Summary:

We apologize without reservation for the failing paint on the multi-use path during the winter of 2018 – 2019. The Street Tweaks Team, including many Asheville on Bikes and AARP volunteers, corrected this failure during multiple site visits, tests, and work sessions. We fully repainted the multi-use path during the summer of 2019.

Status of the project as of Summer 2019.

This project is ongoing and functioning as designed. This is what the corridor looks like as of September 2019 after the repaint of the multi-use path:

Asheville on Bikes, AARP, Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, and Street Plans stand behind this work.

The Street Tweaks Team stands behind this work, and that is the first thing to know: This project is fully supported. The Street Tweaks team and our volunteers began cleaning the corridor within 24 hours of learning the extent of the paint problem, and we have continued supporting the project as needed.

We welcome your comments, and you should freely express your concerns and hopes about the project. We’ve left the comments open on this page, and you are welcome to email Asheville on Bikes directly with any specific needs, as part of our support and mitigation plan for the project:
mitigation-plan@ashevilleonbikes.com

History of the paint used

Our multi-use path paint was provided by U.S. Specialty Coatings, along with paint consulting advice, as part of the design phase of our project. We followed their recommendations for our install process, but we ultimately found that advice to be flawed and the products they provided failed in our application. If you are a paint nerd, as we are now, feel free to hit us up and we’ll share the spec sheet details, along with more of our frustrations with this vendor.

What has happened so far?

The tan paint has begun flaking and separating from the roadway, after going through multiple freeze/thaw cycles following our recent snow. Some of those flakes moved to the sidewalk and adjacent parking areas. The Street Tweaks team removed nearly all loose paint in the roadway during work on Dec 18th, 2018 and Dec 19th, 2018, including some of the loose paint that flaked onto surrounding properties. This paint removal work intercepted the bulk of the loose flakes trapped along the curb before they could spread further.

What happens next?

The Street Tweaks team has assembled a rapid response team who are capable of further clean up work as the remaining paint continues to flake off. We will have one or more further workdays until we reach a point where we have removed nearly all of the tan paint from the multi-use path, the roadway, the sidewalk, and parking areas of any adjacent businesses. With the paint removed, we will wait for warm weather before cleaning and repainting the multi-use path, using paint and consulting advice from a new vendor.

Is this an environmental problem?

The paint that is flaking is dried latex paint. Though the flakes of paint look bad, they are less harmful than other materials that already enter our storm sewers this time of year, like the salt used on our roads after each snow. Further, most of the flaking paint was intercepted and removed using a street vacuum before it had a chance to spread from the immediate area. Even though the flakes are unlikely to cause environmental harm, we are committed to removing them, before they can enter the storm drains on the corridor in any significant amount.

Is the street going to be closed for any of this work?

At this time, we do not anticipate any street or parking closures as we execute our paint removal work. The loose paint removal work on the corridor on 12/18/2018 and 12/19/2018 went smoothly with no street or parking closures.

What should you do if your business is affected by flaking paint?

Contact our team by using this email address, mitigation-plan@ashevilleonbikes.com. We will respond via email and send someone to your business to assess the problems, plan work, and remove flaking paint. Depending on the extent of the problem, those three steps may all happen during one visit.

Relevant timeline:

11/1/2018 Project install begins.
11/4/2018 Project install finishes.
11/6/2018 Initial partial failure of paint in multi-use path. New paint provided by manufacturer.
11/10/2018 Repaint of multi-use path with new recommended paint.
12/9/2018 First major snowfall in Asheville, followed by freeze/thaw cycles for the next week.
12/17/2018 We were notified about chipping paint on the Coxe Ave project.
12/17/2018 Initial assessment reveals extent of the problem; all multi-use path paint is failing, in the form of flakes lifting off road surface.
12/18/2018 Removal of failed and loose paint on corridor.
12/19/2018 Removal of failed and loose paint on corridor.
12/22/2018 Removal of failed and loose paint on corridor.
12/24/2018 Removal of failed and loose paint on corridor.
1/1/2019 Failed and loose paint removal substantially complete.
1/2/2019 – 3/1/2019 Spot mitigation, periodic cleanup in response to direct requests.
3/29/2019 Test of paint removal methods and new paint adhesion, in preparation for repainting.
6/23/2019 Work session, repaint multi-use path, no street closure.
6/30/2019 Work session, repaint multi-use path, no street closure.
7/7/2019 Work session, repaint multi-use path, no street closure.
7/14/2019 Work session, repaint multi-use path, no street closure.
8/10/2019 Work session, repaint multi-use path, no street closure.
8/11/2019 Work session, repaint multi-use path, no street closure.
8/11/2019 Corridor multi-use path repaint complete.

Thank you for your patience as we cleaned up, repainted, and kept tweaking this project.

