Tag: bike lanes

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Whatever Happened To: The Cooper-Poplar Connector to Overton Park

Credit: Bianca Phillips

Whatever happened to that project to add a pedestrian and bike entrance at Poplar and Cooper to Overton Park?

For the second installment of our occasional series, called “Whatever Happened To,” we’re checking in on a proposed street-improvement project intended to make Memphis more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. Announcements for the Cooper-Poplar Connector — the project to make a bike-and-pedestrian-friendly crossing from Cooper across Poplar and into Overton Park — came as early as 2014, nearly eight years ago.

In March 2016, the project won a $25,000 grant from the First Tennessee Foundation (the bank has changed hands twice since that announcement). The grant was set to help the project unlock federal funds, which it did.

Credit: Overton Park Conservancy

At the time, we reported that the Connector “was designed by Ritchie Smith Associates and calls for a second crosswalk on the west side of the intersection, a protected bike crossing at the traffic signal, a new landing pad on the park side for bikes and pedestrians, and a new path that will connect to the park’s trail system.” To get an update on the project, we talked to Nicholas Oyler, Bikeway and Pedestrian Manager for the city of Memphis. — Toby Sells

Memphis Flyer: Whatever happened with the Cooper-Poplar Connector at Overton Park?

Nicholas Oyler: Let me make sure we’re on the same page of what this project is. It’s targeting the intersection of Cooper and Poplar. We’d be building a new entrance plaza to Overton Park on the north side of Poplar. It would have a new, little paved area with some minimal landscaping. There would be a paved path that connects this plaza over to Veteran’s Plaza and other existing sidewalks that lead into the park.

It would also improve pedestrian and bicyclist crossings on Poplar so that you can be able to get across Poplar a lot safer and more comfortable than you can today. The city just installed bike lanes on Cooper leading up to Poplar. Then, they kind of stop abruptly. Once this plaza and that connection goes in, it will be made more seamless and it’ll feel a lot safer getting across.

Thank you for the refresher, sir. So, what happened with this project?

It’s received a federal grant to cover 80 percent of the costs. Anytime you have federal funds — and I am very grateful for the funding source; it really helps us out — it comes with a lot of hoops we have to jump through, a lot of paperwork.

On this project, we were caught off guard a little bit by the requirements we had to go through for the environmental review. The Tennessee Department of Transportation determined that we would need to do … more work on the environmental review than we had originally had anticipated, because it is in a park. So, that added to the scope a little bit and just another box we had to check. So that slowed it down.

But the good news is that we do now have the environmental clearance. We’ve received that in late 2018. Since then, the project has been in the design phase. At this point, we anticipate breaking ground in mid-2023.

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News News Blog News Feature

Whatever Happened To: Peabody Paving Project

Credit: Google Maps

Whatever happened to Peabody Avenue getting paved? 

We reported on this project — and many just like it — as they were announced by those in charge at Memphis City Hall. But we, and many online, have taken notice that some of those projects seem to, well, just not be going anywhere. 

With that in mind, we are launching (yet another) occasional series called “Whatever Happened To … ?” What became of those ideas and projects that were big news once upon a time? For example, whatever happened to The Clipper, that massive hotel/office/retail tower to be built next to FedEx’s new offices Downtown?

Credit: SomeraRoad – Remember The Clipper?

For the first installment, we looked at the Peabody Avenue paving project, expected to make Memphis more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. For answers, we spoke with Nicholas Oyler, Bikeway and Pedestrian Program Manager for the city of Memphis. 

Peabody Avenue as it is now (Credit: city of Memphis)

Plans to pave Peabody Avenue were announced in 2018 and work was to begin in the fall of that year. The plan raised eyebrows and caused some tension back then because the street would be completely reconfigured. Its four very wide lanes were to be slimmed down with some added amenities. 

