Changing The Car Culture: St. George’s Vision For A 15-Minute Walking City
Would you walk or bike to work if it was feasible?
Seriously, if you were within a couple of miles of work, shopping and entertainment, would you leave your car at home and provide your own horsepower to get there?
Would you take public transit to church or the post office if it were available? How about a scooter to get to the doctor's office? Or maybe a skateboard to go grab a smoothie?
St. George City councilman Dannielle Larkin is hoping that the answer to all of these questions is a resounding yes.
Larkin, who appeared on The Andy Griffin Show Thursday, recently received an award for her work in trying to help St. George become a 15-minute walking city, with "Complete Streets" that have room for cars, trucks, buses, bicycles, scooter and pedestrians.
"Sadly, we're currently following the same path that Los Angeles and other big cities have followed," Larkin said. "Everyone always says they don't want us to turn into another California, but that's exactly what will happen if we don't change the way we're doing things. Smog, congestion and overcrowding. We are an automobile-centric society and we need to change that."
Larkin says she doesn't fault people who live far from work and drive many miles to get to things like jobs, shopping and entertainment. But she also says there is a better way.
"If we can get there by walking or riding a bike, or even public transit, that's a better way," she said. "But we understand that people aren't going to do those things unless it is easier, more appealing."
According to the website smartgrowthamerica.org, "Complete Streets is an approach to planning, designing and building streets that enables safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities."
In contrast, America has plenty of what the website calls incomplete streets, " the result of a process that fails to consider the needs of all people and outdated measures of what makes a street successful. The end product is a street that spans a spectrum from uncomfortable to downright deadly for those not using a car."
The 10 principles below, developed several decades ago but unpacked in this guide from US EPA, are considered the foundation of a smart growth approach—click on each principle to expand and learn more.
10. Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions
Larkin recently received an award from smartgrowthamerica as a Complete Streets Changemaker for promoting "active transportation and complete streets since being elected to the St. George City Council, passing key legislation in her first term to codify a complete street policy into our city codes and transportation plan."
Larkin cited a study that says it costs the public more than nine times as much to fund driving vs. walking when factoring in public safety, road and street maintenance, pollution and other public hazards.
"If we can walk or bike, we should walk or bike," she said. "We want the people of St. George to have that kind of freedom. We don't want to be like Los Angeles."
St. George right now has more than 60 miles of walking paths and several of the city's streets are close to becoming "complete streets."
Boom! Roar! Crack! Red Flag Exercises Will Rock Your World
Get ready for all the social media posts in the next few days:
"Just heard a loud boom ... are we having an earthquake?"
"Anyone hear that huge roar? My windows were rattling! We must have had an earthquake or a huge plane crash."
"My house shook hard. Anyone know what's going on?"
"This new construction! My house is rattling and shaking a lot"
So, when you see these posts, you can be the one on the know. All that noise -- the shaking, the rattling, the booms and roars -- is all about the Red Flag Exercises taking place at Nellis Air Force Base.
Nellis, located 101 miles (as the crow flies, 114 by road), is putting on its Red Flag 24-1 exercise starting today through Jan. 26.
Nearly 100 aircraft are scheduled to depart Nellis twice a day and could remain in the air for up to five hours during this large-scale exercise. There will also be night launches to train air crews for nighttime combat operations.
Since St. George is only 100 miles away and these jets travel in excess of 500-miles per hour, well, we're very, very close.
More from Nellis' official press release:
"On January 15 over 30 units from across the U.S. Department of Defense, the Royal Air Force, and the Royal Australian Air Force will converge at Nellis for the start of Red Flag 24-1. The 414th Combat Training Squadron conducts Red Flag exercises to provide aircrews the experience of multiple, intensive air combat sorties in the safety of a training environment. This iteration of Red Flag provides unique training with an emphasis on readiness for high-end warfighting and strategic competition.
Also included in the exercises from Utah's Hill Air Force base, among many others.