Further reading about this project – why it exists, what it is, and how it helps our City:

1. What the heck is tactical urbanism?
2. Street Tweaks project home page
3. Kickoff Workshop for Coxe Ave Tactical Urbanism Project
4. The Street Tweaks Team Hosts Open Studio for Coxe Ave. Redesign
5. Letter to Council RE: “Asheville, One of the Worst Cities for Crashes,” and Coxe Avenue Tactical Urbanism

The post Update on Coxe Avenue paint problems appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

The Street Tweaks Team has reimagined four city blocks to be more inviting and safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and car traffic, using inventive temporary materials and on-street art. With this open-streets-style debut celebration, you’re invited to play in the street with non-car wheels, your own two feet, and creativity. Bike parking available in front of Urban Orchard on Buxton Ave. Help roll out the good vibes!

Here are all the details:

Who: Street Tweaks Team

What: Open! Street Tweaks on Coxe Ave.

When: Sunday, November 4th, 12 noon to 3 PM

Where: Coxe Ave, south of Banks Ave, with bike parking on Buxton Ave.

Why: Roll out a new and improved Coxe Ave. with a car-free block party. See what tactical urbanism can do while we play in the street.

If you have questions or you want to volunteer at this event please reach out to Ritchie Rozelle at ritchie@landofsky.org.

We’ll see you (and your family and your friends) there!

In the meantime, can you do us a huge favor? Please RSVP to Open! Street Tweaks on Facebook and share the event far and wide to spread the word.

The post See Our Coxe Ave. Street Tweaks at Open! Street Tweaks on November 4th appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Dear City Council,
Joel Burgess’s recent article in the Asheville Citizen Times, “Asheville, one of worst cities for crashes, looks for fixes,” coupled by the most recent hit-and-run incident which resulted in the death of Bradley Christopher Barnes, highlights our community’s ongoing struggle to provide safe transportation facilities.

Asheville on Bikes supports the establishment of “an equity based Vision Zero Task Force,” referenced in Burgess’s article, and encourages city council to approve the Street Tweaks Team tactical urbanism project slated for Coxe Ave., which is on the agenda for the Oct. 9,
2018, meeting.

AoB stands firm in its commitment to establishing a safe and robust active transportation network in the City of Asheville. Through the Street Tweaks partnership with AARP and Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, we’re demonstrating that our community is prepared and equipped to take innovative steps to improve access and mobility for all residents and visitors. As AoB continues to grow we are eager to partner with the City of Asheville, North Carolina Department of Transportation, and community stakeholders to improve our transportation network

Furthermore, AoB encourages city council to institute the following recommendations to advance the establishment of safe streets:

• Formally adopt National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) standards, which have already been endorsed by both the city’s Bicycle / Pedestrian Task Force and Multi-Modal Transportation Commission.
• Develop and adopt a tactical urbanism policy and permit process so that community members are empowered to build and test active transportation facilities.
• Make it City policy that all transportation-related requests for qualifications (RFQ) and requests for proposals (RFP) include a request for Complete Street and NACTO design experience.

Asheville on Bikes is a committed partner in improving our transportation systems. We look forward to working more closely with the city in addressing our transportation needs.

Respectfully,
Asheville on Bikes

Link to pdf version submitted to City Council members.

The post Letter to City Council RE: “Asheville, One of the Worst Cities for Crashes,” and Coxe Avenue Tactical Urbanism appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Who: The Asheville Street Tweaks Team is a group effort between AoB, Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, and Asheville’s AARP, working together to deliver this project.

What: Design, install, and track months-long experimental changes to Coxe Ave, to test street design ideas, using a community-driven process for both planning and building.

Where: Coxe Avenue from Hilliard going south to Southside. Here is the Google Maps link.

When: First meeting is the June 21st workshop – RSVP here. Project to be installed Fall 2018

How: By rallying the community to design and install a test of better infrastructure, installed with proper permissions from the City. Street Plans and Tony Garcia have been hired to help run this project. They are famously good.

Why: Because if we test incremental changes to our streets, we can save money as a city and have better streets that serve all people. We want to demonstrate a fiscally responsible test→evaluate→build approach to street design. We are coordinating with the City of Asheville, and our test results will directly inform the pending redesign of Coxe Avenue, which is planned in the near future.

Important date: Our tactical urbanism street design project begins in Asheville with June 21 public workshop. Please attend. The Workshop is June 21, 6 – 8 PM at 207 Coxe Ave, Asheville Area Arts Council. Please RSVP here. Light refreshments will be served.

“The tactical urbanism approach invites participation from all community members through every step of the process,” said Mike Sule, Executive Director of Asheville on Bikes, describing the process of this project. “Not only do citizens provide input on design, they also show up to build it. The process works to empower community to revision and rebuild their infrastructure. It’s an inclusive process that is proven to yield inclusive results. The street transforms to reflect the needs and values of the community.” You can read more from this blog post, What the heck is tactical urbanism?

