Calling All Cyclists,
I'm writing in hopes that those on two wheels will come to the aid of
those on two feet. You may have heard that the Mayor's Healthy Hometown
Movement (of which the Public Works Bike/Ped Program is a major
participant) is launching a Community Pedestrian Summit and Plan project
called "Step Up, Louisville!"
(http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007712080429)
The initiative is of course modeled on the Bike Summit and the
Bicycle-Friendly Louisville Plan which have led to many of the
developments and events you see surrounding bicycling in the city today.
While the Bike Summit had the great benefit of an extremely active,
remarkably well-organized, and rather influential bicycling community
with visionary leadership, the pedestrian community - which, since
Everyone is a Pedestrian, includes all of us - is much more diffuse and
difficult to organize, or even comprehend. This is not to say that
there are not passionate advocates or strong organizations which support
walking; quite the contrary. The potential for this project is
enormous. It will simply take more work in planning and
community-involvement to galvanize the community to consensus and action
around pedestrian issues than it has around bicycling.
The challenge and the opportunity is that the entire city is the
project's constituency!
The project, with the help of Toole Design Group out of Hyattsville, MD
(perhaps the premier bike/ped planning firm in the country) and Gresham,
Smith, & Partners of Louisville (the folks who created the Complete
Streets Policy and Manual), will include a 3-4 month community
involvement and research phase (starting now) and culminate in a major
Pedestrian Summit in late-March, early-April, and a Community Pedestrian
Plan in June/July. There will be a full master plan and a graphic
'digest' similar to the Bicycle-Friendly Louisville Plan.
We hope to galvanize a strong body of interest and leadership around the
major issues affecting pedestrians during the public involvement process
and the Summit. Our intent is for this to truly be the Community's
Plan, with projects and priorities determined to the greatest extent
possible by the citizens themselves. For this to be a success, we need
to spread the word about the project as much and as quickly as possible,
and identify people who are willing to lead the charge in their areas of
interest.
Anyone who wants to be informed about or involved in the Pedestrian
Summit and Plan process, please sign up for the Walking Listserv -
http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Health/MHHM/walklouisvillelistserv.htm - and
pass this information along to everyone you know who may be interested.
This project is about making Louisville safer and healthier for
everyone, and especially for our most vulnerable citizens. Since you,
the bicycling community, have "been there and are doing that" in terms
of rallying together in support of a similarly noble cause, the Step Up,
Louisville! project needs your help and guidance. Please Step Up and do
your part for a Healthy Hometown and a Walkable Louisville.
Thanks so much,
Jon Villines
Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator
Louisville Metro Government
Public Works & Assets
444 S. Fifth St. Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40202
Office: 502-574-0104
Cell: 502-432-8957
Fax: 502-574-8129
