City of Jordan Complete Streets - jordanscottcoroadsafety

Featured pictures

Turning incomplete streets into "Complete Streets"

Why does this site exist? We want our streets to be safe, to build our community and wish to exercise fiscal responsibility while accomplishing these goals. Complete Streets was recently adopted by Mn/DOT and passed in the MN legislation in 2010. We too can adopt a local complete streets philosophy to build our community.

We need to raise awareness of growing safety problems for pedestrians, youth, elderly and bicyclists. Our community is heavily segmented and the gap is widening due to budget constraints, no prioritization of projects, non-willingness to tackle small more economical projects and lack of action for years.

Jordan is a small community with an abundance of resources. Most are not connected unless you access them by car. Both cities to the North and south of us have at least 2 safe crossings of Hwy 169 and we have none. We are a hub to Belle Plaine, New Prague, Prior Lake and Carver county, yet have difficulty accessing most of them by bicycle.

Jordan is segmented by(gaps):

High speed corridors: Hwy 9,Hwy 21, Hwy 282, Hwy 169, Old 169
Bluffs
Railroad Tracks
Sand Creek
Minnesota River

Jordan neighborhoods are disconnected from eachother and some have no sidewalks. Newer developments where the plans for multi-use paths were never implemented. Check our photos for examples of incomplete streets.

Everyone is pointing the finger at everyone else, "our hands are tied". We need to appeal to our city engineering firm and city employees to adopt a complete streets philosophy.

Vision for Complete Streets locally

Safety: Be able to cross busy or high speed roads safely
Economic: Support our businesses both new and old
Environment:

Build recreation and healthy activities in our community (Very few safe running routes in Jordan)
Reconnect our community
Reconnect resources

Own our responsibility to surrounding cities as a "hub"
Equity: Give cheaper transportation choices
Add Flexibility: remove rigid statewide design requirements that impede progress in communities with existing infrastructure.
Fiscal Responsibility: A $5,000 plan was voted down and the response was a presentation of a different plan that would have taken well over $100,000. On road solutions have to be considered when more appropriate or fiscally sensitive.

Links to Our Community Story:

Quotes from the Jordan Independent Article (July 17, 2009):

http://www.jordannews.com/news/city-politics/proposed-bicycle-routes-no-more-107

1.The Jordan City Council passed a bicycle route plan more than two years ago,.. Link

2.A Councilmember said that bike routes cause bicyclists a “false sense of security.” Rebuttal Link

3. A complete misrepresentation of published guidelines: "despite a past suggestion from a Minneapolis planner, who helped Jordan with its bicycle route plan,that cities are not required to strictly adhere to the manual’s guidelines. Caron said the statement is not in the Minneapolis planning document used as an example for Jordan and that the bikeways manual should be followed. If we deviated from it, we should do something more strict, not less,” the City Engineer told the council.

4.“a wide variety of pedestrians, including the very young pedestrians using the adjacent playground and swim beach, as well as elderly pedestrians. … The interaction between the pedestrians and these advanced bicyclists may result in collisions.” Note: Either an advanced bicyclist would use the road which is the definition of an advanced bicyclist or they would go through such a park cautiously. Twin Cities bike club who logs millions of miles a year reported no bicycle pedestrian accidents in the club in 2009.

5. Would the League of Minnesota Cities Trust Fund (cited in the article) agree with being used as part of the defense not to proceed? Would they agree to all of the statements above? Or would they follow their published core values: "Innovation Applying creative ideas and strategies to address city issues"

Safety Photos

Jordan MN Scott Co Road Photos

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Path to Nowhere
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Journal

Twin Cities Bicycle Club 2009 Safety Report

Summary of club bicycle Accidents 2009 : Bike Falls 23, Bike to Bike 5, Motor Vehicle Collisions 6, Pedestrian 0. Thanks TCBC for keeping accident information and willingness to publish it.

http://www.biketcbc.org/news/documents/TCBCNEWS_JanFeb2010.pdf

Get Involved Take the Community Growth Options Survey for Jordan

Go to www.wildersurveys.org/cgo and enter "community" as the password. There are a lot of questions about these issues posted on our site.