And while the Air Force makes no apologies for the noise, they do acknowledge that the exercises may spook pets, children and the noise-sensitive.
Nellis has hosted Red Flag exercises since 1975.
St. George Area Experiencing Surge In Vehicle Burglaries: How To Stay Safe
There's been a rash of vehicle burglaries -- some from unlocked cars, some not -- in the St. George area in the past few days.
"Don't be an easy target," said St. George Police Department public information officer Tiffany Mitchell. "Basically, most criminals are lazy and are looking for an easy score. Lock your doors, and don't leave things out in the open where thieves can see them."
Those are the two biggest victim mistakes.
Many people stash their stuff under a seat or in the middle console or glove box, but then don't complete the safety practice by locking their doors.
This makes it super easy for even a casual thief to just open the door and grab something and then take off.
But even if you do make it a practice of locking your doors, if you leave something of great value out in the open where criminals can see them, they will not hesitate to smash a window and abscond with the item.
Mitchell admonishes all of us to stow items of value (wallet or purse, iPad, smartphone, jewelry, etc.) out of plain sight.
"Or better yet, just take the items with you," Mitchell said.
SGPD also said a lot of thefts are taking place at trailheads (St. George has dozens of them), where the thief knows the car owner will be gone for some time.
Although many of the thieves are from out of the area, Mitchell said there are a few homegrown criminals, especially where it is a crime of opportunity, like an unlocked car.
HOW TO AVOID CAR BURGLARIES:
- Keep all car doors and windows closed and locked – about 30% of vehicle burglaries are from vehicles where the doors were not locked or a window was down.
- Do not leave valuables or packages in plain sight in your vehicle.
- If your vehicle has a built in security system, use it. If you don’t have a security system installed, it may be worth the investment.
- Park your vehicle in an area that is visible to the public and well-lit at night.
- Never leave an electronic garage opener in the car. It can provide a thief easy access to your home.
- Headed to the beach or to go hiking? Burglars are, too. When you pack the car, bring as few items as possible with you - leave jewelry, watches, laptops, etc at home..
- Keep a list of serial numbers (include make and model information, as well) for the commonly used electronic equipment you may keep in the car, like stereo faceplates, etc.
- If your car is burglarized, report it to the police department immediately.
For more safety tips, go to the St. George Police Department web page.
Handcuffs? Nope. Guns? Nope. Stuffed Animals? That's The Ticket
Did you know policemen and other First Responders carry more than weapons and restraining devices to help in times of emergency?
Sometimes they carry Winnie the Pooh.
"Most of us officers are parents," said police lieutenant TJ Low. "We understand that kids are sometimes traumatized by seeing an officer in uniform. It's something as little as a teddy bear or a police sticker that goes a long way with these kids. That's what we want to pass along to them: we're there for them. We're not there to hurt them. We're not going to take their parents away. We're just there doing our job, and we want the kids to have somebody they can look up to."
Studies have shown that when police respond to family disturbance, they are often viewed as the "bad guy" by young children, who believe the police are there to take away their parents.
This is a belief that often is taught in the home of many parents who skirt the law, especially when drugs are involved.
An officer ofttimes will give a child a stuffed animal to 'break the ice,' or when the child is afraid during what could be a traumatic family event.
"That kind of helps give them some security, and kind of helps them when they're in a time of trouble and things aren't going well at home," patrol officer Jimmy Knox told David Chasanov of Fox25 TV. "It's kind of a bright light in their lives during a dark moment."
A pair of teens in California learned about this heart-warming program and began a drive to make sure every police officer in their area had plenty of stuffed animals to go around.
Michael and Elizabeth Christensen, siblings in Carlsbad, Calif., in a story highlighted by the Church News, saw the need and the great cause and put together a program to fill the need.
"The Christensens invited local schools, law enforcement, first responders and businesses to take part. Over several weeks, they organized donation drives at five locations. “When we first started reaching out to organizations, people said ‘no’ until we started showing up in person,” Michael said. “We spend most days running around, meeting with people after school, creating partnerships with local schools and businesses throughout Carlsbad and Encinitas.”
