7/28/2019 April 15 - Street Smart
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At Grand Valley State Univer-sity, the safeness of walkabil-ity
and bike-ability on 48th
Avenue has been an ongoing topic of
discussion for years, most prominentlyin 2010 following a
collision between acar and then-Sophomore Zach Som-ples, who
sustained injuries to his spi-nal cord, clavicle, brain and pelvis
whileriding his bicycle.
At the time of the accident, a new
student group called GVSU Studentsfor Sidewalks emerged, the
StudentSenate passed a resolution advocatingfor new safety
measures, and studentsbecame engaged in the discussion.However,
since then, student concernover the safety and walkability of
the
street has zzled out, and as OttawaCounty Road Commission plans
towiden 48th Avenue from two lanes tothree, four or even ve inches
closerto fruition, a Transportation Planningclass has pulled
together a panel dis-cussion to explore alternative solutions
to proposed plans that could improvethe long-term quality of the
commu-
nity.Patricia Houser, professor of the In-
troduction to Transportation Planningcourse that have replaced
their nal
exam with Project 48, described theimplications of the proposal
by relatingit to a historic urban planning courtcase, Jacobs v.
Moses.
[Moses] was a brilliant plannerof highways and he wanted to put
ahighway through Greenwhich Village
and Jane Jacobs lived there and shesaid, ink about what youre
saying.is is a really special place. is is aneighborhood, you dont
put a high-way through a neighborhood. And hesaid, Watch me. And it
became thisconfrontation. Now we dont see a con-
frontation comingbut we are saying,lets open the conversation
because wethink that youre putting a highwaythrough a
neighborhood.
All of this to say: as students, nomatter how transient, we are
part ofthe GVSU community. How we feel,
what we think, contribute or changehas a ripple eect for
students for
generations to come. ough its hardto mobilize for everyones
cause especially while trying to graduatefrom a four-year
university there are
some whose impact and consequencestretches beyond interest
groups andinto the entirety of the student body,even to the GVSU
community as ageographic sprawl.
So whether you think the pro-posal to build widen 48th Avenue
is
perfect as it stands, identify with thestudents in Project 48
believe theres amore comprehensive solution, or justdont know
anything about any of theproposals at all, its worth your timeto
get involved. Houser said in all ofher urban planning courses,
theres on
consistent and prevailing theme: whatwe do with the landscape
comes backand aects us.
And as stakeholders in a communi-ty-wide conversation, its worth
joiningthe public forum. Because whateverdecision is made, whatever
actions are
taken theyll come back and a
ectyou.
EDITORIAL
STREET SMARTWith Ottawa Countys plans to widen 48th Avenue to
accommodateprojected growth, students should think about
alternative solutions
