Build It and They Will Come

 If you made into last nights Sustainability Dialog Zoom discussion you would have been treated to a quick and easy look at how public projects progress through municipal and agency channels, from initial idea, design development and, ultimately, construction. Well... perhaps "easy" was not the best choice of words - it is rarely an easy process. You also would have learned a bit about what is being proposed for the new Towne Avenue Complete Streets project, what obstacles have shaped the design, and what obstacles still exist (hint: The north end of Towne requires CalTrans sign-offs, while the south end requires agreement from the City of Pomona). Unfortunately there were far more questions than time, and many of the questions went unanswered (during the meeting, at least; maybe, if they were submitted as a  message, they received answers after the fact?) A goodly number of people showed up for the meeting, some familiar, others not, so thanks to all of them, as well as Sustainable Claremont, and the various City of Claremont staff, who took their time to make it happen. Watch for more information in the future. If you build it, they will come...

Speaking of which, I have already seen new riders and new walkers out on the new Deer Creek Bike Path out behind the office, in Rancho Cucamonga. Just a few minutes ago I was taking my lunch walk when a bell rang out behind me. I turned to see a riding coming toward me; we exchanged greetings. He rode up to the end at 4th Street then came back. I said, just checking it out? to which he replied "yep, this sure is a great little path." Five minutes later another rider came along, the one in the photo above (and, incidentally, if you squint your eyes enough you may be able to make out another walkers in the distance). Yesterday, there was a father and son walking along, kicking rocks, while the day before that was a man walking his dog. Yep, that's the point - if you build it, they will come. From Claremont to Rancho Cucamonga and points beyond, if you build it, they will come.