Improve our Tulsa vote 11/12/2019

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

One of my Tulsa buddies came out the summer we moved to NE, NM.  We went hiking in the Valle Vidal wilderness in the Carson National Forest.  Bob commented about what a great asset this under-utilized wilderness is and lamented how all his childhood recreational areas outside Denver in the mountains are now so over-run that it's hard to enjoy them anymore.  He also mentioned vandalism is an issue in some mountain recreation areas now.  It's a cautionary tale.  The Valle is one place I want the whole world to know about because it is so cool and peaceful but I want to be selfish about it and not tell a soul and keep it as peaceful as it is now.  Fortunately, the 70 miles of gravel from one end to the other works as sort of a disincentive to too many exploring it.

I love NE NM! So beautiful and peaceful. It's the best place to ski because they don't charge a housing payment for a few days of lift passes!

I get that the overcrowding in parks is frustrating, but also that most people who live there and move there like it a lot and have to accept that "you are the traffic". CO has done a great job promoting itself and all the beauty. It is well known like LA and so many people want to live there. It's nowhere near as bad as LA, but definitely beyond bordering states in prices and crowds.

The good thing for those long-time locals is they can learn the best times to go (or avoid) and have explored enough they can always find a hundred more remote empty places to go. Colorado has infinite wilderness. We have had no issues finding serene isolated places on trips to CO, despite seeing certain areas with crowds. Outside the main popular areas, there's seemingly infinite wilderness. Typically best to go to the mountains on weekdays, earlier and ideally during the school year (which was easy to arrange as a tourist w/o kiddos!).

I've heard taking a weekend trip to the mountains from Denver is a big pain now where what used to be a 1 hour drive takes 2+ hours a lot of the times. Which for me would take that from a weekend trip to 3 day minimum to be worth it. Tulsans can fly to DEN in 2-3 hours so not even that huge of a head start to live there if you're stuck in traffic every day (which adds up to weeks throughout the year).

[rebound]

One of my Tulsa buddies came out the summer we moved to NE, NM.  We went hiking in the Valle Vidal wilderness in the Carson National Forest.  Bob commented about what a great asset this under-utilized wilderness is and lamented how all his childhood recreational areas outside Denver in the mountains are now so over-run that it's hard to enjoy them anymore.  He also mentioned vandalism is an issue in some mountain recreation areas now.  It's a cautionary tale.  The Valle is one place I want the whole world to know about because it is so cool and peaceful but I want to be selfish about it and not tell a soul and keep it as peaceful as it is now.  Fortunately, the 70 miles of gravel from one end to the other works as sort of a disincentive to too many exploring it.

Fished Valle Vidal last year.   Awesome area.   And yeah,  70 miles of gravel will keep a lot of the city folk out. 

[Conan71]

This just came out yesterday about New Mexico really working to exploit outdoor tourism:

https://apnews.com/61f25162f1b84145be3115de000f4ec8?fbclid=IwAR1cxrolnz_6rEORSBtcGP68Nhw0jGM_9rLqwV8XO0bMSBprXtFLB0xEQsk

[heironymouspasparagus]

In the last 10 years Tulsa has done quite a bit on needed revamps all over the mid town area:  Peoria, Lewis, Harvard, Yale, Sheridan have all been improved greatly- even before I left town 2.5 years ago.

Absolutely yes!   I see these things driving around.  And then there is the backlog of remaining things to do...I know I said 'visible forward progress'.  Some hyperbole.  We have visible forward progress, just so much more to do.  Hoping we keep moving that direction!

[heironymouspasparagus]

One of my Tulsa buddies came out the summer we moved to NE, NM.  We went hiking in the Valle Vidal wilderness in the Carson National Forest.  Bob commented about what a great asset this under-utilized wilderness is and lamented how all his childhood recreational areas outside Denver in the mountains are now so over-run that it's hard to enjoy them anymore.  He also mentioned vandalism is an issue in some mountain recreation areas now.  It's a cautionary tale.  The Valle is one place I want the whole world to know about because it is so cool and peaceful but I want to be selfish about it and not tell a soul and keep it as peaceful as it is now.  Fortunately, the 70 miles of gravel from one end to the other works as sort of a disincentive to too many exploring it.

Gravel is best enjoyed on a very hot day (100+ is best) on the back of an air-cooled motorcycle with speed limited to under 20 mph!

[Jeff P]

I really hope a rehab of Peoria in between 31st and 41st is part of this package... and hopefully along the lines of the Cherry Street rehab.  Peoria was brutalized by the extra traffic when Riverside was closed for 3 years (or whatever it was) and is in pretty rough shape.

