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Great post, thcecchi. Ps skyscrapers I replied to you. Would like to see your feelings.
I read your reply but didn't remember much of it. Was going to respond today, but I barely remember any of it and it was deleted by moderators for being off topic. With that said, I would rather respect the mod's wishes to remain on topic.
There is a downside to students staying. Right now, most students want to stay and flood the labor markets with inexpensive inexperienced labor. This has a tendency to pull down the overall labor rates in an area that has a higher cost of living. Many of the students MUSC pushes out want to stay, those that tend to leave do so due to lack of employment opportunities.
I read your reply but didn't remember much of it. Was going to respond today, but I barely remember any of it and it was deleted by moderators for being off topic. With that said, I would rather respect the mod's wishes to remain on topic.
If 0.5% of commuters would ride a bike over that bridge, the bike lane's importance is now 0.5%.
So by your logic, if I live in a city with only 1% African American population, their importance is only 1%. Or maybe you still subscribe to the notion that they are only 3/5 of a person, in that case they are only 0.60% important.
I wonder what kind of education you got in college if you honestly still subscribe to the whole "let's do things the way we have done them for the past 50 years and never consider any changes to that model. Forget if the region is getting more sprawly and traffic choked than in years past, forget that the bike lane to Mt Pleasant which is like 7 times as long and includes HILLS is constantly packed.
I lived in Charleston for two years before I ran for the hills. People like you will continue to get your way and the city of Charleston will continue to choke in it's own sh*t as you build new roads and develop new green fields without any logic whatsoever on how to manage that growth. Good luck with that, you'll have plenty of time to admire those beautiful palm trees when it's regularly taking you 45 minutes to drive a few miles. I regularly rode my bike everywhere in Charleston including across those bridges and it was always such a great feeling to breeze past traffic while everyone is sitting alone in their cars trying to get home to their far flung homes along inadequate roadways. The talk about transit lines is going to be the same old fluff, nothing will ever get done because people like imagine skyscrapers can't get enough of sitting in traffic, so many abandoned buildings along 26 to admire while you scoot along at 3-4 mph. Not my style, have fun with it though! Thankfully I've found a city that suits my lifestyle better and has leaders that listen to more than the old white guy who's been living there for 50 years. Listen to the old white guy that will be dead in a few years rather than the young people who will inherit the city and carry it into the future. Again, what community college did you attend so many years ago?
I'm not in favor of non-owner occupied residents having non metered street parking privileges downtown overnight (access to resident parking stickers, just because they rent)
The folks that the non-owners rent from pay rent and they pay taxes on their rent revenue so I figure they earn the right to allow their tenants to use parking passes meant for residents.
Sounds like you want to create a caste system where only home owners living in their primary residnece get certain privileges.
So by your logic, if I live in a city with only 1% African American population, their importance is only 1%. Or maybe you still subscribe to the notion that they are only 3/5 of a person, in that case they are only 0.60% important.
I wonder what kind of education you got in college if you honestly still subscribe to the whole "let's do things the way we have done them for the past 50 years and never consider any changes to that model. Forget if the region is getting more sprawly and traffic choked than in years past, forget that the bike lane to Mt Pleasant which is like 7 times as long and includes HILLS is constantly packed.
I lived in Charleston for two years before I ran for the hills. People like you will continue to get your way and the city of Charleston will continue to choke in it's own sh*t as you build new roads and develop new green fields without any logic whatsoever on how to manage that growth. Good luck with that, you'll have plenty of time to admire those beautiful palm trees when it's regularly taking you 45 minutes to drive a few miles. I regularly rode my bike everywhere in Charleston including across those bridges and it was always such a great feeling to breeze past traffic while everyone is sitting alone in their cars trying to get home to their far flung homes along inadequate roadways. The talk about transit lines is going to be the same old fluff, nothing will ever get done because people like imagine skyscrapers can't get enough of sitting in traffic, so many abandoned buildings along 26 to admire while you scoot along at 3-4 mph. Not my style, have fun with it though! Thankfully I've found a city that suits my lifestyle better and has leaders that listen to more than the old white guy who's been living there for 50 years. Listen to the old white guy that will be dead in a few years rather than the young people who will inherit the city and carry it into the future. Again, what community college did you attend so many years ago?
Actually, bachelor's and master's degree from NY universities...
More power to you for engaging in bicycling. It's not for everyone and I'm glad that you are able to enjoy it. The overwhelming majority do not have the privilege of living close enough to work to enjoy the fruits of bicycling. Because of that, the overwhelming majority do not see the benefit of limiting commuter traffic so that the overwhelming minority can enjoy the bike ride over the Ashley, especially when municipalities in the area often make decisions without forethought. I'd be all for a pedestrian and bike bridge over the Ashley.
