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From: Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board walkmgw@yahoo.com Date: October 17, 2013 8:34:23 PM EDT To: Jeff Mikorski jmikorski@cityofmorgantown.org, Terry Hough though@cityofmorgantown.org, Damien Davis ddavis@cityofmorgantown.org, Chris Fletcher cfletcher@cityofmorgantown.org Cc: Bill Reger-Nash wreger@hsc.wvu.edu, Bob Anderson randerson@hsc.wvu.edu, George Lilley mgranlil@frontier.com, Ilana Chertok ichertok@hsc.wvu.edu, Jimmie Simmons Jsimmons2642@yahoo.com, Martha Summers msummers@hsc.wvu.edu, Stan Cohen Stanley.Cohen@mail.wvu.edu, Sarah Bias sarahbias@gmail.com, Christiaan Abildso cgabildso@hsc.wvu.edu, Dwight Harshbarger dwight.harshbarger@gmail.com, Maria Smith mariasmith@busride.org, Regina Mayolo reginam@verizon.net, Jan Derry jderry@nwvcil.org, Tom Bias tbias@hsc.wvu.edu, Mike Fike micynster@gmail.com, Kim Hartsell Kim.Hartsell@mail.wvu.edu, Debbie Cain sunnybeewv@gmail.com, Margaret Stout Margaret.Stout@mail.wvu.edu, Dan Harris harrisda@wvuhealthcare.com, Jonathan Rosenbaum jr@wvcompletestreets.org, Matt Cross crossnyc@hotmail.com, Jim Rye Jim.Rye@mail.wvu.edu, Ella Belling ella@montrails.org, Damien Davis ddavis@cityofmorgantown.org, Roy Nutter roy.nutter@mail.wvu.edu, Mike Breiding mike@EpicRoadTrips.us, Bill Kawecki wm_a_kawecki@comcast.net, Bill Austin baustin@labyrinth.net, Josh Woods joshua.woods@mail.wvu.edu, Emily Vasile emilyvasile@gmail.com, Carol Rotruck ccrotruck@aol.com, Frank Gmeindl fgmeindl@gmail.com, Claire Chantler cchantler@nwvcil.org, Michael Simms michael.d.simms@gmail.com, Maria Brann Maria.Brann@mail.wvu.edu, Don Spencer dspencer36@comcast.net Subject: Continued disregard for pedestrians Reply-To: Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board walkmgw@yahoo.com
Damien, Jeff, Terry, & Chris - Sorry, but I'm now ticked off (must have been the Sheetz BZA hearing running so late last night). What the heck is going on and who is responsible? Photos attached about 3 different incidents of sidewalks or crosswalks being blocked without any advanced warning or detour. These, plus the ill-advised placement of the fence blocking the sidewalk at the Panera construction show blatant disregard for human beings and movement through our City. I'm sick of it and want someone in the City to take charge. I greatly respect the time you put into city affairs, but our great City must stop acting like a battered spouse that keeps letting their abusive spouse return "because we need 'em"! They need us! They need our City, our people, and our money! We are a great place that has standards that will be enforced - it's time to start acting like it.
I don't usually get this excited, but I'm sick of it! I'm ready to "divorce" my abusive spouse.
Please note the entire Pedestrian Safety Board membership and collaborators are cc'd. I expect the development of an action plan involving all city government agencies on the steps we will all take to implement our pedestrian safety plan and the comprehensive bicycle plan, including enforcement, planning, zoning, and engineering. I hope my friends cc'd on this email agree and voice their concerns. We MUST work together NOW or this city will lose even more of its best residents.
How many have to die or be seriously injured before we take serious, swift action? Would we have this little movement if two people were shot, beaten, or stabbed to death in Morgantown? Would nothing be done if one lane of a road were closed for months without a safe detour for vehicles? We must reverse this pervasive, pernicious disregard for pedestrians at all levels of government and among all segments of our population.
Thank you, Christiaan
Walk more, safely
Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board Christiaan Abildso, Chair Bill Reger-Nash, Vice Chair http://www.morgantownwv.gov/government/advisory-boards/pedestrian-safety-boa...
