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Group discusses Halloween plans
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Also by Lynn Heidmann:
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by Lynn Heidmann
Friday, September 22, 2006
Madison's Downtown Coordinating Committee previewed several options Thursday to improve the city in the coming months, including further plans for Halloween 2006 and several transportation concerns.
Mary Carbine, Madison's central business improvement district executive director, said the city is currently focusing on details State Street businesses need to know for Halloween weekend. She also said plans are developing, but it is a difficult event to put together in such a short period of time.
"We're in a somewhat urgent situation to get information to the public," Carbine explained.
Local businesses are curious and eager to know what bands will be performing on State Street, she said, and there are assurances that the mayor's office is close to determining that information.
Jim Morgan, Madison's Parks Superintendent, said officials are still working to disperse information to staff volunteers for Halloween weekend, but they hope to use the city's website to keep staff updated. The committee even looks to use the city website for ticket distribution, he added, and needs to work out other details behind advance and on-site ticket sales.
"This is going to be a complex thing to put together in a short period of time," Carbine said.
In addition to Halloween, committee members discussed a more long-term project: Transport 2020.
Transport 2020 began in April 2006 with six different ideas to improve the transit system in the downtown and campus area. Public discussion will continue on the plan, and additional meetings will be held early next week.
Committee member Patrick McDonnell said the plan was narrowed to just three options because of extensive public input. Currently, he added, the most popular option of Transport 2020 calls for diesel-electric hybrid vehicles, like streetcars, at certain places along the route.
"In the most significant alternative, we're exploring a vehicle that would travel by street," McDonnell said. "[Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's] streetcar study is moving along in tandem with this project."
Along with Transport 2020, committee members discussed a recent traffic-safety quiz developed to promote safe transportation in the downtown area. McDonnell said the quiz was released by the Madison Police Department, yet out of 400 officers, only two got all the questions correct. He explained that the questions cover pedestrian and driver interaction and rules of the road that often go unknown.
McDonnell added that MPD is looking to include the quiz and an accompanying video in driver's education courses.
"The significant thing here is to change the culture of Madison," he said. "We need to change to obey the laws between pedestrians and drivers."
