Parking on 14th Street Sidewalk…Again

A few years ago I blogged about city employees parking on the eastside 14th Street sidewalk which resulted on a policy change and keeping the sidewalk open for pedestrians. Last weekend driving home I saw a more egregious use of  the sidewalk for parking.

I was livid as I watched a pedestrian forced to walk in the roadway. Fourteenth Street has four lanes yet someone decided cars should take over the sidewalk too!?!

A new effort is underway to plan streetscape changes on 14th from Washington Ave to Clark St., I’ll need to suggest street trees and/or bollards to physically protect the pedestrian space. I shouldn’t have to spend so much time just trying to keep cars off sidewalks downtown.

 – Steve Patterson

Readers Supportive of Park Bond Debt

Last week more than half the readers that voted in the poll support the city taking on debt to fix our many parks:

Q: Do you support St. Louis selling bonds to fund park improvements?

1. Yes, investing in our park infrastructure will help the city prosper! 52 [54.17%]
2. No, the debt will be a burden on city revenues 21 [21.88%]
3. Possibly 12 [12.5%]
4. unsure/no opinion 6 [6.25%]
5. Other: 5 [5.21%]

The other answers were:

1. If we need bonds, then do a bond issue. Tax revenues are for ongoing revenue.
2. like better parks. don’t like debt. hm?
3. why not sell bonds to improve failed school district?
4. No. there are at least a half dozen more pressing needs than park maintenance
5. I support the bonds but agree with JZ71 – funding needs to be more distributed.

Time will tell if this was a good decision. Improved parks may make city neighborhoods more appealing, attracting residents, businesses and jobs. Increased revenues cover the debt. On the other hand service cuts might be needed in the future to deal with the debt payments. The original post had some spirited comments.

– Steve Patterson

5th Ward Candidate Forum Tonight

The three women seeking to fill April Ford-Griffin’s unfinished term as 5th Ward Alderman will make their case tonight:

The League of Women Voters of St. Louis is moderating a public forum for candidates running for the St. Louis 5th Ward Alderwoman race on Tuesday, December 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Vashon High School Cafeteria, 3035 Cass Ave., 63106.

The public will have the opportunity to learn more about the candidates seeking election in the 5th Ward by hearing them speak and answer questions in a public forum one week before the special election. There are three candidates running for one vacancy: Tammika Hubbard (Democrat), Tonya Finley (Independent), and Rose M. Green (Independent). (St. Louis American)

I’ve never met any of these candidates in person but I will have to decide which one will get my vote on the 20th. My expectations, frankly, are low. I’ve yet to see any evidence any of them are a 21st century candidate with use of social media and a website.  They might say the majority of 5th ward voters aren’t on Twitter/online but national research suggests otherwise:

Non-white internet users continue to have higher rates of Twitter use than their white counterparts; indeed, the Twitter adoption gap between African-Americans and whites has increased over the past six months. In November 2010, there was an eight percentage point difference in Twitter use between African-American and white internet users (13% for blacks vs. 5% for whites). By May 2011, that gap was 16 percentage points—25% of online African Americans now use Twitter, compared with 9% of such whites. African-American and Latino internet users are each significantly more likely than whites to be Twitter adopters. Even more notable: One in ten African-American internet users now visit Twitter on a typical day—that is double the rate for Latinos and nearly four times the rate for whites. (Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project)

The tern expires in the Spring of 2013.

– Steve Patterson

MetroBus & MetroLink: Separate And Unequal

Winter weather is here but not to worry, Metro will keep you warm.

Unless you are like most transit riders and you take MetroBus. I’ve not inspected all the MetroBus Transit Centers but I know the Civic Center Transit Center doesn’t have any heaters, yet all MetroLink platforms do!

A Metro blog post in October titled It’s Getting Cold Outside: Platform Heaters Now on All Outdoor MetroLink Stations explains the heaters:

Is it us, or is it getting colder outside? Not too cold for baseball fans though! All outdoor MetroLink Stations are now fitted with platform heaters, but it’s important to remember that in order to conserve energy, the heaters operate under the following conditions:

•  Only during regular scheduled service (4:30 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.)
• Only if the temperature is 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
• Only for 15 minutes each time the button is pushed.

All platform heaters now have decals on them with information about how and when they can be turned on.

Uh, it’s cold at MetroBus Centers as well. Metro treats rail and bus riders differently and in the winter this is painfully obvious…oh the pain is frostbite.  Most exterior MetroLink platforms are in a depressed rail right-of-way somewhat naturally sheltered from the cold wind, but most MetroBus Transit Centers are at grade and fully exposed to cold winds.

This inequity is new too:

Metro’s partners in Illinois at the St. Clair County Transit District determined that MetroLink passengers need to stay toasty while waiting for MetroLink. In 2009, Metro finished installing platform heaters at all Illinois MetroLink stations, thanks to funding from St. Clair County Transit District. These heaters are passenger-controlled, ceiling-mounted heaters that Metro installed along with a wind shelter on the MetroLink platforms. They run on a timer, so they turn off after 15 minutes, to save energy. The heaters are also set so that they don’t come on at all if the temperature is above fifty degrees. This initiative was so popular, Metro decided to extend it to Missouri stations as well.

Beginning in February 2010, Metro began turning on new platform heaters at several Missouri MetroLink stations, including: North Hanley, Delmar Loop, Clayton, Shrewsbury, Civic Center, and Central West End. All other Missouri MetroLink stations are slated to get heaters, excluding the underground stations (such as the 8th & Pine station downtown – passengers are already sheltered and those stations don’t get as cold), and the two airport stations.

The project necessarily includes an evaluation of the power needed at each station, and in some cases updating equipment to move extra power into the station. The stations chosen for the first round of installation in Missouri are some of the busiest stations, but also the easiest to upgrade. The Grand Station heaters will be placed as a part of the station redesign in 2011, in conjunction with the construction of a new transit plaza underneath the new Grand Avenue bridge that the City of St. Louis will build.

Metro is working to complete all remaining stations -with the exception of the tunnel stations, two airport stations, and Grand – by the end of 2010. (source)

I don’t even know the total number of MetroBus Transit Centers, they aren’t listed online — at least not that I can find. Metro needs to put a plan in place to rectify this inequality.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Changes To Voluntary Ban Policy Good or Bad?

Recent changes regarding gambling in Missouri:

Regulators voted unanimously to relax the state’s voluntary exclusion program, allowing people who have chosen to bar themselves for life from Missouri casinos to have the prohibition lifted after at least five years. People could opt to rejoin the banned list later, but it would mean a lifetime prohibition. (KMOV)

Is this a good thing? The argument in support is more might be willing to ban themselves if they know it would be lifted in five years.

I know casinos are no place for me but this seemed like a good poll topic.

– Steve Patterson