07/23/08

English (US)   Do This, Don't Do That  -  Categories: Opinions, Transportation  -  @ 11:08:14 pm
Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

— from Signs, © 1970 Five Man Electrical Band

 
Billboards, business signs, school zone signs, street-name signs, for-sale signs, vote-for-me signs, no-dumping-here signs — speed zone ahead, speed limit, pavement narrows, open trench, caution, intersection ahead, right turn only, no stopping or standing, stop! — when are there too many signs?
 
England uses far less traffic signs than America and they use more on-road indicators, under the assumption that it is safer to keep your eyes on the road, or so says John Staddon in a recent article, Your Divided Attention, printed in the Dallas Morning News. "I began to think that the American system of traffic control, with its many signs and stops, and with its specific rules tailored to every bend in the road, has had the unintended consequence of causing more accidents than it prevents."
 

Left to right: (a) the buildings and urban edge of a street help to form the place; (b) the kerb line can be used to reinforce this; and (c) the remaining carriageway space is tracked for movement and for the provision of places where people may park their vehicles. Source: Manual for Streets (U.K.)
 
Manual of Transportation

Refuge islands can be used at mid-block locations, channelized right turns, or at long intersection crossings. Source: ITE's Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities and Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc.
 
ITE Manual

The gateway to a neighboring city has signs lining both sides of a four-lane, divided, no-access road. Except for the missing shoulders, this road could be any 70-mph stretch of roadway in America yet it is posted as only 40 mph. Unfortunately, the speed limit sign is behind the tree on the right. Only by not paying attention to the roadway and other signs would a driver have a chance of spotting it.
 
American Street

With less signs, he says, "Detailed statistics show that as of 2003, fatalities per mile traveled were 36 percent greater in the U.S. than they were in the U.K."
 
He continues, "Attending to a sign competes with attending to the road. The more you look for signs, for police and at your speedometer, the less attentive you will be to traffic conditions."
 
Mr Staddon observes, "What matters most for road safety? The quality of the roads themselves? The engineering of the cars that travel them? The speed limit? The answer may be 'none of the above.'"
 
Not an engineer, instead Mr Staddon says he has studied adaptive behavior his whole professional life, and it is from that perspective that he offers his observations on safety and distractions.
 
However, what would a U.K. traffic engineer say? The Manual for Streets, prepared for the Department of Transport and Communities and Local Government, advocates emphasis on the geometric design, rather than the speed zones and stop signs we use. Studies found two primary factors influenced speeds: forward visibility and street width. The more forward visibility, the more a driver feels comfortable increasing his speed. Similarly, wide streets also invite faster driving. Now consider many of our neighborhood streets that are wide and straight and that draw complaints that people are driving too fast. It's only natural. Then set houses and other structures further from the street and remove on-street parking. Speeding gets much worse. It's an inefficient use of land and it brings tons of headaches.
 
On signing, the manual advises caution: "Some streets feature few, or no, signs or markings. This may be appropriate in lightly-trafficked environments. It reduces sign clutter and the relative lack of signing may encourage lower vehicle speeds." Later, "It is not appropriate to use smaller signs simply because the sign is informative rather than a warning or regulatory sign. If the sign is necessary, motorists need to be able to read it; signs are most effective when not used to excess. Designers should ensure that each sign is necessary."
 
Checking "Down Under," emerging guidelines are similar. In a publication of the Western Australian Planning Commission and the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, Livable Neighbourhoods, an objective of street design includes: "to enable roads and verges to perform their designated functions in the street network, recognising that streetscapes that are too wide encourage higher vehicle speeds; and to provide street geometry which is safe and appropriate to the street function."
 
Progress is being made in this country, too. The Institute of Transportation Engineers has prepared Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities. CSS is "a process of balancing the competing needs of many stakeholders starting in the earliest stages of project development. It is also flexibility in the application of design controls, guidelines and standards to design a facility that is safe for all users regardless of the mode of travel they choose."
 
