This newsletter will be different than my previous ones. I have generally discussed things that the Council has been doing. This time I would like to make a suggestion that is very different from the current approach to crossing 32nd St with the N ART.
One of the challenges of being a City Council is to do one’s best to “look outside the box”. This means being open to new ideas, different ways of doing things, seeing things from a different perspective and not being hemmed in by previous ways of doing things or ideas about how they should be done; rather to consider how they COULD be done.
All around the world and the nation are safe, at-grade crossings for pedestrians & bikes. This concept is possible here in Durango. My request is that this proposal be considered and evaluated as a way to provide safety for everyone.
As I was pondering the North ART crossing of 32nd Street, I happened to see a photo in the Telegraph which changed my perspective and caused me to think of 32nd St in a holistic manner and not to just focus on the ART crossing.
As such, I formulated an idea for safety along the entirety of 32nd St, from CR250 to Main St. Below is the basis of the proposal I presented to City Council, City Staff and the County Commissioners:
I would like to suggest that Council and Staff consider the entirety of 32nd St in a holistic manner regarding safety and attractiveness.
By putting traffic calming features along the entire stretch of 32nd St, adding safe crossings along its length and making adaptations to the bridge – safety could be provided for ALL USERS – peds, bikes and vehicles. This is also an area that could greatly benefit from adding trees in the traffic calming devices and other areas (thereby implementing the Forest Management Plan).
If the City’s Streets, Multimodal, and Parks & Rec departments worked together to make this happen, the City could have a safe, attractive street with safe crossings that is used by a significant number of City & County residents.