Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Last Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Festivus, etc.

I hope everyone enjoys this holiday season because it could be our last for a while. As the economy does a swan dive into uncharted waters, it's time to take a deep look at ourselves and see ourselves for the very first time. Our insatiable appetite got us into this mess; what we need is an economic and social equivalent of a gastrectomy.

Merry recession to all and to all a good fright.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

More Police

Here's a link to an ADN article which summarizes the beginnings of a workshop session which strives to address crime and policing in Spenard.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/630233.html

Though most of the comments were fairly good and informative, there were some who's complaints were less than constructive. Crime is a complicated mulit-faceted phenomenon. I think it's like health care; we can spend a majority of our resources on critical care or we can spend less overall by investing in preventative measures.

Increase in crime has been a problem; I'm nervous of the effects of the coming economy possibly creating even more desperation. It may skew the efficacy of the new approach which may result in it being rejected.

Spenard Road Improvements

Plans for Spenard Road should be applauded. Spenard has evolved into a dangerous thoroughfare due to our planning based only on the almighty automobile. Like many arterials, sidewalks and trails have been reduced in favor of greater traffic flow.

The three lane solution will be a vast improvement to the current high speed four lane scenario which has people weaving and dodging vehicles waiting to turn. The proposed middle lane will consolidate the two inner lanes and allow for queuing space for vehicles crossing Spenard into the opposite lane. Wider sidewalks will improve the safety of pedestrians and provide room for temporary snow storage and help city maintenance crews. I only wish that the new plan included intermittent pedestrian crossings at key locations. Currently pedestrians and cyclists are compelled to jaywalk due to the great distances between traffic signals.

It seems that the character of Spenard Road wants to be different that that of Northern Lights or Benson. Rather than a high speed arterial it should be a focus and amenity for the neighborhoods that define it. I have experienced a lot of changes to Spenard during the last 30 years, both good and bad. The current plan will make it safer for residents and businesses of Spenard; it’s time to heal the wound which slices through the heart of our neighborhood.