DPAC
So everyone who i know who was at last night's premiere performance at the Durham Performing Arts Center had a good time. Of course, everyone i know who went sat in the orchestra, so i don't have any first hand feedback on what those second balcony seats felt like.
And i haven't had a chance to talk to any out of town guests who might have followed the new signs through my neighborhood to the DPAC.
As i've been trying to point out to our City Council for the past couple of years, this route to the new Arts Center runs right through what city traffic engineers have called "possibly the worst designed intersection in the state," namely the Roxboro, Markham, Mangum crossover.
Now that we're inviting people from northern Wake County to come into our fair city from I-85 along Roxboro St., maybe now's a good time to think about redesigning this calamity with a little bit more than paint and construction grade Rhino barriers.
Those water filled plastic walls went up as a temporary measure ("one year, two years tops") until a permanent redesign could be installed. And it's not just to please our visitors' aesthetic senses that this needs to happen. If you live north and east of this intersection, walking to points south and west is just damn life threatening. (I'll be featuring the north west corner of Roxboro and Markham in an upcoming episode of "Curb cuts to nowhere." and fully 50 % of all traffic drives right through the painted "pedestrian safety zone" on the Mangum curve, as shown above.)
All of this wouldn't be so bad if city staff and the neighborhood association hadn't been talking about how to get this done, oh, 7 freaking years ago.
As far as i can tell, our City Council will continue to forget that this has ever been discussed with the Neighborhood Association until they either suddenly receive 500 emails reminding them, or someone gets killed trying to walk across this intersection.
Let's hope it's the former. You can write to all seven members of Council with one email at Council@durham.ci.nc.us.
While you're at it, maybe you can remind them that, despite the lovely crosswalk and signal lights that have been installed across Roxboro at the entrance to the nicest playground in the city, virtually no one driving on Roxboro ever actually yields to anyone who's walking through the intersection with, say, a baby stroller, or toddlers in tow. And forget about letting your 9 year old cross that street alone. It's not as though there's any evidence out there that the simple act of walking more might be an effective tool in the fight against childhood obesity.
And as an aside, this sure as hell isn't going to help enhance anyone's perception of downtown Durham, is it?
And i haven't had a chance to talk to any out of town guests who might have followed the new signs through my neighborhood to the DPAC.
As i've been trying to point out to our City Council for the past couple of years, this route to the new Arts Center runs right through what city traffic engineers have called "possibly the worst designed intersection in the state," namely the Roxboro, Markham, Mangum crossover.
Now that we're inviting people from northern Wake County to come into our fair city from I-85 along Roxboro St., maybe now's a good time to think about redesigning this calamity with a little bit more than paint and construction grade Rhino barriers.
Those water filled plastic walls went up as a temporary measure ("one year, two years tops") until a permanent redesign could be installed. And it's not just to please our visitors' aesthetic senses that this needs to happen. If you live north and east of this intersection, walking to points south and west is just damn life threatening. (I'll be featuring the north west corner of Roxboro and Markham in an upcoming episode of "Curb cuts to nowhere." and fully 50 % of all traffic drives right through the painted "pedestrian safety zone" on the Mangum curve, as shown above.)
All of this wouldn't be so bad if city staff and the neighborhood association hadn't been talking about how to get this done, oh, 7 freaking years ago.
As far as i can tell, our City Council will continue to forget that this has ever been discussed with the Neighborhood Association until they either suddenly receive 500 emails reminding them, or someone gets killed trying to walk across this intersection.
Let's hope it's the former. You can write to all seven members of Council with one email at Council@durham.ci.nc.us.
While you're at it, maybe you can remind them that, despite the lovely crosswalk and signal lights that have been installed across Roxboro at the entrance to the nicest playground in the city, virtually no one driving on Roxboro ever actually yields to anyone who's walking through the intersection with, say, a baby stroller, or toddlers in tow. And forget about letting your 9 year old cross that street alone. It's not as though there's any evidence out there that the simple act of walking more might be an effective tool in the fight against childhood obesity.
And as an aside, this sure as hell isn't going to help enhance anyone's perception of downtown Durham, is it?
Since 1949, Durhamites have slept soundly, secure in the knowledge that, in our town, erection can be depended upon. Now, thanks to the power of the internets, we can spread that security all over the world.
2 Comments:
Durham continues to elect the same "leaders" and continues to get the same "leadership".
By
Unknown, at 6:31 PM
NC Reader -- the same leaders, huh? How about this. 8 years ago, city council voted to approve building Southpoint mall. Without cheating by looking it up, try to answer the following questions:
1 -- How many current council members, were on the council for that vote? Can you name them?
2 -- The mayor at the time voted against the rezoning, starting a feud between one future mayoral candidate who had been the point person on the mall negotiations, and inspiring another future mayoral candidate to run, given what he deemed a "lack of leadership" by the current mayor. Can you name these three people?
3 -- Since that time, a city referendum on its elected officials changed a fundamental aspect about city council. What was that change?
4 -- Incorporate your answers to the last three questions into your assertion that 'Durham continues to elect the same "leaders."'
5 -- If you are unable to address these basic questions of history, all of which are covered in the time period Barry is discussing (and all of which happened this decade), please explain upon what basis you state your historical assertion?
Turn your bluebook in at the front.
By
Unknown, at 8:41 PM
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