CSS brings stakeholders and affected parties into the design process early. When the Texas Department of Transportation started to design a new freeway along I-30 near downtown Fort Worth, CSS was used and resulted in the freeway being located further south, re-opening the old post office and other historic structures to downtown. The raised deck that was removed allowed the re-creation of Lancaster Ave, which is enjoying new development that would never have faced a freeway.
 
It is encouraging that American engineers and designers are working to build public streets that address the needs of users, but still missing are those basic observations from England and Australia about the importance of the geometric design. There are many good American design guidelines coming forward but it seems the street cross section has greater influence than the grid design.
 
American designers look to continue channeling you through town from A to B, while the English and Australian models empower you to guide yourself through.
 
The final point: we can do a much better job designing streets than we have in recent decades, whichever of the models above we choose to follow. Neighborhood streets deserve much more attention to provide safer travel for cars, bicycles, and pedestrians.
 
One way to spot the signs that we are improving our streets may be when we see less signs and more attention directed to the road.
 


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07/22/08

English (US)   The Community Center With Lots of Books  -  Categories: Opinions, Libraries, Taxes  -  @ 09:03:41 pm

In the mid-1990's, the Internet was growing astronomically and the expectations of what it would ultimately deliver were growing as rapidly. Chicago convinced itself that libraries would soon be extinct, replaced by instant access to books and research materials through people's personal computers. Funding dropped dramatically and the whole system immediately began to starve.
 

Katrissa Taylor used a computer to search for work last week at the South Garland Branch Library. 'Any time the economy is bad, people need their libraries more than ever,' said Claire Bausch, director of the library system.
Source: DMN and MIKE STONE/Special Contributor
Library Computers

To its credit, by the early 2000's, Chicago realized its mistake and funding was restored at higher levels than before. New branches were constructed. The new branches had community meeting rooms, places were afterschool children could be tutored, and — the ultimate irony — lots of computers. Chicago had learned that instead of libraries being replaced by computers, people used libraries to access computers.
 
Chicago's libraries became more than a place to check-out books; they became community centers, places where people gathered, meetings were held.
 
I can no longer find the report I read that described this turnaround but I've discussed it with Claire Bausch, director of Garland's libraries. She is an adamant supporter of the central role libraries play in many residents' lives.
 
A recent front page article in the Dallas Morning News extols the crowds headed to North Texas libraries and featured front and center were Garland's libraries. A large photo showed rows of computers with patrons surfing the Internet. The computer has become an integral part of libraries. In Garland, the virtual walls of the library extend to the home where patrons can access electronic books, homework help, research sites, and much, much more (take a few moments to browse our library website). In sync with the growing electronic activities, Garland residents are borrowing more books than ever before.
 
On a cautionary note, the article also covers the budgeting concerns that exist across regional cities. With an extremely tight budget expected this year in Garland, most, if not all, departments will be impacted, including libraries. We'll need to be lean because it is our best defense for tight budgets expected for the next few years, but we must also be careful that we don't make the mistake that Chicago almost made in the 90's.
 

More are flocking to North Texas libraries

12:00 AM CDT on Monday, July 21, 2008
By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News
bformby@dallasnews.com
 
Whether they're looking for work, taking online college courses or seeking affordable summer activities for their kids, North Texans are turning to one place in increasing numbers this year – the local library.
 

Computers are in demand at the South Garland Branch Library, with many looking for employment. Some patrons return to thank librarians when their search is successful.
Source: DMN and MIKE STONE/Special Contributor
South Garland Library

Not that area librarians are surprised.
 
"Any time the economy is bad, people need their libraries more than ever," said Claire Bausch, director of Garland's Nicholson Memorial Library System.
 
But the state of the economy doesn't affect just residents – it also influences city budgets to which library finances are tied.
 
"It's kind of ironic that we're increasing our numbers as our budgets are being cut," said Dona Weisman, a consultant for the North Texas Regional Library System.
 