The current plan for Peabody is the same one that was determined through lengthy rounds of public input. The new Peabody will have one travel lane each direction, a center two-way turn lane, dedicated bike lanes, and on-street parking lanes adjacent to the curb. 

Peabody Avenue as it is proposed to be striped later this yea (Credit: city of Memphis)

Memphis Flyer: Whatever happened with this project? 

Nicholas Oyler: We were preparing to go into construction in fall 2018 when [Memphis Light, Gas & Water — MLGW] alerted us that they had plans to do a major upgrade of its gas main running under Peabody Avenue. This is something they had not previously communicated with us. We were not aware of it. 

It would’ve been a mess with a bunch of asphalt patches.

Nicholas Oyler, Bikeway and Pedestrian Program Manager for the city of Memphis

If we had proceeded with the resurfacing as planned, MLGW would’ve come in soon after us and cut up the street. It would’ve been a mess with a bunch of asphalt patches. … Because of that, it was best to hold off resurfacing until MLGW finished its work. 

MF: Did they?

NO: They did not notify us they were fully complete with their work until just last fall, fall of 2021. Most of the major work was done a lot earlier. So, from the perspective of passers by and residents, there were no more major holes in the ground and no more major construction going on before then. So, it appeared that [MLGW’s work] was done. But they were actually still doing some minor work on adjacent streets that had to tie into [the project]. So, MLGW was still working on it. Then, this past fall, they confirmed they were complete.

So, now that we have that confirmation from MLGW, we have rescheduled the resurfacing to occur this paving season coming up. 

MF: Any idea of when that will be?

NO: I don’t have an exact date. We will really know a little closer to paving season. Most of the asphalt plants … don’t open back up until the weather seems to have warmed up enough, usually when [temperatures are at] about 40 degrees or so and they’re pretty consistent. 

MF: A lot of people have wondered about the communication between MLGW and the city on things like this. What would you tell those people?

NO: It’s something we’re always trying to improve, this coordination between city engineering, public works, and MLGW.

We share our resurfacing lists with MLGW for the upcoming paving season … and they let us know if there are any conflicts we need to be aware of. We catch most of them. But, unfortunately, there are times when something slips between the cracks or, maybe, there’s a more urgent repair. When MLGW realizes those need to be done, sometimes we just don’t have as much notice as we’d like. 

But there is room for improvement. 

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News News Blog

City Seeks Feedback on Street Reconfigurations, Bike Lanes

(Credit: Facebook/Bike-Ped Memphis)

The city is looking for feedback on four proposed street reconfigurations scheduled to take place beginning in summer 2022.  

The four street segments include portions of Barron Avenue, Shady Grove Road, Latham Street, and Whitney/Clifton Avenue. All of the streets will get a road diet or a reduction in travel lanes. This is meant to slow traffic, decrease the number of crashes, and limit the crossing distance for pedestrians. 

On Barron Avenue, from Pendleton to Prescott, the number of lanes would be reduced from four to three with one lane traveling in each direction and a turning lane. The lanes would also be narrowed and a bike lane would be added on each side of the street. 

The shared lanes on Shady Grove Road between Yates and Humphreys would be replaced with narrower lanes for cars and buffered bike lanes going in each direction. The city is also proposing to remove on-street parking on the south side of Shady Grove between I-240 and Brierview. 

On Latham Street from Mallory to Person, the existing four lanes would be reduced to three narrower lanes and a turning lane would be added. There would also be on-street parking and bike lanes on both sides of the street. 

On Whitney Avenue between Watkins and Range Line, the number of lanes would be reduced from four to three with one lane traveling in each direction and a turning lane. The segment of Watkins from Overton Crossing to the merge with Clifton Road would be reconfigured from five lanes to three. A bike lane is proposed for the entire segment.  

A survey for each of the four proposals can be found here. The public has until September 12 to provide feedback. 

In addition to the four street segments above, the city plans to repave or add bike lanes to about two dozen other major streets. But these streets won’t see a reduction in lanes or change in on-street parking space. 

