Jake and I attended today's council meeting and would have to say that it was somewhat more enjoyable than expected. The first half an hour or so was spent recognizing an employee of the month in the parks and rec department along with recognizing the beautiful homes the the Edgemont neighborhood.
while this wasn't very exciting some time was set aside in the meeting for some public comments which resulted in some very engaged citizens concerned about a new ordinance in Provo and some potential ethics violations against councilman Steve Turley.
I was glad I went because I was able to hear these public comments about topics I was not aware of. I am grateful I live in a community that has a least a few concerned citizens that are willing to take the time and present complaints and concerns to a seeming open city council.
While I don't have many thoughts due to ignorance on my part of the issues involved on the allegations against councilman Steve Turley I do have some opinions of what I could gather from the comments on the residential ordinance passed.
from what I could gather I understand this ordinance allows property owners more leeway in allowing how much paved surface is allowed on their property. while this sounds like a pretty mundane topic this had citizens of the Joaquin neighborhood rightly concerned in my mind. From my understanding this has the potential to decrease property values and remove needed green space all for some extra parking. From my perspective the parking issue of the Joaquin neighborhood involves two major players, BYU and the Residents of the neighborhood. I would like to make the distinction of certain residents of the Joaquin neighborhood as there are the families and longtime residents along with the sizable BYU student population which shrinks and swells during the school year.
One of the issues that was not mentioned in the public comments was BYU's parking policy, I see BYU's policy as a large player in determining the issue of parking in these neighborhoods. From what I have seen (which I will admit is not much) is the BYU has not made a substantial effort to reduce the amount of student traffic. From my recollection BYU has consistently lacked an effort to sway students to use alternative forms of transportation which would in turn reduce the need for large, expansive and expensive parking facilities on and off campus. BYU does not offer enough of a subsidization on bus passes for students leaving little incentive to shell out the cash for one. As a cycling advocate the whole issue of on street parking v.s. on property parking is not a problem that is easily tackled with one solution such as the one proposed by the city council. Transportation issues such as these can easily be alleviated even if only a slight amount by incentivising alternative forms of transportation such as bicycling or transit which could easily reduce the number of cars seeking to park in the Joaquin neighborhood especially when it is so close to campus.
while I do admit a degree of ignorance on my part please excuse me if I am misinformed on this topic. I understand that these are complex issues that can be difficult to try and hash out on a keyboard in a few minutes. for instance I realize I offer no solution to the students who may choose to bicycle or use transit while in Provo but also have a car. also I recognize that for some bicycling or transit is simply not an acceptable solution for some, all I seek to express is a desire to see this issue as not of car drivers v.s. Joaquin residents v.s. BYU students but as an issue that is more inclusive of low impact transportation such as bicycling or transit.
