Let’s Not Meet By Accident

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Charlotte Pipes sent in the photos below of an accident that happened at the corner of Ursulines and North Dupre on the morning of January 15, 2016.
Charlotte reported that no one was injured.

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Please drive safely.

The life you save may be your own!

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Neighborhood speeding is a serious and pervasive problem. Our neighborhood streets — where people walk and kids play — are becoming speedways. Too many drivers still think it’s okay to drive 5, 10 or 15 mph over the neighborhood limit, unaware that they won’t be able to stop in time to avoid a tragedy. Slow down in neighborhoods, and keep it under 25.

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Tips below courtesy wikihow

Driving safely is important any time you are behind the wheel of a car, whether you are in a parking lot or on a major highway. Residential areas require you to be even more careful because there are often children, pets and other members of the neighborhood walking, playing and riding bikes. Many people are harmed or killed every year by people who are speeding or not paying attention when they drive through residential communities carelessly. Drive safely in a residential area by staying alert to your surroundings, obeying the speed limit and not getting distracted while you drive.

Remember to keep watch for the unexpected in residential neighborhoods. There are often blind corners, sudden turns and trees, light poles and other obstructions that can make it hard to see while you are driving.

Inspect your car before you drive it. Look for safety issues such as worn tires, leaking oil or faulty mirrors.

Wear your seatbelt and make sure any passengers are wearing their seatbelts as well. Buckle children into proper car seats and restraints.

Pay attention to the speed limit. There are often signs posted telling you what the maximum allowed speed is.

Keep your speed between 20 and 25 mph (32 and 40 km/h) if you do not see any posted signs.

Stay on your side of the road. Streets in residential neighborhoods are often narrower than major streets and highways. Make sure you are not taking up the whole road, especially when there is oncoming traffic.

Come to a complete stop at all stop signs. Some people are tempted to roll through stop signs, especially on quiet residential streets where they think no one will notice. Look in all directions before you move again.

Check for people who might be crossing the street, and wait for them. Many residential streets do not have crosswalks, so you need to pay attention to anyone who needs to cross. Pedestrians always have the right of way.

Observe all rules of the road. In addition to speed limits and stop signs, pay attention to other traffic rules. Look for signs that prohibit U-turns, identify one way streets and ask you to yield. Use turn signals when you need to turn and make sure your lights are on in the evening or during rain.

Put down your phone and other distractions. Do not talk or text on your mobile phone while you drive through residential neighborhoods.

Pull over if you have an emergency call you need to make or take. Even hands-free devices can be distracting while you are driving.

Notice road conditions. Go especially slow if there are potholes or weather conditions that might make the roads in a residential area slippery.

Try not to use residential streets as shortcuts. Increased traffic through these streets contributes to a higher risk of injury and makes the neighborhood more dangerous.

Look for parking prohibitions and regulations. Do not park on the side of the road, or in front of someone’s house unless it is permitted.

Make sure there is enough room left on the road for motorists to safely pass your car if you do pull over to park. Watch for parked cars while you are driving. Look for people who might be opening doors to get out of those cars.

Yield to vehicles such as police cars, fire trucks, snow plows, street sweepers and others that might be working to keep the neighborhood safe and clean.

Watch for bikes, motorcycles, scooters and other smaller vehicles that might be on the roads. They can be harder to spot, especially at night.

Are You Too Busy to Enjoy the Neighborhood?

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Slowing Down is the first step to a great neighborhood—otherwise you’re too busy to enjoy it.

 

YOU CAN LIVE in the greatest neighborhood in the universe but if you can’t take the time to stop in the cozy corner coffee shop, wander over to farmer’s market on Saturday morning, chat for a minute with your neighbor in front of the grocery store then you might as well live on the dark side of the moon. And, chances are, if too many people in your neighborhood have the same busy schedule, then things won’t stay great for too long.

MAKING THE TIME to appreciate all that’s going on all around each day is one of the best investments you can make. Think twice about signing up for another class across town. You could learn quite a bit more exploring around your home each evening. Trade the treadmill and stationary bicycle for a sidewalk and bike ride. Cancel your cable bill and spend the savings at local diners and taverns, where you’ll get more important news, far more interesting stories and even more opinionated sports coverage. Whole new worlds will open up and you’ll feel more relaxed to boot.

