By Donald Baxter, University Heights
Iowa City is on an unending rotating schedule of sidewalk closures due to the corresponding unending construction. It’s too bad that Iowa City seems to have never actually looked at how a progressive, civilized city deals with sidewalk detours. Hint: accommodating pedestrians for construction shouldn’t involve forcing a pedestrian to actually cross a street three times (one of these crossings is un-signalized and drivers ignore their legal responsibilities with abandon).
The recent Burlington/Madison intersection sidewalk and crosswalk closure asks for a lot of safety challenges and inconvenience for pedestrians — and asks for nothing of drivers. No lane closures, no speed enforcement. For cyclists who aren’t secure and unwilling to use Burlington or Madison traffic lanes and rely on sidewalk riding (legal on campus and outside of downtown Iowa City), they suffer similar safety issues and inconvenience.
Nothing. Which shouldn’t surprise anyone. Iowa City is a pedestrian-hostile place years behind cities who do much better.
Iowa City will change this only after someone is hit and killed. It shouldn’t take that to start doing the right thing. Meanwhile, the drivers get a pass.
oh wow there grumpy pants. maybe you should just move to the country then. or heck just walk out in the street ignoring any and all traffic signals like the pedestrians do now….?? i can’t even count how many times i have almost hit someone because they thought they could just walk wherever they want or weren’t paying attention. this isn’t permanent you know? maybe the city should pay for a personal uber for you to whisk you away to your destination. baaaahaaaa. lol just another crazed entitle iowa city hippy you are.
I think the City and our Federal and State government subsidize your ride quite enough as it is–the people who pay full freight for their own transportation system are walkers and cyclists.
https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/true-cost-gasoline-15-gallon/26284/