Thoughts on New Urbanism

Check this out:

“Pedestrian friendly street design (buildings close to street; porches, windows & doors; tree-lined streets; on street parking; hidden parking lots; garages in rear lane; narrow, slow speed streets)”
“A mix of shops, offices, apartments, and homes on site. Mixed-use within neighborhoods, within blocks, and within buildings”
“Pedestrian-friendly design that encourages a greater use of bicycles, rollerblades, scooters, and walking as daily transportation”

Sound familiar? These are principles of the New Urbanism movement. All good things… and they already exist: in the City of Lancaster.

Funny how all the things that progressive planners are currently prescribing for new places have existed for years. My neighborhood is just like this, and it was built when they were still calling WWI “the Great War”.

So, you want to be hip and progressive? You want save farm land and be forward–thinking? Don’t wait for somebody to build a new town from scratch… come to Lancaster and enjoy a mature, built-out, new urban environment and begin enjoying the benefits immediately. And see it by scooter.

Scooter Parking in Cincinnati

I ran into this while searching for something else: Motorcycle and Scooter parking downtown. I like to catalog scooter parking ideas. More designated parking would encourage scooter use. And one of the reasons we don't have more is because local officials don't know how to design and allow for it. Let this site be a clearinghouse.

From Wikipedia:
Cincinnati: 331,285 people, with a density of 3,879 people/Sq. Mi.
Lancaster: 56,348 people, with a density of 7,616 people/Sq. Mi.

What!? Can that be right??? Lancaster has a population density twice that of Cincinnati? Yep, it's true ... I double-checked.

So, who needs scooters more? Scooters reduce traffic congestion and require less space for parking. Cincinnati already knows it.

In Like a Lion

Winter must be over, because a new season of the Ephrata First Sunday Ride-In begins March 1st. I've written about this many times, so I won't repeat myself. Instead, I'll refer you here.

The long-term forecast for March 1st is 47°, seasonal and sunny, but at the tail-end (a lion's tail?) of a 3-day rain. That could be bad if the rain lingers, but good if it washes a season of salt off of the roads.

See you there!

Stimulating

Buried in the new $787 billion economic stimulus bill that President Obama signed on Tuesday is a provision that allows you to write off the sales tax on the purchase of a new motorcycle or scooter. You deduct the sales tax from your 2009 tax return. On the price of a Vespa 150 I was recently quoted, that would be about $280. O.K., it may not seal the deal, but every little bit helps, right?

Get Ready to Ride in 2009

I know it's still cold out, and we had snow last night, but it's time to start thinking about riding! What's 2009 going to be like? Will gas prices remain low? They've crept back up to about $2/gallon already, but that's still about a $1 less than last year at this time. The gasoline market is still unpredictable. If gas goes up again, will scooter sales continue to boom? Will the recession and the credit crunch keep people from buying? Or will more people consider a scooter or motorcycle a fun and frugal alternative to that second car? It's going to be an interesting year.

Another reason to start thinking about riding right now is that registartion is about to open for the spring sessions of the Motorcycle Safety Program (MSP). Pennsylvania residents are very lucky that the MSP is free... it costs $300-$600 in other states. They teach you how to ride a motorcycle, beginning all the way with how to turn it on. You graduate the short course with your license. The first sessions are in March. Registration opens next week, and usually fills up in 48 hours. You'll need a learner's permit before that, so get crackin' today!

Vespa Lebanon

I was up at the Vespa Dealer in Lebanon yesterday. Their spring inventory is coming in, and it is plentiful. The first time I was there, they had about 7 scooters. Yesterday, it looked like they had a choice of colors in every model. They have expanded past their little showroom and actually keep most of the models in the back.

One of the salesmen told me that they are in the process of trying to turn the rear parking lot into a rider training course where they will offer a class specificly for scooters! If they can create a Motorcycle Safety Program (MSP) for scooter riders where you get your license at the end... well, I don't know of anywhere elese in PA where you could do that. That would be a great thing for increasing scooter ridership in the area.

While I was there, I test rode a Vespa S150. It was obviously a lot peppier than my 50cc C3, and much taller. It jumped off the line as quickly as you'd like and accelerated with traffic up to 40MPH. Once it hit 40, it started to lag a bit. Its top speed is listed at around 70, but it's going to take a while to get there. It is still not something I'd take on the highway (well, maybe for one exit...). If I were to get one, I'd want orange. Ironicly, after riding all the way up to Lebanon they told me that their orange one is currently on display at the Park City Mall, in Lancaster, only a couple miles from my house. Doh!

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Links For The Ladies...

Happy Valentine's Day:
Motoress
women riders now

And of course: Scooter Diva

If you are new to 2 wheels and looking for tips to get started:
Explore Motorcycling
and the always wise and informative:
Calsci Motorcycles

Ride informed:

New Parking Signage

I worked my way through college in a sign shop. So excuse me for a moment while I geek out over the new signage for Lancaster’s parking garages. Have you seen these around town?

OK, I’m messing with you a little. These new name signs are actually vertical. Each garage bears one of these up by the third story. At street level, there is now a bold white “P” in a red circle. This should help those unfamiliar with the City identify the municipal garages from a distance. It’s another step in preparing the City for more tourists in advance of the Convention Center opening. One of the annoying things about finding your way around a new City is finding a public garage, and consistent signage is a big help.

This is a complete re-branding of the Parking Authority. The new E. King Street Garage was going to need signage, and, well… why not do it right, all the way? I like it. The graphics are bold and modern. They contrast with Lancaster’s historic brick architecture, but they should. After all, there is nothing historic about parking. You want them to stand out because they need to be picked out from a moving vehicle, preferable from a block away. Subtle and blending wouldn’t help their function. I think the contrast highlights, rather than detracts from, the character of the surrounding buildings. Take a look at it across the street from Gallery Row:

The font is neither Helvetica nor Microsoft’s perverted version of it, Arial, but it is close enough to perform the same function: clean, modern, efficient. It conveys the meaning without bringing in any external message. And if that paragraph means anything to you, you might enjoy the movie “Helvetica”.

Read This.

Dual-sports, scooters shun recession, sales up, courtesy of Hell For Leather magazine.