* * *
 
Garland city officials are also looking at ways to cut their budget. Ms. Bausch said she couldn't comment on whether library funding was at risk. A budget official could not be reached for comment.
 
More …
 


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07/21/08

English (US)   How Is This Better?  -  Categories: Opinions, Utilities  -  @ 11:21:04 pm

From the Wall Street Journal:

Deregulation Jolts Texas Electric Bills

By REBECCA SMITH
July 17, 2008
 
Texas had some of the cheapest power rates in the country when it zapped most of the state's electric regulations six years ago, convinced that rollicking competition would drive prices even lower.
 

HIGH VOLTAGE
  • The Problem: Consumers are getting gored by high electricity prices caused by rising fuel costs and mysterious transmission bottlenecks.
  • The Background: Texas deregulated its market in 2002, but now prices are higher than ever.
  • What's Next: Regulators are tweaking market rules and putting the finishing touches on a $325 million computer redesign to help bring relief.

This summer, electricity there is some of the nation's priciest.
Power costs are rising in the rest of the U.S., but everything is bigger in Texas: On a hot day in May, wholesale prices rose briefly to more than $4 a kilowatt hour -- about 40 times the national average.
 
"We could end up doubling last year's power prices," says Dan Jones, who monitors the market for the Texas Public Utility Commission to make sure it functions efficiently and is free of manipulation. A Texan shopping for electricity today typically would be quoted a price between 13 and 27 cents a kilowatt hour; the national average is between nine and 10 cents.
 
Beset by a combination of soaring natural-gas prices for power generators and congested transmission lines that weren't designed to accommodate the new freewheeling market, officials are struggling to figure out what can be done to bring prices back down in a state that consumes more electricity than any other.
 
"Are my constituents going to be screaming bloody murder in August?" state Rep. Will Hartnett, whose district includes parts of North Dallas, asked at a recent legislative hearing on the electricity market. "I'm worried about what's about to hit us."
 
More …
 

 
Electricity customers across North Texas are already complaining about their utility bills and most haven't received bills for the recent 100° days. Garland residents, at least the 85% served by GP&L, haven't been similarly hit because we own our own system and generation but we're not totally immune to the effects of the electric market. We are still a part of the transmission system that the Wall Street Journal article suggests is antiquated and describes as congested.
 
The article says the culprit is higher natural gas prices. Even though Garland, Bryan, Greenville, and Denton operate a coal-powered generating plant at Gibbons Creek as the Texas Municipal Power Agency, higher natural gas prices gives coal producers room to charge more for their product, too. Everyone is affected.
 
The major unknown in this deregulated market is how well ERCOT and the Nodal system will perform. A new computer system is due to come online soon that is touted as a solution but it is hard to find anyone that is confident it will perform well from the beginning.
 
Other factors increase the uncertainty. As covered in a recent Dallas Morning News article on wind power and my related post, wind is not an always reliable source of energy. Wind can be relied upon to blow when we don't need as much power (wee hours of the morning) and similarly to not blow when we do (during the hottest part of the day).
 
The state's cheapest energy comes from nuclear and coal. The state loses the savings from that cheaper energy when it is replaced by wind. The natural gas units that can spin the quickest and come online when wind dies are currently the most expensive units to operate.
 
The WSJ article says that as many as 100 retail providers are doing business in the state. That is deregulation.
 

GP&L continues to be the lowest provider in the Oncor/TXU area. Click graphic for larger version.
June GP&L Rates

The public utilities have been forced to divide and sell divisions. Even TMPA that has its own generation and its own transmission lines cannot ship that power to its owners, Garland and the three other cities, except under control by ERCOT. Also, the state requires that 15% of power come from renewables even though it can be extemely inefficient and costly. Utilities are more handcuffed than ever. That's not deregulation.
 
I have some concern that a state agency totally reliant on a computer program to handle all the complexities of the utility business, generation by diverse methods and idiosyncracies, transmission over old and congested lines, has taken too much of the market out of the market.
 