Come to the June 21st workshop and participate in a historic moment in our city. This project represents a number of firsts for Asheville:

• It is the first time the City of Asheville has considered working with community groups to design a long term test of actual infrastructure, outside the scope of their normal street design process.
• It is the first time Street Plans and Tony Garcia  have been hired to work in Asheville. If we listed the top 10 urban design firms in the world, they would be at the top.
• It is the first time a large section of a City street will be altered for the purpose of gathering data that is then incorporated into a design for the future street.
• It is the largest project budget-wise that Asheville on Bikes has spun up to date. We are making a big commitment and we are determined to help our City use the process of test/evaluate/build. We are putting our money where our mouth goes, so to speak!

This project is a combined effort from AoB, Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, and AARP.

We are happy to introduce you to the Asheville Street Tweaks Team and very thankful to be part of a group that is bringing this project to life. We could not deliver this work without the help of Blue Ridge Bicycle Club and Asheville’s AARP – and the combined supporters of all three non-profits. Thank you!

Because this project is bigger than Asheville on Bikes, we have created a new entity to describe our group. The “Asheville Street Tweaks Team” is Asheville on Bikes, BRBC, and AARP working together with an outside consultant, Street Plans. This project is not about bikes, per se – it is about getting a good street design from a community-driven process and testing that design before committing to more permanent infrastructure. Come to our first meeting, participate, and you will see your ideas built during this project!

About Street Plans and Tony Garcia

We are very excited to have hired a team of outside experts, the Street Plans Collaborative, led by Tony Garcia. Their expertise is vast and on point. By delivering this test project, our partnership is bringing extraordinary resources to Asheville. The Street Plans team will run our June 21st meeting and assist throughout the project.

How good are they? Tony Garcia co-authored the book Tactical Urbanism and, with his team at Street Plans, has successfully completed over 100 tactical urbanism projects and assisted in the transformation of more than 50 cities, including his native Miami. Tony’s business partner at Street Plans and book co-author, Mike Lydon, is listed as one of the top 100 urbanists of all time, along with Frederick Law Olmstead and other names you will recognize. Tony spoke in December 2017 at the Building Our City lecture series, sponsored by the Asheville Downtown Association and several other local groups. Mike delivered the keynote talk for the September 2016 Bike Walk Summit, held at UNCA.

Asheville on Bikes is determined to learn from the best in the world and we are demonstrating that resolve by working with this wonderful team.

Why Coxe Avenue?

When we evaluated locations for our first tactical urbanism project, we approached City staff with our ideas at the very beginning of the project. Our conversations with City staff highlighted Coxe Avenue because of several time-based factors that are unique to it, when compared with the other locations we considered.

• Coxe Avenue is in the middle of a larger planning area, the South Slope, and the Asheville community is already providing feedback to the City for changing the street designs in this area. We benefit by listening to that feedback and coming alongside that process with our test.
• The City of Asheville Transportation Department has already secured funding for redesigning Coxe Avenue and changes to this street are coming down the pipe. By selecting Coxe for our first project, we get to test ideas that come from the community and feed those test results directly to the City staff who are about to rebuild the street. This means our test can directly affect a street rebuild.
• Coxe Avenue is in transition to a multi-modal environment. With more residential uses on the South Slope than ever, and more on the way, it is clear that Coxe Avenue is already changing from “Asheville’s first motor mile,” to a more multi-modal environment where people walk, bike, or drive to the businesses on the South Slope. We want to test and find out the best ways to make that easier. You can read more about the history of the South Slope and Coxe Avenue in Pack Library content, “Asheville’s First Motor Mile,” or in the South Slope Visioning website and South Slope survey results.

How is the City of Asheville involved? Is this a guerilla project?

The City of Asheville is involved in our planning process and has been from the beginning – this is not a guerilla project that is going to pop up in the middle of the night. In fact, as we go through our own planning process, this effort will rise to the level of a City Council vote, where council decides to formally allow our test on Coxe Avenue [Edit: Council voted unanimously in favor on Oct 9, 2018]. At that point the project, if the vote is in favor, will become the first time the City has authorized an outside group to help design and run an ongoing test of an actual changes to a City street!

What does this project need in order to be a success?

Here is our list of needed items in order to deliver a successful project:

1. Budget and resources from multiple non-profit and community stakeholders (done)
2. A good, meaningful location to test (done)
3. World class outside experts to assist us (done)
4. Ongoing collaboration with the City and a clear path to eventual City approval (done)
5. You! RSVP for the workshop here.

Conclusion: Why is this a good idea?

The process of tactical urbanism enables our city to implement innovative street treatments in a cost effective way while empowering the community to play an active role in transforming the streetscape. Our city is ripe for a tactical urbanism approach.

Content you may also enjoy, about this topic:

1. What the heck is tactical urbanism?
2. The Street Tweaks home page
3. Open letter to City Council about Street Tweaks
4. Announcement of 2nd public meeting about the project

The post June 21 Kickoff Workshop for Coxe Ave Tactical Urbanism Project appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.