organsnyder
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Posts posted by organsnyder
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Because the idealogues tend to have a "my way or the highway" mentality.
While strict fundamentalists on both sides won't help the debate, there is something to be said for making sure that all ideas — no matter how extreme — are on the table. Given the way that most media reports public debates, the "middle" is seen as simply the half-way point between the two most extreme arguments. If the goalposts are set at keeping 131 the same vs. a modest improvement (e.g. pedestrian bridge), then the "compromise" won't be very good. If, OTOH, the goalposts are between the former and an urban boulevard, then that same pedestrian bridge looks much more reasonable — and affordable.
This is the same negotiation lesson that President Obama got burned learning: You can't give away all your bargaining chips upfront. Start with the most extreme position, and negotiate to the middle. This way, both sides feel that they've given something in return for getting something. Otherwise, the other side will feel like they're doing all of the work to reach a compromise.
That being said, I don't like the urban boulevard idea; a very busy road (even if it only had half of the current 131 traffic) is no better than the Wealthy overpass. I like Jippy's proposal to sink 131 below-grade - that allows for a lot more possibilities and reduces the psychological effects of the road.
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Naw, it's going to be the "Confused Emu"
This is starting to sound like a discussion on the name of the next Ubuntu Linux release (I'm running Precise Pangolin at the moment).
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When plans for the Amtrak station were announced, many people (myself included) wondered why the station is going to be located south of Wealthy, separated from Central Station by a parking lot. Perhaps this is because the long-term plans include bringing Wealthy down to grade. At that time, a pedestrian bridge could be constructed to connect the Amtrak Station with Central Station.
I notice that reconstructing US-131 from 28th St. to Wealthy, including adding weave/merge lanes, is on the 2035 GVMC plan. This project might be an ideal time to raise 131, as the bridges south of Wealthy will, I assume, already need to be reconstructed to add the new lanes. The project is in the Illustrative Project List appendix, though there is a price-tag listed, so some planning has already been done.
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NPR's All Things Considered had a segment today focusing on two cities that are doing well despite the difficult economy: Nashville and Grand Rapids. Mayor Heartwell was interviewed.
http://www.npr.org/2011/10/04/141054586/in-tough-times-how-are-cities-staying-afloat
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Also, an article yesterday about funding infrastructure around the market:
Grand Rapids intends to issue $3 million in bonds to aid urban market development
I hope that the infrastructure improvements include a non-motorized crossing over 131 to access Central Station - the Wealthy Street bridge, the only current option, was never intended to carry non-motorized traffic.
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I'm pretty sure Quiznos is closed. I have a gift card and the MaKay tower location was empty when I tried to use it in April. As was the Knapp-E. Beltline one. Anyone know if there's any more left in town?
There's one in the Shell station on Cascade Rd between East Paris and the I-96 interchange. It was open when I was there last (less than a month ago, IIRC).
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I heard the Grand Rapids Brewing Company is closing. I wonder, what with the expansion of Founder's, and so many other brewpubs and drinking destinations popping up in the center of town, if there wasn't any room for them anymore.
Sad to see an old company go. Then again, I've never been there either, and I'm from Kentwood.
From what I understand, GRBC was bought from its former owner a year or so ago. In addition to some issues with the ownership change (I know there was a dispute between the former and new owner as to who was responsible for covering gift certificates), the food went downhill. The last time I was there (in March), the menu was extremely limited and the food was not very good. It used to be one of my favorite restaurants, but after my last experience I was not eager to go back; I suspect I'm not the only one with this experience.
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Check out this video profile of professional skater Josh Kalis, professionally shot by DCShoesMedia:
Some cool shots of the city in there.
My favorite part is the Burton & K-zoo segment. He shows off the places where he skated as a kid, including the cement block where he attempted his first trick. There's also a moment that had my wife and I both laughing that I won't give away. The footage at Modern Skate and Surf at the end is pretty cool as well.
Wow - I didn't know that my church's parking lot had that kind of history.
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I don't think that's a fair assessment at all. It looks like their website uses a fixed width, so if your window is small of course there will be a scroll bar. As a web developer myself I can tell you their work is actually pretty good. Of course my company is better.
I'm seeing a horizontal scroll-bar on my 1920x1080 monitor. It's not the whole page that scrolls, but an iframe/div within the page.
