Friday, September 13, 2019

Where is Bike Delaware on projects that really matter?

Wawa, new shops planned for Christiana area

From the Delaware On-Line. Excerpts from the article:

Construction is expected to begin this fall on a new Wawa off Del. 273.

The Wawa will be in a new development east of the University Plaza shopping center, which includes Burlington and Acme. The convenience store will also have gas pumps.

Plans for the site also call for two retail pads, one designed for a fast food or quick service restaurant, and the other for a larger restaurant or retailer.

A new road will be constructed west of the development off Del. 273 and across from Browns Lane, which leads to the Christiana Town Center.

Another Wawa is nearing completion at the corner of Wrangle Hill and Red Lion Roads in Bear. It is expected to open in late 2019 or early 2020.

Every time these overwhelmingly car-centric development plans surface, is Bike Delaware even remotely advocating for protected bicycle facilities, bike parking, and place-making in general? They easily find time to arrange meetings with developers and County Council members while advocating for high density zoning and maximum build-out of DE's last remaining open spaces. But why are they absent when & where they're truly needed, in projects where cars dominate and inviting bike-ped accommodations aren't even considered? Projects that include stores like WaWa, Royal Farms, and other mega-"convenience" stores with a dozen or more gas pumps are a major disaster for the environment, safety, community building and place-making in general. At the very least, Bike Delaware should be at the forefront, demanding safe bike-ped accommodations.

But then, unless it's high profile and to their advantage, Bike Delaware never rallies around (much less attends) workshops for individual DelDOT reconstruction and/or pave & rehab projects either. These usually include marginal sidewalks and/or shared-use shoulders, with clear opportunities for upgrades to (e.g.) cycle tracks and/or protected bike lanes. An organization whose "mission" it is to build complete bicycling networks suitable for everyone -- including children -- would have a major presence with each and every project, regardless of size and scope. Instead, we have roads, sidewalks and intersections routinely rehabbled or reconstructed using the same bad engineering practices instead of, for example, installing min. 8' wide asphalt multi-modal pathways that afford bicyclists equal right of way with car traffic.

Bike Delaware's mission statement: Bike Delaware advocates for safe, convenient and fun cycling and walking for everyone.

Whatever Bike DE's advocacy entails, it isn't anything holistic and doesn't include the networking of safe inviting pathway facilities that would enable Delawareans to replace car trips with active transportation modes.

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