the Lehigh Valley grows and develops, its aging infrastructure has struggled to keep up with the growing number and sizes of vehicles. The region’s transportation funding from state and federal governments is only enough to address about half of the needs across the region’s highways and bridges as it is, and that figure will likely get worse as more people and warehouses come into the region.
- In an effort to alleviate that strain, the Planning Commission is advocating for more investment in bike trails, sidewalks, nature trails and public transportation. The goal is to ease congestion by making it easier for residents to bike or walk to work or go shopping.
- While the study is nearing completion, there is still time to provide comments on the Lehigh Valley’s sidewalk and trail connections. Interested participants can go online to lvpc.org/walkrolllv.html or attend the next Walk/Roll LV working group meeting at 3 p.m. June 26 at the America On Wheels Museum at 5 N. Front St., Allentown.
Gadfly walked the 1.1 miles to the party. Wouldn’t dare drive to an event like this!