Introductions

• Mitchell Mudd

  • Local Conversation Leader

  • Neighborhood Improvement Committee Member

  • Loves commuting by bike and climbing (at Scrapyard Climbing Collective)

• Mitchell stated that this meeting is more informative than conversational

• Members had a chance to introduce themselves

Five Priority Campaigns

• Went over the five priority campaigns which you can find more about at https://strongtownsholland.org/about

Main Missions for Strong Towns Holland

• First protected bike lane in Holland

• Slower speeds in pedestrian-heavy areas

• Parking mandates removed

• Allow more neighborhoods like Washington Square to exist

  • Under current zoning rules, you wouldn’t be allowed to have a “Van Raalte” or “Maple” Square.

• Educating the community

• Prevent expansion of roads while focusing on maintaining what we have

Ground Rules

• No Partisan Politics

  • There are no “democrats vs republicans” in Strong Towns

  • We’re not trying to win over one group or 51% of people

• Relentless Positivity

  • We stay positive even when it’s hard to do so

    • I struggle with this

• Never attack people, only attack actions

Taking Action

Talking about issues is great, but if we want to change Holland, we must take action. What does that look like for us?

• Humbly observe where people are struggling (walk, bike, explore, talk)

• Go to city hall and provide a public comment

• Talk to your local council member

  • I live in Ward four, so I’ll be talking to Kim Rowan

  • Consult the chalkboard to see who your councilmember is if you live in the City of Holland

• Tactical urbanism (requires planning, forethought, thoughtfulness)

  • Painting crosswalks

  • Building Bus Benches (especially once the routes change)

  • Testing street/intersection configurations

Member Comments

• Actionable Projects

  • Solar flashers on signs

  • Better visibility for bike racks

  • 20 is plenty yard signs

  • Build bus benches

    • Wait until new routes roll out

• Complaints about streets/intersections

  • 16th Street

  • 21st Street

  • 25th Street

  • 19th and State Street

  • Central Avenue

    • Speed reduction! Potential for more stop signs or other speed reduction measures

• The MACC (Macatawa Area Coordinating Council)

  • Group doing street safety work in Holland

  • https://www.the-macc.org/

• Discounts for bikers

  • Could we partner with the city to get discounts for those who bike instead of driving?

• Temporary road closures

  • Allow pedestrians and those not driving to enjoy a street or section of street without fear

• Bike Co-op

• Encourage and support community groups like 3-Sixty

• Bring awareness to the U.S. Bike Highway that goes through Holland

  • https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/us-bicycle-route-system/maps-and-route-resources/

  • Bicycle Route 35

• Daylighting

  • https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/11/24/how-to-daylight-your-citys-intersections-and-why-it-matters

• Support local businesses

  • Especially Lemonjello’s

• Community Engagement