Here is a list of the major street segments scheduled to be resurfaced in FY23:

  • Egypt Central – Grand Cedar to Hawkins Mill (No Change)
  • Hawkins Mill – Egypt Central to New Allen (No Change)
  • Littlemore – Chimney Rock to Rockcreek (Bike Lanes)
  • Quince – 200 North of Messick to Kirby (Bike Lanes)
  • Messick – Quince to McVay (Bike Lanes)
  • S. Germantown – City Limits to Winchester (Paved Shoulder)
  • Riverdale Bend – Winchester to Riverdale (Paved Shoulder)
  • Holmes – Hickory Hill to 1,500 East of Lamar (No Change)
  • Kirby Pkwy. – Winchester to Shelby (Bike Lane)
  • Pleasant Hill – E. Holmes to City Limit (No Change)
  • Clearbrook – American Way to Winchester (Paved Shoulders + Marked Shared Lanes)
  • Cottonwood/Comanche – Perkins to Getwell (No Change)
  • Hollywood – Union to Southern (Marked Shared Lanes)
  • Hollywood – Central to Southern (Bike Lanes)
  • Tutwiler – Graham to Perkins (Paved Shoulders + Marked Shared Lanes)
  • Waring – Walnut Grove to Summer (Paved Shoulders + Marked Shared Lanes)
  • Southern – Highland to Western Dead End (No Change)
  • Prescott – Southern to Spottswood (No Change)
  • Graham – Goodlett to Walnut Grove (No Change)
  • Shelby – Weaver to Sewanne (No Change)
  • Madison – Pauline to Watkins (TBD)
  • South Parkway – College to Bellevue (Buffered Bike Lanes)
  • Fourth – Union to Washington
  • Manassas – N. Pkwy. to Chelsea (Bike Lanes/Paved Shoulders)
  • Bellevue – N. Pkwy. to Poplar (Bike Lanes/Protected Bike Lanes)

A map with all of the city’s scheduled re-paving projects including neighborhood streets can be found here. 

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Letters To The Editor Opinion

What They Said…

CREDIT: Greg Cravens

Greg Cravens

About Toby Sells’ story, “Lawmakers Consider Bills on Bikes, Historical Markers, and Skunks” …

Translation: “No Gas Tax for Bike Lanes,” written and paid for by the Koch Brothers’ Banana Brand Banana Republics. Where the Bananas Don’t Grow on Trees; They Legislate™.

“No Removal of Historical Markers,” doesn’t apply to the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue, since it’s not in honor of a conflict. It’s in honor of a man.

“Legal Skunk Ownership,” leads to the next step: skunk-fighting rings.

Jeff

There are already enough skunks in local and state government, thank you.

Bike lanes are nice, if they aren’t converted from congested public roads designed and built for — and funded by — motorists.

ALJ2

About Bianca Phillips’ story, “Memphis Police Department Attempts to Boost Presence” …

MPD is 400 officers shy of a full complement, by their analysis. Large cities across this nation have varying numbers of law enforcement officers. Memphis has more than some comparable cities and fewer than others. I hope our new police director will do his own assessment of what a “full complement” should be.

He/she could start with an assessment of how we are currently using our force. Reactivating the PST program is a good start, as is increasing data-based “hotspot” policing. Another thing that would help is getting all the officers parked car-to-car in our parks and behind buildings back moving on our neighborhood streets. We might not need to pay overtime if we more efficiently used our force.

Memphis Tigers

Our violent crime rate is second only to Detroit (12 percent lower), and our police force is 25 percent smaller, based on the total number of officers. Oakland and St. Louis have similar crime rates, but their police forces are significantly smaller. Oakland’s ranks are one-third the size found in Memphis. Milwaukee rounds out the top five violent-crime-rate cities, and their force is 10 percent smaller.

Barf

Barf, try adjusting those numbers by geographical size.