[kvanover]

Peoria is included (31st to 41st, Project 9.14, $1,215,000) as well as 21st to 31st (Project 4.18, $900,000). 

[Dspike]

I really hope a rehab of Peoria in between 31st and 41st is part of this package... and hopefully along the lines of the Cherry Street rehab.  Peoria was brutalized by the extra traffic when Riverside was closed for 3 years (or whatever it was) and is in pretty rough shape.

It is. Here is the District 9 project list. Project 9.14 is $1.2M for Peoria arterial street rehab from 31st to 41st. Project 9.19 and 9.20 are to rehab intersections at 31st and Peoria and 41st and Peoria.

https://www.cityoftulsa.org/media/10635/iot-2019-cd9-summary-07-17-19.pdf

[Jeff P]

It is. Here is the District 9 project list. Project 9.14 is $1.2M for Peoria arterial street rehab from 31st to 41st. Project 9.19 and 9.20 are to rehab intersections at 31st and Peoria and 41st and Peoria.

https://www.cityoftulsa.org/media/10635/iot-2019-cd9-summary-07-17-19.pdf

Yay!

(And thanks for the link)

Do you (or anyone) know if "rehab" will include anything like they did with Cherry Street? Reducing lanes through Brookside proper, changing parking or generally just making it more pedestrian friendly? Or will this just be resurfacing, etc.?

[heironymouspasparagus]

In the last 10 years Tulsa has done quite a bit on needed revamps all over the mid town area:  Peoria, Lewis, Harvard, Yale, Sheridan have all been improved greatly- even before I left town 2.5 years ago.

I agree - there has been movement.   But it has been dozens of miles out of thousands of miles.  I am hoping we can keep it up and even get better at it!

[Conan71]

Yay!

(And thanks for the link)

Do you (or anyone) know if "rehab" will include anything like they did with Cherry Street? Reducing lanes through Brookside proper, changing parking or generally just making it more pedestrian friendly? Or will this just be resurfacing, etc.?

Other than eliminating the few set back properties like the strip center north of Ninde's or QT or the hardware store or Reasor's, side streets, and curb cuts which have been there for years, what kind of improvements would make Brookside more pedestrian-friendly?

Just pure curiosity.  I've always thought of Brookside as a good example of pedestrian development- at least as good as it gets in Tulsa.

[rebound]

Other than eliminating the few set back properties like the strip center north of Ninde's or QT or the hardware store or Reasor's, side streets, and curb cuts which have been there for years, what kind of improvements would make Brookside more pedestrian-friendly?

Just pure curiosity.  I've always thought of Brookside as a good example of pedestrian development- at least as good as it gets in Tulsa.

I think the suggestion is to take it down to one lane each way, and add bike lanes, etc.   This same topic came up in a recent Maple Ridge meeting I was at.   They did this on 41st West of Peoria, but I can't see them doing this on Peoria proper, even through Brookside.  While I think it would be great, it's an arterial street and I can't see them restricting the flow that much.

[SXSW]

I think the suggestion is to take it down to one lane each way, and add bike lanes, etc.   This same topic came up in a recent Maple Ridge meeting I was at.   They did this on 41st West of Peoria, but I can't see them doing this on Peoria proper, even through Brookside.  While I think it would be great, it's an arterial street and I can't see them restricting the flow that much.

I actually think it's fine as it is from 34th to the creek, which is the main area of pedestrian activity.  Obviously it would be great to see Peoria reduced to one lane each direction but I don't think that will happen.  What I'd like to see is the same type of streetscape further south toward 35th, and the intersection at 36th & Peoria made more pedestrian-friendly with bump-outs at the corners. 

[rebound]

I actually think it's fine as it is from 34th to the creek, which is the main area of pedestrian activity.  Obviously it would be great to see Peoria reduced to one lane each direction but I don't think that will happen.  What I'd like to see is the same type of streetscape further south toward 35th, and the intersection at 36th & Peoria made more pedestrian-friendly with bump-outs at the corners. 

Agreed. That would make a lot of sense and would provide continuity all the way down to 36th.  Beyond that, it gets much less pedestrian friendly.   Also, It would be awesome to have the sidewalks widened across the creek along Peoria.  Or, add pedestrian bridges in behind the existing bridge walls.  It scares me every time I walk across that thing, and I see little kids and dogs on leashes, and can't believe somebody hasn't been hit recently.