Bismarck, North Dakota News

" To "To Whirled Traveler": I take offense at your assessment that I live a numbed existence. You don't know me and what you said is terribly presumptuous. Since you are student planner, let me help you with some good advice: your big mouth doesn't make you a big person. IF you become a government employee supported by my taxes, you'll work for me, and please, humbly rememember that. Yours sound like a potential attitude that property owners disdain and run into often when working with city government. Direct your insults elsewhere... such as a mirror. "

" Sorry, meant to say "No to Stoplights" in regard to the Minot bypass. Actually both had good comments. Something could be done on the west side of Bismarck too to connect up with Schafer Street. "

" I especially hate going to mInot from 94, what a joke, it takes ten days to get out of town, try pulling a trailer, and the worst part is the idiots who cut you off like you can stop on a dime.
Im not kidding, but it is faster to go to 147 turn off and go to washburn than it is to try to turn on 83 and go north. How pathetic is that. Great planning engineer.
I hate trying to get to Mandan on the 83 overpass if you come from the south, that light is so pathetic. You will sit there for two lights, while you get to watch absolutely no traffic come from the north go by. I suppose they spent all their money on the big city looking signs there, what good was it to have a light that senses a car there, and no cars coming from the north. 26th and Divide has a good light, if you are the only one there, it will change. But trying to turn onto Divide from any offstreet is impossible, as the cars come at even pace from both directions. When it snows or rains, forget about turning onto divide, it wont happen, find a different way.
You can go from State street and Divide all the way to expressway with out stopping once, just do the speed limit, anywhere else in the city, stop go stop go, stop go stop go stop stop stop. "

" I would caution those who think a beltway will be the ultimate solution to traffic issues since that generally doesn't work well unless you are moving around a VERY dense core, i.e. high-density multi-story buildings built within a tight road grid. In fact, with buildings being spread out like they are in your community, I would concentrate on a solid network of major arterials. Most importantly, your comparison factors should be along side cities of similar size and growth pattern, not a smaller city, i.e. Minot (according to census data it has been the same size for fifty years....only half the size of your city at present). "

" The school curriculum for civil engineering is the problem. They teach exactly what will not work for traffic flow, and what will work to drive up revenues for the city, law enforcement, the energy sector and the auto makers (through repairs.) Most students accept what they are taught as the gospel, and as a result you all will forever be waiting at a stoplight while no other traffic is present. This is all by design by the people behind the funding for higher education. It is easy for them to use the education system from behind the scenes to increase their bottom line. "

" Not sure if this is a city or DOT problem -- please do some work on the stop light at Main and Expressway. Cars doing 50+ going south through that light are dangerous -- it's hard to make left turns. There's been several bad accidents, including the fatality last spring, at that intersection. Put in some left-turn signals and/or slow the traffic to 40 before the Rosser light. Actually someone should have had some foresight to put an interchange there 25 years ago. "Can Anyone Read" makes a good point about the 83 bypass around Minot. Start up at 84th, build around to 80th, put the new exit there with a new highway south to Lincoln. Make it a freeway or at least limit the number of turn-offs, lights, etc. RE "Bismarck Voter" -- I agree, do something with that ridiculous Century-Tyler Parkway junction. "

" Stoplights are bad. They need to provide a bypass like in minot. You can go around a majority of the city (if I remember correctly) at 55mph. There is a stop light at the beginning and at the end. Its the most efficient way to go between north and south. I hate driving in Bismarck. The general public seems to be confused and slow to move around because there is too much manipulation of traffic speeds and intersections.
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" It seems every time a street project is planned around here the mentality of 50s style traffic pervades. For example Hwy 83, "How many stop lights can we put there?" seems to be the question of the day. 1. Stop lights don't move traffic. 2. Not everyone wants to STOP in Bismarck, keep it a highway the way it should be. 3. We need better traffic detection equipment. Why am I always hitting a red light when I'm the only one at the intersection(not just 83)? I'm sure I'm not alone on that issue. 4. Expressway: Expressway to what? Once again more stop lights. 5. Washington: If the engineers get their way they will have 6 lanes with stop lights at every block. 6. A square road design is hardly always best. We need traffic FLOW not STOPS. Either our engineers need more school or need to retire. "

" The story is about a bypass, around the City. Trucks and cars are forced to travel through congested area's, to travel North on 83. This problem won't go away and needs to be addressed. "

" How about put more lights up, and mistime them so right when you get to the speed limit, you have to stop again, oh wait, it is already like that here.
Also rename the expressway to the slow way, or hityourbrakesway. "

" I am glad to see the Tribune commenting on traffic planning. It is an important issue that impacts the quality of life in our community, both now and into the future. I think it is time for us as a community to more involved in the planning process. Most of us agree the Washington Street problem went unsolved much too long. The recent reconstruction, while not satisfactory to everyone, is at least a significant improvement in the minds of most. The Tribune played an important role in making it happen (along with the engineers, city government officials and the public) by focusing on the issue and reporting on efforts to find a solution . I hope the Tribune continues to play an active role with regard to traffic problems in our community. The intersection at Century and Tyler Parkway is my pet peeve. Other citizens may be concerned about others. I urge the Tribune to focus attention on them on a regular basis. Perhaps the Tribune could conduct an annual survey of local traffic problems in need of a fix. Such a survey would generate important community discussions about priorities and solutions that should lead to future improvements. The Tribune would be very good at providing a forum for the discussions to begin. "

" Planning streets is not like planning the water pipes in your house. You have to remember that we live amoungst the streets and that pure mathimatical efficency of flow does not always take priority to history, beauty, and sence of place. If all you see is when driving is traffic counts and flow maps then you are only perpetuating the downward spiral of American cities. As a student planner myself, I refuse to allow the things that make Bismarck unique be destroyed only to become another faceless (box store ridden) Midwest City only so you can continue your numbed exsistance characterized by 'smooth sailing'. "

" hey~ why not put a freeway through town and then the town will die and then everyone will complain~ give me a break! traffice?! hardly anything to cry about and spend millions on "

" My public comment is as follows: PLEASE, City government of Bismarck, have the courage to do what is right by street planning. Washington should be 4-5 lanes from Century to Rosser. Ace out the useless boulevards holding this back and let's get the traffic flowing NOW and for the future. Put a light at the intersection of Turnpike and Washington. C'mon... this should be done. Should've been done in the Cathedral District, but I will say, at least it looks good down there. I'm not trying to criticize, it's just that I see it differently from a traffic flow standpoint. "