Sadik-Khan Needs To Fix Kent Ave.
Listen, the residents of the Kent Ave. neighborhood have said they’ll stop protesting everything if they can only have their beloved parking back and keep the children safe - I say give it to them.
[The Google Map appears to be out of date, as Kent Ave. now appears to be two-way.]
How?
Well, there’s one thing that becomes clear when you read through all the comments that residents are making. Most, of course, are nonsense, but there is a very acute sense of fear of cars and trucks and moving traffic - or so the opponents of girls in skirts say.
In either case, I say help them fix that motorized traffic problem. I’m all about the safety of the children, too, as are all cyclists. So, I say we close down Kent Ave to through traffic - reroute all motorized traffic - just as the local residents suggest with their illegal banner. Give the residents what they want. Give the cyclists what they want. Give DOT what they want. Give TA what they want. Everybody wins.
With all the extra room we’ll be able to give the locals a couple of parking spots. They can decide how they want to allocate it. If Kent Ave residents want to keep the children safe, then they’ll do without the parking - simple. If, however, they’re using the children as a political prop - then they’ll back out on the plan, and everything stays as is. Fine by me.
Cyclist and pedestrian safety comes first, always.
If the residents support the plan to shut down Kent Ave. to thru traffic, then we’ll go ahead with the plan. If they don’t, then they’re going to have to deal with living so close to public space - the city’s streets. That’s the thing about living in a city where there’s so much shared public space - there are other city residents who want to share that public space.
Wiley Norvell of TA talks about ‘major re-engineering’ costs or some nonsense. That’s bullshit. Just get it done. So much of the other stuff DOT has done around the city has been done for pennies - they just throw up big concrete blocks whereever they want and traffic gets redirected - it’s simple.
Too bad if motorized traffic has to take the long way around.
Listen, I’m all for local communities sticking up for themselves against The State, but when they start terrorizing cyclists, they need to get some swift justice. They need to go to jail. They need to serve time.
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