Sunday, June 22, 2008
Slideshow: Lake Worth Transit Oriented Development Charrette - 6/21
The group - about 30 or so I would guess - showed up around 9 a.m. and listened to Dana Little of Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council go through a Powerpoint presentation on the relationship of land use and mass transit. More broadly put, he explored the built environment's relationship with mobility - how people get from here to there.
This is done in the backdrop of record prices for oil and gasoline, along with the prospect of transit service eventually being offered on the FEC railroad. This eastern railway currently serves only freight; the State of Florida is in the process of buying the right-of-way from the private company that owns it. An on-going study is underway that is dealing with all the issues related to the establishment of a transit rail use, in addition to maintaining freight operations. By clicking here you will be taken to the site that outlines all the details of the on-going study.
A total of 5 groups went to work over aerial photos and tracing paper to come up with ideas and concepts in a "what if" scenario involving transit rail on the FEC. Certain parameters were given - the platform for the station needed to be a minimum of 500 feet long, station spaces is generally not encouraged closer than 1/2 mile apart, etc. With that sort of basic information, each group came up with different approaches with some surprising commonalities.
You can inspect the work of the groups at the Shuffleboard Court building - west room, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. now through this coming Thursday. A final presentation will be made this coming Friday. I will provide more details as the day gets closer. During the week, they will also have other experts available. One notable expert in particular is Robert Gibbs, an expert in downtown and traditional development retailing.
So, please, sometime during the week, drop by, chat with the Treasure Coast planning staff and review our work from Saturday. FYI - my group was #5. Your input and direction is needed as this is an important strategic consideration for the City of Lake Worth!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Nice Message from the Bathroom Place
Thursday, June 19, 2008
My Salute to "Dump the Pump" Day
Being the Planner that I am, I like to "walk the walk" as much as possible. Since I had never taken a Palm Tran bus before, I thought today would be a good day to do so seeing as it is national "Dump the Pump" day. I already had two scheduled appointments in downtown Lake Worth, back to back. So instead of hopping in my car, I grabbed the camera and headed off to the nearest bus stop on Dixie Hwy.
That stop is by McDonalds, part of the Arbor Shopping Plaza. I got there around 12:50 p.m. or so. At about 1 p.m., the southbound bus appeared.
I, along with a mother and child, climbed aboard.
Once inside the bus, I paid the fare. The woman in front of me had a pass that she just waved at the driver. I put a dollar bill in the fare box, along with 50 cents in the coin drop slot and took a seat about midway back, on the aisle. The bus was about 70% full and was made up all ages, races and descriptions of people that you could think of.
The woman seated directly ahead of me was a familiar face for those that travel north and south on Dixie Hwy. She was the woman in the blond wig and overcoat that saunters up and down the sidewalk all day long. Besides the odor emanating from her, the bus was clean and the air conditioning was refreshing after waiting outside for the bus to arrive.About half way to my destination at Lucerne and Dixie Hwy., a young man got on board and started talking very loudly about equality, genocide and mass killings. The bus driver gave him a warning to be quiet or he would have to get off the bus. That worked for about a minute, then he started up again. By then we were where I needed to get off. The bus stopped and many people exited and entered the bus in front of the CVS right across from City Hall. The guy with the loud voice got off and went south on Dixie Hwy.
From there I walked to the Shuffleboard Court building and waited for my appointment. The entire trip on the bus was about 7 minutes. With the walk to the stop and the wait for the bus, the total trip time was about 20 minutes. I was early for my meeting with the folks from Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council concerning the Charrette this coming Saturday (see previous post). So, that gave me time to look over the maps they had laid out to stimulate thought and discussion.
Once the meeting finished, I walked out into the larger room where I overheard part of a conversation between Miss "T" and another lady. She was telling her about how the day before someone got robbed at gunpoint right outside the door to the shuffleboard courts. She had called the police immediately, but after 20 minutes they had yet to show up. The guy who pulled the gun had gone off and walked west down Lake Avenue. There was more to the story, but I didn't stay around to hear it all as I was a little late for my next appointment.
That appointment was with Joan Oliva, Exectuive Director of the CRA. She had called earlier in the week to set up an orientation meeting with me related to my appointment to the CRA. We talked about coming meetings and likely agenda items. I talked about some of my priorities that I would like to see come about. She was able to give the packet for next Tuesday's meeting to me as well.
