Dear TE Friends:

I could use some advice on something. Our town started a plan for traffic calming on a street I ride every day in 2001. The plan (from 2001) involved neck downs. They put one of these in, and it's a disaster for cyclists. DH and I have both had really close calls in it. In 2006, our town adopted a Bike Plan calling for bike lanes on that road, and our state has adopted a Complete Streets plan (which, as I understand it, doesn't apply to this street because it's a town maintained street). The original 2001 plan was just resurrected, and the city is planning to put 5 more neck downs in next year. Every cyclist I know agrees it will be dangerous (including our bike ped commission, which has spoken out against it), and they city has publicly stated they are prioritizing pedestrian safety over cyclists. They have also said that since no one has presented better plans (whose job is it?), they are moving ahead with this.

The really sketchy part is that the DOT director has given the neighborhood association (a voluntary group limited by residence and requiring payment of dues) veto power over the plans - they won't change it unless this group says so. In a closed, unannounced meeting, they decided they want to keep the current plan. I'm sending a letter expressing my issues with all of this to our council, DOT, etc. I am also sending a records request to see if I can figure out what they are thinking. But I wondered if anyone else had been in a similar situation and if I had missed anything? Any thoughts? Thanks!!

(I'm happy to share specific links to the mess that is going on via private message. I prefer to keep my location a little more private on the public boards).