ACHD
What Happened To Our “Boise Way?”
April 5, 2023 
Guest Opinion by
RICARDO OCHOA
On the road it meant driving with intelligence and realizing the speed limit is not a suggestion. Your turn signals are meant to be used in a timely manner. One of the most basic ways to be respectful is to use your turn signal.
We can’t read your mind. So do not make a turn or cut into a lane without signaling a good distance away. Stop signs mean full stop, not rolling through and putting others in danger. You are on the road driving a vehicle with the potential to cause great harm so please pay attention. Not the time for putting on make-up or texting. It also meant living in a neighborhood, a place where neighbors are people who know, help out and care for each other.
Sadly, things have changed so much in the last few years. This up-zone is a developer’s dream. The neighborhood I live in is on a road that is 25’ across. It actually should be a lane as two cars cannot park across from each other or emergency vehicles cannot get through. Our street, sadly, now has 5 rental houses. Some are rented by the room and are overflowing with occupants, too many cars on the street and an abundance of visitors who come and go. Most of these have Cali plates and go way too fast up and down the street without paying attention. Damn, there are small children who live here!
Along with the above, other traffic has really increased with trucks from UPS, AMAZON, FED EX and food delivery ALL DAY LONG. Places that were once homes and focused on family living are turning to rentals, Air BnB, and VRBO.
So, from one who grew up here, I feel there is very little respect left. It’s a losing battle to get newcomers to understand and I feel our city government has lost control and can’t seem to help in any positive way. They don’t seem to care much about the Boise way of days past and now seem to react only to the green…..and I don’t mean the trees.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Apr 5, 2023, 2:51 pm
Ricardo, you are SOO RIGHT !!!
My family moved to Boise from the Midwest in June 1970 when the population was 79,000. The two story, brand-new home with four bedrooms, two baths, and a den, cost $30,000. My sons rode their bicycles to school and I never was concerned about them. The only thing I disliked was that Boise didn’t have kindergarten at the time. Now, I live between Hill Road and State Street on what used to be grazing fields for cattle. Trying to turn right or left onto State is frightening and developers want to make Hill Road just like State Street — in other words, packed with traffic. I never, ever will drive on Eagle Road, because the traffic is crazy. One good thing is that I can go to Winco for groceries just by driving through another subdivision. What a catastrophe this has been for Boise!
Apr 5, 2023, 8:34 pm
Just met with a city planner this evening, and I asked about the zone rewrite and where does the proposed code address the width of the street. Succinctly stated, there are no development guardrails in place to protect narrow neighborhood streets. So the consequence will be that oversized projects could go in and the density bonuses will allow reduced parking requirements. The cars will try and park on the street, affecting the other homeowners, and there will not be enough room for all this density. The trash truck will not be able to pull down the street. BEEP! BEEP! Same goes for the fire truck. Boo-hoo, sad sad, cry cry. Density and affordability is a mythical creature yet to be discovered.
Apr 5, 2023, 8:36 pm
If this upzone goes through, most neighborhoods can expect what this post is describing as more people are crammed onto smaller parcels. I have lived in 8 states and the worst driving behavior always took place in the crowded places. Now people from those crowded places are coming here with their bad driving behavior… pet peeve is when someone cuts across all lanes at the last minute to make the freeway exit or a turn at an intersection.
Apr 6, 2023, 1:40 pm
A neighborhood bar on every corner! Yay!!!
Upzoning is, and will be, a nightmare. Forces those long-time residents in north/east/south end to move further out…
Apr 6, 2023, 8:11 pm
The current and previous city politicians planned this. It doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
See Calhoun’s experiment called Mouse City for the ending.
Apr 7, 2023, 10:54 am
DCS said ” Now, I live between Hill Road and State Street on what used to be grazing fields for cattle…”
Complaining about traffic when you are traffic is the problem. Continued development that relies on automobile usage will only exacerbate problem of where to park and how to get to jobs, the store or services. Compacted development along corridors like State Street will provide options for those who can’t or choose not to drive.
Apr 7, 2023, 2:40 pm
Clancy (and the City ‘planners’) make a good point regarding more compact development, BUT that development must also include adequate transportation, grocery shopping, small cafes and related, PARKS and other open spaces.
And this more compact development MUST NOT include crowded streets, RV & trailer parking on streets and yards, etc.
Apr 7, 2023, 7:18 pm
May I add to Clancy comment, by DCS
“I can go to Winco for groceries just by driving through another subdivision.”
Gee, I bet those neighbors love DCS.
It’s pretty clear. Sum ya are pretty ___. And you are ones complaining.
Apr 8, 2023, 10:16 am
Elected public servants are deciding our future quality of life, here n the Treasure Valley.
We pay public servants to enforce the rules of the road. Then when it becomes to much for law enforcement we call on another public servant to change the timing of left turn signals? Making one wonder about were we are being led and Whom are being served and protected. Decal ed on most BPD vehicles.
Boise changed their motto to A City For Everyone from The Most Livable City In the World. You have to admit that our Local elected public servants our living up to the motto they came up with.
Ignorance is accentuated when you surround yourself with yes people.
Apr 8, 2023, 12:41 pm
The answer is that it’s gone. Never to return. No need to stress about it.