return to
Forest Hill Road
http://saportareport.com/blog/2013/05/complete-streets-policy-has-full-backing-of-gdot-commissioner-chief-engineer/
http://saportareport.com/blog/2013/07/to-be-compete-in-innovation-economy-georgia-must-invest-in-all-transportation-modes/
Here is the GDOT Design Policy Manual Chapter 9 Contents for Complete
Streets Design Policy
Macon adopts a
Complete Streets Policy
and joins the
Age Friendly Community Network (AARP) program
| ..... | ||
|
from the minutes of Macon Council (link)
on May 1, 2012 following committee adoption (link) ....... A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MACON, GEORGIA, INSTITUTING A COMPLETE STREETS POLICY TO INCREASE THE USABILITY OF STREETS WITHIN THE CITY OF MACON FOR ALL MODES OF TRAVEL FOR CITIZENS OF ALL AGES IN THE COMMUNITY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. (File #R-12-0043) (Complete ordinance in original minutes.) Resolution was read by caption. Vice Chairperson Jones reported that the Appropriations Committee moves and seconds for adoption. Motion carried by a vote of 13-0. Council Members Hutto, Lucas, Gibson, DeFore, Schlesinger, Ficklin, Ellington, Tompkins, Jones, Watkins, Benedict, White and Olson voted in the affirmative. (Council Members Miley and Timley absent) ADOPTED. * * * * * * * * * * * A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MACON, GEORGIA, TO ACCEPT THE INVITATION FROM AARP AND THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION TO JOIN THE AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY NETWORK. (File #R-12-0044) (Complete ordinance in original minutes.) Resolution was read by caption. Vice Chairperson Jones reported that the Appropriations Committee moves and seconds for adoption. Motion carried by a vote of 13-0. Council Members Hutto, Lucas, Gibson, DeFore, Schlesinger, Ficklin, Ellington, Tompkins, Jones, Watkins, Benedict, White and Olson voted in the affirmative. (Council Members Miley and Timley absent) ADOPTED. ............... |
||
AARP article in
Macon.com
 |
||
“Age-Friendly” details
discussed for Tattnall Square Park
Published: November 9, 2012 http://www.macon.com/2012/11/09/2243662/age-friendly-details-discussed.html Will be model for AARP-urged designs countywide By JIM GAINES jgaines@macon.com Tattnall Square Park and its surroundings are intended to become a model for how to make the rest of Macon and Bibb County “age friendly,” and 16 recommendations for how to change that target area were discussed Friday. “We want to make sure all the parks in the area can also be age friendly, family friendly,” said Karen Cooper, AARP Georgia associate state director. Making parks and many other areas accessible to the elderly also makes them more welcoming for families and people in general, she said. Bibb County Commission Chairman Sam Hart has mentioned he’d like to see the same new features at Central City Park, Cooper said. About 30 representatives from local governments, businesses and various organizations -- all concerned with aging issues in some way -- went over the 82-page report from Dan Burden and Samantha Thomas of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute. Burden toured Tattnall Square Park on Aug. 9. He did so as one of the first steps in implementing Macon-Bibb County’s designation as an “Age-Friendly Community” by the AARP. That program, a partnership between AARP and the World Health Organization, began in April in seven states and the District of Columbia. Macon-Bibb County was announced as the first to win the designation, which is supposed to spark two years of planning and three years of implementation. It requires the city and county to evaluate the age friendliness of eight “domains,” including outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, community support and health services. Sam Henderson, an executive assistant to Mayor Robert Reichert, told the group that consolidation of city and county government in January 2014 provides an opportunity to institutionalize age friendly ideas in planning. “You have a great opportunity now to help shape how the new Macon-Bibb government will look,” he said. In the first 100 days after receiving the designation, the community is supposed to assemble a working group on the idea and set priorities. Much of that has been done in 30 days, thanks to support from political leaders and heavy community interest, said Myrtle Habersham, AARP key volunteer for Macon and Bibb County. Burden’s 16 key findings deal with visibility, pedestrian access, troublesome intersections, clear markings, better use of space and existing features, ADA compliance, and slimming streets to slow traffic and make crossing easier. The College Hill Corridor master plan has general guidelines for changes to Tattnall Square Park already, said Nadia Osman from the College Hill Alliance. Her office put together more specific proposals and has given those to local park authorities. Burden’s report said that in Macon generally and around Tattnall Square itself, there are plenty of “fat streets” -- too many vehicle lanes, which encourage speeding and make it hard to cross. But that very width makes it easier to install better sidewalks, landscaping and bicycle lanes, while narrowing the vehicle path will slow traffic to an ideal of 20 to 30 mph, according to the report. Narrower streets will be tough to sell to drivers, said Bill Causey of the Bibb County Engineering Department. “They like it big and wide and straight,” he said. But it’s already being done on Pine Street, in front of The Medical Center of Central Georgia, specifically to make it easier for walkers to enter the hospital, Causey said. He compared it to early opposition to the first section of the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail, which he helped plan. That was a simple project on city-owned land, but it was “hammered” by local critics who called it a waste, Causey said. “Well, we went ahead and did it anyway, and it’s probably the most popular thing Macon-Bibb has done in the last 50 years,” he said. That visible success made it easier to get public support for future segments, Causey said. To contact writer Jim Gaines call 744-4489 |
||
| Citizen