So, I headed back to the bus stop, with a quick side trip to CVS for something cold to drink. The northbound bus came in about 15 minutes. While waiting, I bumped into a neighbor of mine that uses the bus quite frequently to take care of errands. She is older and has trouble seeing. Her children a few years ago encouraged her to give up her car, which she eventually did. I usually see her walking her dogs around the neighborhood. Instead of getting off the bus around College Park, she went on to Winn Dixie to do her weekly shopping.
Otherwise, the trip north was uneventful and after a brisk walk from the Dunkin Donuts, I was home a little after 3 p.m.Would I do it again? Sure. I'm not sure that it is economical for short trips like this one. I don't think that I would have used $3 worth of gas getting to and from downtown from my house. But to and from downtown West Palm Beach might be another story. If I was headed to the Tri-Rail stop, it would be worth it. I would've had to transfer to the east/west route at Lake and Lucerne to do that. In no way was it objectionable to me, especially if you keep in mind this is a public bus. As long as you are comfortable being with people of all types, it's a good way to get from here to there.
Press Release - Transit Oriented Development Charrette - 6/21
The time of the charrette is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A follow-up presentation will take place the following Friday, June 27. Time and location will be announced later.
Tips on Saving Gas...
and fuel efficiency really drops off at speeds over 60
mph. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph reduces
mileage by about 7 percent.
2. While you are waiting in line at the drive-thru, you are
getting zero miles per gallon. Park the car and go inside
the restaurant. You’ll save gas and get some exercise!
3. Maintenance is the key to peak performance. A
dirty air filter and under-inflated tires can increase
your fuel cost up to 13 percent.
4. When it’s time for a long trip, think about what
you really need to take. A loaded roof rack can
decrease your fuel economy by 5 percent because of
the drag. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk reduces
a typical car’s fuel economy by 1-2 percent.
5. If you can eliminate just two discretionary trips per
week, you can save several dollars at the gas station.
Combine trips by share driving chores with neighbors
or carpooling to work. Several short trips from a cold
start can use twice as much gas as a longer, combined
trip to the same places when the engine is warm.
6. “Flooring” the gas pedal while moving away from
the light usually doesn’t get you to your destination
any faster, and it wastes gas. Drive evenly and sensibly.
7. Don’t start and stop your engine needlessly. Idling
your engine for one minute consumes the gas
amount equivalent to when you start the engine.
8. Drive steadily. Avoid tailgating. The driver in front
of you is unpredictable. Not only is it unsafe, but it
affects your economy if you have to slow down unexpectedly.
Slowing down or speeding up wastes fuel.
Sources: www.howtoadvice.com/savinggas, fycs.ifas.ufl.edu/
Yesterday's Rainbow
This was taken around 8 p.m. from my driveway. It was raining lightly with the sun setting in the west. Now, just where is that pot of gold?
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Hurricane Preparedness
From Mary McCarty's Office:The official start of hurricane season was June 1st and I would like to remind everyone the importance of being prepared! County officials and staff have worked diligently on a comprehensive Web site and manual providing essential information on hurricane preparedness such as shelter locations, generator safety, pet shelter locations, etc. Please take some time to review the information provided which will help to insure the safety for you, your family and friends.
http://www.pbcgov.com/publicsaf
For pet owners, please visit www.pbcgov.com/pubsafety/animal for details on preparing your pets/animals in case of an emergency.
In addition, the 2008 Storm expo is scheduled to be held at the South Florida Fairgrounds on June 14 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm) and June 15 (10:00 am – 2:00 pm). The event includes educational seminars, local hurricane preparedness exhibitors, children’s activities and much more. Admission and parking is free. For further information, please contact 561-712-6378 or email: emexpo@pbcgov.org.
![Dr. W. H. Cotton’s ode: “Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!” [circa 1920].](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL75cv6zJQFjX15ojOIIz9AjnbqH4asHJTYSDhnGnYr7rJZRha1NcNTirj2xPcId158vkz5Hw-wXgOfrlztj8Zr8jLFFCfuEN6PyV44ZlpMRmJ68xbtFL9vzxNiG7xDs_HJvm/s1600/LakeWorthPioneers.JPG)
