Building on the success of the Brownsboro Road Diet, which has improved pedestrian and traffic safety in the Clifton and Clifton Heights neighborhoods, the city is considering expanding the project to Hillcrest Avenue.

The diet, which would reduce the four-lane stretch to three lanes with two wide lanes and one continuous middle turning lane, would be completed in conjunction with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, which is planning to repave Brownsboro Road next month.

The city, the state and Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh are hosting a public meeting, TODAY from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, at The Kentucky School for the Blind to gather public input on the potential project. The city is also seeking written comments (details below).

Brownsboro Road is scheduled for repaving from Ewing Ave east to Hillcrest Ave.  

The proposed plan would be an extension of the existing “road diet” striping plan that was completed in August 2012 from Dresher Bridge to Ewing Avenue, which included the addition of new sidewalks.

Because Brownsboro Road was already scheduled for repaving, the proposed striping changes would occur following the repaving process to change the configuration at essentially no additional cost. 

Since its completion, accidents on Brownsboro Road within the original road diet area have dropped 40% without adding appreciable delays to daily commutes.  These findings are consistent with several recently-completed projects and studies throughout the United States of where road diet alternatives proved successful in improving both safety and operations along various corridors. 

The conversions not only improved the mobility for motorists but also for non-motorized users such as pedestrians and bicyclists.  Metro officials predict that the proposed reconfiguration would similarly improve safety and mobility as well as reduce speeding and crashes.

Prior to making a final determination, Louisville Metro and the Transportation Cabinet are seeking input from the public, residents and affected business owners.

Have your voice heard
Public meeting — 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 24 at The Kentucky School for the Blind Auditorium (in the Richie Building), 1867 Frankfort Ave.

Email comments: brownsbororoaddiet@louisvilleky.gov

Mail comments:
Brownsboro Road Diet Comments
c/o Metro Public Works
444. S. 5th Street Suite 400
Louisville, KY 40202 

The comment period will close Sunday, August 4.

For more information on road diets, visit click here.

On Saturday, July 27, please join Councilwoman Ward-Pugh, her staff, and the Green Triangle in another phase of the Lexington Road improvements/reclamation project between Cross Hill and Top Hill Roads from 8:30 – 11:00 am. Volunteers are needed for the cleanup to cut large weeds at base along the hillside, load debris into a disposal truck and prune small trees.  Louisville Pure Tap Water will be available.  Please consider bringing your own water bottle to fill.  For more information or to sign up please call 574-1109 or email Kyle Ethridge.

The Green Institute is an environmental leadership-education program established in 2012 by the Center for Neighborhoods, a non-profit civic organization.  The Green Institute equips neighborhood leaders with the skills and resources needed to improve the environmental, social, and economic resilience of their communities.  Attendance is encouraged and expected at ALL sessions due to the variety of topics covered on a weekly basis.  Food is provided at all sessions. The class will take place each Tuesday night from August 27, 2013 – November 12, 2013, 6:00 – 8:30 pm at the Green Building, 732 E. Market Street.  

The 12-week seminar includes: groundbreaking documentary films, expert speakers, neighborhood information exchange, networking, experiential learning, creative group problem solving, field trips, weekly take-home challenges and resource guides for each topic.  For more information please click on the following links to view the brochure (front and back) and to register or visit the Green Institute website.

There is a new rain garden, installed by the Jefferson County Extension Service, at Karen Lynch Park at the corner of Brownsboro Road and Story Avenue.  The rain garden will catch water from the parking lot nearby and infiltrate it into the groundwater rather than following into nearby Beargrass Creek.  This will help clean the runoff, lower erosion, and regenerate the water table.  The plants in the rain garden are mainly native plants, which will provide wildlife habitat and clean our air.  The rain garden is one of the first features of the Green Park that is being installed at Karen Lynch Park, which will showcase green infrastructure that can help local water quality.  Stay tuned for updates on the Green Park construction.  Photo by Hayley Pierce, Extension Service.