Oakland = 78 square miles

St. Louis = 66.2 square miles

Milwaukee = 96.8 square miles

Detroit = 142.9 square miles

Memphis = 324 square miles

That is the problem. Memphis has annexed like a madman, and now officers are stretched too thin. MPD has to provide police protection for 324 square miles. Kind of hard to do when you run off 400 officers (and another 150 are on the DROP, ready to retire soon). The City Council created this problem and refused to listen to officers who said they would leave if the city changed the benefits.

Firefox

About Bianca Phillips’ post, “Brian Kelsey Drops Bill Supporting Racist, Sexist, Homophobic School Leader” …

Now, was Kelsey doing this to send a message to the people in the rural areas of TN-08 that he was just like them? Then, he got so much blowback that he had to drop it, lest he offend donors?
He wants to be in Congress so badly he can taste it, and I can only imagine he is petrified at the prospect of Mark Luttrell crushing him in Big Shelby.

LeftWingCracker

Kelsey: “I just grabbed the next bill in that folder marked ALEC WANTS. Was this one not supposed to be in there?”

Charley Eppes

This is the same creep who crafted the “Turn Away the Gays” bill in 2014, under the guise of the “Religious Freedom” Act. Follow the money. He’s in ALEC’s back pocket, which means he’s all Gays, God, and Guns all the time. And now, he wants ALEC to bankroll his way to D.C. As if Marsha Blackburn, Diane Black, Steve Fincher, and Scott DesJarlais haven’t already made Tennessee enough of a laughingstock.

CD

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News The Fly-By

Lawmakers Consider Bills on Bikes, Historical Markers, and Skunks

CREDIT: Lynn Bystrom | Dreamstime.com

Tennessee’s rule factory is cranking at full tilt, and Nashville lawmakers want to tell Memphians how to pay for bike lanes, what monuments we can move, and whether or not we can own skunks (seriously).

• No gas tax for bike lanes

A new bill would prohibit spending any gas tax revenues on bike lanes, pedestrian walkways, and “other non-vehicular facilities.”

Portions of the state gas tax are required to go to cities and counties. Those governments sometimes use the gas tax funds for matching dollars to get federal money for bike and pedestrian projects. The new bill says all of the money would have to be used for “highways, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure for public vehicular use.”

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Mike Carter and Sen. Todd Gardenhire, both from the Chattanooga area.

Carter told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that he simply wanted more transparency on gas tax spending if the state is on the cusp of raising the tax. Bike Walk Tennessee executive director Matt Farr told the paper that the backlash against the bill has been the largest mobilization of bicycle advocacy in state history.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation said the bill would likely violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and could jeopardize more than $1.7 billion for the state over the next two years from the Federal Highway Adminstration.

• No removal of military

history markers

Last week, the House voted 71-23 for a bill that would prohibit the removal of any historical markers that honor military conflicts.

Three years ago, state lawmakers rushed to pass the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act of 2013 to stymie the Memphis City Council from re-naming several parks that were named in honor of the Confederacy. The council changed the names anyway.

The lawmaker behind that rule was Rep. Steve McDaniel, a West Tennesseean who lists “Southern historic preservation” as a personal interest on his legislature homepage. McDaniel now sponsors the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act of 2016, which completely replaces the 2013 law.

The bill says “no statue, monument, memorial, nameplate, or plaque” erected to honor a military conflict located on public property, may be “relocated, removed, altered, renamed, rededicated, or otherwise disturbed…”

Only the Tennessee Historical Commission can approve the removal of such markers, and the bill would lay out a new, more open process for those votes.

To Nashville lawmakers, the bill would help forecast the future of a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest in the Tennessee State Capitol building. In Memphis, the bill could help direct the next moves on a plan to, perhaps, remove the statue of Forrest from Health Sciences Park.

Mayor Jim Strickland’s plans for the statue are not yet known, and a spokesman in his office said the mayor had no comment on the new bill. However, Strickland voted to remove the statue in August as a member of the council.

