....I would make sidewalks a priority on main roads, particularly when those roads are bus routes and/or have schools along them. We walked along Beechmont Avenue recently and it was downright scary. Of course it was not helped by snow but cars really barrel along this road with scant attention paid to road markings. When I look on the map of New Rochelle, schools seem to cluster on or near our busiest roads...or maybe the roads are busy because this is where the schools are? And naturally the bus routes tend to be along these roads too. So why aren't we making them safer for children to walk to school, commuters to walk to the bus stop and wait at a safe and sheltered
And I'd lower and enforce the speed limit. The sign on this photo may show a 20 mile corner but no one was paying any attention. Knowing the odds of pedestrian survival skyrocket as speed goes down, I'd make all residential areas 20mph zones. And drivers were consistently on the shoulder. I don't blame the drivers for this but the roading engineers, there is something about this stretch that just lends itself to hugging along the shoulder. Not sure if it is the width of the road, the camber, the sight lines?
This issue of sidewalks brings me to another point. While I am a huge advocate for sidewalks I also worry about the ever expanding asphalt and non permeable surfaces in our urban areas. As we live on the edge of Long Island Sound I think New Rochelle needs to be particularly aware about runoff, both the amount (there is a limit to what our storm drains can handle) and what is in it that ends up in our waterways. One option is to increase the amount of permeable paving on our streets and in our car parks. I spoke with someone at City Hall last year who said there has been some use of permeable paving but I don't know how many places it has been tried, where it is currently, or what the results have been. Wikipedia has a lot of useful information about options and lists managing runoff, pollutants control and better growing environments for trees as some of the advantages but is also quick to say that it is only one partial solution to a complex issue when it comes to run off and that no one knows for sure if trees really benefit. I am also unsure how costs compare between permeable and non permeable. Still, it is a start. And as William McDonough and Michael Braungart, creators of Cradle to Cradle put it - we need to start where we are and seek continuous improvement. For anyone unfamiliar with Cradle to Cradle principles I urge you to take a look. It breaks everything down into 'food' either biological or chemical. The aim is to be as abundant as nature while making sure that nothing is wasted, that everything is endlessly reused even as it changes form. I don't yet know if there is a permeable pavement that has Cradle to Cradle certification but if not, it is something for us to work toward. What I particularly like about Cradle to Cradle is it is not just about the environment. It is about a "triple top line" Equity, Ecology, Revenue Generation, and companies are finding that by using C2C design they are saving money while making products that are not just 'not bad' but are beneficial - adding value to the planet and to society.
This issue of sidewalks brings me to another point. While I am a huge advocate for sidewalks I also worry about the ever expanding asphalt and non permeable surfaces in our urban areas. As we live on the edge of Long Island Sound I think New Rochelle needs to be particularly aware about runoff, both the amount (there is a limit to what our storm drains can handle) and what is in it that ends up in our waterways. One option is to increase the amount of permeable paving on our streets and in our car parks. I spoke with someone at City Hall last year who said there has been some use of permeable paving but I don't know how many places it has been tried, where it is currently, or what the results have been. Wikipedia has a lot of useful information about options and lists managing runoff, pollutants control and better growing environments for trees as some of the advantages but is also quick to say that it is only one partial solution to a complex issue when it comes to run off and that no one knows for sure if trees really benefit. I am also unsure how costs compare between permeable and non permeable. Still, it is a start. And as William McDonough and Michael Braungart, creators of Cradle to Cradle put it - we need to start where we are and seek continuous improvement. For anyone unfamiliar with Cradle to Cradle principles I urge you to take a look. It breaks everything down into 'food' either biological or chemical. The aim is to be as abundant as nature while making sure that nothing is wasted, that everything is endlessly reused even as it changes form. I don't yet know if there is a permeable pavement that has Cradle to Cradle certification but if not, it is something for us to work toward. What I particularly like about Cradle to Cradle is it is not just about the environment. It is about a "triple top line" Equity, Ecology, Revenue Generation, and companies are finding that by using C2C design they are saving money while making products that are not just 'not bad' but are beneficial - adding value to the planet and to society.
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