Meanwhile, GP&L customers have the lowest-priced electricity in the area served by Oncor/TXU (see graph). GP&L is well positioned for the next several years.
 
There are opportunities for GP&L to benefit from the tumultuous climate that we call deregulation. To assist, the Council is currently working to fill the positions on the new Utility Advisory Board, which I believe will be a tremendous asset to the citizens, the Council, and to GP&L.
 
There may be dark clouds gathering but Garland and GP&L will remain one of the brighter areas.
 
[The original text of this post has been edited for clarity and brevity.]
 


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English (US)   Garbage Collection Rates to Rise  -  Categories: Utilities  -  @ 11:13:52 pm

I reported a couple weeks ago that trash rates would probably be increasing. No probably anymore. The Council approved the increased rates that will soon go into effect.
 
No one wants higher fees but the increase is a direct result of higher expenses related to fuel prices. It is a cost of doing business, as we are seeing in food prices and most other goods.
 

City of Garland News Release:

Increasing Fuel Costs Prompt City of Garland
Environmental Waste Services Rate Increase

Due to significant escalations in fuel cost, mid-year rate increases are required for residential and commercial solid waste collection customers. The disposal gate rate charged to non-Garland residents and commercial customers using the City’s landfill and Transfer Station will also be increased. The new rates take effect August 1, 2008.
 
New rates will be as follows:

  • The current monthly residential sanitation rate of $16.25 will increase by $1.84 a month for a total monthly rate of $18.09.
     
  • Commercial solid waste collection rates will increase by 10% based on the size(s) and type(s) of container(s) and the collection frequency
     
  • Landfill disposal gate rates will increase by $5.00 per ton (non-Garland residents and commercial customers).
    • New rate for automatic dumping vehicles: $35.00 per ton
    • New rate for trucks and trailers that do not automatically dump: $52.50

     

  • Transfer Station disposal gate rates will increase by $5.00 per ton (non-Garland residents and commercial customers).
    • New rate for automatic dumping vehicles: $52.50 per ton
    • New rate for vehicles that do not automatically dump: $78.75


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07/20/08

English (US)   Iraq Troops Receive Welcome  -  Categories: Announcements  -  @ 04:23:24 pm

Soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq at DFW Airport were greeted by area crowds, including Scouts from Cub Scout Pack 161 and Boy Scout Troop 57. The Scouts and their families arrived at DFW about 7 a.m. Saturday morning. The troops were offered iced water and treats by the Scouts. Reports indicated that Mini-Oreos were popular. Many of the Scouts in Pack 161 are from District 1, drawing strongly from Luna and Lister Elementaries. The Pack is sponsored by the First Baptist Church.
Returning Troops


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07/18/08

English (US)   Garland Taking Budget and Economy Seriously  -  Categories: Opinions, Taxes  -  @ 11:05:27 pm

Source: Strategic Partnerships newsletter
March 20, 2008
Garland OKs $196 million capital improvement program

 
The Garland City Council has approved a $196.4 million capital improvement program that anticipates a 1.5-cent property tax increase. Council members were split over the prospect of more taxes on financially burdened residents and the need to expand the city's tax base with infrastructure and development.
 
Mayor Ronald Jones said that much of the money is for projects approved in 1997 and 2004 bond packages. He stressed that approval of the package did not automatically mean a tax increase, but some members of the council felt there was no way to avoid one.
 
This year's capital improvement program is nearly $63 million less than the $259.2 million program that the council approved last year. City staff members told the council that the reduction was prompted by concerns about continuing declines in home values. About 60 percent of the city's property tax base is residential.
 

Cities and counties across the state and nation are facing tighter budgets this year. The failures in the housing and credit markets have decreased the property base and the resultant property taxes. An article in the Business section of today's Dallas Morning News shows home sales down in almost every sector of the Metroplex. Prices in the older cities are down, too. Garland sales show to be down 22% and values down 9%. The median price for Garland homes is much lower than all the cities near us, except Mesquite.
 
