Last week, the Washington D.C.-based urban planning nonprofit Smart Growth America held a three-day virtual summit about improving racial equity and taking action on restorative justice in housing, business development and transportation. Day three, dedicated to the latter, centered around the environmental, health, and economic damage inflicted by the interstate highway system, envisioned in the 1950s and ’60s as massive urban renewal projects which, in actuality, razed homes and businesses, displaced residents, carved up neighborhoods, introduced massive amounts of concentrated auto emissions into neighboring predominantly Black and Latino communities, and created a high-speed conduit for white flight to the suburbs.
Tory Dahlhoff / WCBU
When Peoria resident Zaxton Johnson heard the city will begin road construction this spring in front of their home on South Western Avenue, he was quick to name his top repair priority.
“A lot of potholes,” said Johnson. “If you ain t paying attention you can hit them and bust your tire.and that can cause an accident right there.”
“With the potholes and these lights being fixed, I think this would be a lot safer road for the walking pedestrians that got to cross along this road every day,” said Shad Timmit, another resident living in the one-mile section of Western Avenue from Adams to Howett that’s included in the project.
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Complete Streets petition circulates in Whitefield
January 13, 2021WHITEFIELD Whitefield resident and board member of the Whitefield Economic Development Commission, Jared Cape, has issued a petition to speak at the next Town Meeting in regards to a Complete Streets initiative.
The idea of Complete Streets is to deliver safe, comfortable, convenient access to community destinations and other public places wether it be via walking, driving or cycling. As described via Smart Growth America, A Complete Streets approach integrates people and place in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of our transportation networks. This helps to ensure streets put safety over speed, balance the needs of different modes, and support local land uses, economies, cultures, and natural environments. A Complete Street in a rural area will look quite different from a Complete Street in a highly urban area, but both are designed to balance safety and convenience for ever
We have heard about “racist” statues. The charge of “racist,” used to any degree real or perceived, has become a powerful weapon among those pushing swift and widespread cultural and political revolution.
The next big thing in their crusade will be “racist” highways that must be destroyed like statues of Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee. Racial justice activists hope Pete Buttigieg, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for transportation secretary, will lead the charge. His tweet about highways emboldens them.
“Black and brown neighborhoods have been disproportionately divided by highway projects or left isolated by the lack of adequate transit and transportation resources. In the Biden-Harris administration, we will make righting these wrongs an imperative,” Buttigieg tweeted on Dec. 20.