Bike/Ped Facilities Plan Missed Connection

Hi Jon,

I attended the bike facilities plan meeting last year at the East Tenn. History Center.

I recommend and discussed with the consultants a connection between the Old City and the Riverwalk via Central Avenue.  I suggested a connection to the pedestrian bridge over Neyland at the City County Building, continuing on to Second Creek Greenway at Neyland Drive as a way to provide an alternative connection to UT campus that avoids the more "pedestrian centric" Volunteer Landing and avoids crossing Neyland Drive at all.  The consultant drew the route out on a printed map with a big permanent marker so there was no confusion.

I cited safety, travel time, and scenic value as rationales for this path from the Old City to UT Campus.  Among other reasons improvements are needed at this site: the pedestrian bridge over Neyland is essentially a dead-end for anyone in a wheelchair; ​there's no curb cut, and even if there was, Walnut Street isn't exactly ADA compliant.

I missed the most recent bike ped facilities plan meeting but reviewed the final report at <http://www.cityofknoxville.org/bicycleplan/feb2015_finalreport.pdf>.

The report states "...many new routes/facilities were suggested based on individual personal preference, the following represent comments that were more broadly supported..."

"Broad support" seems an unfortunate criteria, as any unique idea would inherently be dropped from the final report if one person suggested ideas no one else thought of.

Indeed, my suggestion doesn't feature in the final report.  My training in Library Sciences leads me to hope public comments are appropriately preserved and were integral to the report's final recommendations, yet, perhaps not rhetorically, I have to wonder: what's the point of an individual attending public meetings and providing input if that input is not addressed unless it has "broad support?"

Parks and Rec is also neglecting to study a potential Central Avenue connection to Neyland Drive as part of their Greenway Corridor Feasibility Study.

I'm aware Hall of Fame, Willow Avenue, Jackson Avenue, Morningside Park and James White Greenway are all being studied as connections from East and North Knoxville to the Tennessee River and the UT Campus.

While any bike/ped facility is welcome over none, each of these options have inherent limitations impacting safety, speed, and general recreational enjoyment as routes to Volunteer Landing, Downtown, and the University of Tennessee. Given these limitations, an alternative route that increases safety, travel time, and scenic value is clearly needed.  I believe qualitative data sourced from interviews with bike/ped facilities users would support my opinion on this.

Therefore, I would like to propose for consideration a "William Blount Greenway" concept connecting the "dead end" pedestrian bridge at the City-County Building to the Downtown Dog Park, thereby linking the Old City to Volunteer Landing and the rest of the greenway network.

3D Rendering of W. Blount Greenway Concept, Red Line Marks Route from Dog Park to City County Bldg.

The name "William Blount" refers of course the Blount Mansion, which owns a parcel of property that would need to be traversed.  The benefit to William Blount Association seems likely to be increased recognition, visibility, and access created by the proposed greenway.  The greenway would also honor our community's heritage and help communicate the story of Knoxville's pioneer history, a key to heritage tourism and economic development.

Parcel owned by William Blount Association.  Potential for partnership?

I've put together a few sketches in Google Earth and Google Maps I'd like to share with you to illustrate the concept.

Google Earth Satellite Image Overlay with Red Line Indicating Route.  Crosses Central Avenue at Cumberland.

Position of bridge would require Greenway to "Thread" the bridge to pass onto W. Blount Assoc. Property.

William Blount Assoc. would be a Key Partner.  Benefits might include increasing recognition, access, and heritage tourism.

I'd appreciate it if you could consider how this idea might be incorporated into the City of Knoxville's alternative transportation plans including bike/ped facilities and greenway planning.

Thanks,

Tanner

Take Virtual Hikes on Local Trails with Google Trekker

City of Knoxville Press Release:

April 22, 2015
Knoxville - Looking for a new route to jog, stroll or ride your bicycle in Knoxville or Knox County? You can now take 360-degree virtual tours of 137 miles of local greenways, park trails and multi-use paths, thanks to Google Trekker Street View imagery.

