The Archives

06.23.09

Police use car vs. pedestrian crash to counter critics, warn walkers Advocacy, Government, Politics, Transportation | (5)
I really didn't want to write about this again, but it looks like the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department is casting a June 19 car vs. pedestrian crash as vindication of its unpopular crackdown on jaywalking, which was launched last month. With a headline that's unusually snarky for a police department communication, "Still Think We're Being too Strict?", the press release reports the injury of a pedestrian who "was not in a crosswalk at the time of the incident" and promises, "once released from the hospital, the pedestrian will be cited for jaywalking. I have no problem with traffic crashes being ...
06.19.09

Bike and bus beat car in Dump the Pump commuting challenge Advocacy, Government, Transportation | (0)
We have a winner! Savannah Bicycle Campaign board member Frank McIntosh reached City Hall a couple minutes before Sean Brandon, Savannah's director of parking and mobility, who traveled via Chatham Area Transit bus. Jordan Griffin of the City's film and tourism office arrived last by car. McIntosh is an experienced cyclist, having logged tens of thousands of miles on his trusty Novara mountain bike. It is decades old and has even been stolen and recovered at least once. McIntosh proved you don't need an expensive ride to get to work on time. At a finish line press conference, Alderman Tony Thomas underscored what many ...
06.17.09

Bike, car and bus to square off in June 18 commuting challenge Advocacy, Transportation | (2)
It's not often that an official communication from the City of Savannah begins by asking readers to predict the outcome of a race. Still, that's the lede from a June 12 press release: A bicyclist, a bus rider, and the driver of a car each leave midtown Savannah at the same time headed for City Hall. Who gets there first? The event, scheduled to coincide with the American Public Transit Association's National Dump the Pump day is meant to underscore the transportation options available to Savannahians. The event is sponsored by the City of Savannah, the Savannah Bicycle Campaign, the Savannah Development ...
06.12.09

BLUE Ocean Film Festival in full swing Advocacy, Education, Water | (0)
While movie buzz has surrounded the shooting of Disney picture featuring the star of the Hannah Indiana franchise (Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with her work), another arm of the Disney empire was making news in Savannah, according to the Creative Coast: Disneynature has acquired the North American and Mexican distribution rights to the exciting new underwater film “OceanWorld 3D,” the first feature-length nature documentary ever filmed and released in 3D, it was announced at the Blue Ocean Film Festival by Jean-Francois Camilleri, executive vice president and general manager for Disneynature, and Francois Mantello, chairman of 3D Entertainment. The festival's goal is "to honor, ...
06.05.09

Rancor over jaywalking fines grows, but key question still unanswered Advocacy, Economics, Government, Neighborhoods, Public Space, Transportation | (0)
Since the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department began issuing stiff fines for jaywalking, there's been plenty of media coverage and even the formation of a facebook group for people opposed to the fines. And more recently, city officials have signaled they are interested in reducing fines. Unfortunately, I see a critical question that's not been answered: Is jaywalking enforcement the best way to reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths? In yesterday's Savannah Morning News, Alderman Tony Thomas said while the fines are too high, "We have to change the culture of pedestrians and bike riders. Those safety issues have got to be altered." ...

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Transportation, land use, local farming and green building are all potential topics for Sustainable Savannah. The goal is to aggregate content about local events and projects, so there will be a central place to review everything that’s happening. The site is aimed at encouraging collaboration and information sharing between groups and individuals currently engaged in sustainability efforts. The site can also provide a snapshot of Savannah for green-minded people who are considering visiting or moving to to the area.

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- Bgrand2day: the government has no right to tell me what i can and cannot do. im can operate a car fine while texting, in fact people not texting arent always as good at driving, so i dont think the goverment can tell me not to. its violating my rights not to let me do what i want in my own car.
- Thomas: Seems as if nothing was taken from the previous incident of the terracotta lion that was destroyed by a driver speeding across the same street. I’m sure that statue was just as much of a criminal. I am curious though, as to what the driver would think about the comments on the...
- Zufechten: Every right and privilege comes with the attendant responsibility to exercise it with regard to the effects on others, whether it is dumping toxic materials, selling risky real estate derivatives, or operating a three ton truck while not paying attention. To rephrase an old saying,...
- Bryan Fordham: The logic doesn’t make perfect sense unless you begin from the assumption that the government should regulate anything potentially dangerous. I also never said it wasn’t dangerous to text and drive. But this type of hyperbolic posts don’t make the case well at all.
- Bryan Fordham: When I worked downtown, I always looked both ways before crossing one way streets. You don’t have to have too many close encounters before you wise up. But I don’t recall the police ever cracking down on that. Odd how pedestrians are the enemy, somehow.
- Carol Ellison: City of Savannah’s HOME BUYER PROGRAM “DREAM MAKER” “WHERE DREAMS CAN COME TRUE” City of Savannah 10 East Bay Street, Savannah, GA 31402 912-651-6926 Ext 1927 Carol Ellison, Loan Officer www.savannahga.gov Dream Maker Houses for Sale / More Information of the Dream Maker...
- Daniel: The logic of this post makes perfect sense. I don’t think the point is that anything that could possibly hurt someone should be outlawed, but that anything that has pretty good chance of hurting someone should. The evidence of the dangers of texting while driving are accepted by all...
- Bryan Fordham: So your point, then, is anything that could possibly hurt someone should be outlawed? We have laws about wild animals and swinging bats already. What about just walking down the street carrying a bat, though? I might swing it, and it might hit someone. We need a law for that, too,...
- One who knows: I believe that the police should check the vision of the driver. Assuming the driver is whom I have been lead to believe it is, he has extremely poor vision and should no longer be driving. He was also in an exhausted state which is not illegal, but may have contributed to reduced...
- Jeremy: www.recyclechatham.org