If you want to help or perhaps start a program in Utah, the St. George Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff's Department said they'd be glad to take donations on behalf of the children.
Here are links to contribute: St. George Police Department, Washington County Sheriff's Office, Washington City Police Department, Hurricane Police Department, Santa Clara/Ivins Police Department.
Dedication And Enthusiasm: St. George's Police Dogs Turn Work Into Play
You probably work pretty hard.
Modern society dictates that we put in 40, 50 or even 60 hours a week in our jobs if we're to be considered a valuable employee. Being the first one in the office and the last one out is often revered in the workplace (whether that's right or wrong is a debate for another time).
But if you love your job so much that it's like just going out to play, then being at work long hours is no big deal.
That's why Enzo, Karly and Emma don't mind at all putting in a long week. To the trio of St. George police officers, work is play.
I'm sure by now you know I'm talking about the three police dogs employed by the City of St. George.
And when it's time to go to work, those three can't wait.
"They don't know that it's work, they think it's time to play," said K9 Division Director Joe Watson. "You've got to understand that these are high motor, high energy dogs and they are excited to get out there and do what they've been trained."
Watson joined me on The Andy Griffin Show to talk about the 10 dogs working for our safety throughout Washington County, and in particular the three canines that work for St. George City.
"They work hard and they don't even know it," Watson said. "To them it is just fun."
I wish we all could love our jobs that much.
With each dog there is a mandatory four hours a week of training in each discipline they specialize in. Most dogs have at least two areas they specialize in (narcotic detection, explosive detection, criminal apprehension, etc.), which equates to at least eight hours of training each week to remain certified.
Watson, who used to be a K9 handler officer himself, now supervises the program. He is a big believer in the value of the K9 program.
"It's the only use of force a police officer has that can be recalled," he said. "You can't recall a taser or a bullet, but you can recall a K9."
Watson also was adamant about the most crucial role of a police dog.
"They save lives, of civilians and of police officers," he said. "If I can send my K9 into harms way to help save a human's life, I will be sad, but I will not hesitate to do it."
Stay Sharp And Age Well: The Benefits Of Engaging In Intellectual Activities
No less than three major studies have produced overwhelming evidence that stimulating the brain -- doing brain exercises -- helps us fight off potential dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.
From Alzheimers.org: "People who regularly do intellectual activities throughout life have stronger thinking abilities. This may give them a reserve of thinking skills, which may protect them against losses that can occur through ageing and disease."
The website theconversation.com puts it like this: "New studies show that increased participation in social, mental and physical activities is linked to a slower rate of cognitive decline in older adults. This research shows a “dose-response” relationship, where the more activities we do, the slower the rate of decline becomes."
Activities like: puzzles, games and quizzes, reading or even adding up your shopping bill in your head as you go around the supermarket.
From dementia.org: "Exercising the brain is an important, enjoyable part of everyday life for everyone. It has a part to play in a positive, healthy lifestyle in the same way as physical exercise. Stimulating leisure and social activities are also thought to be important in maintaining a healthy brain."
Locally, Utah Tech in St. George has an exciting program that many may not know about, although it's been around for a very long time.
The Institute For Continued Learning, specifically geared toward seniors and those who want to stimulate their brains near or after retirement, offers dozens of classes for a nominal fee ($55 per semester and you can take as many classes as you want).
The classes are taught by industry professionals in the subject area, most of them retired as well,
You can click on this link to see the list of classes, but a small sampling includes Art History, Journaling Techniques, Constellations (astronomy), Creative Writing, Evolution of Radio, Photography, History of Utah, Italian Cooking, Mark Twain, Bellydancing, Philosophy, Shakespeare, Tennis, and Traveling the World with KDXU contributor Gary Sorensen -- as well as dozens more.
Most of the classes take place during the day, perfect for the retired set, although some classes are at night.
It's the perfect place to stimulate the brain.
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