New Trail Proposal -2011 Schedule for South side of County planning

Some good news! Scott County has revived life in previous plans for a trail along the Minnesota River all the way to Belle Plaine. The great news is that in the article in the paper they clearly discuss a "gap analysis". This really is a critical discussion simply because it takes a long time to get complete trails up and running. The gaps can be filled with existing roads. Sometimes it is as simple as widening a shoulder.

http://www.startribune.com/local/south/69524417.html?page=1&c=y

http://www.shakopeenews.com/news/general_news/feds_might_contribute_1_million_river_trail-111

Tour de Jordan II

Tim Bischke led a bike ride around Jordan which was attended by concerned citizens, the Jordan Independent Editor Mathias Baden and Mayor Pete Ewals. Again thanks for those who participated. We are going again to go on a bike ride around Jordan to point out issues.

You're invited on our 2nd tour of Jordan's bike trails, proposed bike routes & trails, sidewalks, etc. several of you rode previously, this time it will probably be shorter. you're invited to bring along your ideas for "alternate routes" connecting schools/new developments with parks/downtown.

Time is 9:30 am, Sat 8/22 at entrance to Mini-Met. Helmets required. Water recommended.

RSVP (minimum 6 required); if you'd like to go but can't make it this time, please let me know so something else can be arranged.

RSVP to Tim J. Bischke [timbee205@yahoo.com]

Imagine if we could walk/bike to the fair

Nothing is more glaring in need to have a whole sub-community near the county fair and not being able to walk to it safely and no linkage to the rest of the community.

This is another county resource that is not connected to Jordan.

League of American Bicyclists

“The League was founded as the League of American Wheelmen in 1880. Bicyclists, known then as "wheelmen", were challenged by rutted roads of gravel and dirt and faced antagonism from horsemen, wagon drivers, and pedestrians.

In an effort to improve riding conditions so they might better enjoy their newly discovered sport, more than 100,000 cyclists from across the joined the League to advocate for paved roads. The success of the League in its first advocacy efforts ultimately led to our national highway system.”

Has anything really changed?

There are people with apathy towards bicycling and then there is this

Are our planners any different than the journalist in the linked article below? They feel spending monies on "advanced bicyclists" should not occur at all because they just completed a several million dollar project with nothing in it for anything other than cars. Not even the courtesy of a reasonable shoulder. I challenge you to look at what the federal,state, met council guidelines state on how these roads should be built and you begin to clearly see the head in the sand approach. By the way, 2008 was the deadliest year for bicyclists since 2000 in Minnesota.

http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2009/04/bicyclists_need_to_stay_on_sidewalk

GOOGLE MAP Do we really want to be a "hub" for cyclists. Sort of a defining moment for us on this issue

On right in the Favorite Sites there is a link to "If we really want to be a hub for cyclist" that will take you to a Google Map. Please take some time to look at potential routes.

Or Copy and Paste into Browser

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=111240904351368031373.00046eac7a1935cc3d450&z=12

GOOGLE MAP Safety Issues in Jordan

On the right in Favorite sites there is a link to "Safety Issues in Jordan" that will take you to a google map.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=111240904351368031373.00046e64232df99ea8fa1&z=13

Guestbook

1/18/2010 10:14:46 PM - 003015913320
Good documentation Guy, now let's get things rolling.

