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Goshen News / July 15, 1999

Expert says pedestrians, bicycles left out of road network

By Rori Knudtson

If you rebuild it, they will come.

"Just like a human skeleton recreates itself over 20 years, cities do as well," said Dan Burden, an expert on transportation and land-use planning research, implementation of pedestrian and bicycle facilities, traffic calming and street improvement projects. Burden is also the founder of Walkable Communities Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes his expertise.

Burden spoke to workshop participants from Elkhart, Marshall and St. Joseph counties and the Indiana Department of Transportation at the Goshen Chamber of Commerce Wednesday afternoon.

He discussed what communities can do to bring more people into their downtowns by means of bicycle or foot. The workshop was organized by the Michiana Area Council of Governments, a regional planning group, and hosted by Goshen Mayor Allan Kauffman.

"My advice is, don't build any more," Burden said. "Over the last 50 years, communities have been misspending money in ways that isolate people. We need to get back to basics and to what cities are all about. We need to put the money where it's going to have the greatest impact."

Burden said that communities like South Bend and Goshen have a lot of potential. The key is to receive support from community members.

"It's not just new tools we are trying to introduce but new processes," he said. "It's the process that is bringing the change -- how we engage people and convince stakeholders that what they've got isn't as great as it could be."

What convinced Burden to motivate communities toward redesigning roads began 30 years ago when he led a bicycle expedition from Alaska to Argentina.

"I got to Los Angeles and our group decided to go to the movies. Trying to get to the movies by foot was the toughest thing I've ever done," he said. "It became my life and passion to promote alternative ways to travel. followed my heart."

Burden has spent the last 25 years developing, promoting and evaluating alternative transportation and sustainable communities at national, regional, state and local levels. He served for 16 years as Florida Department of Transportation's state bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. And he has photographed and examined walking and bicycling conditions in more than 200 cities in the United States and abroad. Many of those photos have been published in the New York Times, National Geographic and Better Homes and Gardens. He has also served as the principal writer for the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning and Design Curriculum, which is being introduced at many universities.

Healthy Cities

If a lot of people are around walking, a city is healthy, Burden said. If people are out very early or very late, it shows the city is working the way it should, he added. Burden also said he watches body language to tell if people are happy, itself another sign of a healthy city.

"Cities are an invention to maximize exchange, whether it be cultural, economic or social," he continued. "Cities were built to minimize travel and we've done exactly the opposite."

Burden said his generation is to blame by poorly planning developments on the outskirts of towns and cities that are only accessible by car.

"We built so much bad. We are going to have to re-feel our way through to create the right atmosphere for exchange," he said. "It's what we've been lacking in America."

As part of the workshop, participants walked part of the millrace portion of the Maple City Greenway, from the former powerhouse to Shanklin Park.

The trail was viewed to validate that change is possible -- that alternative ways can be built, or rather rebuilt, to give people options in their modes of transportation, according to MACOG officials.

Burden's Advice

"I urge you to move much faster to accommodate bicycles in roadways," he said. "We have built roads without thinking of the results. We have produced speed and stolen access from those who want to walk, bicycle or transit."

"It was neglect and oversight on our part," Burden added. "Our grandparents never would have done this. What our generation has built is 'new town' way out from the downtown. You get off the bus out there and where you gonna go? Our roads are old and need to be reinvented."

Burden supports introducing 'roundabouts' at intersections that allow motorists to continue the flow of traffic but at a reduced speed.

"Roundabouts have been very successful in cutting speed and reducing accidents at intersections by 90 percent," he said. "The low speed (and) soft angle help as well as keeping people in motion."

Burden also recommended building crossing points on roads every 300 feet so people can cross easily, and reducing four-lane roads to two-lane roads. In addition, he said flashing lights imbedded in the road have proven to slow cars down at intersections.

"Redesigning roads is possible for any size town whether it be 3,000 or 300,000, he said. "Communities have to set the stage. All it takes is courage, stamina, will and vision for people to pull together and improve the community."

Acting City Engineer Bob McCoige was delighted by Burden's enthusiasm for what Goshen has accomplished.

"He loves us," said McCoige. "He took a lot of pictures and said he didn't know of any place in the country that he could take pictures of a bicycle and pedestrian trail next to a waterway that was so beautiful. I thought that said it all."

Burden did say, however, that there are problems with part of the trail being included on sidewalks downtown. He said that increases accidents and conflicts between bicyclists and pedestrians.

"We do have problems with inner-city trails," said McCoige. "I don't think we did them necessarily wrong, but we need to add bike routes on the roads."

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