Yesterday Pete and I went to Roseville to meet a friend and help her daughter shop for drums in a busy retail center. It's good to drive to Roseville now and then. It helps me remember why I like real cities, small towns, and the country, but really dislike suburbs.
I'm sure the people who live in Roseville are perfectly nice. But the whole place is designed for cars. And cars there are -- lane after lane after lane of them.
Some of the roads are five or six lanes wide. If you happen to land in the wrong lane, God help you. You'd better know where you're going or hope you can find a way to turn around.
Forget walking. You'd never make it across all the lanes of traffic. And while there are bike lanes, I imagine that only the most intrepid cyclists dare to use them
It reminded me of a radio news story I heard recently about the Tyson's Corner area in Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. Tyson's Corner is a sprawling "edge city" anchored by big malls. In the NPR story, (listen to the audio version) the reporter and his host tried to go in a straight line from point A to point B, but couldn't do it without circuitous routing and much driving. The host called it "traffic engineer hell."
Urban planners are trying to remake Tyson's Corner as a more pedestrian-friendly area, with housing, light rail service, green buildings and a gridded street layout.
I wonder if they'll ever try that in Roseville?
Here in Amador County, transportation officials are warning that if local growth proceeds in the locations and at the volumes predicted, we're going to need big, wide suburban streets of our own to avoid gridlock.
It's hard to imagine that Amador County residents really want Martell and Jackson to look like Roseville and Tyson's Corner, but that's where we're headed -- unless we find a better way, and soon. Rejecting the current batch of proposed subdivisions, or shrinking them to something less destructive, would be the best place to start.
Showing posts with label traffic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label traffic. Show all posts
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The Kirkwood 500
This afternoon we took a nice walk on the Mokelumne River's Electra Run. Just before 5 p.m., we drove through Pine Grove and tried to turn left across the westbound traffic onto Pine Grove-Volcano Road.
After more than 100 cars passed us by, the traffic stopped. It had backed up all the way through town, from the stoplight at Ridge Road and Highway 88. Fortunately, a considerate driver left the intersection clear so we could make our turn.
I've never seen anything like it in Pine Grove. I hate to think of what would have happened if the fire department or ambulance needed to get through town.
Judging from the snowboards and ski racks on the SUVs and cars, at least one-third, if not one-half, of the traffic was coming from Kirkwood Mountain Resort.
Back when the county approved the expansion of Kirkwood, those of us involved in the process warned about what it would do to traffic in Pine Grove. I've seen people flying through town on the way to and from the resort, but I've never been stuck in traffic like this.
Kirkwood is touting its new online carpool forum as a solution for resort traffic and parking woes. Maybe some people are using it, but at least tonight, that system didn't seem to have much effect down here.
Perhaps it's time for Kirkwood to pay the CHP or sheriff for some traffic control in Pine Grove on Sunday evenings.
After more than 100 cars passed us by, the traffic stopped. It had backed up all the way through town, from the stoplight at Ridge Road and Highway 88. Fortunately, a considerate driver left the intersection clear so we could make our turn.
I've never seen anything like it in Pine Grove. I hate to think of what would have happened if the fire department or ambulance needed to get through town.
Judging from the snowboards and ski racks on the SUVs and cars, at least one-third, if not one-half, of the traffic was coming from Kirkwood Mountain Resort.
Back when the county approved the expansion of Kirkwood, those of us involved in the process warned about what it would do to traffic in Pine Grove. I've seen people flying through town on the way to and from the resort, but I've never been stuck in traffic like this.
Kirkwood is touting its new online carpool forum as a solution for resort traffic and parking woes. Maybe some people are using it, but at least tonight, that system didn't seem to have much effect down here.
Perhaps it's time for Kirkwood to pay the CHP or sheriff for some traffic control in Pine Grove on Sunday evenings.
Monday, August 6, 2007
ACTC gets it at last
We all know there is a connection between growth and traffic, at least in a county like this where everyone must drive for nearly everything.
Years ago, that connection seemed to be lost on the Amador County Transportation Commission. But now ACTC is emerging as a strong force for better planning in the county.
On Wednesday, the ACTC board voted to recommend to the Jackson City Council that it deny the Jackson Hills golf course subdivision project because of traffic concerns.
The next night, ACTC planner Sean Rabe gave a presentation to the Amador County General Plan Advisory Committee on traffic and land use.
"Traffic is a symptom," Rabe said. "Land use is the cause."
No joke. If we continue to develop in ways that require people to use their cars to get everywhere -- and everyone else to use their cars to get to them -- we will have gridlock at most major county intersections. There is simply not enough money and not enough buildable terrain to build our way out of this with bigger roads or new routes.
It's way past time to manage traffic on the demand side of the equation by paying more attention to where, how, when, and how fast we grow. ACTC deserves our thanks for stepping up on this critical local issue.
For more, read Editor Raheem Hosseini's editorial on the ACTC decision.
Years ago, that connection seemed to be lost on the Amador County Transportation Commission. But now ACTC is emerging as a strong force for better planning in the county.
On Wednesday, the ACTC board voted to recommend to the Jackson City Council that it deny the Jackson Hills golf course subdivision project because of traffic concerns.
The next night, ACTC planner Sean Rabe gave a presentation to the Amador County General Plan Advisory Committee on traffic and land use.
"Traffic is a symptom," Rabe said. "Land use is the cause."
No joke. If we continue to develop in ways that require people to use their cars to get everywhere -- and everyone else to use their cars to get to them -- we will have gridlock at most major county intersections. There is simply not enough money and not enough buildable terrain to build our way out of this with bigger roads or new routes.
It's way past time to manage traffic on the demand side of the equation by paying more attention to where, how, when, and how fast we grow. ACTC deserves our thanks for stepping up on this critical local issue.
For more, read Editor Raheem Hosseini's editorial on the ACTC decision.
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