The figures are not exactly accurate because some of our nicest neighborhoods are counted with Richardson since the divisions are determined by the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems. Still, the measures do show the challenges we face as we move closer to our budgeting process.
 
This year is different than Garland has witnessed in many, many years — maybe ever. Two years ago I pushed for more cuts to hold the tax rate. I received pushback from the Council and staff, "Well, what cuts do you want?" I argued then and since that we can't do a good job of budgeting by Council members reaching into a hat of their least favorite departments and pulling out an arbitrary number. I've spurned that feint each time it has been thrust.
 
At the Retreat in June, the Council made it clear that there were no sacred cows, everything was on the table for discussion and possible cuts — everything.
 
I'm confident there will once again not be an increase in the Operations & Maintenance budget. Staff has pared $5 million from operations. Every department has exhibited exemplary effort to trim and scale back to make the goals.
 
The anticipated savings in the O&M budget will involve policy changes and management cuts.
 
If there is an increase in the tax rate, the pressure will come on the debt side where the approval of the Capital Improvement Program budget by a 7-2 vote in February requires additional monies for the almost $200 million increase in borrowing and spending (see story inset), adding to our already oversized debt that is much the consequence of overspending by some previous councils, including spending reserve amounts that residents had to replenish.
 
Expect to see unfilled positions eliminated, overtime reduced, new policies on take-home vehicles, and retirement program changes. Departments are suggesting major changes that will refocus service efforts, many that better position the city as it ages and transitions.
 
The budgeting process this year represents a retooling and re-orientation for the challenges of tight budgets for the next few years. I will focus, as I have since being elected, on Growing the City, putting our scarce resources where they bring the greatest return value, where we encourage investment and property appreciation. Until we succeed in that task, we can't afford the quality of life projects that so define and augment a community.
 
Trimming $5 million, or more, will involve some pains but we as a city will be strengthened for the years ahead.


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English (US)   Sexual Assaults Often Slow to be Reported  -  Categories: Police Department  -  @ 10:53:26 pm

The Dallas Morning News has posted an article online that addresses the number of reported rapes this year in Garland. The article does an exemplary job of explaining that reports are often not recent, are maybe years old. The article also does a good job of offering advice to victims from professionals and from Garland Police Dept's Public Information Officer Joe Harn.
 
Over the last six months, there were three such reports in District 1, one each in Jan, Feb, and Mar, but none since.
 

Garland rape reports up 139% so far this year

11:31 PM CDT on Friday, July 18, 2008
By WENDY HUNDLEY / The Dallas Morning News
whundley@dallasnews.com
 
Halfway through 2008, sexual assault reports in Garland are up 139 percent over the same period last year, but police officials aren't worried that assaults are the work of an elusive serial rapist.
 
Instead, many of the rape reports – there have been 43 through June compared with 18 at this point in 2007 – are old attacks and the victims are just now coming forward. Some of them date back to 2001 and 2002, and in the majority of cases this year, the victims knew their attacker.
 
Out of the 43 cases, 17 involve offenses at least a year old. Many of the victims are children, and most of the alleged attackers were family members or acquaintances.
 
Only three victims said they were attacked by strangers.
 
That's very typical, said Dr. Susan Clark, crisis response coordinator for Parkland Memorial Hospital's Victim Intervention/Rape Crisis Center.
 
"Stranger rapes are very rare," she said. Most rapes are committed by people the victims know, she said.
 
And Dr. Clark said she isn't surprised that some victims wait months, even years, before reporting a rape. "Most of our counseling is for historic ones," she said.
 
After a woman has been raped, she often wants to push the crime out of her mind, Dr. Clark said. But these dormant memories often come flooding back when she experiences a significant event in her life – a marriage or the birth of a child. That's when she finally seeks counseling and feels safe enough to report the crime.
 
