HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-15-22 Public Comment - M. Egge - Public Comment Re_ Fowler AvenueFrom:Mark Egge
To:Agenda
Subject:Public Comment Re: Fowler Avenue
Date:Tuesday, February 15, 2022 8:45:05 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Commissioners,
Two comments for your consideration: one concerning the design of thestreet, and one concerning the design of the team entrusted with
designing the street.
1) The choice between a three lane stroad and a five lane stroad is a falsechoice—both result in more "business as usual" in building out the west
side of town to favors car-based travel and creates barriers to active
transportation.
As I'm sure you are aware, a city can move more people on a corridor with
frequent bus service and cycling lanes than a five lane stroad like
Cottonwood or 19th. Fowler runs primarily through moderate-density
residential areas and connects between major commerce hubs (BillingsClinic to the north, the Rosauers shopping center to the south). It's an
ideal corridor for moving lots of people—but a terrible location for a
freeway.
Let's design Fowler to move people—not to maximize throughput for cars.
Fowler should form a backbone of a future Bus Rapid Transit route
connecting from Billings Clinic to MSU. The buses should operate on
dedicated right of way (or a shared bike/bus lane). The road itself shouldbe flanked on both sides with wide shared use paths for walking and
rolling. These shared use paths should connect to a grade separated
crossings at all arterials, especially Huffine (which otherwise is a
formidable barrier for active transportation users). Dedicated car lanesshould be no more than one in each direction.
In this configuration, Fowler will have far more capacity to help Bozeman
residents reach their destinations than a car-centric design, whilefurthering the city's climate and community health goals and respecting
the adjacent neighborhoods.
2) This project perpetuates the practice of putting engineers thatspecialize in designing highways for cars in the driver's seat, which shouldproperly be occupied by individuals who specialize in creating vibrant,
successful places. If we want different thinking, in the future the city
should consider a different composition for its street design team. Theengineers have an important role to fill—once the project has been scoped
by designers or planners who put human (not car) considerations first.
Strong Towns founder Chuck Mahron Jr PE writes that, "The worst way to
approach a Street Design Team is to allocate the money and responsibility
to the engineer and then allow everyone else to comment on their work.This not only concentrates power in the wrong place, but it also returns
the focus to the design process to code books and standard plates instead
of a deep and nuanced understanding of places and the struggles that
happen there. We will not build great streets, places that produce wealthand improve quality of life, by allowing people to comment on three
variations of a bad design."
Thanks for your consideration. Fowler presents an opportunity to build agreat transportation facility. Let's not waste this opportunity.
Mark Egge
542 N Black Ave
Bozeman, MT 59715