Thanks for the link Joe, interesting video

I think a bike lane for all main roads that lead to downtown Knoxville would be great; Kingston, Western, Broadway, Magnolia, Chapman, maybe even Alcoa Hwy to Maryville.

Interesting video.

I was in Melbourne in 1994. They seem to have made a lot of these changes since then. That seems pretty quick considering the city was large and established.

Maybe that approach can be implemented with Waterfront development here. Also perhaps some significant tweaking of JWP and bridges could make them bike and pedestrian friendly.

I was thinking Neyland drive east bound lanes could be for pedestrians/bike/small foot electric motor scooters. Make it a riveralk.

Here is a concept for pedestrian friendly intersection. Seems along the Melbourne philosophy.

(link...)

I lived in Melb'n (the "r" is not pronounced) for a year in 1988 as an architecture exchange student from UT. I was fortunate to also work as an intern with the State of Victoria's Ministry for Planning and Environment.

As a poor student (I hadn't counted on beer being the necessary expense it is there beforehand), I pretty much walked everywhere - my job and school downtown, the Queen Victoria Market, to clubs, and to the myriad of city parks, etc. My friends and flatmates did too - we knew someone who had a car (which makes for a handy friend on the rare occasion you'd need one). I lived in Carlton (near Lygon Street shown in the video), a neighborhood one ring out from the CBD, and everywhere downtown was easily accessible by foot. What was memorable even then - before the improvements shown in the video were made - was that the walk was interesting, easy and safe during the daytime and evenings. It also helps that Melb'n is pretty flat, I suppose too.

When I'd lug home groceries from the market or wanted to travel a little further out (such as to St. Kilda, an artsy beach community about a 15 minute tram ride away), I'd take the tram or train. Half the time, they'd never even ask you for your ticket - which about half the time I didn't have! There were also some buses I recall, but I never really did use them. The only warning I'd give American pedestrians is be very careful which way you're looking when crossing a street - no design technique can make up for the fact that they drive on the "wrong" side of the street (especially if you've been partaking of the aforementioned beer).

There are a lot of similarities between Melb'n and Knoxville - both gridded cities on a river with great natural resources close by, a diversity of tight-knit neighborhoods ringing the cbd, as well as offering a more casual and laid-back lifestyle. The video has made me extremely nostaligic and I want to go back and see all the changes. If you're looking for a transformative vacation and can afford the plane fare (don't forget to budget for beer), I can recommend it highly indeed!

As for using some of the higlighted techniques in Knoxville - Ooodles/Grotto reminds me of the "lane" treatment, except there is no outlet on the other side. The back alley of Market Square could have potential if nothing else than another connection to move people through. The Old City has the "cafe communities" in some little nooks and crannies too.

Maybe I can convince the County (or City - Joe?) to send me to do a study...

Linda