Petition for Pedestrian Priority on the Arcata Plaza to be Presented to City Council
This is a press release from the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities:
HUNDREDS SIGN PETITION SUPPORTING PEDESTRIAN PRIORITY ON ARCATA PLAZA
Petition to Be Delivered to City Task Force Thursday
Arcata – The Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP) will be delivering a petition with over 500 signatures to the City of Arcata’s Plaza Improvement Task Force at its meeting on Thursday, January 17, 2019. The meeting takes place at 4:30 pm in the Senior Room at the Arcata Community Center.
The petition reads as follows: “I support proposals such as the Living Plaza concept which prioritize pedestrians and ensure that people can use and enjoy the Arcata Plaza safely and comfortably by foot, bicycle or assisted mobility device. Research shows that this kind of design encourages more climate-friendly modes of transportation, community-friendly social and civic gatherings, and economy-friendly spending at local businesses. I encourage the City Council and Plaza Improvement Task Force to prioritize pedestrians and other non-vehicular users in their plans to revitalize the Plaza.”
Most of the signatures on the petition were gathered on the Plaza itself during farmers markets or other events. Signatures are mostly from local residents, but include a few tourists as well. CRTP hopes that the petition will encourage the Task Force—and later the City Council—to adopt “pedestrian priority” as a planning principle for the Plaza, and to consider bold new ideas for prioritizing pedestrians on the Plaza and surrounding areas.
The Plaza Improvement Task Force was created by the Arcata City Council last year, partly as a result of CRTP’s research, education and outreach efforts. CRTP has focused for almost two years on demonstrating the link between the transportation-related design features of the Plaza and its success (or failure) as a public space. In particular, CRTP has demonstrated through research and analysis that the social, civic and economic success of the Plaza could be improved by prioritizing non-vehicular users and de-emphasizing vehicles. Driving and parking areas currently take up more than half of the overall public space on the Plaza.
The petition will also be delivered to the City Council at an upcoming regular public meeting.
For more information about CRTP, visit www.transportationpriorities.org
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
It’s past time to bring back community grazing.
~ahhh, the good ol days. Far better than today’s daze . . . inmyHumboldtopinion.
The ‘wise ones’ want to change the Plaza? Bored Boards.
Can’t do the grazing thing. Cow farts are regulated now in CA. Perhaps gophers and squirrels?
YES!
Then they can turn the cow pies into free biomass fuel for the low income students.
Win Win
http://www.biomassmagazine.com/articles/1401/cow-pies-to-clean-power/
🕯Is this a good thing?
~if the right people participate, or object, one-way or the other. I don’t live there. The Plaza belongs to the people who live in, and around Arcata.
I also support people living on the plaza.
What more can (should) be done? It’s pretty ped friendly right now.
That’s super. How will the businesses there receive deliveries? Will the Sysco guy have to hand-truck everything from two blocks away or something?
i didnt know i could drive through the plaza, and have the right of way as a vehicle operator.
According to the California Vehicle Code 21950, drivers “shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.” … Furthermore, pedestrians are not legally allowed to walk out into the street without a crosswalk.
At least block off two sides