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Some Growths Can Be Cancer
Growth for the sake of growth spawns GROWTHOPHOBES. We growthophobes welcome anyone willing to pay their fair share of taxes and fair wages. In recent months the GUARDIAN and Mrs. GUARDIAN have been wracked with guilt and ridiculed by friends for our practice of taking “Sunday Drives,” to places like the Riverside Restaurant at Horseshoe […]
Boise City Opens Investigation Of CWI
Yellow streets are public, red are private, green is parking. Boise’s Planning and Development Services has opened an investigation of the College of Western Idaho after it was brought to their attention the community college has potentially violated a conditional use permit at its “Ada County Campus” on the corner of Maple Grove and Overland. […]
Mass Transit Needs Masses, Too Expensive
Ron Harriman is a guy who tends to use science and math to make his points. Here is his take on recent calls for a TRANSIT SYSTEM in the Treasure Valley. By Ron Harriman My research has led me to conclude that in a basically rural area, transit fares will only cover 8% of the […]
X-Country Drive Observations
We have been on the road delivering the 12-year-old family car to a relative in Florida. The drive prompted a bunch of observations worth sharing from the 3,000 drive. –Speed limits have increased to the point there is little risk of a ticket. The old 55 mph has been replaced with 70 m.p.h. on state […]
Boise Councilor Seeks To Squeeze 10′ 3″ Bus Into 10′ Traffic Lane
At the risk of sounding too logical the GUARDIAN questions how Boise City Councilor Maryanne Jordan plans to squeeze a 10 foot 3 inch wide city bus into a 10 foot traffic lane. In a recent letter to the ACHD, she asserted 10 feet was plenty of room for traffic lanes. The question arose after […]
After $600,000 Study, Street Car Still Flunks
Like the perpetual college student, Boise’s attempt at a transport system for Downtown is long on study and short on finding a job. The so-called “Circulator” (also dubbed “Desire Named Street Car and Trolley Folly”) has been the dream of Mayor Dave Bieter and his “Team Dave” for a decade while it serves as a […]
ACHD Road Budget Set For Approval
The Ada County Highway District is holding the line on taxes and plans to approve the upcoming $97 million budget at an August 26 meeting. Here are some highlights for 2015 projects: –Avenue E, South End to West 4th Street – $226,000 – Build sidewalks, bike lanes, and curbs and gutters to fill gaps and […]
Face Off Likely In ACHD-City Hockey Puck Issue
Boise City officials and Ada County Highway District are still at a 0-0 tie going into the third period, making a center ice face-off likely in court over the issue of remote sensors for parking meters buried in the street. Boise’s parking department placed 68 hockey puck-shaped sensors in the ACHD street in May 2013 […]
Engineering Consultant Runs For ACHD Seat
Bob Bruce of Eagle has announced a run at the Ada County Highway District seat being vacated by John Franden and sought by Paul Woods. The district covers Boise’s north end and Northwest Ada County. Looks like he has plenty of creds. Bruce is a former Eagle Sewer District Board Member, Boise Metropolitan Chamber of […]
Boise City Governance Based On Power Plays
There are many factors at play with regard to the debate over the bike lane experiment which goes beyond a simple “car vs bike” issue. We support the “wait and see” attitude of the ACHD. The agency which maintains and manages 2,100 miles of streets in Ada County has not ruled against accommodating bikes in […]
CCDC, Others Adopt GUARDIAN Sign Idea
After nearly a decade of ignoring the need for “way finding” signs in Boise, the major stakeholders in downtown Boise have adopted the GUARDIAN idea of being tourist-friendly. CCDC and the Downtown Boise Association are gathering ideas on the development of a wayfinding system for Downtown Boise. The meetings are set for Tuesday, June 10 […]
Letter To ACHD Leaves Little Doubt
The following letter was one of the thousands received by the Ada County Highway District regarding the bike lane experiment currently underway. The Boise City Council is the motivating force behind the experiment and ACHD is conducting the survey as well as switching the traffic patterns. While “little congestion” has been encountered, it should be […]
Bikes vs Car Lanes Remains Undecided
UPDATED POST 5/22/14 Boise’s City council has passed a resolution asking to make the bike lanes permanent. The ACHD has offered to revisit any decisions at a June 4 meeting. A KBOI radio’s Nate Shelman launched a “no” campaign which triggered a big turnout of bike advocates at the ACHD Wednesday meeting. We noticed Capitol […]
Simplot, Gardner Projects Differ In Funding
The announcement by the J. R. Simplot Company to build a nine story headquarters at 11th and Front while Gardner plans a new project at 8th and Main brings to mind the differences in funding. Simplot’s project won’t depend on public money like the Gardner project which depends of lots of public money–just for the […]
Boise Coppers Bike Safety Car Is Mobile Billboard
Boise coppers have unveiled a car with more bumper stickers than a Republican Primary, but these messages are aimed at promoting bike safety. Timing is everything with these promotions and the car lead a parade May Day and May is also bike month. Let’s hope the cars and bikes can avoid contact while still being […]
Cycles And Cars: Watch Out For Each OTher!
BY STEVE HULME Two-wheel season is upon us again! As the days get longer and the temperatures warmer, bicycles and motorcycles come out of winter storage, and fair-weather riders take to the highways and byways. Cyclists (both bi- and motor-) are vulnerable creatures, compared to their brothers and sisters who choose car transportation. Those tons […]
Why No Parking Along Desert Road? MPG Overtakes Speed in 18 Years
Taking a little Sunday drive with Mrs. GUARDIAN we noticed a couple of “NO PARKING” signs along Kuna-Mora Rd. south of I-84 east of Boise. The seemed so out of place we stopped to see if we could figure just why they were installed. There isn’t a structure within sight. There wasn’t another road or […]
GUARDIAN Reader Seeks Second Opinion
Calling himself “Boise Cynic,” a long time GUARDIAN reader has taken it upon himself to seek a 2nd opinion on how downtown Boise should be managed with regard to traffic, pedestrians, and bikes. BY BOISE CYNIC Request to ACHD, Boise City, CCDC and/or BSU: Please pay for urban planner Robert Bruegmann to come to Boise […]
Is Boise Losing “Small Town” Flavor?
With all the pressure Boise’s Team Dave is putting on the Ada County Highway District, Urban Renewal, Autitorium District, and Valley Transit, we growthophobes have to conclude their efforts are aimed at justifying a TROLLEY through urban growth. While they try to make a case for trains, trolley, street car or circulator there seems to […]
Downtown Has Moved To Eagle & Fairview
Eagle Road has become Main Street and Meridian is quickly becoming the new “China” for Boise planners, politicos and purchasers–threatening to either own or control everything from highway dollars to retail market share. While Boise has been preoccupied filling the former “hole in the ground” with a mirrored skyscraper, Meridian (Idaho’s third largest city) has […]
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