tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219959168605917684.post8956436406310358589..comments2022-03-02T12:22:59.556-05:00Comments on 1st State BIKES: 'Parkettes' on Main Street in Newark?Frank Warnockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11325908927984960623noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219959168605917684.post-56793725182532602172014-07-10T15:25:19.392-04:002014-07-10T15:25:19.392-04:00I for one, I do not think that this is a good idea...I for one, I do not think that this is a good idea. Any enjoyment of sitting outside would be ruined by the traffic noise, the stink of exhaust, and the traffic flying by, just inches away, sometimes at high speed. Being at the curb and essentially alongside traffic is very frightening. A more forward thinking approach would be to follow the examples of Times Sq, NYC, and Charlottesville VA among others, who created motorized traffic-free spaces. Newark's Main Street could do this, easily. The parking spots would be better used to create bike parking corrals. Main Street is in dire need of more bike parking. With the massive new parking garage that Newark is planning to build, the focus should now shift on creating bike corrals, not sitting areas.<br /> have lived in Newark many years. I came here after being born, raised, and had lived most of my life in the Bronx, NY. Walking, public transportation, and cycling are not things that I embraced to fit in or be fashionable, they are the things that I know, and have done all my life. Newark seems to be going backwards, in my opinion - instead of trying to create a greener, more sustainable environment by encouraging more cycling and walking, it is focusing on increasing car traffic and trying to attract people from further afield. As a bicycling and pedestrian Advocate, I have tried to make a difference, and I'd love to see the City embrace the changes that would encourage less motorized transportation, not more. It is possible!<br /><br />Having said that, I have also seen positive steps - the new sharrows are very encouraging! I am grateful for the efforts put forth by the Newark Bicycle Committee, and I appreciate the improvements, and hope that we can build on them. But we must work together, and be brave enough to have the vision to make changes that will make a difference.<br /><br />Angelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18147103014568107516noreply@blogger.com