Susan reports: - Just returned from Portland, OR. Not only do they use 9’ lanes, but they allow parking on both sides of the roads. Sometimes the cars have to pull over into spaces to let each other by. What does this mean? A crowded city where traffic flows at 30 mph. Pedestrians and cyclists KNOW they have the ROW and guess what else – the vacancy rate for apartments is 2%, and it is consistently labeled as the most livable, desirable city in America. |
||
| FHR representatives report - | ||
FHR representatives gave Dan Burden (Executive Director, Walkable and Livable Communities Institute), who gave the presentation, a printed copy of the FHR plan-compromise-PDF before the meeting. He immediately recognized Chellman’s name, and said “that’s a lot better – I’d probably make some additional changes, but the GDOT plan is terrible.” Burden then held up the printout twice during his presentation as an example of bad GDOT design. Burden’s presentation was impressive – he had excellent examples of good planning and traffic calming, and talked at length about “Road Diets” wherein the footprint and lanes are narrowed, and bicycle, pedestrian and landscape elements are added. “Less is more” – fewer lanes, narrower lanes. He stated emphatically that 10’ travel lanes should be the rule in urban areas, and that 12’ lanes are “stupid.” Portland OR actually uses 9’ lanes in its redeveloped downtown areas. He absolutely loves bicycle lanes, as they delineate and narrow the perceived travel lane, slow traffic, and provide an additional buffer to pedestrians. He stated there are 15 benefits from bike lanes, but those were the only ones we caught (he didn’t mentioned the others). Karl Smith, PE, of CHA, the firm doing the Second Street design was present for the full workshop. He told us that he was very appreciative of what he learned – a good sign! |
||
GDOT board approves 'Complete Streets' policy
|
||
source -
http://cityofmacon.net/node/18545Macon-Bibb First U.S. Community Officially Named Age-Friendly by AARPMacon-Bibb County is the first American community to join an elite worldwide network of age-friendly communities. In presenting Macon-Bibb County with its membership certificate in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities today, AARP Georgia acknowledged Macon-Bibb’s commitment and its multi-year plan to become more accessible, convenient and, ultimately, more user-friendly for older Americans. A press conference will be held Wednesday, August 8 beginning at 10:00 a.m. at The Historic Terminal Station. Featured speakers will include Macon Mayor Robert Reichert, Bibb County Commission Chairman Samuel F. Hart, Sr., AARP Georgia State President Barry Reid, Edward Johns with the AARP Office of International Affairs, and Walkable and Livable Communities Institute Executive Director Dan Burden. “As Macon-Bibb’s boomer population ages, the area’s businesses and services are affected along with the residents,” said Karen Cooper, associate state director of outreach for AARP Georgia. “But if we understand and plan to address the needs and opportunities presented by an aging population, we can improve Macon-Bibb’s services, business climate and infrastructure for everyone.” Macon-Bibb County becomes the first AARP Age-Friendly Community in the U.S. Six others are expected to follow soon: Westchester County, NY; New York City; Des Moines; Philadelphia; Bowling Green, KY; and Portland, OR. “We are striving to build a sustainable community in Macon, and that includes creating programs and looking at development and infrastructure that promote a walkable, livable, multimodal, and green lifestyle,” says Macon Mayor Robert Reichert. “The work that we do as an Age-Friendly Community will benefit our older population, as well as a younger generation that is becoming more and more interested in living in an area where they can walk or bike wherever they need to go.” Bibb County Commission Chairman Samuel F. Hart, Sr. concurred. “We are united in our efforts to move our community forward, and being designated as an Age-Friendly Community is a sign that we are moving in the right direction. Responding to demographic aging is an effective policy approach that is beneficial to people of all ages, and we are thrilled to partner with AARP in this important work.” “Macon-Bibb County is already an appealing place to live,” said Cooper, “and this new commitment will make it a more vibrant community for everyone, including older residents.” On becoming a member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, a community’s first step in the planning process is to establish an advisory citizens committee to identify the needs of older adults within the community. For Macon-Bibb, AARP will also immediately conduct a workshop to identify potential age-friendly infrastructure improvements in the Tattnall Square neighborhood. The workshop, which will be led by Dan Burden, co-founder and executive director of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, will be held Thursday. Macon-Bibb County’s engagement in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities will also qualify it as a member of the World Health Organization Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. This membership makes a variety of successful age-friendly strategies, planning tools and other resources available to Macon-Bibb. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with nearly 35 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, our bilingual multimedia platform for Hispanic members; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. AARP serves nearly 1 million members in Georgia from its state office in Atlanta. Media ContactEd Van Herik 404.431.1798 ed@vanherikcommunications.com Source: http://cityofmacon.net/node/18545 |
Macon - Bibb |
| FHR |
Some Outside Heroes: |
FHR |
| Neighborhood-Friendly Expert Engineer : Rick Chellman, P.E.  Chellman 3-29-08 pdf analysis of (initial) errors in Traffic Projections. A Suggested realignment for FHR at Wimbish/Northminster.  Chellman 4-5-08 pdf further analysis of Moreland Altobelli's (1) Traffic projections, and (2) Design speeds, and (3) Safety claims and AASHTO guidance concerning road geometry. Follow up of Traffic Projections Analysis with latest information of actual GDOT traffic counts along FHR.(here) |
||
| FHR-CAUTION-Creek_20100102.JPG |
||
Roundabouts by M.
