Hello all,

I guess most of you have heard by now that the Faculty Council voted
down my resolution asking for the City Council to reconsider the
conversion of McCallie Avenue and Bailey Avenue/MLK Boulevard to two-way
streets.  It was worth a try and I don't regret bringing it up.  Public
debate is good for both sides.

I would like to thank Marvin Ernst and the Faculty Council Executive
Committee for putting my resolution on the agenda and inviting
representatives of both sides to present relevant information to the
Faculty Council.  All faculty should be proud to have such fair,
impartial, and open-minded leadership.  All I asked was a fair shot to
present my case and an up or down vote on the issue, and the Executive
Committee made sure I got that chance.  I wish the results had turned
out differently, but that's life.  You win a few, you lose a few.
Neither I nor the "Save Our Streets" committee have given up, but I will
take any further efforts off-campus and not trouble the Faculty Council
or this discussion list again.

Only 23 faculty were present and voting at the Faculty Council meeting.
  Just out of curiosity, I would like to know how staff members and
faculty members who are not on the Council would have voted had they
been able.  (I'll enclose the text of my resolution below.)  If you have
an opinion one way or the other please respond by private e-mail and not
to this list.  As I said, I don't intend to take up any more of the
campus' time on this by posting further RAVEN messages or bringing the
subject up in any more campus meetings.

To the presenters on both sides, to my fellow Faculty Council members,
and to the Executive Committee, thanks for your time and attention.
Have a great weekend, all!

Joe Dumas
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 >Whereas ...
 > * McCallie Avenue and Bailey Avenue/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
 > are important traffic arteries used every day by the faculty, staff,
 > and students of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as well as
 > many other residents of Chattanooga and surrounding communities
 > * The above-mentioned routes are state and federal highways which are
 > presently configured as four-lane, one-way streets for efficient
 > movement of traffic in and out of the downtown Chattanooga area,
 > including the University
 > * It has been proposed and approved by the Chattanooga City Council
 > that these routes be reconfigured as two-way streets with two lanes of
 > traffic in each direction on Bailey Avenue/Martin Luther King Jr.
 > Boulevard and one lane in each direction on McCallie Avenue
 > * The proposed reconfiguration into two-way streets is likely to cause
 > traffic congestion and significantly reduce the ability of these
 > routes to efficiently carry traffic into and out of the downtown area
 > * Increased travel delays along these routes would lengthen commute
 > times for many thousands of drivers, keeping more cars on the road
 > longer and resulting in a substantial increase of harmful pollutants
 > emitted into the air
 > * The proposed reconfiguration is also likely to reduce the safety of
 > UTC students, faculty, and staff and other pedestrians crossing the
 > above-mentioned streets since they would have to contend with traffic
 > coming from two directions rather than one; also, the proposed
 > addition of curb-side parking on McCallie Avenue would impede access
 > by emergency vehicles in the event of accidents, fire, etc., further
 > compromising safety
 > * Two studies of the proposed project by different consulting firms
 > (Neel-Schaffer, 1998 and Glatting Jackson, 2002) resulted in cost
 > estimates that differed by an order of magnitude
 > * Professional engineers belonging to the Chattanooga Engineers Club
 > have estimated the project cost to be in excess of $8 million; UTC
 > students, faculty, and staff are among the taxpayers who would have to
 > bear the burden of project costs
 > * The proposed reconfiguration would involve significant inconvenience
 > to motorists during and after the period of construction, especially
 > if the project coincides with the replacement of the railroad overpass
 > on Third Street which is planned to begin in a few months ...
 > * We, the Faculty Council of the University of Tennessee at
 > Chattanooga, request that the Chattanooga City Council reconsider its
 > approval of the proposed conversion of McCallie Avenue and Bailey
 > Avenue/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. We request that the streets
 > remain in their current one-way configurations at least until the
 > upcoming bridge construction on Third Street is completed and until
 > discrepancies between the 1998 Neel-Schaffer study and the 2002
 > Glatting Jackson study, as pointed out by the Chattanooga Engineers
 > Club report, can be studied and resolved.
 > Respectfully submitted, Joe Dumas College of Engineering and Computer
 > Science