SHORT LETTER OR PHONE CALL
Hello ________,
I live in the ________ neighborhood, and I am calling/writing to urge the city to prioritize funds for a road diet on Center Street in this year’s CIP.
A road diet is critical for the the safety of families and pedestrians in the area. It is also a block to our ability to bring businesses to the corridor and stimulate economic development.
Neighbors have been working with Public Works and Planning on this project for 2 years, and Public Works has already recommended Center as a good candidate for a road diet, but needs the money to do it.
The street is due for resurfacing in early 2020, and we need to have it funded before that time, or risk a lot of wasteful spending later. It’s a very low-cost project that will increase the city’s tax revenue and will deal with some real safety issues for families in the area.
I am urging you to ensure that funding for a Center Street road diet is a priority in the upcoming CIP.
Thank you!
Name, address, and neighborhood
EXTENDED LETTER
Hello ________,
As a resident of the ________ neighborhood, I strongly support narrowing Center Street between 36th and 34th streets from 5 lanes to 3, and urge the city to prioritize funds for a road diet on Center Street in this year’s CIP.
For the last 2 years, dozens of neighborhood volunteers have been working with the planning and public works departments and local property owners to explore this as a way to slow dangerous traffic, increase pedestrian access, and create opportunities for businesses to revitalize and thrive along this corridor. Public Works has already recommended Center Street as a good candidate for a road diet but needs the funds to do it.
The street is due for resurfacing in early 2020, and it is critically important that funding for the road diet be included in the upcoming CIP so that we don’t miss this opportunity and create wasteful spending later.
This is a smart economic investment for the city. It will cost less than $300,000 to restripe and move the signal during the resurfacing, but will dramatically increase the economic potential of the area. If we wait to do the road diet at another time after the resurfacing, the cost will be much higher.
Only about half of the available property on the street is currently producing tax revenue, and the neighborhood is eager for new businesses.
Current property owners have been slow to invest in businesses due to the speed of vehicle traffic and lack of pedestrian traffic. Several property and business owners recently considering projects because of the possibility of a road diet have indicated hesitance to do so if the road doesn’t change.
This is absolutely essential for community safety. There are no pedestrian crossings in this area of Center, despite the fact that just a block or two away there are 2 schools, a church, a swimming pool, and a large public park that serve families on both sides of the street.
Several side streets have almost no visibility when turning on to Center, meaning that cars often have to be halfway into the driving lane before they can see oncoming traffic.
Average speed on the street is above the speed limit, and neighbors have asked in the past for police enforcement. The street dead ends into a traffic signal at the park, and there have been multiple accidents over the years with drivers running at high speed into the park.
Please take advantage of this narrow window of opportunity to prioritize funding for a Center Street road diet.
We have appreciated the city’s outstanding partnership over the last few years and appreciate your responsiveness.
Thank you!
Name, address, and neighborhood
