Hi, neighbors, Here’s some new information relevant to the N. Euclid Neighborway. ADA Concerns re Roundabouts I shared with Paul O’Hanlon, a great ADA lawyer I know, what was going on re the N. Euclid Neighborway, and he sent me a link to a discussion that he and others were involved in on Facebook regarding ADA concerns about roundabouts including the N. Euclid Neighborway project. I learned that roundabouts cause problems particularly for blind pedestrians. It’s an informative and ongoing discussion that includes another link to a good study that was done about roundabouts. Here’s the link to the Facebook discussion: https://www.facebook.com/tina.calabro.357/posts/10163899141790061?comment_id=10163907357295061¬if_id=1592528397458643¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic <https://www.facebook.com/tina.calabro.357/posts/10163899141790061?comment_id=10163907357295061¬if_id=1592528397458643¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic> The Bike+ Plan A. The Pittsburgh Bike+ Plan, which includes the N. Euclid Neighborway, was issued by DOMI in February of this year (right as the pandemic began changing all our lives). The plan has 5 goals including: "City Mobility Goal 5 Pittsburgh streets and rights of way reflect the values of our community. To accomplish this the Bike(+) Plan must: Plan and design facilities in collaboration with local residents and stakeholders." The above is a direct quote from the plan. DOMI has certainly not met this goal. N. Euclid residents/homeowners are local residents and key stakeholders, yet we were not informed about this project in time to have any input before we were told it was going to happen. B. The press release about the Bike(+) Plan says: “The plan lays out a vision for a safe and connected network…that will enable people of all ages (bolding mine) and abilities to travel by bicycle and other small mobility modes….” Further down it includes "motorized scooters and skateboards (bolding mine)” along with bicycles and other small mobility modes. I felt we should all be aware that motorized skateboards as well as bicycles will have the right-of-way on N. Euclid (as well as on the many other streets in the city-wide Bike+ Plan) and these will be ridden by people of all ages, which includes children of all ages. I think we all need to decide whether we believe it is SAFE to have children on motorized skateboards, etc. on the street (not sidewalk) of N. Euclid and other streets. I am pointing this out because I believe we all need to see clearly what this plan seems to be mandating and to decide whether these changes will make our streets and all those who travel on them (whatever their mode of travel) safer. I truly believe this kind of mix of traffic will make N. Euclid a danger to everyone. My questions re N. Euclid Neighborway I thought all of you might be interested in the questions I submitted to the HPCC before the last meeting. I slightly updated them and submitted them for the public meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) about the N. Euclid Neighborway. I am a little concerned that these questions won’t be addressed at the public meeting because my first response after I submitted these questions said: “I [Ricardo Solis] will bring your questions and concerns to DOMI and I will reach back to you as soon as possible!” I followed up with an e-mail saying that I had submitted these questions believing that they would be presented and addressed at the public meeting and asking “Will that happen?” I will let you know. In the meantime, here are my questions: 1. Why did DOMI not talk with the residents/homeowners on N. Euclid—who are key stakeholders—to get their thoughts and ideas before making elaborate and detailed plans to turn N. Euclid into a neighborway? 2. Is there data about streets in other cities and whether making them neighborways (or something similar) significantly increased bicycle, pedestrian, and other small mobility traffic on the street? 3. Are traffic circles/roundabouts the best way to slow traffic down on N. Euclid? 4. Aren’t 8 traffic circles/roundabouts excessive to slow down traffic on what is a relatively short street? 5. How will buses get around the circles/roundabouts? More important how will fire trucks and fire engines as well as ambulances get around the roundabouts in emergencies? 6. How many parking spaces on N. Euclid will traffic circles/roundabouts eliminate? 7. Why is this project being carried out now when we are all dealing with a pandemic and major social unrest? Why not postpone this project by 10-12 months until our lives have hopefully gotten less challenging? People need stability now in the parts of our lives that don’t have to change so that we can properly deal with areas where we do have to change to insure our health and social justice. Also, N. Euclid is not a wide street. With so many people staying home, N. Euclid is often fairly fully parked. Once you add the pedestrians and bicycles that currently traverse the street, it can be hard even now to go out and take a walk and maintain social distance so why not wait until social distancing is not a necessity? A postponement also gives DOMI time fully to inform key stakeholders about these plans and to obtain their input and support. 8. If the 4 suggested traffic circles/roundabouts are a pilot project—which has been explained as a trial—is it realistically going to be possible to remove them if many of us believe that they are not working well? 9. If the 4 circles/roundabouts, etc. do slow down traffic well, will it be possible to say the 4 circles are all we really need to slow down traffic and we don’t need 4 more? 10. Are traffic circles/roundabouts ADA compliant? I understand they present significant problems for blind pedestrians. 11. What is the cost of 4-8 roundabouts cf. to the cost of 1-2 speed humps? Thank you. janet jai, MLA www.vision-and-values.com <http://www.vision-and-values.com/>