By Scott Tibbs, November 1, 2015
Note: I issued this press release last week as part of my campaign for city council.
The west side needs more attention from the city of Bloomington, especially in matters of infrastructure and public safety. This is why I am supporting Libertarian candidate Dave Nakarado's advocacy for the west side.
If you look at a map of Bloomington, you will notice three islands on the west side that are not part of the city but are completely surrounded by the city. You can see a map at http://on.fb.me/203KBxF. At least one of these areas is criminally under-served in the winter after heavy snowfalls. The streets around the areas are plowed, but the streets in those unincorporated islands are either not plowed at all or given very little attention. I know this because I drive through that area on a daily basis.
This needs to change. First and most importantly, not sufficiently plowing these areas is a public safety hazard for the residents of those neighborhoods and for those who travel through the neighborhoods. The fact that Bloomington city leaders saw fit to annex the areas all around the islands but not the islands themselves is an indication of the lack of consideration our city government has for the west side generally.
With the impending construction of Interstate 69, the west side runs a risk of being even more cut off from the rest of Bloomington than it already is. Third Street backs up badly, creating a safety hazard if emergency vehicles such as police cars, ambulances and especially fire trucks need to get through the gridlocked traffic. Third Street itself is fine as an arterial from the west side into the city, but the lack of other reliable means of transportation places too much of a burden on West Third. The city council needs to look at how we can reduce the burden on West Third by improving the west side's traffic infrastructure.
