Since streets are in the news quite a bit these days (Northmoor widening, Washington Street narrowing, Adams and Jefferson possibly converting from one-way to two-way), I think this is a good time to raise awareness of how much impact our streets have on our safety and quality of life, and how they can be made better. Research and experimentation being done today in coastal cities is proving that new approaches to street design can net huge benefits for communities.
Ian Lockwood, Senior Transportation Engineer at the community planning and design consulting firm of Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin, is featured in this little video explaining traffic calming measures that were implemented in West Palm Beach, Florida, and how those measures produced increased economic activity, lower crime rates, and a more liveable community.
The same kind of interventions could be implemented here in Peoria. See if you don’t see any similarities to Peoria’s streets in this presentation:
Hat tip: Pat McNamara
I discovered this morning that there’s a new process in voting. It used to be that the election officials there at the precinct had a book with a page for each registered voter with a digital copy of your signature printed on the page. They would tear out the page, have you verify your address, and sign the sheet. Then they would compare the signatures.