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Location: Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, and Raleigh
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Since this is something seriously encouraged by the alternative modal component of the federal funding transportation program, MAPS-21, has there been more pedestrian-friendly and sidewalk infrastructure being placed in around the region? Is it basically the same where the only sidewalks that have been placed in the typical areas intown around Birmingham?
I'm curious because Birmingham seems to be one of the few southern major metropolitan areas where sidewalks are lacking outside of its urban core and very few exist even in newer developments and the supposed smart growth developments as well.
I don't know about Birmingham, but many small towns are getting sidewalk funding. I live 50 miles from Mobile, and there's several sidewalk projects in my town planned for 2016.
Since this is something seriously encouraged by the alternative modal component of the federal funding transportation program, MAPS-21, has there been more pedestrian-friendly and sidewalk infrastructure being placed in around the region? Is it basically the same where the only sidewalks that have been placed in the typical areas intown around Birmingham?
I'm curious because Birmingham seems to be one of the few southern major metropolitan areas where sidewalks are lacking outside of its urban core and very few exist even in newer developments and the supposed smart growth developments as well.
You are wrong!
Mountain brook has just completed extensive sidewalk infra-structure throughout the community in keeping with the stonework design of the original founding Jemison Plan created by Warren Manning and Frederick Olmsted.
Also, Birmingham and Mountain Brook have jointly been planning and working on a major project that includes a new road through Lane Park with a roundabout at the Zoo and Botanical Garden entrances. This work includes major flood sewer design for the area around the south of the park as well as the new Lane Parke development of multi family, commercial and the Grand Bohemian Hotel which has just opened across from the Gardens. The park always lacked sidewalks and now connects two of the most desirable walking villages you could find in any city.
Vestavia Hills, on a lesser scale has also created sidewalk infrastructure to connect the various sections of the community.
Hoover is sprawling and therefore has not done as well but does focus on sidewalks at community level.
Smart growth developments. (are you kidding) Of course they have sidewalks, it is the first and primary focus of these communities. The best examples being Mount Laurel, and Moss Rock Preserve, also Cahaba Village, and the incredible Ross Bridge centered around the Trent Jones golf resort and spa.
The most lacking would be the seriously upscale, gated communities which choose not to have sidewalks and cannot be forced to install them.
I do find it amusing that you claim to know so much about the city and yet you don't know these things. I have spent two years dealing with roadblocks around the sidewalk construction which has also included beautiful retaining walls and lighting. I would say that the inner metro core is well covered and certainly does not stand out as lacking, which you have suggested.
Birmingham is fortunate that many areas of its outer metro fringe were older towns that were meshed into the greater community and they always had the smart growth model in place. This is why they have been prosperous and attractive places for new suburban growth, rather than subdivisions.
Ironically, the most glaring example of sidewalks lacking is The Summit. Even Brookwood Village has great sidewalks which I use extensively. They were put in with another major local project; Homewood always had an exemplary system as a streetcar community but some of its new areas lacked and they corrected that while also tying in the Lakeshore Trail to Brookwood and the Jemison Trail, mention earlier, in Mountain Brook.
And although you were not addressing the urban core, I will mention the Jones Valley, Red Rock, Vulcan and Magic City/Rotary Trails as a superb example of the incredible lengths the metro is going to in knitting the community together, all with infrastructure and natural creek paths that were part of the founding plans. It is never too late to do the right thing.
Last edited by preguntas; 11-08-2015 at 11:15 AM..
I noticed Hoover is putting more in around the Bluff and Star Lake.
I'm pretty sure both Hoover and VH have plans to make 31 corridor more pedestrian friendly.
Vestavia Hills has already installed sidewalks through the entire US31 corridor (not yet at Patton Creek) as an adjoining project with the building of the Library in the Forest.
Location: Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, and Raleigh
2,580 posts, read 2,485,733 times
Reputation: 1614
Quote:
Originally Posted by preguntas
You are wrong!
Mountain brook has just completed extensive sidewalk infra-structure throughout the community in keeping with the stonework design of the original founding Jemison Plan created by Warren Manning and Frederick Olmsted.
Also, Birmingham and Mountain Brook have jointly been planning and working on a major project that includes a new road through Lane Park with a roundabout at the Zoo and Botanical Garden entrances. This work includes major flood sewer design for the area around the south of the park as well as the new Lane Parke development of multi family, commercial and the Grand Bohemian Hotel which has just opened across from the Gardens. The park always lacked sidewalks and now connects two of the most desirable walking villages you could find in any city.
Vestavia Hills, on a lesser scale has also created sidewalk infrastructure to connect the various sections of the community.
Hoover is sprawling and therefore has not done as well but does focus on sidewalks at community level.
Smart growth developments. (are you kidding) Of course they have sidewalks, it is the first and primary focus of these communities. The best examples being Mount Laurel, and Moss Rock Preserve, also Cahaba Village, and the incredible Ross Bridge centered around the Trent Jones golf resort and spa.
The most lacking would be the seriously upscale, gated communities which choose not to have sidewalks and cannot be forced to install them.
I do find it amusing that you claim to know so much about the city and yet you don't know these things. I have spent two years dealing with roadblocks around the sidewalk construction which has also included beautiful retaining walls and lighting. I would say that the inner metro core is well covered and certainly does not stand out as lacking, which you have suggested.