Their site may be visually appealing and technologically sound (I like the Flash-less eye candy) but it utterly fails as a business site for one reason: by looking at the front page, how can you tell what kind of company they are? Why would I care who Ed Dobson is (the most prominent text on the page to me) if I'm looking for a web site design company? Building a good web site requires knowledge of more than graphics design and coding.
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I just went to Interstate Traveler's web site (the "Hydrogen Super Highway" company) and came away far from impressed. First of all, a company that has supposedly secured funding (the news article says they have it secured) - even if they had a small fraction of the funding needed - could design a web site that looks better than the one they have now, which reminds me of a late-1990's Geocities personal home page.
Also, the technology is hardly explained well. First of all, why hydrogen? According to their web site, they'll use solar panels to produce the hydrogen, which I assume will then be transported to the cars and used for fuel. Since it's a brand-new, restricted-access, proprietary rail system, why not electrify the rail and get rid of the hydrogen (and its expense and inefficiencies) entirely? To me, it sounds like the hydrogen part is a buzz-word to get attention rather than a plan based on scientific research.
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Why? What makes this idea silly? What is it that I am missing?
I can't speak definitively for GRDad, but a lot of the opposition (or at least lack of enthusiasm) I've heard - and share - is because it sounds like a big pipe dream. It also sounds a lot like a classic episode of The Simpsons.
I don't think that the promoter of the project is trying to bilk us out of our money - he's trying to raise venture capital from private investors (whether they'll get a return on their investment is their concern). However, I won't get excited about it until shovels (non-golden) send dirt flying.
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The point of rail systems gaining an efficiency in operation and economics is that capacity is not directly correlated to man power. That's one reason why operating single cars (no matter the transit mode) in high capacity corridors results in higher costs.
In addition to the manpower savings, there's also quite a bit of energy savings due to aerodynamics - each car is drafting the car ahead of it, after all.
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Grand Rapids officials consider taking parking meter payments by cell phone, credit card
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/ind...ls_conside.html
Anyone been to Petoskey lately? Is it actually convenient or just a pain in the neck?
I was there just over a month ago. We just used cash, IIRC. There's a shared machine for a group of parking spots, and it accepts coins, bills, and cards. It was very easy to use; we would have appreciated it more if we didn't have cash. The nice thing about the system is that it would make it easier for GR to charge more for parking (which is way too cheap right now, IMHO).
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I would say you are probably right that the Silver Line was an easy target for an in I've never ridden a BRT, so honestly I can't get my arms around the difference between it and a regular bus. I've been on plenty of rail systems, and the difference between those and the buses I've ridden is profound. I'm not convinced by the Federal government that BRT is where everyone should be heading.
I was never extremely excited about the BRT for the same reason (though I did vote for it - it would have been at least a step in the right direction). For a lot of people that I talked to about it - even people generally supportive of mass transit - the question I heard the most was "how is this different than a regular bus?"
Light rail, on the other hand, is a much different animal. In addition to the ease of showing the difference between rail and buses, I think it will also lead to transit proponents being much more excited about it, which will translate into better turnout. I'm extremely pro-transit, but I had a difficult time motivating myself to sell the millage to others when my main rationale was based more on trusting the ITP than excitement over the actual millage.
On a side note, a neighbor across the street had a "No to millages" sign (hand-written with permanent marker) out yesterday. This is the same neighbor that had a "No communism, no socialism, Nobama" sign last fall, so I guess it's to be expected.
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It's still there all you masses. Just pull your cursor over it. You know legal, more interested in the letter of the law....
I'm fairly certain that your method of redacting PR-15's information is endorsed by the FBI. You're in good company (and the information you redacted is about as valuable as the info the FBI redacted).
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'pomegranate studios' now has a very simple web presence including an email address.
When I looked at the URL, my eyes first saw "pornstudios"
Division / Wealthy and ICCF
in Grand Rapids
Posted
Tell that to the current real estate market (at least here in GR). My wife and I recently purchased a new house, and houses with the attributes we were looking for — walkability, neighborhood stability, etc. — were selling within weeks, if priced right. Houses in the outer ring of the city limits, such as the Calvin College area, were staying on the market much longer, even though they were priced lower per square foot, were newer, and had nice yards.
Downtown has seen astounding growth over the past decade — even with the supposed lack of parking. Compare that to the suburban centers: the new ones (Celebration North) are doing well, but others (Roger's Plaza) are failing. If parking is the panacea you're making it out to be, why isn't Wyoming's sea of empty parking spaces and easy highway accessibility leading to a flurry of redevelopment?