How about trash cans and benches. There are not nearly enough downtown and the rest of the heavy foot traffic parts of the city. i would like bike racks too but i would rather see trash cans first. better to have a 10% chance of trash ending up in a can than a 100% of it ending up on the ground.

I also agree with Andrew about the trash cans - we need them and we also need them to be emptied with more regularity.

AburnAve France also has some of the highest taxes, govt regulation and unemployment in the developed world.

Mpls is #2 in US for bike-riding to work, exceeded only by Portland OR.

One reason is that both cities have bike racks on ALL buses. Coupled with free transfers, usable all directions for up to 2 hours, biking-busing in Mpls can be leveraged into speedy travel over long distances. And if the weather becomes bike-unfriendly in the course of the day, one is guaranteed a safe means of getting back home.

For elderly & handicapped, the Mpls system is even more user-friendly. Non-rush hour fare is merely 50 cents, so errands taking under 2 hours, including to downtown, can often be completed at far less cost than driving & parking.

Biking is so valued here that as an old guy I often have to "battle" at intersections with cars urging me to go first, even when they do not have a 'stop'.

Dick Kern (in Mpls)

The schedule and process of gathering input is insufficient (and frankly suspect). The schedule of meetings suggests only the highly motivated individuals will attend and the meeting will attract very few working people.

I think it would be beneficial to provide information about these meetings on the bus lines and in the metro. In fact, it would be beneficial to conduct surveys on the spot, at bus stops, on bus rides, in the stations and on the trains. As someone who relies on public transport, I would rate the overall infrastructure of the system as pretty good. It is certainly better than and more reliable than most non-users would suspect. I can get back and forth from home to my job in Getzville (of all friggin' suburbs) in a reasonable amount of time and with minimal inconvenience.

However, the escalating cost of keeping a car on the road is prompting more and more people of all economic strata to consider public transport. More frequent connection to the 'burbs on existing lines would be one practical suggestion (lots of city residents work in retail at malls and in support positions at hospitals and medical residences north, south and east of the city).

Better markers of stops in suburbs would be beneficial. Yes, there are suggestions I can make about improving city use of the system but improving service in the suburbs would supplement ridership, increase incomes etc etc etc.

I thoroughly agree with the need for more trash cans and benches.

The public comfort amenities were removed and were eliminated from new design starting in the 60s and 70s as a means of preventing vandals busting things up and also preventing the homeless and destitute from congrating and sleeping in public. Thus also the almost total elimination of water fountians, clocks and public toilets... Once these amenities were removed, the very concept of "public comfort" evaporated.

Clever design can circumvent some of these circumstances. Better monitoring and maintenance, can circumvent others.

UprightCitizen,

There's hardly anyone in this community more committed to walkability and cycling than Justin Booth, the main force behind this effort. I think your cynicism is misplaced.

I am extremely happy to see the picture of Delaware and Chip. facing east because it perfectly illustrates the fact that there are NO PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS at this intersection!!!!! Yes, there's the one TRAFFIC light for pedestrians outside of Spot, but really, is that even fair? This is one of the most used ped. intersections in the city and again - NO PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS. I guess we need to have a hotel and school nearby to get one... Oh Wait! There IS a hotel AND the culinary school, not to mention all the kids on their way to/from Hutch Tech. Not lost on me is the irony shown in the other pic with the TIMED ped. signals for Niagara square. I don't think it sees nearly as much foot traffic.

I'm sure most of you have heard this, that the city of Paris purchased bikes, but I will post it because I think it shows what can be done with money and gov't support. Buffalo has Buffalo Blue Bike service, which hopefully will grow to become more popular, and we'll all NOT take a car when we dont have to.

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007033.html

Andrew - so, because France has high taxes, gov't reg. and high unemployment this means we shouldn't look at a good idea? I don't think they are all mutually inclusive.

bike lanes are very important but also important is that bicyclists have responsibility to the rules of the road.

already called....here are my votes: 1) use the Tifft Street Connector from I-190 to Route 5 as it is planned to be built and remove the Skyway & the church street access ramp from downtown 2) remove the Elm-Oak Arterial 2.1) Distribute traffic at the Best/Jefferson area of the Kensington to local streets: Spring, Cherry, Genessee, Broadway, Jefferson, Virginia, Best, etc (instead of Oak & Goodell). 2.2) Distribute traffic at Louisiana area of I-90 so that the access to downtown is at the Cobblestone District, the Larkin District....and follow streets like Ohio, South Park, Exhange, Division, Seneca, Swann into downtown Buffalo

THE RESULT WILL BE TO ALLOW DOWNTOWN TO GROW SOUTH AND EAST

THE RESULT WILL PUT TRAFFIC BACK ON CITY STREETS, FACILITATE MORE PARK & RIDES AND THE INCREASED TRAFFIC ON CITY STREETS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST WILL ALLOW MORE CUSTOMERS TO PATRONIZE BUSINESS....MORE BUSINESSES MEAN MORE EMPLOYEES, MORE EMPLOYEES MEAN MORE PROPERTY OWNERS AND TENANTS!

Lets not forget the lift bridges at Erie, Pearl, Main and Michigan to the Outer Harbor and Kelly Island.

Lets not forget expansion of the Light Rail to UB Amherst, the Airport, Niagara Falls and South Buffalo. I would also support the reactivation of the Belt Line!

I would also like to see a regional lobby to the New York State High Speed Rail Task Force to demand equal funding for upstate....and demand the reactivation of the Central Terminal instead of building a new multi-modal center downtown.

Where do you even begin? Justin, you've taken on a worthwhile and ambitious project... I'll try to make it to one or more of the hearings.