Although we've had a very mild winter, warmer weather and longer days are just around the corner! With warmer weather comes more people out walking, jogging, or biking and just plain enjoying the weather, but it also means there is more opportunity for accidents. It is important for both pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists to be aware while on the road and respect the other person's right to use the roadway just as you do.
As a motorist, it is important to keep in mind that a car weighs 2 tons or so, while the average bike is a mere 20 pounds, according to Edmunds.com. The 2 ton care will always win in any type of physical altercation with bicyclist. It's also important to keep in mind, that in some instances it is illegal for an adult bicyclist to use a sidewalk forcing them to share the road with you and when bicycles are on the road, they must obey all the same traffic laws as a motorist (including using the appropriate turn lanes, stopping at stop lights, using turning signals, etc). As a motorist, wait until it is safe to pass a bicycle and refraining from tailgating as this could easily cause an accident. In Tennessee, it is the law to leave 3 feet of space between you and a bicycle at all times and more than 3 feet when speed limits are over 40 mph. The bottom line is be tolerant, be understanding, and be careful. Many of these same laws and guidelines can be applied to pedestrians in the road as well.
For bicyclists, it is also very important that you also take steps to ensure that you respect motorists as well. Recognize that utilizing major thoroughfares with little or no shoulder may cause delays for motorists. If possible, utilize alternative routes such as dedicated bike trail systems or side roads to get to your destination. Ensure that you are wearing bright, reflective colors so that you can ensure motorists will see you. Additionally, make sure your bicycle is equipped with front and rear lights especially if you will be riding at or after dusk. Ensure that you use appropriate hand singles for turning and stopping and obey vehicle laws when riding on a road. This helps motorists better predict what you will do so they will react accordingly.
Similar to bicyclists, walkers or joggers should wear bright, reflective colors so that motorists can see you better. Walkers and joggers should also carry a flash light with them if they are exercising at or after dusk. This will help ensure that motorists can more easily see you. Also, where possible use a sidewalk. About two-thirds of the city has sidewalks available along the sides of our roads -- use them. For areas that don't have sidewalks, walk or jog in the opposite direction of vehicles and do not wear headphones or talk on a cell phone. This may help you see or hear vehicles before they can see you!
We certainly want to encourage our citizens to get out and be active in our community, whether it is taking a walk after your evening dinner, or biking to work or grab a sweet treat, but it is important for all users of the road to understand and realize that everyone must be aware and alert. Motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians should be alert, watching for, and respecting each other right to use the roadway. This becomes especially important as we work to make our community more friendly to bicyclists. Let's talk about it!
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Restaurant Survey Results Show Possiblities
A few weeks ago, we announced a new restaurant survey. While
we are still sifting through all the data, I wanted to look at some of our
preliminary findings. The purpose of the survey was to better understand what
our citizens desired as far as restaurant selection in Elizabethton. While the
results of the survey were not too surprising, there was a few interesting
variations that stuck out. This week, I want to talk about some of those and
why certain restaurants just won’t come to Elizabethton.
One of the first questions we ask was for survey takers to rank how likely they would be to visit different types of restaurants. Two categories stood out. The most popular choice was casual dining with a close second in fast casual dining. Casual dining would include restaurants that are sit down, often have a higher quality food, and typically pay after service is provided. This would be like Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesdays, or Lonestar Steakhouse. Fast casual is also typically sit down but can have a drive-thru, usually higher quality food than fast food, but similar to fast food, you pay before service is provided. Think of restaurants like Barberitos, Captain D’s, and Panera Bread. Significantly lower, but in third place was fast food restaurants.
Another question we asked was in the past 6 months how often had the survey taker attended various restaurants. We then listed a series of restaurants with varying time periods. We came up with this list based on restaurants that we believe would be most likely to come to Elizabethton. Additionally, before a restaurant chooses a location, they need to ensure that people will come. One way of doing this is seeing how frequently people in a specific area ate at the restaurant in the past 6 months. We’re primarily focused on people who ate at these restaurants at least 1 to 2 times per month on average.
The top restaurant was Dunkin’ Donuts, followed by Golden Corral, and in third place Jimmy John’s. What this means is that we can use this data along with our restaurant trade area data to attempt to recruit these restaurants to Elizabethton. What this DOES NOT mean is that they will come! Typically, by the time we reach out to a restaurant or retailer it takes 1.5 to 3 years before they actually start construction, but that’s only if we can find an appropriate site with what they want and if the demographic requirements (income, population, age specifications, etc.) are what they need.
Lastly and surprisingly was the fill-in-the-blank statement, “In Elizabethton we need more restaurants with [blank].” The top one was family-friendly atmospheres, second was healthier choices, and third was fine dining experiences. What was surprising about this to me was that I always believed most of our restaurants already had family-friendly atmospheres, but apparently this is something we need to recruit more of.
It is important to understand that not every restaurant we like will come to Elizabethton no matter how many people want it. Our goal is to better identify what types of restaurants and food you desire and find the best match of restaurant that WILL come to Elizabethton to fulfill that desire. Let’s talk about it!
One of the first questions we ask was for survey takers to rank how likely they would be to visit different types of restaurants. Two categories stood out. The most popular choice was casual dining with a close second in fast casual dining. Casual dining would include restaurants that are sit down, often have a higher quality food, and typically pay after service is provided. This would be like Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesdays, or Lonestar Steakhouse. Fast casual is also typically sit down but can have a drive-thru, usually higher quality food than fast food, but similar to fast food, you pay before service is provided. Think of restaurants like Barberitos, Captain D’s, and Panera Bread. Significantly lower, but in third place was fast food restaurants.
Another question we asked was in the past 6 months how often had the survey taker attended various restaurants. We then listed a series of restaurants with varying time periods. We came up with this list based on restaurants that we believe would be most likely to come to Elizabethton. Additionally, before a restaurant chooses a location, they need to ensure that people will come. One way of doing this is seeing how frequently people in a specific area ate at the restaurant in the past 6 months. We’re primarily focused on people who ate at these restaurants at least 1 to 2 times per month on average.
The top restaurant was Dunkin’ Donuts, followed by Golden Corral, and in third place Jimmy John’s. What this means is that we can use this data along with our restaurant trade area data to attempt to recruit these restaurants to Elizabethton. What this DOES NOT mean is that they will come! Typically, by the time we reach out to a restaurant or retailer it takes 1.5 to 3 years before they actually start construction, but that’s only if we can find an appropriate site with what they want and if the demographic requirements (income, population, age specifications, etc.) are what they need.
Lastly and surprisingly was the fill-in-the-blank statement, “In Elizabethton we need more restaurants with [blank].” The top one was family-friendly atmospheres, second was healthier choices, and third was fine dining experiences. What was surprising about this to me was that I always believed most of our restaurants already had family-friendly atmospheres, but apparently this is something we need to recruit more of.
It is important to understand that not every restaurant we like will come to Elizabethton no matter how many people want it. Our goal is to better identify what types of restaurants and food you desire and find the best match of restaurant that WILL come to Elizabethton to fulfill that desire. Let’s talk about it!
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