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A NUMBER OF CITES ACROSS ITALY came to realize how importance the pace of life is in keeping their communities vital, and launched the Cittaslow movement, known internationally as the League of Slow Cities in 2000. Associated with the burgeoning slow food movement, more than 100 cities (in Brazil, Norway, Sweden, Japan, Greece, Switzerland, Great Britain and Canada as well as Italy) joined the network united in the belief that the good life is an unhurried experience. Proudly displaying the Slow Cities logo around town, they pledged to:

— restrain racing traffic by limiting automobiles and promoting leisurely transportation alternatives such as bikes and pedestrian zones;

— encourage businesses, schools and government to improve the quality of life by allowing people to take time off for a long midday meal;

— promoting good food by sponsoring farmers’ markets and preserving local culinary traditions;

— curtain noise pollution and visual blight by limiting car alarms, outdoor advertising and unsightly signs.

“We are not against the modern world,” explains mayor Paolo Sautrnini of the slow city of Greve in Tuscany. “We just want to protect what is good in our lives and keep our unique town character.”

Resources: “Slow Cities league”:www.cittaslow.org

Dangerous Toys

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wheeliephoto courtesy Ken Foster

You’ve seen and heard them in the neighborhood. They sound like giant mosquitoes in the distance and get more ominous and more dangerous as they get closer.

All terrain vehicles, motorbikes, motorcycles and even motorized bicycles are becoming more and more popular and are posing a threat to the citizens of New Orleans.

Urge the city to find a way to address dangerous all terrain and other small but fast vehicles that race through our neighborhoods.

Please visit the link below for more information and to join the fight to stop dangerous operators of licensed and unlicensed machinery.

You’ve seen and heard them in the neighborhood. They sound like giant mosquitoes in the distance and get more ominous and more dangerous as they get closer. Please sign the petition and say you want to stop the mechanized madness!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION

SLOW DOWN!

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info gathered by Charlie London

Learn more about ways to reduce speeding in Faubourg St. John in the link below

http://peds.org/?s=speeding

Much of the threat to pedestrians comes from speeding cars. Fortunately, you’ve got plenty of ways to encourage drivers to slow down. Take action!

  1. Spread the word. Neighborhood websites, e-newsletters, Facebook Pages and twitter are all great ways to reach out.
  2. Use yard signs to remind drivers to slow down. Pick up signs at DRIVE LIKE YOUR KIDS LIVE HERE — or use plywood or laminated poster-board to create your own. Keep it simple.  Short messages and big letters work best.
  3. Set the pace. Driving at or below the speed limit forces others to do the same.
  4. Park your car in the street, and ask your neighbors to do the same. Narrow travel lanes prompt drivers to slow down.
  5. Install radar signs that show drivers how fast they’re going.
  6. Reduce speed limits. If the speed limit where you live is over 30 mph, ask transportation agencies to change it.
  7. Take back your street. Walk, ride a bicycle, sit on the front porch — and put some toys in your front yard.   Reminding motorists that streets are for people encourages them to slow down.

Bump outs like this one make crossing the street safer for pedestrians. And, in the middle of the street is a brick section with a gradual rise on either side. This helps slow traffic.
Bump outs like this one make crossing the street safer for pedestrians. And, in the middle of the street is a brick section with a gradual rise on either side. This helps slow traffic.

How a Dutch neighborhood pioneered an innovation now sweeping the globe

TRAFFIC CALMING HAS SWEPT THE WORLD over the past 20 years. It’s based on the rather simple idea that cars and trucks don’t have exclusive ownership of our streets. Streets are shared public space also belonging to people on foot and bicycles, in baby strollers and wheelchairs. Reminding motorists of this fact, traffic calming uses design features such as narrowing roads or elevating crosswalks to slow traffic and assert pedestrian’s right to cross the street.

This idea has altered the literal landscape of urban life in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Germany and Australia as people move about their cities with more ease and pleasure—and it’s now taking off in other parts of the world.

bumpout1THE ORIGINS OF THIS INGENIOUS IDEA CAN BE TRACED TO DELFT, NETHERLANDS, where residents of one neighborhood were fed up with cars racing along their streets, endangering children, pets and peace of mind. One evening they decided to do something about it by dragging old couches, planters and other objects out into the roadway and positioning them in such a way that cars could pass but would have to slow down. Police soon arrived on the scene and had to admit that this project, although clearly illegal, was a really good idea. Soon, the city itself was installing similar measures called woonerfs (Dutch for “living yards”) on streets plagued by unruly motorists.

One can only imagine the response of city officials if these neighbors had meekly come to city hall to propose the idea of partially blocking the streets; they would have been hooted right out of the building. But by taking direct action, they saved their neighborhood and changed the face of cities around the world.
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