Baton Rouge? (New Orleans, Shenandoah, Livingston: sales, houses, promotional)

[rcp11889]

Originally Posted by Caa

I live near Pecue lans and work at LSU. it takes me 25 minutes to get home, that is not bad IMO! baton Rouge is a nice town no matter what people say. I love it when people want a more walking type town. tell me, where, besides NYC, do people never need their cars? I have lived in 5 different cities and always needed my car-this is not Europe!

Honestly, in many cities across America it is easy to move around without a car. Try Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, New York, etc.

Also, no one is saying that Baton Rouge needs to be like New York where you can go anywhere you want without a car. I think people just want a different option than driving. Is it really that burdensome to WALK somewhere and see your city in a different way than from behind a wheel?? I love it when people from Baton Rouge see no reason for public transit or sidewalks because it just shows them to be lazy.

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by rcp11889

Honestly, in many cities across America it is easy to move around without a car. Try Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, New York, etc.

Also, no one is saying that Baton Rouge needs to be like New York where you can go anywhere you want without a car. I think people just want a different option than driving. Is it really that burdensome to WALK somewhere and see your city in a different way than from behind a wheel?? I love it when people from Baton Rouge see no reason for public transit or sidewalks because it just shows them to be lazy.

I like the fact that they aren't out trying to impress the Jones' and acting like they're something they're not.

And yes, in most parts of town it is burdensome to walk somewhere. There are no corner stores, restaurants, etc. in the heart of some of Baton Rouge's largest subdivisions. They were designed around the automobile. Not to mention the blistering heat. I like to walk, but I don't walk anywhere more than a block away in this weather.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

I like the fact that they aren't out trying to impress the Jones' and acting like they're something they're not.

And yes, in most parts of town it is burdensome to walk somewhere. There are no corner stores, restaurants, etc. in the heart of some of Baton Rouge's largest subdivisions. They were designed around the automobile. Not to mention the blistering heat. I like to walk, but I don't walk anywhere more than a block away in this weather.

No one is trying to change those neighborhoods.

[rcp11889]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

I like the fact that they aren't out trying to impress the Jones' and acting like they're something they're not.

And yes, in most parts of town it is burdensome to walk somewhere. There are no corner stores, restaurants, etc. in the heart of some of Baton Rouge's largest subdivisions. They were designed around the automobile. Not to mention the blistering heat. I like to walk, but I don't walk anywhere more than a block away in this weather.

The point is that there is no desire whatsoever for the residents of Baton Rouge to have walkable areas. I seriously don't get the whole "we dont want to change...that's not who we are". No one is trying to force people to change. It's more about trying to give people multiple options of transportation so that traffic can actually move. It is downright ridiculous how bad traffic is in this "city". Anyone who thinks that the traffic is not that bad either doesn't want to admit it or has never traveled.

Just because "this isn't europe" does not mean that we can't move around in a more efficient way. I have been to Europe twice, NYC twice, D.C. once and grew up in NOLA and, honestly, it is MUCH easier to get around in those places. Sure, driving can be the easiest options in many cases, but a lot of times it can be much easier to just walk (like how people in BR drive to go the gas station and get some beer or a snack when it's two blocks away or even across the street). I recently read in DIG magazine about the "downtown revitalization". A lot of people were saying that they really appreciated all the activity going on, yet many people complained about the lack of parking. The point is that if there were bike lanes, streetcars or better buses, sidewalks, then people could easily go downtown and not have to park. People could get downtown to drink and not have to drive home. It really is easier to get around when there are more options for transportation. When gas prices get even higher, BR will wish they had more transportation options.

Also, New Orleans was designed for horse and carriage but that didn't stop the city from paving roads and building an interstate. BR can make the change too.

[mhounit]

One person's opinion ...

[rcp11889]

Originally Posted by mhounit

One person's opinion ...

But, can you honestly give me a reason why BR should not be a walkable city besides the fact that BR shouldn't be something it's not?

[annie_himself]

No they can't. Their ignorance tends to show when they argue new planning and city improvements.

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by rcp11889

But, can you honestly give me a reason why BR should not be a walkable city besides the fact that BR shouldn't be something it's not?

Some people (like you) will never understand the concept of a car city. The parts of the town that would be walkable are already fairly walkable. The vast majority of this town was developed after the invention of the automobile. You will not make any place walkable if there is no place to walk to, you will just be throwing money away. It is good to try to improve where you can (i.e. the core of the city) and that is happening. It is wasteful and irrisponsible to spend a bunch of money trying to make someplace like Sherwood Forest or Shenandoah walkable. The problem with some of you people is that you think you know more about this town than the people who have lived here their entire lives. We know what will work, we know what won't. It is not worth blowing our tax dollars to try to be more like (insert name of a trendy city here). I think we Baton Rougeans are very realistic people. We don't run on butterflies and pixie dust, we run on what we know. There have been times when the city spend millions to install sidewalks in some areas that are practically never used. If you would like to fund a comprehensive program for sidewalks in areas where it is obvious they will not be used, be my guest. I, however, would prefer to see my money going to sewer repairs, new schools and firestations, parks, and economic development. Yes I agree sidewalks/bike lanes should be an important part of improving the city core. But if you focus on that, and spend all of the (very limited) monies there to make sidewalks appear almost overnight, what do you tell the residents of the vast neighborhoods outside of the central core who do not benefit from that investment? You could go and put sidewalks where they are, but they won't be able to use them where they are. So what do you want them to do? Abandon their life and home and move to someplace more walkable like mid-city? Optimism is great but you have got to be realistic!

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by mhounit

One person's opinion ...

The opinion of alot of people who think because it worked in (insert city name here) it must work in Baton Rouge.

[mhounit]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

Some people (like you) will never understand the concept of a car city. The parts of the town that would be walkable are already fairly walkable. The vast majority of this town was developed after the invention of the automobile. You will not make any place walkable if there is no place to walk to, you will just be throwing money away. It is good to try to improve where you can (i.e. the core of the city) and that is happening. It is wasteful and irrisponsible to spend a bunch of money trying to make someplace like Sherwood Forest or Shenandoah walkable. The problem with some of you people is that you think you know more about this town than the people who have lived here their entire lives. We know what will work, we know what won't. It is not worth blowing our tax dollars to try to be more like (insert name of a trendy city here). I think we Baton Rougeans are very realistic people. We don't run on butterflies and pixie dust, we run on what we know. There have been times when the city spend millions to install sidewalks in some areas that are practically never used. If you would like to fund a comprehensive program for sidewalks in areas where it is obvious they will not be used, be my guest. I, however, would prefer to see my money going to sewer repairs, new schools and firestations, parks, and economic development. Yes I agree sidewalks/bike lanes should be an important part of improving the city core. But if you focus on that, and spend all of the (very limited) monies there to make sidewalks appear almost overnight, what do you tell the residents of the vast neighborhoods outside of the central core who do not benefit from that investment? You could go and put sidewalks where they are, but they won't be able to use them where they are. So what do you want them to do? Abandon their life and home and move to someplace more walkable like mid-city? Optimism is great but you have got to be realistic!

AWESOME post !