Monday, August 30

What I Learned on My Summer Vacation



Brisbane is a mostly a young city
 with decent architecture.
It's been a long time since I've used that phrase, but I did learn something this summer.

I visited Australia and I am very excited to share what I saw. [Yes, this is work-related]

I saw bicycles, catamarans, buses, trains, pedestrian bridges, taxis, hints of bicycle sharing, pedestrian only streets and parks (which I might highlight parks with a follow-up blog). Where did I see all this? The beautiful City of Brisbane, located in the southeast corner of Queensland on the country's east coast.

The city is a big one! The country's third largest city has over one million people spread over an area of 727 sq. mi. That's not quite as big as the entire Florence County area which is 799 sq. mi., but a lot more density than the whole Pee Dee region combined.

Mostly, I wanted to share photos that I took while tooling around the City and I'll describe what I could gather from my exploration. And, of course, if driving on the wrong side of the road has you worried, be comforted by the following alternatives...

Queen Street has been converted into a pedestrian street. No bicycles allowed. Note the overhangs to protect pedestrians from the weather. Mid-block cut-throughs were common as were shopping center-sized 'arcades'. The bus depot is located on the next parallel block consisting of a close series of designated stops.
CityCycle is a new program just starting for the City and some surrounding suburbs. Shown here is one of the pick-up, drop-off locations. In theory, a small fee would allow you to rent a bicycle. A rechargeable 'Go' card allows you get discounted prices to ride the bus, train, catamaran and utilize this service.
This is a pedestrian only bridge over Brisbane River. It connects the Queensland Technical College and Botanical Garden area to an neighborhood of green space, cafes, shops, apartments and offices. Note the bulb out portion of the bridge - there was a cafe there, too.
Probably one of the most exciting ways to travel was by catamaran. Since the Brisbane River connected the heart of the city as seen in the right of this photo to the arts district, Queensland University, Technical College, residences, shopping and parks, the catamaran was an efficient and fun way to travel or commute.
If you are still reading, then all these pictures were not just fun to do. In fact, this is what I would refer to as a technical photo. Yes, as a planner, this photo would be considered to embody the very intention of a complete street. Note on the left side of the photo the pedestrian walk including sitting areas, curb-outs for parking, bollards that protect pedestrians from vehicles and, what is that??; oh, trees and landscaping. Nice! Even the road where the peds cross is raised and has a different texture. Also noteworthy is the layout of the area: apartments to the right and to the left a large area park complete with gardens, main lawn, picnic area and amphitheater!
Pedestrian walkways along the Brisbane River within a park setting. Bougainvillea are trained to the sculpture-like boundary.  One of these parks included an artificial beach and water playground.
A riverside promenade. This turned into a roadway of bicycles, pedestrians and runners in the morning and afternoon hours. Note the sign which explains that walkers should stay left for bicycles to pass. Bicyclists use bells to make known of passing, too. Storey Bridge in the background includes a pedestrian lane - plus for fun, you can walk on the top!

Well, there you have it for now. I have a lot more photos; and hopefully, I can compile some that show the importance of public spaces, which Brisbane is full of. Until then, tell me what you think about these amenities and how we could possible integrate here.

Tuesday, August 17

PDRTA Continues to Expand Service

The Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority is now providing a DART bus service to the City of Darlington. Let it be known that their stone gathers no moss! This service began August 16th and free rides are available through August 27th.

The residents of Darlington voiced their concerns about the lack of transit in this area and PDRTA listened. One major problem was no way for residents to get to doctor appointments or medical care.

DART will operate hourly between 7am and 5pm Monday through Friday. A one-way cash fare of $1 will also be offered.

Senior citizens age 65 and older ride for half price. Those with disabilities, Medicare card holders and children between the ages of 2 and 10 are offered the same half-price fare of $.50. There is no charge for children under age 2.

Route maps and schedules are available online at http://www.pdrta.org/. This information can also be found at the city's water department, the Greater Darlington Chamber of Commerce and Pearl Street Furniture.

Thursday, August 12

Highway Improvements For Florence County

Over the past several months, have you noticed sidewalk improvements, repaving of roads and maybe even some bridge repairs? These improvements are the result of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The President signed this act in February, 2009 in an effort to improve our State's infrastructure and economy by saving or creating jobs.

The Federal Highway Administration while working with state partners, were able to meet the deadline of March 1, 2010 set by Congress to obligate 100 percent of the Recovery Act stimulus funds. What this means is $26.6 billion was committed to more than 12,000 road, highway and bridge projects across the country. In addition to putting our fellow citizens back to work, these projects are making our communities safer, greener, more livable, less congested and economically stronger.

Another accomplishment as a result of this Act is SCDOT's 2009 Statewide Sidewalk Enhancement Program. Enhancement funding in the amount of $2 million was reserved for sidewalk improvements in each engineering district. These funds are being used to construct new sidewalks and/or upgrade existing sidewalks to insure compliance with the most current standards with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).

Speaking of new sidewalks or repairs to existing, any suggestions? A representative from the Florence SCDOT office is a member of the Florence Trails Committee. We have begun compiling a list of areas that we feel sidewalks or repairs to existing ones are needed. We will present this list to the local SCDOT representative at our next meeting in October for their review. Of course, any project has federal eligibility requirements and there may be only one or two on our list that qualify, but hey, that's one or two more than we had before.

Send me your suggestions and I'll add them to the list. Even better, come join the Florence Trails Committee. We'd love to have you. You give me the word and I'll add you to the e-mail distribution list.