Lynn Bystrom | Dreamstime.com

• Skunk ownership

If Sen. Paul Bailey has his way, you can soon legally own a skunk in Tennessee.

Skunk ownership is now a Class C misdemeanor here, but Bailey’s bill would remove that offense.

Bailey told members of the Senate’s Energy, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee that 17 other states allow skunk ownership, including bordering states of Alabama, Kentucky, and Georgia.

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News The Fly-By

Transportation Forum Finds Citizens Want More Pedestrian-Friendly City

Crumbling sidewalks, underfunded public transit, and disconnected bike lanes were at the top of the list for Memphians who attended a public forum at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library last week to discuss the transportation needs of the city.

“We need to keep the role of the government in mind,” said Dennis Lynch, the transportation chair for the Tennessee chapter of the Sierra Club, which hosted the discussion. “If the things we’re doing aren’t for the people, they aren’t the right things. We need to push for the things we think we need.”

Attendees brainstormed various ideas to alleviate what many believe is a situation in dire need of a solution. Among the proposals: buses that run on time and to more locations on a frequent schedule; sidewalks and streets that are safe for all citizens; more availability to rent tandem bicycles; for Congressman Steve Cohen to support the local allocation of federal funds and allow more local power over how those funds are spent; and to install more parking meters to encourage people to use public transit as a way to save money.

Lynch said the input would be taken to Mayor Jim Strickland, the Memphis City Council, the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA), and the Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Broken, uneven sidewalks and missing curb ramps leave those like Steve Collins, who is disabled and relies on his wheelchair and public transportation, at a disadvantage.

Collins’ route is contained to Poplar, where he’s pinpointed at least 19 “problem spots.” At Poplar and White Station, Collins said there are four corners and only two curb cuts, which forces him to travel into the street.

The issue of damaged sidewalks is not so black and white. In Memphis, property owners are responsible for sidewalk repair. A 1967 city law states that owners of properties abutting any public street are “required to provide and maintain adjacent to his or her property a sidewalk.” The city has made efforts to assist low-income residents, but the problem is still open-ended for Memphians like Collins.

“We have met with the city about this, and they tell us that it is the state’s problem because [Poplar] is a state highway,” Collins said. “The state says it is a city problem because it is Poplar Avenue. My question is this: If I die at that intersection, where does my widow send the bill for the funeral?”

Kyle Wagenschutz, bicycle and pedestrian program manager for the city of Memphis, said obstacles within funding resources, or the lack thereof, can leave “some things waiting in the wings.” Bike lanes, for instance, are routinely added as streets are repaved. However, the city will soon begin construction on a grant-funded project to update more roads with bike lanes.

“These are all roads that are not being repaved but that new bike lanes are going to be installed without repaving,” Wagenschutz said. “All of those were chosen based on the idea of connecting the missing pieces and missing segments of the network.”

Developing dedicated sources to fund MATA is key, said Suzanne Carlson, Innovate Memphis’ transportation and mobility project manager.

“There’s a lack of funding to go around,” Carlson said. “Right now, [MATA] goes to city council and [receives] federal funds. Some are guaranteed, and some are competitive that they might not get every year.”

Though they have continually received budget cuts over the last few years, MATA President Ron Garrison said they are “in the process of rebuilding MATA.” After the 2010 census numbers were released, MATA lost upwards of $1.6 million dollars in federal funding as well as some state funding. But this fiscal year, they have a “tiny bit of money” left over, Garrison said. Additionally, Garrison said MATA is implementing new ideas such as partnering with Uber and TransLoc.

“Over the next two years, you’re going to see tremendous improvements,” Garrison said. “Over the next five years, we can make MATA a great transit system again. We’re fixing on-time performance, changing the culture, and correctly funding our facilities, buses, and transit stops so that our customers have a very positive experience.”