Are you interested in learning about how entrepreneurship and local investing contribute to thriving local food and green economies? Join UofL Sustainability Council, in partnership with Slow Money KY and Christian Thalacker (Kelley Green Biofuel) for an evening with Carol Peppe Hewitt, Co-Founder of Slow Money NC and author of Financing our Foodshed: Growing Local Food with Slow Money and Lyle Estill, successful biofuel entrepreneur and author of Small Stories, Big Changes: Agents of Change on the Frontlines of Sustainability.  The event will take place on Thursday, August 1st from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at UofL’s Ekstrom Library - Lower Level Chao Auditorium.  The event is free to attend with a suggested donation of $5-$15.  Carol and Lyle’s Books available to purchase at the event.  Please contact Christian Thalacker, Kelley Green Biofuel, at 502-727-5673 or cejpat@gmail.com with questions.

Anita Rutledge with the American Printing House for the Blind has 80 extra “Remember these come from Trees” stickers to place on paper towel dispensers.  These stickers remind patrons that paper towels come from trees, in hopes of saving green trees and green cash for your business or organization.  If you would like to have some stickers for your business or organization, please email Anita arutledge@aph.org with how many stickers you would like to pick up.  She will have them at the APH front desk once you have made arrangements to pick them up.

Do you have a favorite local farmer who provides you with delicious locally grown produce?  Nominate a Kentucky Proud farmer for the first Local Food Hero Awards.  Seed Capital Kentucky, with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and Louisville Metro Government will be giving this award at the 2013 Kentucky State Fair to honor farmers do their best to supply the local food economy with fresh, locally grown and raised Kentucky products.  Voting is open until July 31 at midnight.  Awards will be given out during the State Fair by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Kentucky Department of Agriculture Commissioner James Comer.  Vote for your favorite famer here.

Mayor Greg Fischer is asking citizens to give input for the Vision Louisville project for how the city should look, feel and flow over the next 25 years.  The goal is to get 45,000 ideas submitted by August 15. Vision Louisville is seeking public input in seven categories: economy, energy, connectivity, creativity, health, living and identity. A committee of citizens has been formed around each category to seek community ideas.  There are several upcoming town hall meetings:

• Thursday, August 1st – 9 a.m.-11 a.m., at IVY Tech Southern Indiana, 8204 Old Indiana 311, Sellersburg, IN 47172
• Saturday, August 3rd – 9 a.m.- 11a.m., at the Fairdale Playtorium, 10104 Mitchell Hill Road
• Thursday, August 6th – 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m., at the NIA Center, 2900 West Broadway

There will also be a “VisionLou and You” virtual meeting that will occur on August 15th from 7 – 9 p.m. The public is invited to gather at the Urban Design Studio, 507 S. Third Street, for a party-like atmosphere to seek ideas over Twitter and Facebook. August 15th will mark the end of the public input phase, with a virtual meeting and celebration.

Are you taking steps to green your life?  Everything adds up – each trip you skip in your car, each item of food you buy locally, and each time you skip a flush you are greening our community.  The Green Triangle website allows you to share your green steps, and then we work behind the scenes to see what collective action is being taken in District 9.  Click here to see the exciting to see the results!  We’re looking for more District 9 residents, businesses, and organizations to create profiles.  Click here to make a profile and share your green steps.

In addition to sharing your steps, you can use the Green Triangle website to learn from your neighbors.  Have you always wanted a rain barrel, vegetable garden, or compost pile, but you weren’t sure where to start?  Or, have you been interested in disconnecting your downspout, but weren’t sure how?  The Green Triangle community map can help connect you to neighbors who are gardeners, composters, grow fruit trees, keep bees, have disconnected downspouts and rain barrels, and more.  View the map here and see if there are folks near you who might be able to help you learn more about these topics.  We hope that the map will help build community and engage neighbors in learning from each other.