A slim majority of New North End residents favor the controversial North Avenue bike lane configuration, according to results of a survey — but opponents and two city councilors who represent the area claim that it was flawed.
Forty-eight percent of New North End residents reported satisfaction with the pilot project, which changed North Avenue from four lanes to three last year, compared to 45 percent who feel dissatisfied, say the results, released in mid-June.
The citywide results indicate a wider margin of support for the bike lane — 53 to 40 percent.
But the year-long pilot project has sown distrust and frustration over the city process.
“It’s divided the neighborhood,” said Councilor Kurt Wright (R-Ward 4).
On Thursday, opponents of the pilot sent an email to the press with the subject line: “North Ave Pilot Survey was manipulated.”
“It is the opinion of many that the outcome of the survey … was decided before the study was made,” wrote Karen Rowell, an opponent of the project.
The Castleton Polling Institute conducted the survey. The Burlington City Council is set to vote Monday to either make the change permanent or abandon it.
Nicole Losch, a senior planner for the Department of Public Works, said that in spite of the criticism, the department has worked to be fully responsive to citizen concerns. “We’ve done more project modification and more public outreach than we’ve ever done for any other projects,” Losch said.
Overall, 3,336 Burlingtonians completed the survey between May 4 and June 8 — more than three quarters of whom were New North End residents.
The city’s process has been a series of slip-ups and faulty communication, said Dave Hartnett (D-North District). Last fall, Hartnett said, Mayor Miro Weinberger vowed to send all the surveys to residents by mail. Instead, the city sent postcards notifying residents to answer the survey — either online, by phone or by mail.
The initial postcards were nondescript, Hartnett said, and more than 1,300 were incorrectly addressed. Hartnett and Wright used their discretionary council funds to pay for a second mailing, which arrived only one day before the survey ended, Wright said.
The councilors expected they would see the data before it was released to the Department of Public Works. That didn’t happen either, Wright said.
“There’s a lot of distrust from a lot of people of the process,” Wright said.
“We’ve gotten this wrong from the start,” Hartnett echoed. “It’s been really disappointing.”
As a result, Hartnett said, he would not be attending the public presentation of the data held by the Department of Public Works on Thursday.
“I’m washing my hands of it,” Hartnett said.
Losch defended the department against the allegations. “We didn’t make any revision to any of the survey results,” she said.
The survey marked the final of three measures the city used to gauge the impact of the three-lane configuration. Crash data from police showed fewer and less serious crashes overall, though there were a higher number of rear-end crashes. According to traffic data, the configuration also caused commutes to increase by just more than three minutes at the peak of evening rush hour.
The North Avenue pilot project emerged from a two-year public planning process that was completed in 2014. The bike lane was installed in June 2016, and follows the stretch of road that links Burlington’s northernmost neighborhood to the city proper. A resolution passed by the city council included language noting that New North End residents must support the project for it to become permanent.
Wright said he planned to introduce an amendment Monday asking city councilors for a citywide vote on the project next Town Meeting Day. He’s not optimistic his measure will pass, he added, but a public vote would provide a final objective result for those concerned about the process.
“As important as the road itself is to people, the issue of trusting government is also a really big issue,” Wright said.
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Another reason not to vote for Hartnett. Whether he likes it or not, he signed up to play in the game. Now he’s picked up up his marbles and gone home, saying he doesn’t like the way things have played out. Pretty arrogant to effectively say that attending a meeting with his constituents is not worth his time.
Kurt Wright and the rest would not be crying if the results went their way. He is possibly the most self-centered, obstructionist person ever to be involved in Burlington politics. Grow up Kurt, the world does not revolve around you and the rest of your NIMBY cronies.
For what it is, it seems to be working OK, but it shows diminished capacity to deal with heavier traffic flows….like when anything is happening downtown that a lot of NNE folks attend.
MY concern is that putting the FINAL seal on it now completely disregards the impact that the massive development that is happening in the former ORPHANAGE space will have on N AVE traffic and services. IF you live there, you will come out the avenue for almost all of your elective services?? Haircut, grocery, church, beach?? All roads will lead out the avenue and THIS TRAFFIC STUDY AND MAYBE RESIDENT OPINION may well change.
MY SUGGESTION is to retain the status quo for another year and see what happens v/v the development just down the street….
and I still don’t get the closure of the Northbound access to the belt line at the church. but that is another issue, eh?
Kurt Wright tells us that “Theres a lot of distrust from a lot of people of the process” and “It’s divided the neighborhood” – without acknowledging that he’s been busy stoking that distrust and division all along.
But political opportunism from Wright and Hartnett shouldn’t be a reason to reject an inclusive consultation process or to stop a project that makes for safer streets for cars, bicycles, and pedestrians alike.
i don’t care if you are a R or a D, if you are in it for yourself and not the citizens you should be voted out.
As a result, Hartnett said, he would not be attending the public presentation of the data held by the Department of Public Works on Thursday.
“I’m washing my hands of it,” Hartnett said.
I drive north avenue every day to work for the last 10 years. If it take 3 more minutes to get to work so be it. Leave early. It’s a much safer avenue and just this week I have seen more bike then any time before they now have a safe ride and I don’t have to worry about them being right next to me.
I want to applaud the DPW for running an open and transparent process for developing the North Avenue project. I do not consider myself an activist citizen yet I knew about the public planning meetings and participated in the community input phase. Some of the original proposals were much more dramatic than what has been implemented including multiple traffic circles, barriers for bike lanes and so forth. Through the public input process, the DPW narrowed the changes and designed the initial trial project. Through multiple public inputs since the trial started, DPW has made changes to the implementation.
I do not understand how it can be claimed that DPW has communicated poorly or is not taking public input or that the City is loosing public trust.
Mercy sakes, Councilor Hartnett!
The 53 percent vs. 40 percent city-wide response in favor of sensible, safe, and painless changes to North Avenue traffic management and bicycle safety is a greater margin than the 54-46 percent PAC-funded vote in favor of City Center spot zoning last November.
Last fall, Burlington citizens bore witness to your titillating sinecure as Campaign Chair of Mayor Weinbergers PAC Partnership for Burlingtons Future, when Miros PAC-funneled slush funds was targeted to support spot zone downtown according to the diktats and whims of an out-of-state developer. As figurehead Chair, Im sure you were afforded ample opportunity to rub shoulders with the Mayor, and to ensure that mailings about the proposed North Ave. lane changes were properly addressed and mailed.
Moving forward, I encourage you to get back on the pony, get your hands dirty, and help make Burlington a safer city for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, rather than go AWOL and wash your hands of it, while waffling on about mis-addressed postcards and such when things dont go your way.
The survey is done, the crash data is in, now Council votes and we can move on. Politicians used this issue to activate their base but as the recent landslide election of a progressive democrat in Ward 7 indicates, the times they are a’changin.
Really as a City Councilor its your job to represent your constituents – No wonder the NNE supports Kurt Wright who never washes his hands and is always elbow deep into what ever the issue may be.
“Weve gotten this wrong from the start,” Hartnett echoed. “It’s been really disappointing.”
As a result, Hartnett said, he would not be attending the public presentation of the data held by the Department of Public Works on Thursday.
“I’m washing my hands of it,” Hartnett said.”