Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Change of venue for Wednesday's planning meeting of Two Way Streets Now.

Take note.

Not only are those damned outsiders conspiring against NA's peculiar one-way institution as the mayor blissfully snores and Warren Naps, but so many residents are interested in Two Way Streets Now's meeting that the venue has changed.

Due to a larger than anticipated crowd - the meeting this Wednesday January 21 at 7pm will be moved to SEW FITTING 156 East Main Street. I anticipate short (30 minutes or so) informational and planning meeting with the goal of establishing talking points, enlisting volunteers, compiling an email list of attendees, rallying support and scheduling follow up meetings. I expect after adjourning the meeting, those that would like, could meet us at a local watering hole to get to know each other better. Please share!

Meanwhile, the best and most succinct comment yet on the topic of the streets comes (as usual) from our dear friend Ted.

I'm supportive restoring 2-way traffic in New Albany. The Speck study is a good document. It's all really just common sense. In fact, it was common sense 10 years ago to slow traffic and remove our one way drag strips. I'm confident the brain trust at the city understood this perfectly. But maybe a connection was lost between brain and balls. Alas, we will fight the fight for what we shouldn't really have to fight for. To be honest, all I really want to know is the implementation schedule. But we will do a little dance for a year or so. It's all a tad frustrating.

An absence of brain trust balls surely has been a recurring feature of life in New Albany, and I share the frustration. Isn't it regrettable that we must outwork both whacked-out opponents and city hall itself,?

But there it is, and we must. Yesterday Jeff Speck himself posted these two photos on Twitter.


That's right: It is a view of Quills, and the two-way signs I was hoofing about, placing in windows, in October of 2013 -- two years after candidate Gahan said he'd do something about the streets, and one and a half years prior to the mayor's present coordinates in his down low bunker, hiding from the issue he formerly claimed was his.

Balls. Where?


ESNA's signs started popping up early in 2014, placing it well ahead of the typically timorous political curve. Oddly, as someone noted recently, the local Democratic Party mentions the word "walkable" in its official platform ...


 ... although to find it, one must be prepared to endure music that sounds like it was borrowed from the restroom audio at Disney World. That fantasy land approach seems to pervade the party's customary stance of non-action. Wonder why?

In truth, there will be a price if local politicos don't take ownership of this issue, but even if they awaken and do so, they're only borrowing ownership because we're allowing them to do so. That's because this issue, and the streets themselves, belong to residents -- and the residents have been on top of it for a decade or more.

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