HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-28-23 Public Comment - M. Egge - Kagy Work SessionFrom:Mark Egge
To:Agenda
Subject:Kagy Work Session
Date:Tuesday, February 28, 2023 2:07:13 PM
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Madam Mayor, Mr. Deputy Mayor and Commissioners:
I just wanted to send in a quick note and express my appreciation for theCity staff presenting the design alternatives for Kagy as a policy decision—
making trade-offs between level of service vs. creating a barrier for
pedestrians and cyclists.
It is absolutely clear that the section of Kagy from 19th to 11th needs to
be reconstructed. Whether or how the remainder of the corridor between
11th and Willson Avenue is reconstructed remains an open question.
The multilane option means more convenience for motorists and less
convenience for pedestrians and cyclists. The negative consequences
associated with over-building is a road that acts as a barrier to pedestrians
and cyclists, discouraging walking and encouraging driving, resulting in amore congested, polluting, and car-dependent future.
The single-lane option means less roadway capacity for vehicles and will
result in added delay for motorists crossing the MSU campus. The negativeconsequences associated with this lower “level of service” include cut-
through traffic on local residential streets, lack of yielding to pedestrians,
and disobedience of traffic control. These are clearly undesirable traffic
behaviors, though all three can be mitigated with additional enforcementand engineering.
MSU is the most pedestrian rich environment in the city. Building a high-
capacity road through the heart of the most pedestrian-rich environmentin the city strikes me as killing the goose that lays golden eggs. In my
view, the City ought to double down on the success of this part of town
and invest in infrastructure that will encourage the new neighborhoods
south of campus to have as high of a bike/walk mode share (50%+) at theexisting neighborhoods around the MSU campus.
City Staff has identified several strategies for reducing traffic volumes to a
volume that would be reasonable for a single-lane facility: 1) Frequent,reliable transit service; 2) High quality bike/ped infrastructure; and 3)Pricing. The MSU campus is the one area in town where these strategies
are most viable. MSU is well served by transit (and with wise planning will
continue to be better served by transit in the future), has generally goodpedestrian and bicycle access, and has long since implemented paid
parking.
My opinion, for what it’s worth, is that City Commission ought to have faith
in our ability to plan and create a less car-dependent future, and choose
the option for this corridor that prioritizes walking and biking. ManyEuropean cities have made this decision and have been successful. I urge
that we emulate their decision making and success. Regardless of the
outcome, I appreciate Staff framing it in terms of policy trade-offs for your
discussion and decision making.
Mark Egge
219 E Story St
Bozeman, MT 59715