Wallwork, P.E. :
 New and historically (facts) based traffic projections now place traffic counts well under the GDOT limits for single-lane Roundabouts. Michael Wallwork, P.E.  in Macon in 2006. Wallwork's letter (rtf document) to Bibb Commissioners explaining the desirablilty of using Roundabouts at various locations/intersections along Forest Hill Rd. (page 1 and page 2) |
||
Walter Kulash
visited Forest Hill Road in the early days of the
Macon-Bibb Road Improvement Program. Traffic
Calming -an
Overview"Widening roads to solve traffic congestion is like loosening your belt to cure obesity,"says Walter Kulash, a traffic engineer from Orlando, Fla. - |
||
|
Macon, Ga
|
- The Forest Hill Rd Neighborhood Mediation Team: - Carol Lystlund <clyst@att.net> 730 Forest Hill Rd. Macon 31210 - Lindsay Holliday <teeth@mindspring.com> 744 Forest Hill Rd. Macon 31210 - Susan Hanberry Martin <shanberry@stratford.org> 4831 Guerry Drive Macon 31210 - Dan Fischer <FISCHER_DP@Mercer.edu> 489 Ashville Drive Macon 31210 - Alice Boyd <dmbx1@cox.net> 540 Forest Hill Rd Macon 31210 |
| |
We must invest in all
transportation modes to compete in today’s economy
Date: July 28th, 2013, 10:06 pmPosted in Maria's Metro http://saportareport.com/blog/2013/07/to-be-compete-in-innovation-economy-georgia-must-invest-in-all-transportation-modes/ By Maria Saporta At the September 2011 meeting of the Georgia Research Alliance, Gov. Nathan Deal told the prestigious group of business leaders and university presidents that he had just returned from the Southern Governors’ Association annual meeting where the focus was on innovation. At SGA, Deal questioned why Silicon Valley and Boston were attracting research, development, venture capital the innovation jobs. He was told it was all about quality of life. “They like to be able to ride bicycles to work,” Deal told GRA board members. “So when I ask DOT (the Georgia Department of Transportation) to build bicycle trails, don’t think I’ve lost my mind.” Well governor, we’re still waiting. In fact, these past two years, national and local studies have only reinforced the trend that more and more people are giving up their cars for alternative modes of transportation — walking, cycling and transit. A new study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institution, people are driving about as much as they were in the mid-1990s, according to Michael Sivak, who conducted the study. “This is the first time we’ve ever seen a drop like this,” Sivak was quoted in a piece on CNBC.com on Saturday. Driving in the United States reached a peak in 2004, and it has been declining ever since. In 2011 (the most recent year for which data are available), the average licensed driver drove 12,492 miles behind the wheel. That’s down 1,221 miles, or 8.9 percent, from the peak seven years earlier. ...... - See more at: http://saportareport.com/blog/2013/07/to-be-compete-in-innovation-economy-georgia-must-invest-in-all-transportation-modes/#sthash.2x9tH10R.dpuf We must invest in all transportation modes to compete in today’s economyPosted in Maria's MetroDate: July 28th, 2013, 10:06 pm- See more at: http://saportareport.com/blog/2013/07/to-be-compete-in-innovation-economy-georgia-must-invest-in-all-transportation-modes/#sthash.2x9tH10R.dpufWe must invest in all transportation modes to compete in today’s economyPosted in Maria's MetroDate: July 28th, 2013, 10:06 pm- See more at: http://saportareport.com/blog/2013/07/to-be-compete-in-innovation-economy-georgia-must-invest-in-all-transportation-modes/#sthash.2x9tH10R.dpuf |
|
|
The 1994 "Road Improvement Program" SPLOST - grossly mis-mannaged - threatens to destroy the Forest Hill Neighborhood. |
| |
|
- CAUTION Macon - |