As for this year's increase in Garland, Dr. Clark said one possible explanation for it is better outreach and education about the crime to the area's Spanish-speaking population. More than a quarter of Garland's population is Hispanic, according to the census estimates reported by the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
 
Officer Joe Harn, Garland police spokesman, said he understands why many sexual assault victims might be slow to come forward immediately after an attack. But he said there are good reasons to contact police as soon as possible.
 
If too much time elapses, evidence and details of the crime may be lost and it may be harder to locate the perpetrators, he said. Also, police can refer victims to counseling, he said.
 
"One of the reasons we like them to come forward early on is to get them help to deal with the trauma," Officer Harn said. "If they wait five or six years, they haven't dealt with it."
 
While Garland is seeing an uptick in reported rapes, that's not the case in some neighboring communities. Richardson reports a 45 percent drop from last year at the same time. In Dallas, rape cases are down almost 12 percent this year. Mesquite police are not seeing any fluctuation in the number of these crimes.
 
But Garland's experience may not be far off the mark.
 
In June, the crisis response team at Parkland hospital reported 78 sexual assaults and 81 domestic violence cases – a 26 percent increase over the same time period last year.
 
"We're seeing an increase in violence overall," Dr. Clark said. "We don't have hard numbers as far as where the people are coming from. We draw from across the area."
 
Dr. Clark also sees a link between the slumping economy and growing rates of domestic crimes. "As we see financial stresses increase," she said, "we also see a steep increase in domestic violence and sexual violence."
 


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07/17/08

English (US)   Popular Local Latte Source to Close  -  Categories: Opinions, Development  -  @ 11:24:40 pm

Source: Starbucks.com
Starbucks

I always thought it was a kick while waiting for a table at Fish City in the Firewheel Town Center to wander across the street to Starbucks. It was just close enough that the your-table-is-ready buzzer still worked.
 
I received an e-mail tonight asking if I knew that store was one of those recently named for closure. I confirmed the rumor (link here). The employees affected will be transferred to other stores.
 
The nearby Starbucks on Lavon Dr won't be closed and the Barnes & Noble Café won't change.
 
It seems to have taken a few people by surprise that particular Starbucks was targeted and I think the impression is given that somehow the Town Center is not doing as well as they thought. Actually the opposite is true.
 
The Town Center's success means rents are higher, as are the triple-net expenses. The Town Center Starbucks was doing well but it opened later than all the other area stores and closed earlier than most. The shorter operating hours and the higher expenses made the business decision easy.
 
I don't know what new business will relocate to that spot but I hope it still makes carrying the your-table-is-ready buzzer across the street worth the trip.


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07/16/08

English (US)   Sleeping Dog Still Not Settled  -  Categories: Opinions, Public Safety, Transportation  -  @ 11:48:02 pm

I posted yesterday about the Council's decision to not go forward with a cell phone ban in school zones. And I've posted updates on the progress of the issue as it was considered (links below).
 
Mayor Ron Jones said other cities were considering such a ban and asked the Public Safety Committee to review it. As the chair, we did review it with Chief Mitch Bates and other Police Dept personnel. We were unable to find a single report anywhere of someone hitting a pedestrian in a school zone while on a cell phone. There were numerous reports of accidents in school zones being reported by cell phone owners.
 

Work session testimony by Police Dept
Cell Phone Item

The Chief also reported that in Garland since 2005, there were maybe eight cases where a cell phone was suspected of contributing to an accident.
 
The Committee recommended to Council that no action be taken at this time. Everyone on the Council seemed to accept that recommendation.
 
Then Mayor Jones said he had received citizen requests, so he scheduled the item for a work session. Comments were made but no action was suggested by anyone. There did not appear to be support for ineffective but emotionally-directed ordinances.
 
Then the Mayor chose to have a public hearing. Only three people spoke: one for a ban, one against all cell phone use while driving, and one against. Speakers were questioned and Council members made comments, but no action was suggested.
 
