Henrietta not so scary someday (Comments: 4)

4 comments to “Henrietta not so scary someday”

Jon, August 24th, 2009 at 3:40 pm:

• Not really a victory – there does NOT need to be an extra lane for auto traffic. It’s only going to encourage even more bloat in the area. Getting miserable sitting in traffic is exactly what it takes to get people on buses, bikes, or carpooling. We need sidewalks and bike routes untethered from road expansion.

Arcanum, August 24th, 2009 at 4:39 pm:

• I ride along Jefferson in the area between East River Rd and 390 with some regularity. Mostly between East River and West Henrietta roads. I say “along” deliberately: I never ride on the street there. I use the nearly-abandoned so-called “sidewalk” where it exists, and parking lots andside roads where it doesn’t. I have no idea what the legality is of sidewalk riding in Henrietta, but I’ll take a minor illegality over riding Jefferson in this case.

  As far as cars vs. bikes in road construction, trying to push bikes at the expense of cars this far out from the city center is precisely as much of a losing proposition for the bikes as it is when one hits the other on the road. Saying, in effect, “screw you” to drivers wins you few friends and lots of enemies in the political and public policy arena.

Julie, August 24th, 2009 at 5:37 pm:

• I don’t think getting people miserable sitting in traffic will do it, to be honest. Think about L.A. What will? Increasing the cost of driving, primarily through increased gas prices. Given the implications for the climate, I believe this that should be a primary goal for anyone who wants to promote cycling and reduce climate change. Meanwhile, I don’t mind lanes dedicated just to cyclists…we have to get around somehow, while we’re waiting for the change we’re working towards!

Jason Olshefsky, August 24th, 2009 at 9:51 pm:

• Consider the idea of a nationalized road construction company that would be funded solely through taxes on fuel for vehicles that would use the roads. It would certainly throttle further construction which is something that should have been important to start years ago. The socialized approach that we’ve been using so far causes exponential growth which overall has been more-or-less a good thing. The time has come, however, to slow that growth and to slow our desire to equalize the value of goods and services that come from far away. Expenses would be passed down to consumers such that cost would increase in proportion to distance.

  The opposite needs to be done with ecological, efficient alternatives, however. Just like the automobile’s reluctant introduction to the countryside was bolstered by socialized road building, we need to promote the construction of alternatives to automobiles. Walking, biking, and quality public transportation need to be considered as viable alternatives as the cost of individual automobile transportation increases.

  But I’m way off topic, somewhere in an alternative reality future. Henrietta’s decisions now to even consider bike lanes is an important one and a “Good Thing” because one facet of this kind of growth is awareness and promotion.