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Opinion The Last Word

Halloween Costumes That Don’t Bluff

I was never too keen on Halloween as a kid. Each year our church hosted an event that featured both a haunted house and a fright-free “fun house” for the little ones who couldn’t handle it. And me. I tried to act as if I was protecting my much-younger little sister, but nobody fell for that trick.

I wore the same witch costume for at least four years until the dress was a tunic and the pointy hat’s elastic band was tight enough to cut off the circulation to my brain. I spent the next few Halloweens going door-to-door in my soccer uniform, before finally deciding I was too cool to participate in that lame kiddie stuff. October 31st was just another day until I was old enough for Adult Halloween.

Adult Halloween is a totally different holiday, one that’s more about cocktails than candy. Adult Halloween means multiple weekends of party-hopping in a costume that’s either clever, timely, skimpy, or terrifying as hell. Or all of the above. I don’t know if there’s an upper age limit for Adult Halloween, but if there is, I’m not there yet.

I usually try to come up with a Memphis-themed costume, but I haven’t managed to top Halloween 2009, when I was “The Vacated Season.” That costume consisted of a meticulously reproduced 2008 NCAA Final Four banner over a white sheet with eyeholes and a mouth hole that grew as the night progressed. I could barely breathe, let alone drink my beer without making a mess, but it was worth it.

I thought of this year’s costume on November 1st last year. Because, as we all know, that’s when all the best Halloween ideas happen. For once I actually wrote it down, instead of trying to remember it a year later.

I’ve come up with a few others since then. Halloween is fast approaching, and I know some of you are waiting until the last minute (or until someone invites you to something) to put together a costume. Consider these costume ideas my gift to the people — a public service, if you will. Bonus: you can make them using items you already own or can acquire cheaply.

Statue of Liberty Bowl: Wear a blue sheet as a toga. Carry a football under one arm. Keep a beverage in your “torch hand” at all times. Print out a picture of the exterior of the Liberty Bowl and wear it as a crown.

Bike lane: Wear a black shirt and black pants. Paint two vertical white stripes down the front of each. Find a bike lane symbol online and stencil it on the front. If you want to take it a step further and be the Madison Avenue bike lane, affix a toy bus to the front of the shirt.

The Roo: Procure a stuffed kangaroo. Wear the kangaroo on your head. Give people piggyback rides in exchange for candy.

Grindfather clock: Make a kindergarten-style paper-plate mask of a clock face. Or paint a clock on your own face, if you prefer. Just make sure you don’t paint it backwards. Mirrors can be tricky, you know. Wear a Tony Allen jersey. Make a pendulum by affixing some kind of a gold disk to a chain.

Bass Ho Shops: for those who like to slut it up on Halloween, I’ve got three words. Sexy. Bass. Pro. Wear a silver triangle bikini top and the shortest camo shorts you can find. Complete the look with some hunting boots and an iconic Bass Pro trucker hat. If you insist on accessorizing further, carry a fishing pole. Whatever you do, please leave the firearms at home.

Overton Square Parking Garage: Cut holes for your head and arms in a cardboard box. Ask people to give you three bucks. Pair up with The Roo for an easy couple costume.

The “At Least We Look Good” Ole Miss Football Fan: Here’s another potential couple costume. Wear a red dress and brown boots. No tights, no leggings, no matter the temperature. Or go with a navy blazer, white dress shirt, red tie and khakis. Loafers are a must — but no socks. (What is it with the aversion to hosiery, y’all?) Accessorize with a red Solo cup. If you’re going to a party, act like you own the place, and then leave early.

Germantown: Print out about a dozen grocery store logos. These must be high-end stores — anything with “Save” in the name is forbidden. Affix the logos to your body. Make sure they adhere to Chapter 14 of Germantown’s Code of Ordinances. Good luck with that!

I’m sure I could think of a few more ideas, but I would hate to undermine my own chances of scoring a gift certificate or a free bar tab in a costume contest. Feel free to use them, and tweet me a photo if you do. And if you win anything, you know what to do. I accept PayPal, Venmo, and cash.

