Restricting motorized traffic on the Edgewood Park and Pleasure Drive

A hearing was held on May 25th, 2005 by the City of Madison Parks Commission on whether to uphold the Commission's original recommendation of May 2004 or consider a new recommendation proposed by Alder Ken Golden for restricting motorized traffic on the Park & Pleasure Drive.

The May 2004 recommendation was to close the Drive to motorized through traffic except for alternate Sunday afternoons. Edgewood would still have access to their existing driveways, and pedestrians and bicyclists would still be able to traverse through in both directions.

Ken Golden's proposal (selected as a compromise solution to the divided opinion of Woodrow Street residents) was to close the Drive to motorized through traffic 8 months of the year, and open it completely during the snowy remaining 4 months.

22 people spoke in favor of the Park Commission's original recommendation and/or to open it in sync with the Arboretum (every Sunday afternoon). 2 others registered in support of closure to motorized through traffic but did not speak, and 1 person spoke in opposition to closure. Jim Morgan stated that he had received "hundreds of emails" favoring closure. (He had received 55 of them just that afternoon. They were still coming in the following day.)

Two hours after the hearing started, the Parks Commission voted to recommend closure in sync with the Arboretum's existing plan. They will now send this recommendation to Traffic Engineering, the City Attorney's office, the police and fire departments, and then the Common Council for final consideration.

Contact Shawn Schey at 238-7937 or email shaunshy (at) netscape.net if you have any questions.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND (provided by the Friends of the Edgewood Park and Pleasure Drive) The drive is a fragment of the turn of the century Madison Park & Pleasure Drive system, planned to provide city residents healthy fresh air, beautiful views and a chance to commune with "Nature." The 1903 Annual Meeting of the Madison Park & Pleasure Drive Association included a speaker who described a family strolling on our drive, enjoying nature. Its original planned use is clear.

The problem in recent years is the conflicting use of the drive as a street, largely short-cut traffic by Edgewood students late for class and drivers wanting to avoid the traffic light on Monroe street, and for nature and recreational walks and bike rides by a great number of city residents (more than 500 a day in good weather). Because the easement is narrow and the rustic quality of the road is beloved by all, there is no practical way to separate travel modes or to provide broad shoulders for walkers and bikers.

Walkers and bikers say it's scary, and hard to appreciate nature when you're scrambling into the woods to escape the path of a car, and that speed enforcement cannot solve the problem (the 15 mph speed limit is only advisory).

Drivers tend to make the argument of enjoyment of nature by the elderly who can no longer walk or bike. Woodrow residents complain about an occasionally icy street.

The poor condition of the Drive and the current Mazzuchelli construction mean that the road will have to resurfaced, which may encourage more speeding and exacerbate the problem.

Edgewood, Dudgeon-Monroe and Vilas Neighborhood Assns., among other groups, are generally supportive of limiting car traffic and have signed on to a resolution to that effect.

http://www.dmna.org/parkpldrive.shtml
Last Modified: 22-Apr-08 12:29 PM

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