Links Edition - developing the smart way

Haven't had the time to update this Blog as frequently as I would like.  In reality, I see it morphing toward editorializing and discussion of best practices, rather than an update/discussion on Laurel-specific plans (tough to do the latter when you're no longer in the know).  Strangely, this site gets 300 to 400 hits a month still, mostly from people researching pedestrian and bike safety/infrastructure. Kind of flattering for the City, no?  Regardless, here are some links to articles I've finally gotten around to reading that may be informative to those that still come here:

• College Park City Council gets it: "Among the city’s conditions for approval were moving and reorienting the buildings to make them more accessible to pedestrians on River Road, in advance of future development for a Purple Line station."  
• Fitting an entire village (and all its tax revenue) in the space the of a single non-tax generating County parking lot.
• How much is a bike trail worth? (self explanatory)
• For those that think stop signs always make streets safer.
• The importance of pedestrian and bike master planning.
• Bike can run red lights in Paris. 
• Creating sustainable Cities.(a long, but good, read)
• The case for bike infrastructure (this is a long read but worth your time)

Complete Streets: 4th Street edition

While form should always follow function in the creation of a complete street, form still matters.  Here is 4th Street from 2 years ago.

4th Street, circa 2009

And here is 4th Street now. Note the:

• Pedestrian refuge islands to provide for those crossing the street - function
• Narrow lanes to reduce vehicle speed - function
• Bike lanes to increase roadway capacity - function
• Center-island medians that prevent 250,000 gallons of run-off per year - function
• Tree-lined medians to provide boulevard-style tree canopy - form
• Red brick medians - form
• All on-street parking has been retained  - function
• Wide decorative "brick" crosswalks - form and function

The inclusion of form with function creates a complete street that not only works well but is attractive and beneficial to retaining property values for those that live there.  What if Route 1 looked like this through our fair City?  Why can't it?