Jen Clarke is an unapologetic Memphian and digital marketing specialist.

Categories
News The Fly-By

Cleveland St. Gets Bike Lanes, Left Turning Lane

CREDIT: National Association of City Transportation Officials

Not every city bicycle lane project is welcomed by motorists, but the bike lanes going in on Cleveland this month have led to an unexpected bonus for drivers.

The long-anticipated repaving project has reconfigured the Midtown street to include buffered bike lanes, but it’s also made room for left vehicular turning lanes at stoplights at the street’s major intersections.

For years, drivers wanting to turn left from Cleveland onto Poplar, Jefferson, Madison, or Union had to do so in a parking lot or side street since left turns at those intersections were not allowed. But since the city is adding bicycle lanes up and down Cleveland, they’ve also been able to create a left turning lane.

National Association of City Transportation Officials

Portland, Oregon, will be painted at the intersection of Cleveland and Peabody.

“One of the added benefits of the redesign is the fact that there is now a left turning lane continuously along Cleveland,” said Kyle Wagenschutz, the city’s bicycle and pedestrian program manager. “When I was driving down Cleveland [one day last week], there were no fewer than eight cars waiting to turn left on Union. That wouldn’t have been possible a few weeks ago.”

The bike lanes going in on Cleveland — from Overton Park Avenue to Lamar — are still a work in progress, but when the repaving and striping project wraps up in a few weeks, those lanes will be completely protected from traffic along most of the street.

A buffer lane with white metal poles will separate car traffic from bicycle traffic, a configuration that hasn’t been possible with many of the city’s bicycle lane projects.

“The buffer zone will continue at least to Peabody. There’s a little section of Cleveland where the traffic circles are, and there was no room for a bike lane there,” Wagenschutz said. “On those couple of blocks, you have to share the road. But the buffers will resume at Harbert down to Lamar.”

The city will also be getting its first “bike box” on Cleveland at the Peabody intersection. A bike box is a large painted box on the street that allows cyclists to position themselves in front of cars lined up at a traffic light. Cars have to stop outside the bike box — about 10 feet back from where they normally would stop at an intersection — and let cyclists go first.

“It allows us to bring the bikes all the way to the intersection, and then the bicycles will cue up in front of the cars before proceeding through the intersection,” Wagenschutz said. “It will be the first bike box in Memphis and only the second in Tennessee. Nashville put one in earlier this year.”

For now, the bicycle lanes will only extend as far north as Overton Park Avenue, but Wagenschutz said, once Crosstown Concourse construction is done, they’ll add lanes (most of which will be buffered) all the way down North Watkins to Frayser.

“There was a conscious decision to stop the repaving at Overton Park Avenue so we wouldn’t have a lot of heavy trucks rolling over it headed to the Crosstown site,” Wagenschutz said.

Todd Richardson, co-leader of Crosstown Concourse development, said they’re thrilled to have bike lanes leading to the redeveloped Crosstown site.

“Ever since we started Crosstown Arts in 2010, we’ve known that we’re not just renovating a building; we’re building community. Having a neighborhood where people feel safe biking is critical to that broader mission,” Richardson said.

Richardson points to plans that will make Crosstown Concourse as bike-friendly as possible.

“Current development plans also include extending the V&E Greenline across North Parkway onto the Concourse site, as well as providing secure bike storage, changing rooms, and repair stations inside the building,” he said.

Categories
Letters To The Editor Opinion

What They Said (December 4, 2014) …

CREDIT: Greg Cravens

About Derek Haire’s Viewpoint, “Playing the Bike Card” …

Thank you for a very well-written rebuttal to Wendi C. Thomas. I didn’t know what “intersectionality” was until I read your article. I am not a sociologist. The only thing I came away with from Thomas’ article is the same thing I’ve come away thinking from most of her articles for the past two years: Her style of writing appeals to certain people but very few people, I think, in the demographic she’s wanting to influence.