You don't seem to get the fact that just because you and a couple of your buddies who want a bike lane doesn't mean that it's a smart idea, nor does it mean that it's a healthy representative sample. This is what they mean by "testing" the idea. If they close down a lane to test it out, it's not to see how traffic will fare, it's to see how many actually ride their bike in that lane. If it's 50 people a day, good luck, the lane won't be happening. I don't care that you think it's healthier, less polluting, and HIP to ride your bike. Bottom line is convenience of the majority. I don't think there is a logical argument around this fact.
I'm glad you are enjoying Pittsburgh. I have enjoyed it as well and have friends and family there. There is room there to make the decisions that you speak of, mainly because of the sprawl and the fact that it's not a hot spot for interstate migration. Let's see how decisions are handled there when people actually are gunning to move back to the rust belt. But we both know not all decisions are smart there either. That's the benefit of knowing someone who was at the Post Gazette for decades. Is Point State Park still under construction? What's it been, like a decade now?
The folks that the non-owners rent from pay rent and they pay taxes on their rent revenue so I figure they earn the right to allow their tenants to use parking passes meant for residents.
Sounds like you want to create a caste system where only home owners living in their primary residnece get certain privileges.
Bottom line is convenience of the majority. I don't think there is a logical argument around this fact.
I'll give it a shot. Because the majority of people living in Charleston would not have use for a bike lane as commuters, doesn't mean that they never will.
Your argument to reinforce existing behaviors (driving, living far out, etc) is a reaction to how people currently live. Most people that want the bike lane see it as something that will change behaviors by giving people who live in close-in W. Ashley the option to not have to drive and improve Charleston's livability in the future. Not only does this decrease the amount of cars that are making the short Ashley river crossing, but it encourages people who don't want to be as car-dependent the option of living in West Ashley as opposed to having to live downtown. In other words, the people who may use the bike lane most may not live in West Ashley yet, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea. It's a chicken/egg scenario. You want to see demand for the bike lane before it's built, whereas people on the other side of the table see it as an asset for the City of Charleston that will enhance interconnectivity of the DT/W. Ashley, increase the livability and desirability of West Ashley by giving those who want a less car-dependent lifestyle the option to have that, and as a bi-product of having that option reduce the amount of cars making that short trip across the river.
The folks that the non-owners rent from pay rent and they pay taxes on their rent revenue so I figure they earn the right to allow their tenants to use parking passes meant for residents.
Sounds like you want to create a caste system where only home owners living in their primary residnece get certain privileges.
Let me educate you in DT parking.
In residental parking areas each "unit" is allowed 2 spots in a designated parking area. The pass is bi annual. Most of the homes DT are split into several units. Now imagine how quickly these residental areas for parking get full at night.
It doesn't matter if the lease is short or long time (they still get rights to the bi-annual parking sticker). Now I want you to imagine tenants renting for 2-3 months, and another group coming in after....
I'll give it a shot. Because the majority of people living in Charleston would not have use for a bike lane as commuters, doesn't mean that they never will.
Your argument to reinforce existing behaviors (driving, living far out, etc) is a reaction to how people currently live. Most people that want the bike lane see it as something that will change behaviors by giving people who live in close-in W. Ashley the option to not have to drive and improve Charleston's livability in the future. Not only does this decrease the amount of cars that are making the short Ashley river crossing, but it encourages people who don't want to be as car-dependent the option of living in West Ashley as opposed to having to live downtown. In other words, the people who may use the bike lane most may not live in West Ashley yet, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea. It's a chicken/egg scenario. You want to see demand for the bike lane before it's built, whereas people on the other side of the table see it as an asset for the City of Charleston that will enhance interconnectivity of the DT/W. Ashley, increase the livability and desirability of West Ashley by giving those who want a less car-dependent lifestyle the option to have that, and as a bi-product of having that option reduce the amount of cars making that short trip across the river.
I don't disagree with you. I believe there should be the biking option. But I do not think the potential ridership is there to void a current and potentially important lane from commuter traffic. If we were talking about adding a bridge or adding a lane, it's an entirely different discussion.
I do understand the study pointed out that it shaves mere seconds off of the current commute. The current one is not one that I am worried about.
Car-dependency is not a sin. The attitude towards it seems to be. It relates the entire bridge lane argument to a sin-tax. It's one thing to reward particular behavior, but it's another thing to punish behavior. Choice of dwelling is not a light decision. With kids involved, many here have been hammered into thinking Dorchester II and MtP are the only decent school districts outside of private. Then many don't want to invest in a $200k fixer-upper in MtP vs. $200k new construction in Summerville. The point is, people often don't have every option available so to be judged by this is odd. There is no reinforcement of existing "bad" behaviors. This is the way it is for most people. Denying that is living in a bubble.
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