Gone are the days when we can laugh off a half mile trip by car up the street to the neighbors house or the city park. Did you notice the gas prices this weekend? Hello? Are you paying attention?
Seems like most of those in charge up in Cuyahoga Falls aren't. They're too busy living in the past instead of admitting the reality that we can't be so auto-centric any more.
Ok, before I continue to rant, allow me to back up and familiarize you with the issue.
There is this road in Cuyahoga Falls called Northampton. It formally begins at the intersection of Portage Trail and Cuyahoga St. and ends on Akron-Peninsula about 6 miles north. Several neighborhoods run off of Northampton. Some of these neighborhoods are older than others and the newest one is called Woodhaven, the main entrance of which is off of Bath Rd. When this new neighborhood was constructed, it was planned that an old access route would be turned into a road to connect the Woodhaven complex from Dominic Dr. to the much older neighborhood of Hidden Valley at N. Hidden Valley Rd. Just to be clear, the access road pre-dated the Woodhaven neighborhood. It was there before all the houses on Dominic were built. Got it?
Ok. Here's a map of the area with the access route pointed out for your easy reference:
Turns out the access route was turned into a 20ft sidewalk instead of a road. A house was built on either side of the sidewalk. The route does fall into private property. A large boulder was placed on the Dominic end to prevent motor vehicles from cutting through, but pedestrians and cyclist still had access. Emergency vehicles would technically still have access as well. That was that.
This sidewalk has been the preferred shortcut for residents of the Hidden Valley, Brook Park I, and Brook Park II to get to Keyser Park which is opposite the Woodhaven neighborhood on Bath Rd. I labeled it for you on the previous map. Keyser Park has a paved walking trail, baseball field, dog park, picnic areas, pavilion, tennis courts, and playground. Its a cool park. I grew up near the area and played in said park, so I can personally attest to its coolness.
The only other way for people to get to the park is by driving a car on Northampton Rd. According to AMATS, this section of Northampton is rated as Intermediate/Moderate. There is no bike lane, sidewalk, or even a substantial margin for pedestrians or cyclists. The pavement is in poor condition and people drive fast. Here's a streetview of Northampton:
For a cyclist with experience riding on the road, Northampton isn't much of a challenge. However, its is unsafe for children whether they're walking or riding their bikes. I know, ok? I've ridden it. Makes sense to me that the kids would rather take that shortcut to get to the park instead of Northampton Rd. I imagine any parent would agree with me too.
Then, one day, a resident on Dominic Dr. in Woodhaven requested that the boulder be removed so people wouldn't have to go around it. Cuyahoga Falls did that. Unfortunately, that opened a giant can of worms. All of a sudden the residents that lived by the sidewalk on Dominic Dr. didn't want it to be used by the public anymore. Even though that route had been there when they moved in and people had been using it the whole time! So, since the sidewalk fell on private property, the City complied by putting up a chain. Those that wanted to use the route, instead of pedaling their training wheels down Northampton, just went around the chain, as they had the boulder, and went on their merry way. One resident decided she had enough and started shining spot lights on the kids passing through, shouting at them, and even called the police at one point. That ticked off the kids and they started vandalizing. According to a source, prior to this brew ha ha, there had been a few to law enforcement over the years and there is no evidence that any of the incidents were related directly to the presence of the sidewalk.
Here's a satellite image of the sidewalk:
Here's the streetview of the sidewalk on the Dominic Dr. end with the boulder in place:
In order to take control out of the hands of teenagers and Crazy Spot Light Lady, Cuyahoga Falls City Council looked at the possibility of resorting to eminent domain. They weren't going to eminent domain the houses, only the sidewalk. No one was going to be kicked on the street. Got it?
Well, for some reason this became a debate about big vs. small government instead of a debate about alternative transportation. The media took the side of the poor oppressed residents of Dominic Dr. and thus made the city look like a fascist regime for wanting to create a safe and solid route for its residents to go from point A to point B. Shame on them. As a result, City Council voted 9-1 against eminent domain. As it stands, the sidewalk is still on private property and anyone can be prosecuted for trespassing if they use it. The crazy lady can shine her spot lights and call the cops as much as she wants. Unfortunately, for all the other sane residents of the the four neighborhoods, the decision to close the sidewalk is not a good thing. Legally, they cannot use this sidewalk to get to Woodhaven and Keyser Park. They are forced to take Northampton Rd.
