Parking: The more you have, the less you need. As convoluted as that might sound to the uninformed, it simply means that the more actual infrastructure you clear to build it, the less demand you’ll ultimately have for it. It’s a devil’s bargain. Jenkintown does not have a parking problem. It never did. It has a planning problem. If you look at our downtown on a satellite view, you’ll see […]
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The price of Jenkintown’s volunteer governance
Jenkintown’s 12-member Council works for nothing. What’s that cost us? It always raises eyebrows when I mention to outsiders that Jenkintown’s Borough Council has 12 members representing a mere 4400 people. Each of the four wards has three members, and no, none of them receive a salary. While some might consider this public service a measure of valiance, I’m left to wonder about the actual incentive to spend time on […]
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My month with Jenkintown’s Right-to-Know Process
Most residents might not know this, but Jenkintown has a “Right to Know” officer, and his name is Rick Ware. We’ve exchanged several emails with Mr. Ware in the past few weeks, because we want to determine what Jenkintown residents have spent on their sidewalk repairs since the Borough’s paving program began in April, 2015. Those who have filled out the permit form saw a line item for the estimated cost […]
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Why do anything once?
Update: Looks like our headline will pack a bigger wallop of relevance than expected. According to the Borough Council’s meeting minutes, PECO plans to replace gas mains on not only Rodman next year, but Runnymede as well. So much for our nice fresh pavement. Did anyone consult with PECO about their plans to do this? Unlikely. We awoke this morning to the sound of stone saws carving up the pavement […]
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How much did Jenkintown sidewalks cost?
The Borough won’t tell you, and no longer wants to know Jenkintown Borough does not know what you paid for their sidewalks, and at some point this past summer, it decided not to care. Up until at least April 1 of this year, the permit form that residents completed before they could proceed with their sidewalk or curb repair, asked for the “Cost of work”. Apparently that information is not compiled, […]
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How much did Jenkintown residents spend so far?
Last week Walkable Jenkintown filed a Request for Information. We’d like to know what YOU have so far spent on sidewalk and curb repair as a result of the Paving Program. The permit you or your contractor filled out and supplied to the Borough with your $25 fee included a line item for the estimate provided by that contractor for the total work. If the Borough entered this information into a […]
Policy
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Let’s consider Ithaca’s sidewalk plan for Jenkintown Borough
Ithaca’s program results from a government that listens to its constituents Now that we have our own sidewalk ordeal behind us, we can concentrate on the ordinance and getting it changed. So many other other communities have better, more equitable and predictable methods. Ithaca, New York is one such place. Can Ithaca’s sidewalk plan work for Jenkintown Borough? Last week, we dropped our toes in the water at the Jenkintown Community […]
This Meets Code
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Poor construction on Jenkintown’s Greenwood Ave
We missed a few examples on Greenwood that show Jenkintown needs a more pedestrian-first policy.
Policy
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Jenkintown must pursue a pedestrian-first policy
This essay was originally written for the StrongTowns.org blog and was published last week. If you agree, please share this with friends and neighbors, especially if you live in Jenkintown. Jenkintown, Pennsylvania actively promotes itself as a walkable community. Indeed, this borough that barely encompasses a square mile has sidewalks lining both sides of all of its streets. We moved here for that reason among others, but at that time, we […]
This Meets Code
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How walkable becomes laughable
In what universe does this make sense (or pass code)? Welcome to Jenkintown. We want to emphasize that we do not blame the homeowner. As one might expect, they will tend to do only what the borough requires on property the homeowner doesn’t own. This is the fault of the policy that eschews a wholesale, money-saving approach to pedestrian infrastructure. It is also the fault of our government that believes […]
Policy
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The real parking problem
When people and businesses howl about a lack of parking, what they really mean is a lack of foot traffic. When those businesses set up in a downtown environment, they must understand that foot traffic and parking are often mutually exclusive concepts. This video helps to explain the reasons. KW Parking from Kronberg Wall on Vimeo.
Policy
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Parking Lots: The opposite of walkable
A few years ago, we operated a Jenkintown-related website called Jenkintown Station where we commented and reported on issues related to Jenkintown’s development. The site had no affiliation to SEPTA or the the train station, but it did a good job attracting comments from readers. We plan to resurrect it, but while working on that, we found this 2010 article about the $2.4 million parking lot. It’s a good time […]
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