Last fall, a team of partners led by the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission used a Google Trekker backpack camera to photograph trails and attractions throughout Knox County. The available interactive imagery includes many City and County parks, bicycle trails in the Urban Wilderness Corridor, the Knoxville Zoo and the inside of Neyland Stadium on the University of Tennessee campus.

Like other Street View imagery, the photos collected through the Trekker program can be viewed on Google Maps (maps.google.com) or the Google Maps app. Some links to local destinations are also highlighted on the Visit Knoxville website, at www.visitknoxville.com/trekker.

"Not only do the Google Trekker images provide an opportunity to showcase this area's outdoor beauty," said Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, "they also make it easier for local residents to discover - or rediscover - the outstanding recreational options available to them right here in Knox County."

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero said, "This is also a great way to reach out to visitors and show off some of our beautiful natural attractions. Now people can really see what we mean when we talk about the Urban Wilderness Corridor and our miles of local hiking and biking opportunities."

Visit Knoxville President Kim Bumpas adds, "This really is an exciting tourism initiative that features Knoxville experiences in real time for our community and visitors. We will all benefit from the Trekker and learn more about Knoxville's vast array of experiences."

Twenty-six people carried the 43-pound Google Trekker camera between mid-September and late November of last year, covering 75 different locations across Knox County.

"From Neyland Stadium to Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville is full of incredible destinations. Now, these places are available for everyone around the world to see, and be inspired to visit in person," said Deanna Yick, Google Maps Street View Program Manager. "Loaning our Trekker equipment to the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission was the best way create a virtual experience of such a beautiful place."

Bees On a Greenway

Interesting story about what to do if you see a bee swarm while you're out on a Greenway.



From the photo, this looks like Cherokee Boulevard Greenway.



BEES | Amy K. Gibson, Ph.D. | LinkedIn:

On my morning run, my friend and I encountered a swarm of bees on the ground by a tree. We called the Knox County Beekeepers Association and within an hour they came to the rescue. If you see a swarm, give these folks a call and save the bees!

URBAN WILDERNESS MOBILE MAP

This is an email from (OUTDOOR KNOXVILLE) sent by Tanner Jessel (mountainsol@gmail.com). You may also find the following link interesting: http://www.outdoorknoxville.com/urban-wilderness-mobile-trail-map

Mapped: How hard it is to get across U.S. cities using only bike lanes - The Washington Post

Bike lanes, sharrows and off-road trails.

Mapped: How hard it is to get across U.S. cities using only bike lanes - The Washington Post:

That map has more connections, but the larger pattern remains: This network is disjointed and incomplete. We'd never build a street grid that looks like this and expect drivers to navigate the city through it. But this is the reality for cyclists, and it may help explain to other people why cyclists have such a hard time staying out of the way — off the shoulder, off the sidewalk, out of traffic or car lanes. It's quite literally not possible to travel between many points in the city using only cycling infrastructure.

Trail Work at Concord Park on the Roundabout property

This Saturday, the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club will be working on trails at Concord Park on the Roundabout property. Start work at 9:00. Lunch provided by Cedar Bluff Cycles and beverages by AMBC. There is about .2 mi of trail flagged and ready to be cut. Map shows where they'll be working and where volunteers should park.

Cahaba River Natural re-vegetation in the rip rap areas along River Trace Road

Facebook: Thank you for being a friend!




Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge added 9 new photos.
The refuge is partnering with The Nature Conservancy in Alabama, Cahaba River Society, and Birmingham Botanical Gardens to aid natural re-vegetation in the rip rap areas along River Trace Road. Yesterday Paul Freeman (TNC), Randy Haddock (CRS) and Henry Hughes (BBG) and volunteer Jack Freeman helped refuge manager Sarah Clardy plant 350 black willow stakes, pawpaw & red maples seedlings and broadcast 2,000 sycamore seeds in a 150' long area to determine which species will be most successful and develop planting protocol. We will monitor the progress of these plantings through summer and hope to do a larger effort in the fall.

We also noticed quite a bit of natural re-vegetation already happening. Some of the species we identified were ash or box elder, sycamore and pine.



https://www.facebook.com/CahabaRiverNWR/posts/838369456231407