Favorite sites

MN Complete Streets Coalition
Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota
Community Growth Options Jordan area
Transportation Action Network
Crash Software
GOOGLE MAPS: Safety Issues in Jordan
GOOGLE MAP If we really want to be a "hub" for cyclist here is an idea
Bicycle Friendly Cities 2009
Met Council Chapter 9 Planning Manual on bicycling
PDF Mn DOT Bikeway Facility Design Manual
MN Ironman bike ride goes through Jordan each year
The Jordan Valley Bike Tour goes through Jordan each year
River Valley Junior Cycling-looking for interested High Schools

Files

Complete Streets Solutions.docx
Some other examples of signage for cyclists

Scott County Rural Regional Trail Guidelines - Draft.pdf

While this was a draft, it showed the county parks are not looking anywhere near Jordan, Belle Plaine, or New Prague for biking issues
Commentary on Scott County bikeway plans.doc

Bicycling & Walking What we are not living up to.docx

Proposed bicycle routes no more.pdf

Bicycling_Booklet_08.pdf

New Stuff!

New Multi-use Trail on Aberdeen and Old Hwy 169

Give credit. We have something new! Please thank those who made it happen yet please remind them that this can be best described as incomplete. I remember the original plans were much greater than what occcurred here.

It is my opinion that this route was built around the less used side of Old Hwy 169. That route has to at least extend to Hope St. before it has value to walkers and joggers. The posted speed limit also has to drop to 40 or under here. Statistics show that a bicyclist with a helmet who gets struck at speeds above 45mph only have a 15% chance of survival.

Re: Cedar Lakes & Blakely Bluffs

Link to Plan is just general and non-specific and last in line.

Click here to Link to plan

Federal Stimulus

Booklet on stimulus funding stimulus

http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/120days.pdf

Re: Funding Opportunities for walking, cycling, joggers -paths

Bikes Belong is a lead sponsor of the Bicycle Friendly Community program, run by the League of American Bicyclists. This program recognizes cities that support bicycling and works to replicate their successes.

Bikes Belong Grants Program

The Bikes Belong Grants Program strives to put more people on bicycles more often by funding important and influential projects that leverage federal funding and build momentum for bicycling in communities across the U.S. These projects include bike paths, lanes, and routes, as well as bike parks, mountain bike trails, BMX facilities, and large-scale bicycle advocacy initiatives.

http://www.bikesbelong.org/bicyclefriendlycommunities

Funding Opportunities for walking, cycling, joggers -paths

The American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES)

The US House of Representatives narrowly passed H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), last month. ACES is Congress’s first attempt to address the growing problem of climate change. The bill, now awaiting action in the Senate, requires States and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to address greenhouse gas reductions in their transportation planning, specifically by providing more ways for people to get around using public transportation, and by walking and biking.

Complete Streets

Complete Streets presents a new way of looking at our streets, intersections, business, etc to make inviting and walkable communities. Currently Hennepin County and the City of St. Paul have passed resolutions for Complete Streets adoption, the federal government and Minnesota are reviewing the proposals.

www.completestreets.org

http://www.completestreets.org/complete-streets-fundamentals/

Action at Federal Level

The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 (STAA)

The House Transportation bill, The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 (STAA) (.pdf) was released last month by Representatives Oberstar (MN), Mica (FL), DeFazio (OR), and Duncan (TN) and was then passed by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Action at State Level

Oberstar Unveils Bike-Friendly $450 Billion Transportation Bill

June 23, 2009

It was just the first stage of what could be a long race to finalize the next transportation bill, but the June 22 unveiling of the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 by Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) was a promising start for the future of federal bike project funding.

Cedar Lakes & Blakely Bluffs

The county advisory committee has been looking at the vast majority of resources of trail building to go to linking up Regional parks via trails (in other words again, not in SW Scott County). For this southwest section of Scott this leaves planning of connection as dead last in prioritization. The only hope is believe it or not Carver and abandonement of railway and potential of Blakely Bluffs building. There have been a few different proposals for recreational trails and Bikeways along the MN River and 169 that no longer get any press. Not sure how this was prioritized, yet it is what it is.

In the end, the county does not maintain roads for safe bicycling around SW Scott County, the parks side is not prioritizing anything around here.

http://www.co.scott.mn.us/wps/portal/BoardAgenda?CSF=1360&CSI=csc015108