Comments on: A Streetcar not Desired? http://megafrontier.com/2009/10/a-streetcar-not-desired/ Urban life in Western America Sat, 19 May 2012 07:05:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Martin Johncox http://megafrontier.com/2009/10/a-streetcar-not-desired/comment-page-1/#comment-66 Martin Johncox Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:00:52 +0000 http://megafrontier.com/?p=395#comment-66 Chris, how to you measure "contender"? It's not from baubles, but from safety, security and reinvestment. Most Bench neighborhoods are without sidewalks, an intolerably unsafe situation and a holdover from when the city allowed subdivisions to be built to primitive standards. The city needs to focus on Safe Routes to School and use its successful redevelopment mojo to redevelop blighted Bench strip malls. Downtown has been doted over enough. It's time to bring the initiative to the Bench; Bieter himself has admitted the Bench has been shortchanged and I am stunned he and the city council would press forward with a trolley while too many neighborhoods suffer from lack of investment. In some ways it is easier to focus on regional transportation than it is to focus on neighborhood reinvestment. I say we need to roll up our sleeves and turn our attention to neglected parts of the city - the places that don't show up on blog mastheads, the places that don't show up on postcards or Chamber of Commerce materials, the places where the tour bus trolley doesn't go. The places where most Boiseans - including you - live. Chris, how to you measure “contender”? It’s not from baubles, but from safety, security and reinvestment. Most Bench neighborhoods are without sidewalks, an intolerably unsafe situation and a holdover from when the city allowed subdivisions to be built to primitive standards. The city needs to focus on Safe Routes to School and use its successful redevelopment mojo to redevelop blighted Bench strip malls. Downtown has been doted over enough. It’s time to bring the initiative to the Bench; Bieter himself has admitted the Bench has been shortchanged and I am stunned he and the city council would press forward with a trolley while too many neighborhoods suffer from lack of investment. In some ways it is easier to focus on regional transportation than it is to focus on neighborhood reinvestment. I say we need to roll up our sleeves and turn our attention to neglected parts of the city - the places that don’t show up on blog mastheads, the places that don’t show up on postcards or Chamber of Commerce materials, the places where the tour bus trolley doesn’t go.

The places where most Boiseans - including you - live.

]]> By: Holli http://megafrontier.com/2009/10/a-streetcar-not-desired/comment-page-1/#comment-64 Holli Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:57:23 +0000 http://megafrontier.com/?p=395#comment-64 Thanks for your explanation of the streetcar, what it is, and what it is not. It's an important thing to know the purpose of the streetcar: downtown economic development and livability. Streetcars are a huge part of Boise's past and, like many things, we're returning to the simpler, old-school ways of doing things (riding bicycles, walking, NOT DRIVING). There are many benefits to all of these things far beyond economics! Thanks for your explanation of the streetcar, what it is, and what it is not. It’s an important thing to know the purpose of the streetcar: downtown economic development and livability. Streetcars are a huge part of Boise’s past and, like many things, we’re returning to the simpler, old-school ways of doing things (riding bicycles, walking, NOT DRIVING). There are many benefits to all of these things far beyond economics!

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