A Slow-Road Movement?

OK, I'll be honest, I didn't come up with that title. I really didn't. I wish I had. It's a great title. And the article that it came from is pretty darn good, too.

As an Historic Roads Preservationist, I can certainly appreciate some of what the article has to say, especially about how the highways divided communities, and the affects of roads on communities and the environment.

The article got me thinking about a few related things as well, such as the proposed demolition of parts of a state park to build a privately-owned freeway in Orange County. It seems to me that building a road for private gain through lands that had been designated to be park land "in perpetuity" goes against the wishes of the people who had been here before us.

It also got me thinking about my beloved Route 66 in general, and the Historic Arroyo Seco Parkway in particular. The Parkway (I do my best not to call it the Pasadena Freeway) was constructed in the late 1930's, and opened on December 30, 1940. It was the first portion of Route 66 to become freeway, making Highland Park, Garvanza, and Mount Washington the first portions of 66 to be bypassed by a freeway.

But here is the thing about the Arroyo Seco Parkway: it was built as a PARKWAY! The intent when it was designed and constructed was to have two lanes of limited acccess traffic in each direction meander through a park-like environment, with lots of green space and natural beauty on other side of it. Of course, by the time that it actually opened, the need for a third lane was obvious. But let's think for a minute about how that Parkway would look today if it were in fact two lanes, and if in fact the California Highway Patrol or Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department or Los Angeles Police Department actually enforced a speed limit on it.

For starters, this PARKWAY would move along at a constant speed. Yes, that's right, not necessarily much slower overall, but at least constant. There would be less merging and swerving in and out of traffic, and there would be room for an on- and off-ramp at each exit. This would minimize accidents (which plague the road), thus providing a more constant speed for travelers.

But here is my real thought. What if ...? What if the green spaces along the Parkway were spruced up and cleaned up even more? What if more people were made aware of Debs Park, the Southwest Museum, El Alisal (the Lummis Home), and the Confluence as they drove along the Historic Arroyo Seco Parkway? What if this corridor could be managed in such a way so that those people traveling it on a regular basis got to understand its history and natural beauty? What if they found out that Theodore Roosevelt passed through this area and proclaimed it to be one of the most beautiful areas he had seen, and felt that it should be made into a parkland? Then would Angelenos come to respect the Parkway, and maybe respect the beauty of the nature that surrounds it, as well as the historical culture that permeates the area?

I can only hope. And in the meantime, I'll dream of the day that I can either drive the Parkway safely at its recommended 40mph, or get back out on it on my feet again.

Blogging the Interstates

I've been blogging quite a bit myself about the interstates, and so has Dwight D. Eisenhower's great-grandson.

But I just found this blog through a google alert and found it to be interesting.

Route 66 in the News, too

Seems like Route 66 must have had a busy weekend, too. I'm proud to say that Brent Hopkins with the San Gabriel Valley Tribune (close to my hometown!) got it right and listed the true end of the highway as Lincoln and Olympic, even without having contacted me! Unfortunately, the article is short and it left out a lot of things to see between the Summit Inn and the Fair Oaks Pharmacy, but it is a start. Mr. Hopkins has another article in the Los Angeles Daily News, too, and this one is quite a bit longer.

Surprisingly, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which had an article on the superslabs' 50th Anniversary, also has a blurb in its travel section with some limited Route 66 information.

And the Jackson Hole Star Tribune discusses Becky Ransom, "Cars," and Route 66 here.

Even Still Yet More on the Superslabs

It seems that the 50th anniversary of the Interstate Highway System is still garnering a lot of attention. The caravan that is nearing Washington DC is definitely fueling some of this interest, but the mere anniversary of the system itself is definitely creating some as well.

This article in the Baltimore Sun was very interesting for its extensiveness and description of the good AND the bad about the interstates.

This article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette includes some interesting facts about the interstate system, partciularly in Pennsylvania.

The Decatur Herald & Review was not to be outdone, and included this article complete with facts and discussions with former IDOT employees.

Even the Gwinnett Daily Post in Georgia got into the act, describing the role that the interstates played in that area, and including some Georgia interstate facts as well.

