9 Responses

  1. Will Novak says:

    Wow his support of the suicide lanes is really disappointing. Of course traffic engineers are going to support them! Traffic engineers are also the same people who’ve brought us such hits as continually widening streets and freeways, spending money on freeways for 60 years with nothing spent on rail, super wide residential streets, overly large parking requirements, et cetera.

    The Suicide Lanes, like Stantion mentioned, were built for another time. A time when freeways and Light Rail didn’t serve Central Phoenix. They’re no longer needed and in fact quite harmful.

    He says its a ‘false debate’ that we need to make driving a bit more difficult to encourage transit, but he’s wrong there. Go to any city with high public transit usage, Chicago, New York, Portland, San Fran, and trains are so appealing because driving is just a pain in the rump there. With our freeway like streets, suicide lanes, swaths of huge free parking lots, its no wonder people chose to drive, its the easiest option.

    Its unrealistic to think the whole huge city of Phx will ever be a walkable place but we at least ought to make Central Phoenix from Lincoln to Missouri, 16t St to 19th Avenue a strong, walkable core.

  2. Donna Reiner says:

    Will–

    Remember, we (Phoenix) are not those other cities that have all sorts of alternative modes of transportation. We do need to deal with what we have, the attitudes of the people who use the roads, etc. before we change start to promote something new. I do like the notion that the hours of use might be changed. For instance, I often notice on 7th Street that the traffic is quite light in the mornings most days of the week. It is, however, much heavier in the afternoons for a fairly long period of time.

    And as Greg mentioned, the manner in which our city operates does not allow for rapid change. (Remember, the mayor has one vote.)Of course that can be frustrating at times, but it can also be good.

  3. Taz Loomans says:

    Will, Greg represented District 6 that includes north Central neighborhoods. I’ve noticed all the Councilmen who represent those districts almost HAVE to support the reversible lanes because their constituents are loathe to change them. Tom Simplot, who is NOT running for Mayor last I heard, is one of the only Councilmen who supports re-thinking the reversible lanes. But that’s because he represents the lower 7s, where all the small businesses are. This is a highly political issue, one that seems intractable. From my perspective, they need to go, they are, like you said, from another time. But the northern districts seem extremely attached to them and they have such political clout, it’s a steep battle to get rid of them.

  4. Diane D'Angelo says:

    I’m also glad to hear that Greg is open to suggestions on the suicide lanes. On another matter, I’d like to hear more about his views on historic prez, especially with regard to business reuse of old buildings. How do we make it easier for them to come up to code while maintaining the integrity of the structure? How can we encourage ADA considerations?

    In any case, Taz, thanks for this interview series. It’s quite valuable.

  5. Will Novak says:

    I like where Stanton mentioned the Central city shouldn’t subsidize sprawl, it just seems to me that by the same token, the Central City shouldn’t be victimized to get people in the ‘burbs home or to work faster. Why should the 7th Ave/Street merchants and home owners suffer so someone from Moon Valley can zip home in 20 minutes?

  6. As the person who performed the work making creating the historic designation for the North Central Avenue Streetscape Historic District (which has as a contributor the Murphy Bridle Path), I commend Mr. Stanton for his support in creating the first historic overlay for a streetscape within the city of Phoenix and the first historic streetscape on the National Register of Historic Places within Arizona. I hope, if he is elected mayor, that he will continue to support cutting edge preservation projects like North Central Avenue and the Burgess Lateral Historic District in Arcadia, another project he supported.

  7. Brian says:

    Preamble–This author is NOT a Republican…My Dear Friends, I’m puzzled by this carbon emissions discussion. All animals, including human beings (yes, you and me) emit carbon. It is called carbon dioxide. So, how do we regulate carbon emissions? Answer–we cannot, unless we take violent measures. Nobody wants that. This carbon emissions reduction plan is a hoax…If you are reading this post, you are emitting carbon. Congratulations.

  8. Kevin Groman says:

    I also commend Greg Stanton for his focus on sustainability. Myopic excuses using climate change or CO2 as stated in earlier posts are misdirected. Focusing on improving the environment and reduction of CO2 is simply reducing our use of natural resources (aka reducing costs). So in this time of cost controls and budget crisis now more then ever you need a Mayor in office that has a strong focus on sustainability efforts, which thankfully Greg does. This will help promote growth as well as reduce the cost of government.

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