How to make Pontiac more walkable and bike-able
The Clinton_River_Trail is routed away from the downtown Pontiac businesses -- and on sidewalks
How can the city of Pontiac’s transportation network be improved so that it brings more business and life to the downtown?
A public meeting is scheduled for this Saturday, March 17th from 10am until noon at the Crofoot Ballroom to discuss that.
This Oakland Press article has more information:
Oakland County planners are trying to figure out ways to attract traffic into downtown Pontiac, rather than have traffic diverted around the downtown district.
The public is invited to attend a meeting with local government officials, planners, residents and business owners to discuss how to fix what many argue has become a barrier for the neighborhoods and surrounding communities.
The group also has been examining the city’s transportation links, assets and past planning documents.
The data, along with input from residents, will create an action plan for the Woodward Loop and to improve the city’s streets, sidewalks and bike path system.
Here’s one obvious suggestion: Stop routing the Clinton River Trail around the downtown. The trail should go through the main downtown business area using the roads.
It shouldn’t be routed on sidewalks. Besides ignoring the downtown businesses, the trail design ignores best practices.
Related Posts
Tags: Clinton River Trail, Pontiac
March 15th, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Couldn’t agree more. This is the last gap in a trail network that streaches from Richmond and Romeo (Macomb Orchard Trail), Lake Orion and Rochester (Paint Creek Trail) and West Bloomfeild (West Bloomfield Trail). Hopefully, the gap between the West Bloomfield Trail and the Huron Valley Trail will be completed soon. This would be a great asset not just for SE Michigan and Oakland County, but also Pontiac. Imagine all those riders going through Pontiac wanting to stop for a bite to eat or a beer to drink or even commute to work. It just doesn’t make any sense for me why this hasn’t been completed yet. The county ought to step-up and help the city out on this one.
March 16th, 2012 at 9:09 am
This has been discussed and most likely implemented. We might even have a Nomo sub group for the planning process, since it takes up some much time @ meetings.
March 16th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
I can think of a few more modest suggestions: 1) If the Clinton River Trail gets rerouted to the streets, how about providing some bike racks and/or bike lockers in the Pontiac downtown area? Win-win for cyclists and merchants alike!
2) Reconsider the location of the main SMART stop at the Phoenix center. It seems to me it could be shifted somewhere that would bring it closer to cafes and shops, make it possible to grab a quick bite while waiting on the bus, and once again add to the overall walkability of the downtown area. Once again, bike lockers like Detroit just installed at the DIA would be wonderful (even if the stop stays at its current location) .
3) Consider reconstructing the trail to make it easier to get from Downtown to the new Amtrak/Greyhound facility for pedestrians and cyclists alike.