Brunetto Latini

Greg Cravens

It’s important in discussions of structural racism to openly admit the subconscious effects that living within a culture of differential privilege has on people, based upon characteristics of race or ethnicity. I, unfortunately, find it all too rare that people who charge others with racism understand how that subconscious enculturation has affected even victims of that racism in ways that make certain of their behaviors and reactions racist.

OakTree

About the Flyer‘s editorial, “After Ferguson” …

I spent Thanksgiving day at the home of a retired Marine — a white guy — who had served on a grand jury. He couldn’t believe the procedure used for the Ferguson grand jury. From his experience, the grand jury is used to decide if there is enough evidence to go to trial. In his case, they found that there was enough evidence for most of the cases they considered, but the grand jury that he served on found that there wasn’t enough presented in one of the cases.

Sue Williams

Why aren’t the parents admitting to their failure to raise Michael Brown to be a positive member of society? He was obviously free to run amok with no restraints on his behavior. The stepfather of this child should be arrested and tried for inciting riots, and the mother charged with child abuse. That’s who should pay for this incident — the parents.

CoryatJohn

CoryatJohn, you are making the same mistake as the Brown deifiers. Brown was an adult, just barely, but an adult. Do the math. Should your parents be held responsible for your crimes? Should they not mourn your death because you are an adult?

🙂

About Bianca Phillips’ story, “Laying Down the Law” …

Kudos for the report by Bianca Phillips on the legal steps being taken regarding Uber and Lyft in Memphis. Readers should also hear about ITN — Memphis’ engagement of the national working model of the Independent Transportation Network, which provides rides for seniors and the visually impaired.

Like the aforementioned new providers, ITN utilizes volunteer drivers. Unlike Uber and Lyft, ITN went through a careful, lengthy process of ordinance revision before it began giving rides.

Kudos should also go to Memphis City Council leaders like Myron Lowery and Kemp Conrad for seeing the need and helping with non-government paths to meet that need. Ditto with compliments for Ham Smythe of Yellow Cab, who embraced the ITN concept and wants things to be fair and square.

Mark Matheny

About Congressional Republicans …

Didn’t Americans suffer enough the past six years at the hands of “do-nothing” Republican obstructionists? Apparently not. And now they’re in charge for the next two years.

Remember the change Republicans John Boehner and Mitch McConnell promised right after the midterm elections? The talk of “working together”? That was just so much hocus pocus. 

House Speaker Boehner is already talking about another government shutdown if Republicans don’t get their way. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama is talking about impeaching President Obama if he continues his approach to immigration reform. And Tea Party darling, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, continues to blame everything from the economy to immigration to health care to possible government shutdowns on Obama. 

Oh, and don’t forget, we need to investigate Benghazi for the 11th time and vote to repeal Obamacare for the 140th time. Get ready: The next two years are going to be a long, bumpy, dysfunctional ride.

Art Schrader

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MATA Announces Record Year for Cyclists

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  • Courtesy of MATA

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) announced today that 2013 was a record year for cyclists taking the bus, with nearly 25,000 cyclists strapping their bikes on the front of buses all over the city.

Since introducing the bike racks in 2009, MATA has seen a steady increase in cyclists using the “Bike and Ride” option, with 24,096 cyclists taking advantage of the bus bike racks in 2013, a nearly eight percent increase from last year. Based on the high-numbers, MATA is considering purchasing higher-efficiency bike racks, for additional bike-carrying capacity. Each Fixed-Route MATA bus is currently equipped with a front bike rack that will hold two conventional bicycles.

“With more and more neighborhoods in Memphis adding bike lanes, biking is becoming a major transportation and cultural attribute of Memphis,” said Tom Fox, MATA’s Interim President and General Manager. “Bike and Rides make those investments by the city even more valuable.”