I give Josh Cohen credit for announcing a number of ideas to improve the parking situation in downtown Annapolis www.cohenformayor.com/blog?key=1431. He has a laundry list of specific plans, all of them good and workable, but he misses the point. Is there a parking problem or is there a mobility challenge? He gives some attention to transportation as his fifth and final point, but Cohen seems to misunderstand or not admit or convey just what is the issue. The issue can be framed quite simply. We have a colonial-era town designed for people, horses and buggies. Do we continue to try and tweak parking and adapt the 21st century car to the ancient city or do we come out and say that downtown is for people and cars are secondary or tertiary?
I know the answer I would choose. I wish Cohen would take bold moves and also come out and say that downtown is for people. The only real solution to parking challenges is to improve our transportation choices and modes. Only then can we begin to eliminate cars and find real ways to move people. Finding new ways to simply improve the management of parking is neither bold, innovative, sustainable and it does not address the real issue--mobility!
However, it is more of a start than any other candidates have made. He has a photo of himself showing how he will remove the special mayoral parking space at City Hall. That's symbolic but not terribly useful. As mayor he deserves to park near his office, but what about a photo of him walking, biking or taking a bus? In short, why does he need to drive? Now, if he gave up driving--that would really be newsworthy. Instead, he's going to walk a little further each day and in so doing, he may feel better, but it really avoids the tough questions and tough decisions. The next mayor should really help lead us all into a workable, mobile and eventual car-free future in our city.
Silly idea? Unworkable? Laughable? Maybe to some or to many. But that day is coming and if we beat around the bush by simply tweaking parking, we only prolong the inevitable. Maybe that's the politically expedient thing to do with most any issue.
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13 Comments:
Since Josh lives in West Annapolis (disclaimer: he's a neighbor and friend), I bet he walks to work if he is elected. Why do I say this? He and his wife are part of our walking/bike riding clan that rides to the organic market downtown on Sunday mornings. I'm not sure why he does not mention this, but I just wanted to point out that he believes in this kind of transportation paradigm shift (we have had this discussion many times) and most importantly personally practices it. While giving up his mayoral parking space might be a trivial gesture, I think it shows leadership by example; and, that is is not trivial.
Alex Thanks for the comment. Josh is a former neighbor of mine as well (remember--Eastport? Ward 8?) and yes he used to walk downtown, and yes he accompanied me on a walk with the former Public Works Director to review sidewalk issues but during that time and while he was an Alderman, his three-person family had three cars (my four-person family had one for 15 years), I never saw him on a bike and could never get him on a bus or to pay attention to bus issues. He has slowly come to understand these issues more and more and while it's nice on a Saturday to stroll to an organic market, that's not commuting and it's not replacing the use of the car. My whole point is that while Josh is aware of and sensitive to and concerned about these issues, he is also aware of and sensitive to politics first and foremost and is therefore not willing to be truly bold and innovative when it comes to drastically moving us toward a reduced or car-free city. These measures are all designed to tweak the management of cars and not their reduction--and certainly not their elimination.
A follow up: Personally, I would love to see more radical change with respect to car culture. I am both a competitive and recreational cyclist and would be happy never to get in a car again in my life, but the reality is that while WE may wish for a different norm now (I have listened to your presentations on the subject and agree 100%), I do not believe that is the predominant attitude in the city, nor will it be in the time scale of the next couple of mayors. You know this as well as anyone else, it took us 50 years to get the mess we have now, and short of some draconian forcing function like $5/gallon gas (we can only hope, it was working!), it's just not going to happen quickly. I do hope there are initiative that help move the city along in this direction, but while "tweaking" may be politics, that is in my view, the will of the (the majority of) people and that's what elected officials are supposed to do.
As long as we expect us to be led--and to be led by politicians who are afraid to be bold and to really lead, we will get the same old same old. This is why I am trying to get Josh and all candidates to stretch their ways of thinking about this and we must encourage them. I believe that according to your philosophy, things just somehow change and there are no change agents. Please stop saying as if this drastic reduction or car-free society will eventually happen and let's start making it happen. Let's fire up political leaders, let's get ourselves elected, let's make noise--let's not just accept symbolic gestures from politicians who blow like the wind and are afraid to lead.Otherwise we get technocrats or they should just be city managers. My vision is to have mayors who led and city managers who implement. Josh says he wants to lead so please--tell him to stop tweaking and start leading..and same for the others.
Wow, civil political discourse. Who knew?
I agree with Paul. Leadership is what people want, not to simple do the bidding of the electorate. We have representative democracy, not pure democracy so it's ok for Josh to try to change things in a direction that would benefit the public good even when the public writ large doesn't understand. As Paul said, it's leadership, and it's really, really tough. If my Master of Public Administration courses taught me anything, it's the benefit and value of effective transformational leadership. It's the new black...
