FLCC> Common Council meeting wrap-up

[Jeff Bateman]

Kent, David:

Thanks for taking the time to chat after the Common Council meeting. Sorry I didn't arrive in time to say more at the meeting. It was indeed great news that the bike lane resolution passed - a small but important step to recognition of us cyclists in town.

Here's a link to the cycling pages for Suffolk county (England, not Long Island!); there's some basic information there. Under Maps, you'll see Lowestoft, where I grew up. They've done a tremendous amount to improve cycle access over the last ~20 years, some with simple cycle lanes, and some with dedicated cycle/pedestrian trails.

http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/TransportandStreets/Cycling/


I don't doubt that you've heard of Sustrans (http://www.sustrans.org.uk/). To me, it's amazing that even "ordinary" towns in England are getting way ahead of "progressive" Ithaca when it comes to 21st Century transportation. As I cycle home up the new Pew Trail in the Town of Ithaca, it even seems that the "donut" is moving ahead more decisively than the "hole".

Maybe Sustrans has some ideas there that could be helpful here. For example, they monitor cycle traffic to help gauge the effectiveness of cycle routes(http://www.sustrans.org.uk/default.asp?sID=1092664298921). I guess that's important feedback, especially as they won a public vote for £50 Million ($100M) in lottery funds during a national contest ("Connect2"). Food for thought - Sustrans has been going for 30 years, about the same amount of time as the Black Diamond Trail negotiations, for example. One has produced over 12,000 miles of cycle routes with 230+ million journeys each year. There must be something Ithaca & the USA can learn from there!


Best regards,

Jeff Bateman
2 Dove Drive
Ithaca, NY 14850-6349
(607) 227-5485 - cell
jeffb at ieee.org
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