Today’s New York Times morning email newsletter from Leonard articulates well the horrific dangerous scooters pose to pedestrians. Please read it and pass it on to the council and the mayor.
The City of Bloomington government has done a horrific job with the B-Line Trail detour due to the trail closure in Switchyard Park. But, the City of Bloomington government has a history of doing a horrific job with all things traffic, roads, and detour related, so I guess in the end: who is surprised? The detour was announced on October 23rd via the Office of the Mayor's Facebook page stating it would last for about 2 weeks. Local news sources reported on that fact as well. Now, 22 days later the trail is still closed. I had to call Parks & Rec to ask, because no updates are available online. I called because I need to get into town but the detour path is not safe. Last time I rode the detour it had a lot of gravel, sand, overgrowth, and other hazards. I do not understand why the City cannot at the least keep people updated on the closure when it goes beyond the stated 2 weeks from the Mayor's office. And, maybe going a step further, clean up the detour path? I know, I know - maintaining a multi-use path would be a lot to ask in this town.
Please consider rescheduling trick or treat hours.
Two Lime scooters, one laying on the ground, currently blocking the sidewalk near 2219 E. 7th St. on 10/28 around 9pm.
Lime scooter blocking private driveway. Date 10/20/10. Time 3:30PM. Tried to move it out of the way but wheels lock up unless we pay to use it. Address 126 S. Roosevelt St.
Re case: 170740. Good to see the city passing the buck on all scooter related issues. Would be nice to see some actual enforcement. Scooters are constantly being left blocking downtown sidewalks, and the no scooters on downtown sidewalks rule seems to be completely ignored.
Thete appears to be a constant stream of reports of overflowing dumpsters and trash in alleys downtown. What is the problem here, people? Pick-ups too infrequent? The problem needs to be solved in a manner such that the trash doesn't build up like this. A city that touts itself as "green" shouldn't be allowing trash out to blow everywhere. If the dumpsters are the responsibility of the private businesses, the city shouldn't pass the buck. The city needs to put pressure on these businesses until this problem is solved. Overflowing dumpsters should be prevented not just cleaned up afterward.
This is a Parks issue but potentially a City-wide one. Does the City not have an advertising vetting policy in place? If so, can it please be reviewed? I was very disappointed to see a Lighthouse Christian Academy sign in the City's Twin Lakes facility earlier this month. This institution discriminates not only against LGBTQIA2 students (banning them) but goes even one step further and bans students with LGBTQIA2 parents. The Farmers Market situation is clearly a mess but the City's position has been not to eliminate the white supremacist booth due to it not practicing discrimination in the business sense with customers and the public. This is legally in the right. Lighthouse can pose no such defense. It outright discriminates and the City can and should have a policy that does not allow advertising from entities that discriminate against protected local classes. This is content neutral. Sexual orientation and gender identity for local Code are rightly on an equal plane with race, disability, and other categories. There is little doubt that the City would not be putting up large billboards from a local school that banned students of color for instance or white children with parents of color. This is not a contest but an illustration. A vetting policy needs developed and enforced that exemplifies the very basic values of no active local discrimination of advertisers. The people of Bloomington deserve better than being faced with such billboards in public arenas. Surely a city government is not forced to accept funding from hate groups. P.S. Please undergo a more comprehensive review City-wide of items as they pertain to sexual orientation and gender identity. I'm sure other groups could also benefit from a review (such as people of Asian origin) but sexual orientation and gender identity is one definite one. An HRC report card is a bragging point but does not seem to be seriously used as a tool for improvement. For instance, City Hall has no public gender neutral bathroom for those who may feel uncomfortable using the facilities available. Thanks for your good work, but let's do even better.
Two houses from where this scooter was parked in the 700 block of S Eastside Drive, there lives a blind person. She already has made one fall after a collision with a 'parked' scooter. I thought the scooter companies were not going to accept payment until they had proof (a picture?) that the renter had parked the scooter in a responsible manner. So much for that!
You want green transportation but don't enforce homeowner sidewalk repair or overgrowth AT ALL. Check the reports and be proactive beyond.