Then in a surprise move, Mayor Jones asked the City Attorney to draft an ordinance and he placed it on last night's agenda. Two of the same people spoke again. When no other speakers were present for the item, in a space of about five seconds, he noted that no Council member had indicated a desire to speak and he moved on to the next item. I think reluctance to jump in and repeat all the previous comments once again, to recap at least two opinion pieces by Council members in the media, and several news articles and editorials, was not an attractive option when no one had expressed support for the proposal or advocated having another public hearing.
 
Over 25,000 people live in District 1. I heard from almost no one on this subject even though I've been very forward on reporting about it and about my concerns with the inappropriateness of a ban that addresses only a fraction of the possible distractions — and then carves down that one distraction to only those drivers that use the phone as a handheld, exempting hands-free and text-messaging. I also posted on my preference that we use proactive ways to protect our children from all distractions, which I think we are doing well presently, but I've suggested ways we can do more. No one has asked to explore those suggestions.
 
I have heard from a few people on the item that live in Garland and virtually all were opposed to the idea, with one even suggesting it was a plot to raise money for the budget.
 
I had expected to let this sleeping dog slumber but an article, currently posted online, will apparently appear in Thursday's Dallas Morning News, probably the Metro section. I was actually surprised to hear Mayor Jones express such strong sentiments about the ban because he did not express those same feelings to the Council during any of the times the item was discussed.
 
I'm also surprised that Mayor Jones, as reported, disparages the Council's actions. It is incumbent on all Council members to respect the actions by other Council members, whether we agree or not. Like in District 1, those other members sit as the representative of over 25,000 people. To disparage a member is to disparage those that selected the representative, the citizens we swore to serve.
 
I feel the Council showed a great deal of maturity and principle not acting on the ban at this time. Even though the DMN article lists other cities that have enacted bans recently, there are over 100 cities and towns nearby in North Texas. The vast majority have chosen to not enact such a ban. Enacting the ban just because others have invites the fate lemmings too often share.
 
I'll admit this for the record: I have no herd in me. I think the Council has demonstrated time and again that each member is an independent thinker that reports only to his or her constituents. You see friends on this Council but you don't see blocs. Having the principles and fortitude to resist passing "feel good" ordinances bodes well for Garland, that this Council will do the hard work and make the hard decisions so we can accomplish the work that we were elected to do.
 
The Council not reacting to this "hot potato" demonstrates leadership and I am anything but disappointed.
 

Garland steers clear of a cellphone ban in school zones

09:02 PM CDT on Wednesday, July 16, 2008
By FRANK TREJO / The Dallas Morning News
ftrejo@dallasnews.com
 
Garland isn’t jumping on the bandwagon to ban the use of handheld cellphones by drivers in school zones.
 
City Council members Tuesday night took no action on a measure brought to them by Mayor Ronald Jones, effectively killing the proposal for now.
 
“I was surprised and disappointed that eight people on the council chose to not even debate it,” Mr. Jones said, referring to the fact that no council member moved to vote on the issue. As mayor, Mr. Jones cannot make such a motion.
 
The failure to act on an agenda item was a rarity in Garland, he said.
 
The North Texas movement to ban the use of handheld cellphones in school zones began when Highland Park approved a measure in November, followed a month later by University Park. Officials in both cities stressed that the ordinances were aimed at improving public safety, though some critics noted that no major problems had been reported in school zones and that the laws did not address cellphone use in other parts of the cities.
 
Dallas and Duncanville approved similar laws in February, followed by Flower Mound in March, Highland Village in April, Rowlett in June, Wylie several weeks ago and Sachse last week.
 
Mr. Jones said he first brought the issue to the Garland council in April, when he referred it to the council’s public safety committee. He said numerous residents had expressed concern about the safety of children in school zones because of drivers distracted by use of handheld phones. And he noted that other area mayors also were looking into similar measures.
 
Last month, after the council discussed the matter in a work session and held a public hearing, Mr. Jones said that cellphone use in school zones was a major concern for him and that the best approach would be for all cities in the region to tackle the problem.
 