"Boo hoowhat!?!
In this day and age, you still think its not that big of a deal to waste gas!?! Get with the program!
Their response? "Then, the city should just build a sidewalk on Northampton Rd." Oh yeah, that's plausible! In a time when all city governments are hurting and competing for transportation improvement funds, you expect them to extend the roads and build a half mile of sidewalk? Why the heck would they do that when there is a perfectly good sidewalk already in existence!?!
"Well," they say, "then the kids should just play in their own neighborhoods."
I'm not even going to dignify that with a response.
Why do the residents of Dominic want the route closed off? The only answer I can give you is that they are selfish and ignorant. They're still stuck in the ancient mindset that its all about them and their cars. Another reason that Crazy Spot Light Lady gave to close the sidewalk is that she's afraid of running kids over when she backs out of the driveway. Lady, what is that thing I see passing in front of your house? Looks like the neighborhood sidewalk to me. Are you saying that you don't look to see if anyone is walking there before you back out of your driveway? If that's the case, you're going to kill someone whether the access route is open or not. Its only a matter of time.
To expect people to drive and waste gas for half mile trip to the park because you don't want people walking or cycling by your house is just plain wrong. If you don't like people, you shouldn't live in a neighborhood. Plenty of neighborhoods and communities are connected by public pathways. They're called roads. If you don't like that, move to the backwoods.
At the risk of ticking a bunch of locals off, sounding like a fascist, or a republican I'm going to come out and say that I agree with the Mayor of Cuyahoga Falls and Councilman Mader when I say that the City Council should have voted for eminent domain.
As Councilman Don Walters states in the Beacon article, most of the residents wanted that sidewalk to be open. It is the responsibility of the local government to go with what its residents want, that's all Mader and the Mayor wanted to do. The fact that the rest of Council cowed to a vocal and irrational minority is an embarrassment. Sometimes the greater good outweighs the desires of a couple individuals. That's life, people. Time to grow up.
So who wins here? Not the residents of those neighborhoods. If their kids want to go to the park to play baseball or whatever, they're going to have to drive them. If the parents are working or I don't know, don't want to spend the gas money, the kids have to play in their own neighborhoods. None of them have the facilities that Keyser Park provides. Are people going to start complaining when these kids start playing baseball on the streets? In the summer, the City has programs in the parks Monday through Friday so the kids have somewhere to go while the parents are at work. When I was in high school I was a supervisor for those programs. All the kids that participated came on foot or on bike. That's how kids get around. You get made fun of if you're mom drives you everywhere.
Oh yeah, chances are, the "alternative routes" Councilman Don Walters refers to will never materialize. Is that route along the high traveled Northampton Rd.? Or are you planning on cutting in a new path altogether? Who are you going to tick off in that process, I wonder?
Crazy Spot Light Lady and her cronies don't win either. That woman is going to end up a pariah in the community and I doubt the vandalism will end with the council's vote.
This incident is an excellent example of how so many people (and local governments) are unwilling to face the reality of the times in which we live. The age of the automobile is coming to a close. With gas at over $4 a gallon with the promise it will be $5 by summer, it isn't feasible for families to use the car for every little thing. Its amazing to me that some people are so ignorant that they expect people to do that.
Its also an example of how politics often does more harm than good. Why did City Council vote no? Because the media said they should. Also, I have a sneaky feeling it has to do with votes. It is election year, after all...
I'm not into politics. But, I'm 100% behind improvement of streets and neighborhoods to make them open for all modes of transportation. I'm impressed with Cuyahoga Falls' gutsy move to consider eminent domain in order for that to happen for people in Ward 8. I'm not impressed that they didn't stick to their guns. Yeah, it would have been the first time the City had resorted to it, but it was for a very good reason. A progressive, forward thinking, bicycle friendly reason.
So, if you agree with me that Crazy Spot Light Lady's lack of social skills aren't more important than the safety of the residents, can you do me a favor and tell the City of Cuyahoga Falls? They need to hear from people that value this type of planning and use it. People that are intelligent. Please encourage them to revisit this issue.
If you don't agree with me, try walking down Northampton Rd at rush hour, when school is over for the day. Then, think about your kid doing it.
Alone.
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