When John Smith first divulged his status as an outsider in Stay Inside City, he was greeted with the predictable pleasantry from a New Albany lifer (paraphrasing):
Why don’t ya go back to Lanesville if you don’t like our indigenous neighborhood interstates?
At least there were no obscenities. That’s progress.
Meanwhile, there’ll be a Two Way Streets Now planning meeting on Wednesday, because owing to persistent public expressions of quaking fear and non-committal indifference on the part of city officials who can’t be seen supporting a study they (supposedly) instigated, proponents of the Speck proposals are going to have to do every bit of the heavy lifting, and they might as well get started.
One influential vote already has been cast: The band Houndmouth posted this on Facebook:
Fellow New Albanians and Southern Indiana folks, what do you guys say about getting some Two Way Streets downtown? Needs to happen. This Jeff Speck guy nailed it.
Here’s the News and Tribune piece.
Notice how Gahan consistently cannot bring himself to publicly reference any other aspect of Speck’s study beyond what is needed to cope with tolling pass-throughs.
Do we even trust them for just that?
The word on the street is, New Albany group to hold meeting, by Daniel Suddeath
… “I want to emphasize this is just a study,” Gahan said. “(Speck) brings up some really good points. Our job now is to make sure we’re prepared so that the tolling doesn’t have a negative impact on our downtown.”
Proponents of the study believe converting streets to two-way traffic will make downtown safer and help businesses.
With city elections to be held this year, Smith stressed the issue isn’t partisan, but added there’s support from many in the community for a candidate who would back changes to the street grid.
“Quite frankly if Republicans are intent on using their momentum from last election to challenge in the city election, this is an issue they should jump on,” he said.