Despite the fact that the convoy left San Francisco more than a week ago, the Ventura County Star is just now getting into the act, too, with a story that includes an interview with a truck-driver.

Interesting Contest

Through my searches for news on the celebrations surrounding the 50th Anniversary of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Interstate System, I came across this press release announcing an essay contest of interest. I strongly encourage everyone to compete in this, even though I probably will, too.

Convoy on the Road

The convoy celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Interstate Highway System left San Francisco on Friday. This article in the Reno Gazette Journal contains the first photo I've seen of the convoy, although I'll be looking for plenty more of them today, as well as looking for webcasts of the caravan.

AASHTO (the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) is hosting a blog page for several caravan members to post on.

Interstate's 50th Anniversary Celebrations

Believe it or not, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Interstate Highway System turns 50 years old this year. By definition, portions of it will become eligible for the National Register of Historic Places on June 29 this year. However, special legislation has already been passed preventing most of it from ever being listed. The legislation does allow for specific portions with extreme significance to be named eligible. That list is expected to come out at the end of this month.

To celebrate the anniversary, however, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials is hosting a caravan from San Francisco to Washington D.C., culminating with its arrival in DC on June 29. The caravan is, in a sense, a reenactment of a cross-country army caravan that was undertaken in 1919, in which Eisenhower participated. That caravan took roughly 60 days to get from DC to San Francisco, largely following the Lincoln Highway. Among the supporters of the original caravan was Harvey Firestone (think tires!), and the official "launch master" for this caravan will be his great-grandson, Andrew Firestone, made famous for his television role (but he should be more popular for his family's vineyards and brewery!). A current supporter is TravelCenters of America (TA), who will be supplying free diesel fuel to the caravan. (Can anyone say lobbying, as this really is donating to the government!)

There will be celebrations along the route, including a large on in Iowa, and for those of us not lucky enough to be able to be there in person, they will be webcast on the National League of Cities' National City Network TV, according to a couple of news reports.

Many people like myself who are involved in the Preserving Historic Roads movement find the interstates to be a double-edged sword. We appreciate their necessity, but feel that they have led to a staleness in our country. Michael Wallis, Pulitzer-nominated author of "Route 66: The Mother Road," frequently states that "Life begins at the off-ramp." Personally, I feel that it usually begins several hundred yards beyond that, but that's just my opinion.

Outside of LA, but Historic and Beautiful Nonetheless

OK, I really HAD intended on keeping this blog in Los Angeles. But after reading this article in the Los Angeles Times online edition, I felt the need to stray.

Yes, I call myself a tree hugger and a desert rat. (So much of a desert rat that I got married at the old town site of Bagdad, CA -- see above). And I love both. But this article also brought in a bit of 66, as they travel the areas traversed by my beloved "Mother Road" as well, cleaning up the mess that undoubtedly was at least partially left by my fellow "roadies."

Ah, when two worlds collide, it cannot all be good.

A Reunion of Sorts in Sycamore Grove Park

The first annual Lummis Day celebration was held yesterday at Sycamore Grove Park in Highland Park, Los Angeles. I have not heard numbers yet, but I was there from noon until 4 at the Highland Park Heritage Trust's booth, helping promote that organization and signing copies of my book, and there was a steady flow of people all day long. The day was sunny and hot, but absolutely beautiful.

Live music was performed throughout the day by multiple acts at the Sousa-Hiner Bandshell, providing a festive atmosphere. Food was on-hand by (among others) Mom's Tamales, and even the Antigua Coffee House was on-hand. John Nese at Galco's Soda Pop Stop supported the Highland Park Heritage Trust by providing sodas for them to sell as a fundraiser, too.

For me, hanging out with HPHT members Anne Marie Wozniak and Pat Samson, and seeing Charlie Fisher, Kevin Hass, and Nicole Possert, it was a reunion of sorts. There were plenty of others on-hand, too, that I don't get to see very often, despite how close I live to them. So, for me, it was chance to relive the reunions of past held that once were held at Sycamore Grove Park, and enjoy a day of sunny skies and smiling faces.