Will Cindy Rosenthal just say let them eat cake ?
Who care what the people want...
NORMAN — Norman residents and business people prefer keeping the Interstate 35 frontage roads as two-way streets, according to early survey results revealed Thursday.
With work to widen Interstate 35 in Norman scheduled to begin in January, the city council hopes to decide by early fall what changes, if any, to make with the frontage roads.
Kip Strauss of HNTB Corporation, a company hired by the city to study the frontage road issue, said results came from an online survey on the city's Web site and from postcards sent to 376 residents and businesses in the frontage road area.
The online frontage road survey will remain at www.normanok.gov through July 31. Anyone interested is invited to respond.
When asked what they liked most about Norman's frontage roads, 47 percent said that they're two-way streets and another 32 percent stated they like the easy access.
Only 12 percent said they didn't like the frontage roads, Strauss said, although public safety officials have told him the current arrangement delays their response times. [I would like to see data on this point]
Traffic safety is another concern. Strauss said Norman has had 330 collisions on or near the frontage roads from January 2004 through last month.
Published studies have shown one-way frontage roads have better traffic flow and have fewer crashes than two-way roads, although they do add travel distance. [Yes on the first point, but NOT on the second point]
"The community likes the ease and access of the two-way,” Strauss said. "There are concerns that a decision has already been made and about congestion and safety on the east/west streets (like Robinson and Main).”
Matt Bauer, of Development Strategies Inc., another company working with the city, said the frontage road decision would make little economic difference as a whole either way, though individual businesses could be affected. [Then why did OKC make 1-way streets into 2-way for economic and businesses, just a few weeks ago ?]
If the city opts for one-way roads, Bauer suggested creating "Texas turnarounds” — U-turn lanes placed right before intersections that give drivers easier access to the other opposing one-way road — and more secondary access roads. [Who are they trying to FOOL ??? Texas turnarounds work great for underpass's, BUT, IN NORMAN WE HAVE OVERPASS's !]
Shawn O'Leary, Norman public works director, said a third public meeting will be planned after city staff receives the state Transportation Department's traffic analysis. He said that study has been delayed, so the city won't make a final decision on frontage roads until September or later. [But it not on Ch 20, Funny how Mayor Cindy "them eat cake" Rosenthal shut down the people voice on Ch 20, just a few weeks ago]
[City of Norman] Questions seem vague
on one-way frontage road survey
on one-way frontage road survey
The City of Norman has posted a survey on the city Web site asking for input on the Interstate 35 frontage roads. Two of the questions on this survey suggest the city leaders have already made up their minds and want one-way frontage roads along I-35. One question asks whether drivers will accept delays crossing I-35 at Main Street or Robinson Avenue in order to maintain two-way frontage roads. The next question asks how much of a delay the driver will accept in order to maintain two-way frontage roads. As written, these questions imply that if you don't want to be delayed crossing I-35 on Robison or Main, you'd better not be in favor of two-way frontage roads.
My first concern is that these questions are vague. Is the city asking us to accept a delay greater than what we are currently experiencing? Is the city saying that after spending millions of dollars in design and construction the best they can do for us is make traffic worse?
My second concern is that this line of questioning seems to pit drivers who primarily cross I-35 at Robinson or Main against drivers who primarily use the frontage roads to travel to and from their residences and who patronize businesses on the frontage roads. Many residents and businesses along the frontage roads have been very vocal in their opposition to one-way frontage roads. Now the city is implying that if it maintains two-way frontage roads that cross-town travelers will be forced to accept increased (but unspecified) delays crossing I-35 at Robinson or Main. Is this the best we can do -- spend millions of dollars in design and construction for a zero sum game -- one group wins and the other loses? This also overlooks the fact that there aren't really two groups of drivers. Frontage road drivers often need to cross I-35 at Robinson or Main and I-35 crossers often need to drive along the frontage roads.
My third concern is that these questions make the survey unbalanced. A balanced survey would also ask questions such as, "In order to minimize delays crossing I-35 at Robinson or Main, how many extra miles are you willing to travel (and gallons of gas used) along a one-way frontage road system to get to your residence, school, retail store, favorite car dealership or restaurant?" "In order to minimize delays crossing I-35 at Robinson or Main, how many extra minutes are you willing to wait for police, fire and ambulance to respond to an emergency at your business, school or residence?"
The attributes of a redesigned I-35 frontage road system have been accurately expressed from the first city council meeting on this subject way back in late 2006: safety, accessibility, responsiveness of emergency services, orderly flow of increasing traffic volume and how the Rock Creek bridge fits into the picture. More surveys will not shed any further light on this issue. What we need is design options which include both one-way and two-way frontage roads and how each option will fulfill these attributes. While there may be some trade-offs, the "winning" design should benefit everybody -- a win/win solution. Who knows, maybe a one-way frontage road system is the best fit. Unfortunately, the current scope of the contract with HNTB to study this issue will not answer this question.
DAVE McCLURKIN Norman
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