The mayor noted that the Garland school district also serves students in Rowlett and Sachse, cities that have approved bans.
 
But some Garland council members expressed reservations about how big a problem cellphone use in school zones was, and some questioned whether a ban only in school zones was the right way to deal with a distraction that happens on roads everywhere.
 
Council member Douglas Athas said it would be improper for the city to enact an ordinance to address a problem for which there is no documented proof.
 
“It was a preventative law at best, for something we apparently don’t have a problem with, which is cellphone users running over pedestrians in school zones,” he said.
 
Last month during a work session, Police Chief Mitch Bates told council members that in the last 2 1/2 years, the city had recorded eight traffic accidents in which cellphone use was a factor. None occurred in a school zone.
 
Mr. Athas also said the proposed cellphone ordinance would address only one of many possible distractions, from reading newspapers to putting on makeup while driving.
 
Fellow council member Rick Williams said last month that the proposed ordinance would address the problem only within school zones, and not outside them. He said the danger comes from drivers who are so distracted while using cellphones outside school zones that they speed through the zones without slowing down.
 
Mr. Jones expects the issue of cellphone use in school zones to come up again sometime.
 
“I think a future council, or maybe even this one, will approve such an ordinance,” he said. “It will happen one day. It just didn’t happen this time.”
 


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English (US)   Are You Feeling Congested?  -  Categories: Opinions, Transportation  -  @ 01:22:00 pm

"Dallas-Fort Worth traffic congestion is fifth-worst in the country and worst in Texas," according to reports from the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
 

Souce: Dr Tim Lomax, TTI Presentation
Congestion

Longtime residents of the Metroplex have witnessed traffic congestion increase dramatically since 1982 when congestion in Houston was three times higher. By 2005, DFW had risen above even Houston, to the "fifth-worst in the country." While the problem was worsening here fast, it was also rising across the state's other large metropolitan areas.
 
The Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University keeps track of this information and conducts studies to address these types of problem. Dr Tim Lomax from the Institute presented this information to a joint meeting of the Dallas Regional Mobility Council and the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition. (PDF version of Dr Lomax's presentation below.)
 
More than presenting the extent of congestion in North Texas and information from across the state, Mr Lomax revealed the frustration and cost of congestion. In the DFW area, the average driver during the peak period of congestion wastes 58 hours per year, at a cost of $1050. Across the state that amounts to 360 million motorist hours, 250 million gallons of gas, and a price tag of $6.7 million.
 
Metroplex drivers found roads uncongested 86% of the time in 1982. By 2005 it had dropped to only 34%. Conversely, the extremely congested period had risen from 3% to 28%. For area drivers, at least 57% of the time they drive they will encounter heavy congestion or greater, wasting 152 million hours and 11 million gallons of gas. Time and fuel both considered, that is an annual cost of $2.75 billion. The average trip takes 35% longer than those free-flow periods. Checking the clock face, we experience congested traffic 7.6 hours each day.
 

There is no one reason for congestion …

  • Bottlenecks (40%)
  • Traffic incidents (25%)
  • Work zones (10%)
  • Bad Weather (15%)
  • Poor Signal Timing (5%)
  • Special Events/Other (5%)

and there is no one solution:

  • Accept some level of congestion
  • Diversify development patterns
  • Manage the construction process
  • Manage the demand
  • Improve system efficiency
  • Build more capacity

 
Congestion is expensive, it degrades our quality of life in time lost and the cleanness of our air, it makes planning area trips unpredictable, and its waste of energy resources contributes to our dependence on foreign governments in both energy purchases and foreign capitalization, governments that are oftentimes hostile to our interests.
 
We're not stuck in this conundrum. We can manage our way forward but it will take leadership (which we do have) and money (which we are working to acquire) and planning (where we are doing better).
 
The first problem is recognizing the challenge, the subject of this post. I'll address some of the next challenges in future posts.
 

Click to link to presentation.

Dr Tim Lomax
Texas Transportation Institute
DRMC/TRTC Presentation


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