NUSA Conference - Friday

Traffic Safety

One of the ways the founder of "Keep Kids Safe, Drive 25," suggested in areas where there is a school zone on a highway (or other fast paced major through fare) to use a punctuated decrease in speed zones. Another wards, goes from 50 to 40 to 30 as you approach the 20 mph school zone.

In Kansas we have a 30 mph speed zone, but there has been studies between states with 25 (like Nebraska) and states with 30, and what they have found is that five miles of speed makes a difference in pedestrian fatalities. In fact there are 3 times the number of deaths in 30 mph zones as opposed to 25.

A speed study with the Omaha PD in the speakers neighborhood the average speed in a 25 mph zone was 31, with the slowest person only going 17.

In Oceanside, CA, they went to the cities worst neighborhood (for speeding) and placed yard signs in peoples yards. The friendly reminders reduced the average speed by 16%. That average speed before the study was 38 in a 25.

In Oro Valley, AZ, where they have curbside trash pickup (as opposed to alley) placed stickers on the side of the trash cans. So that, every time, the cans were set out by the curb, there was a friendly reminder for drivers to check their speed.

Something else, that has been learned is that often times public works makes safety changes, by only looking at it from a public works example. In one example, they changed streets around a neighborhood to one way. The problem occurred, when there was a fire and the fire truck couldn't get in, because a tunnel leader into the neighborhood was to low. So they had to take 3 extra minutes, to drive around to another entrance. So when these safety changes are made, everyone from the community, to the police and fire departments need to be involved and working with public works, so the issue is seen from all viewpoints.

Greener is Cheaper and More profitable

Creating Land use plans and sticking to them.

This should include mixed use buildings (commercial on lower with residential upstairs. Or in residential neighborhoods, shopping (Grocery, coffee shops, bakery, etc) should be within walking distance (about 2 blocks).

Multi-Modal transportation should be used to. Multi-Modal would allow all forms of transportation, no mater if it's pedestrian, bicycle, mass transit (rail, bus, etc) or car. Commercial buildings should be close to the street. If a wide open parking lot separates the street from the building, it makes that business very pedestrian unfriendly and very auto friendly.

Smart growth in these ways, is better for the community, because it costs less. It's better for developers because they can charge more. And most importantly, better overall because transportation costs less.

Something else, our cities need to stop growing out and taking over (building up on) farmland (stop swallowing up farmland). Instead we need to build in closer together (again lowering transportation and other costs) and save our farmland (so we can grow our foods).

In addition, green roofs are a great use of these high-density buildings to. Especially, if the tenants are using them to raise their own produce.

One building that was pointed out to me during the neighborhood pride tours (revitalization of downtown) was an abandoned Good Year Tire shop. It is being converted into a farmers market and when done will include their own garden on the roof to grow some of the produce that they will sell. The building will be designed so that the farmers market in be both inside and outside.

Another building was the old steam plant, that has been renovated into a little mall. To preserve the historic nature of the building, all of the original equipment was left in place. Old boilers were cleaned of asbestos, and serve as dinning rooms for the several restaurants and micro-brewer that call the converted plant home.

- Kevin Surbaugh