The Pine
Street Coalition is a non-profit grass roots community organization
advocating safe transportation facilities in the Burlington South
End. The Coalition seeks “equality streets” where each
transportation mode—pedestrian, bicycle and motor vehicle—enjoys
separate and high-safety treatments on major streets. The Coalition
recognizes the United States now ranks 17th
among modern nations with twice the rate of serious and fatal
injuries of the top two nations. The Coalition pursues safe streets
employing the principles of “systematic safety” so that the South
End can enjoy a level of transportation safety attained by many
advanced nations.
An
Outline of the Origin and Mission of the Pine Street Coalition
The
mission of the Pine Street Coalition is re-design of the Champlain
Parkway by re-opening a new EIS process in order to incorporate “best
practices” of today which include: (1) re-directing the “purpose
and need” to meeting the needs of the South End neighborhood and
away from facilitating the movement of cars to downtown: (2) reducing
instead of increasing the number of roadway injuries to residents and
visitors; (3) decreasing the environmental impacts, particularly in
regard to the stressed Englesby Brook; (4) provision of separate and
equal facilities for those who walk and bike along the corridor; and
(5) utilize modern roundabouts to reduce injury rates to all users,
cut global warming emissions and other pollutants, reduce gasoline
use, reduce delay for all users, manage speeds and thereby reduce
noise levels and add scenic quality.
2014—Discussion
of the major walk and bike defects in the Champlain Parkway design
began in Spring 2014 at a Burlington Walk Bike Coalition Steering
Committee (BWBC) meeting when Local Motion's Jason Van Driesche
reported examining the Parkway plans along Pine Street and Lakeside
Avenue and found no cycle track or separate walk and bike facilities.
This led to a several month discussion at BWBC leading to a December
2014 eight-page letter and detailed comments sent to the Mayor
requesting safe, quality and separate walk and bike facilities along
the entire corridor. In addition a roundabout to maintain
connectivity at the south end of Pine Street as well as roundabouts
at other intersections should be considered. The BWBC received no
reply to its letter. BWBC is an official City committee comprised
of all volunteers and supported by the Department of Public Works.
In
September 2014 a three-day workshop on a “livable South End” put
on by AARP centered on examining Pine Street and making substantial
walk and bike improvements with the leader, Dan Burden calling for
use of a roundabouts along the corridor and the workshop Report
showing roundabout options at the Pine and Maple Street intersection,
vetted by a top roundabout practitioner, Michael J. Wallwork who
designed the first Vermont roundabouts in 1995 and 1997. During
this period there was discussion among the volunteer Vermont AARP
Livable Community members about forming a coalition of City groups
with the sole purpose of pursuing a modern, quality re-designed
Parkway.
2015—June
16 Public meeting where draft planBTV South End. The draft planBTV
South End brought a full house of area residents and leaders. Early
on a question audience expressed frustration that the draft plan
assumed the construction of the Parkway as designed--”Who here
supports the Champlain Parkway,” a woman in the audience in effect
exclaimed—“if you support it please raise your hand!” Not a
hand among the 100-plus attendees was seen. The plan received such a
bad reception, a redraft process began with approaches for a future
with—and without—the Parkway as designed. This triggered Super
Alliance members—many from the South End and/or with businesses or
employment there to seek to build on the Walk Bike Council
opposition and the lack of current “best practices”--like
roundabouts and cycle track just approved in the North Avenue
Corridor Plan approved by City Council in October 2014. The planBTV
South End draft plan presentation can be viewed on CH 17:
The
Burlington Free Press coverage of the draft planBTV South End is
found here:
https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2015/06/16/planbtv-south-end-kickoff/28831429/
In
August, the Vermont Supreme Court decided against Charles Bayer and
his Fortieth Corp. Act 250 appeal which cleared the way for the
Parkway project to proceed. Also in August 2015 a citizen group
calling itself the Super Alliance agreed to support form a separate
group, the Pine Street Coalition (PSC) with its purpose to seek a
re-design of the Parkway including the BWBC issues of walk and bike
facilities, roundabouts, and introducing other “best practices.”
The Super Alliance became in March 2016 the Coalition for a Livable
City, an umbrella group now composed of seven grassroots community
organizations, including the Pine Street Coalition.
Here
is an email message from Super Alliance leader Genese Grill which
references the Champlain Parkway as a concern of the Alliance and
suggesting the formation of a sub-group, the Pine Street Coalition.
Hello All,
There is so much here. A few messages back Tony suggested a sub committee of S.A. [Super Alliance] to discuss the parkway resistance planning before September 2nd. I think this is a good idea so that the Super Alliance meeting can discuss general strategies and not get swamped with these important and urgent details about the Parkway (especially since we are inviting people from other groups). I personally am having trouble keeping up with the parkway stuff, want to be informed and involved, but can't devote as much time/expertise as some of you are doing. Can you make a parkway committee meeting and then present a short summary of what is happening at the Super Alliance meeting? Does that make sense?
Thanks! -Genese [Grill]
2015—November 30 public meeting at Champlain Elementary School. One of the first grassroots actions of PSC was to do a literature drop in the South End to encourage attendance at the November 30 public meeting where no one was allowed to speak and it was “informational” only. The 7 Days report:
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2015/12/01/champlain-parkway-reviewed-at-unexpectedly-civil-meeting
2016--Champlain Parkway—first Pine Street Coalition (PSC) Presentation, February 3, 2016 at Arts Riot. Channel 17 video: https://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/champlain-parkway-lets-do-it-right With about 75 attending, presenters included Charles Simpson, Tony Redington, Steve Goodkind and Diane Gayer. Introduction by Betsy Rosenbluth.
2016--Champlain Parkway “Let's Do it Right” December 8, 2016. PSC promoted “neighborhood meeting” featuring re-design guidelines with about 80 attending including Southern District City Councilor Joan Shannon and Ward 5 Councilor Chip Mason as well as DPW Director Chapin Spencer.
Channel 17 video: https://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/champlain-parkway-lets-do-it-right-0
The Burlington Walk Bike Council in a May 2016 letter addressed to Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger endorsed the PSC re-design guidelines which call for separate and safe corridor length walk and bike facilities as well as a maintaining connectivity of Pine Street into South Burlington.
2015-2017
The PSC undertook a series of meetings with City, region, State and
Federal Highway Administration officials outlining the changes which
have occurred since the 2009 FSEIS and end of public involvement in
2006--and urging the a new planning and design process which would be
“cheaper, cleaner, quicker and safer.” A delegation of PSC
members met with Vermont Secretary of Transportation Joe Flynn,
Federal Highway Administration Division Director Matthew Hake, Lt.
Governor David Zuckerman, State Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe,
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) Chair Andy
Montroll (and a Burlington's representative to the CCRPC), and Senate
Transportation Committee Chair Sen. Dick Mazza.
Throughout
the discussions and community input, we have found strong support
from the outset to enable intercept lots below Pine Street in the
Kmart area or beyond for park-and-ride services serving downtown
Burlington or the simple extension of the existing Pine Street GMT
bus route. In addition the future may well hold a light rail
north-south from the New North End via downtown and Union Station to
Queen City Park road and points south in South Burlington. Both
would face substantial costs if Pine Street is dead-ended as in the
current project.
In
addition, the PSC has maintained a regular effort to meet with
Neighborhood Planning Assemblies to keep them posted on contacts and
materials developed since the first February presentation at Arts
Riot in February 2016. Members of the PSC “presentation team”
include Tony Redington, Dr. Charles Simpson, Ib Nar, Diane Gayer,
A.I.A, and Steve Goodkind, P.E.
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