[Bvc-info] CS city council candidates on cycling

[Josh Benn]

Can we somehow meld the two of them together into one acceptable candidate?  ;-)

-----Original Message-----
From: bvc-info-bounces at philebus.tamu.edu [mailto:bvc-info-bounces at philebus.tamu.edu] On Behalf Of Jean Marie Linhart
Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 6:43 AM
To: Brazos Valley Cyclists
Subject: [Bvc-info] CS city council candidates on cycling

Jonathan Coopersmith emailed and asked our local city council
candidates about cycling.   He asks me to forward this on, so that we
cyclists can have an informed vote in the Nov 2 election!

Questions:
-  What is your position on implementing the Bicycling Master Plan
http://www.cstx.gov/index.aspx?page=2957 for College Station?

-  Should the city consider adopting a Complete Streets approach (
http://www.completestreets.org/) for future development and renewal?


Here are their responses, cut and pasted:

Jana McMillan:

I have not completely read all there is to be said in the Comprehensive Plan.
Given that the national economy is $14t in debt, and that many cities
are bankrupt, I think it is best to be very selective
about how we spend our monies in the city. I know that is not the
answer that you want to hear. I understand that the city has made
huge improvements in bike lanes. We will see what we can do as funding
becomes available.
There have been narrow lanes between traffic lanes created and
probably few people are willing to risk life and limb using them.  You
may have seen
the car lane, bike lane, right turn car lane at Fitch and 6 feedroad,
traveling from east to west. I think someone could get hit  by cars on
either side.  I believe
this is a TxDot project... The establishment can say they kept promise
but in reality is useless. If we do spend money, let us make sure it
is done with more
safety in mind.
I hope you understand my position. It is honest and open. If elected I
am happy to listen to your suggestions and for us to look for
solutions that are safe, pleasant,
and cost effective.

John Nichols:
1. Position on the City's Hike and Bike Plan:   I fully support the
plan and was involved in the public hearings when it was reviewed by
P&Z and adopted by Council.  It addresses needs that were identified
in the Comprehensive Plan development and other recent public forums.
Developing more bike lanes, bike routes and multi-use paths speaks to
the concerns of mobility, safety and even public health.  Filling in
gaps in the system and increasing safety around intersections are two
key concerns.   The Development Services staff are continuing to
review options for implementation. They have brought design ideas to
P&Z to help establish priorities.  Certainly budget limitations will
be significant over the next year or two and will prevent a big
buildup of public expenditures.  However, having an adopted plan is
crucial in order to guide future development and to send signals to
developers and their new home and business customers.  Without a
solid, up-to-date plan we cannot expect that future development will
provide adequate bike facilities in line with what the citizens have
indicated they want.

2.  Should the City adopt the Complete Streets approach?  While I am
not familiar with the details of this approach, it seems that our new
plan represents a significant move in that direction.  Certainly as
the city grows we should adopt standards that make bike, pedestrian
and automobile traffic safe in a shared environment.  As noted above,
many of the implementation efforts being reviewed by staff have
elements that are consistent with the Complete Streets Approach.  I
would want to see what the costs are and how we retro-fit existing
streets to approximate the goals in our own Comprehensive Plan and
Hike and Bike Plan.  Certainly national approaches such as this and
other "smart growth" ideas can provide great insights and benchmarks
for us to learn from.
I hope these comments are helpful.

Both practice safe cycling:
-  Nichols:  Yes, in fact we have bikes and I always wear my helmet.
It saved me from a severe head injury a couple years ago!   Always
wear a helmet, and gloves as well.
-  McMillan:  Yes, I do wear a helmet. We have two recumbent trikes,
two recumbent bikes, and a cheap dirt bike in our garage. I run
because it is faster and no longer seem
to have time to street ride. I have attended spin class more recently
to see my friends and have enjoyed that time very much.


-- 
Jean Marie Linhart
Visiting Assistant Professor
 Department of Mathematics
Texas A&M University
http://www.math.tamu.edu/~jmlinhart
League Cycling Instructor #1155
http://twitter.com/jmlinhart
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