Keep up the great work. I ride my bike into Annapolis all the time. It's great once you get into town but I don't think I've ever ENJOYED riding on West St or Bestgate.
There's another way: see Madison, Portland, NYC, San Diego, Seattle, Austin...
I am so tired of this debate over cars versus people downtown. I have lived downtown on an off over the past 15 years and know what a problem parking can be. And we all know that this city was not designed for modern day transportation. However, the reality is that this is the culture in which we live. Tourists do not want to be far from their cars and we need those tourist dollars to survive. It is time to stop pretending that Annapolis will ever be the same as Colonial Williamsburg. The cars are here folks, and if you want to keep the money flowing in, you don't make it harder for them to access downtown.
I would like to see the entire downtown harbor area converted from parking lot to an actual DOCK, like it should be. I suppose we could have limited parking in that area but the traffic at the Market House is unbelievably congested on the weekend. I fear crossing that intersection as a pedestrian.
I agree that we should be proactive and very much encourage or even demand that our leaders do the same (thus this discussion!). That said, perhaps I take a slightly more pragmatic view of the world vis-a-vis implementation. Changes like this do not happen at a revolutionary pace, unless there is the aforementioned forcing function that transcends the various special interests. That is the beauty, or ugliness depending on your point of view, of our sausage making form of government in this country. I learned a long time ago that a good compromise is one that makes no one happy ;-)I'd love to see a mayor say "no cars downtown", but honestly what would you think the chances are of that coming to pass? Just not going to happen by anyone of any party. They would be voted out next cycle and ultimately nothing would happen - just belligerence and stalemate. Personally, I think Josh is the best guy in the group to be able to work with the diverse set of stakeholders and their perspectives involved with this issue in order to affect change.
Nonetheless, let's keep pushing for a change in the car culture - see you at the Be Bright, Be Seen event at the Market House October 29! http://www.ci.annapolis.md.us/transport_news.asp?ID=14578
BTW, great discussion! Really, I'm not just trying to get the last word in ;-)
Thanks to All....Clay --I disagree and do not know who you are--there is no Clay Braswell in the phone book but your points are important and reflect many others as well. Please email me your phone number and email address for future comments.
Ellis--right on...but you are a walker not a pedestrian! Remember--people go into stores and buy things, not cars....
Alex--I have worked in government at all levels and in the private sector. The people must lead and we must be willing to take big steps in the hopes we end up compromising. If we begin with baby steps we will only be able to get bay steps at most...if that. SO, if compromise is the operative word, best to start way out and be willing to move rather than starting from where it is safe. More to come I am sure...
Big Daddy Mike Ha ha we are always civil here...strident perhaps but civil. I have studied the transportation in all of the cities and have visited all but Madison. Yes--it can work better where there is leadership.Thanks for writing and keep reading and writing--send a contribution too please!!!
Personally, I'd like to see Main Street and Maryland Avenue closed on the weekends and transformed into a pedestrian hangout with art, music, food, etc. Of course, a study would have to be done on how to effectively reroute traffic. I was in Charlottesville a couple weekends ago, and they have done that in their historic downtown 24/7 and it is beautiful and thriving.
Rhonda Thanks for the note. I have enjoyed the car-free walkways in Santa Monica CA, Charlottesville Va, Winchester,VA, Boulder Co, Miami Fl (Lincoln Rd), Buenos Aires, Santiago, and other places. Yeah--it can work here too..if we are willing
I've held this in long enough - and it certainly has nothing to do with parking; that's the least of my concern in matters relating to Josh Cohen.
Firstly, Josh used to be a neighbor of mine in Eastport; he lived five or six houses away from me. Never, during those five years did he ever stop by to say hi, grab a coffee, etc. He did call the house twice though: once when he was running for County government and the other time was so he could put a "Cohen for Mayor" sign on my lawn.
Moreover, Josh can not be an effective mayor because I do not trust him to stay on the job. He has a history of passionately running for office, only to lame duck it so he can run for a "bigger, better" office. How long before Josh decides he wants to enter the Gubernatorial race for Maryland, once again leaving Annapolitans high and dry.
Lastly, Josh is not a business person; he surely is uniquely unqualified to ascertain if this City needs a City Manager form of Government. See, as a power hungry and controlling incumbent, he is not yet experienced to wield power to those that are smarter than he. I've lived in seven cities in my adult life and they all had a City or Town Manager - and we all prospered.
One last word about City business - Josh will never right the ship at the Market House. His inexperience along with Director of Procurement Rob Scheutz lack of anything (Rob started Acton's Landing and had to be semi-replaced and he ultimately left an uncompleted project) will get us nowhere.
Thanks for basking in the heated glow of my venting.
Mark Smith
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