Birmingham is fortunate that many areas of its outer metro fringe were older towns that were meshed into the greater community and they always had the smart growth model in place. This is why they have been prosperous and attractive places for new suburban growth, rather than subdivisions.
Ironically, the most glaring example of sidewalks lacking is The Summit. Even Brookwood Village has great sidewalks which I use extensively. They were put in with another major local project; Homewood always had an exemplary system as a streetcar community but some of its new areas lacked and they corrected that while also tying in the Lakeshore Trail to Brookwood and the Jemison Trail, mention earlier, in Mountain Brook.
And although you were not addressing the urban core, I will mention the Jones Valley, Red Rock, Vulcan and Magic City/Rotary Trails as a superb example of the incredible lengths the metro is going to in knitting the community together, all with infrastructure and natural creek paths that were part of the founding plans. It is never too late to do the right thing.
First of all, I opened the thread for discussion about the construction of sidewalk infrastructure in this region... Secondly, I'm not wrong because because I am well aware of most of these sidewalks around Mountain Brook villages and around the Birmingham Zoo, Ross Bridge, and multimodal trails apart of the Red Rock regional trail system. I'm well of aware what exists and doesn't exist since I did work in regional planning specializing in alternative mode of transportation. There is a grant program initiated by the RPCGB via the MPO using MAPS-21 funds to get sidewalk and multimodal paths constructed. Finally, the point of this thread was becaon discussion on where more sidewalks are needed since Birmingham has been lacking for years, and which ones were constructed and are under construction using the RPCGB-administered program.
BTW, learn how to address people when they aren't attacking you. Your tone comes off really off-putting, asinine, and crazy in that long post. Thanks for completely throwing off the point of this whole thread. Geez...
The long post was an attempt to bring you up to date on progress you must be unaware of or you wouldn't have been presuming there is not sidewalk infrastructure in the works or finished, as you did in your post. Sidewalks are being built where they are needed and planned accordingly.
Why responding with the facts bothers you I don't know; but telling someone they are wrong, especially when they are, is neither 'off-putting', 'asinine', or 'crazy.
And I did not mention Mountain Brook Village sidewalks, I mentioned that the entire community has retrofitted beautifully designed sidewalks in keeping with the original Warren Manning design for the community.
How can you start a subject you know so little about and then be so sensitive. Be an adult, just because I challenged your outdated view of this local subject, you are now attacking me. But that is ok, I take it for what it is.
No I did not throw off your thread, I gave you all the information you needed, so as to know, that this insinuating quote of yours is very uninformed or just simply provocative in the way so many of your posts attempt to be.
QUOTE: "I'm curious because Birmingham seems to be one of the few southern major metropolitan areas where sidewalks are lacking outside of its urban core and very few exist even in newer developments and the supposed smart growth developments as well."
Last edited by preguntas; 11-09-2015 at 10:00 AM..
Location: Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, and Raleigh
2,580 posts, read 2,485,733 times
Reputation: 1614
Quote:
Originally Posted by preguntas
The long post was an attempt to bring you up to date on progress you must be unaware of or you wouldn't have been presuming there is not sidewalk infrastructure in the works or finished, as you did in your post. Sidewalks are being built where they are needed and planned accordingly.
Why responding with the facts bothers you I don't know; but telling someone they are wrong, especially when they are, is neither 'off-putting', 'asinine', or 'crazy.
And I did not mention Mountain Brook Village sidewalks, I mentioned that the entire community has retrofitted beautifully designed sidewalks in keeping with the original Warren Manning design for the community.
How can you start a subject you know so little about and then be so sensitive. Be an adult, just because I challenged your outdated view of this local subject, you are now attacking me. But that is ok, I take it for what it is.
No I did not throw off your thread, I gave you all the information you needed, so as to know, that this insinuating quote of yours is very uninformed or just simply provocative in the way so many of your posts attempt to be.
QUOTE: "I'm curious because Birmingham seems to be one of the few southern major metropolitan areas where sidewalks are lacking outside of its urban core and very few exist even in newer developments and the supposed smart growth developments as well."
Your post begins with "You are wrong!", and somehow that isn't off-putting, asinine, crazy, and didn't throw off the thread intent. If you wanted to provide information and dialog then do without the brash and unnecessary intro. There are numerous occasions where one could interject without beckoning acrimony, but your approach resulted in reproach. Learn a better choice of words because an adult doesn't begin with "You are wrong!", and that is extremely juvenile. Sorry, I'm not sensitive as you assume rather apathetic to conflict based rhetoric where there is no reason for it exist when learning and mutual regard is lacking...
<shrug> this thread reminds me of the sidewalks around our house in the Ft. Lauderdale area. There were a couple of seniors that used the walk for a morning constitutional before it got too hot out, and the rest of the day the users were dog walkers who used the convenient walks to have their dogs poop on our lawn.
Based on that experience, and my driving past miles of empty sidewalks in the Athens area, the cost per mile and amount of usage makes it seem to me that those outside of the urban and multi-family dwelling areas are more artwork than anything useful.
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If you wanted to provide information and dialog then do without the brash and unnecessary intro. There are numerous occasions where one could interject without beckoning acrimony, but your approach resulted in reproach. Learn a better choice of words because an adult doesn't begin with "You are wrong!", and that is extremely juvenile. Sorry, I'm not sensitive as you assume rather apathetic to conflict based rhetoric where there is no reason for it exist when learning and mutual regard is lacking...
