Part 1 of 3

That there is backlash against innovation is no surprise. This is the way. Those set in their routines fight anything viewed as a threat to the way they understand life to be. It’s nothing to take personally; it’s just terribly predictable.

But, they can’t have it both ways.

They can’t ask why young people (anyone under 50, let’s say) are leaving a city, a region, a state, and in the same breath, tell that same demographic that almost all of what younger folks want is too dangerous, too inconvenient, too inefficient.

Some of the new (and not-actually-that-cutting-edge) ideas that have gotten push-back: dog parks, electric scooters, axe throwing venues, and Airbnb. Adopting modern policies and designs to make the region safer for all road users should be less of a fight than it is. Here we are, aspiring to minor league status, in danger of thwarting our own progress when a vocal-yet-influential minority opposes every emergent idea that comes our way.

To start, let’s look at controversial developments that are happening.

Airbnb

Having moved to Hartford from a small town, one of the things I continue to be astonished by is how much more of a small town Hartford is in certain respects, particularly in a few select neighborhoods. Why do so many people care so much what others do in their homes when those activities are literally hurting nobody and nothing? Zoning laws were created for reasons, namely so we would not have polluting factories directly next to houses. It makes sense to not allow mechanic shops or massive pig farms in residential urban neighborhoods, but when it comes to precisely who is sleeping where, I have to wonder why that is of anyone else’s business.

Airbnbs are an alternative to more established inns or motels. Instead of letting a vacant room or home stay that way, people rent out the space. This kind of arrangement can make sense for people who are in-between long term roommates or away frequently on business trips.

So, what’s the gripe? Is this rooted in the fear of stranger danger? There have been Airbnb horror stories here and there, just as there have been with Uber and Lyft. Each company could improve its safety protocols, but we should keep in mind that assaults typically occur between people who already know each other, and, that the taxi and motel models that most of us are more familiar with have not been without incident.

There are mechanisms to promote safety and good business practices, just like Uber and Lyft have, which allow hosts and guests to rate each other and the experience publicly. It’s not a perfect system, but you can skim through the ones left on Hartford properties and see that negative reviews have been posted on occasion.

Additionally, each host sets up his or her own rules regarding smoking, pets, maximum guests, quiet hours, and so forth. It’s easier to find an Airbnb than a motel to match your personal quirks, such as how much social interaction you would like with the host. If you are interviewing for a job and want to get a better feel for where you may potentially relocate, why would you stay in a generic motel in an industrial area by the highway when you could spend a few days living like you would in a neighborhood you want to test out?
Is this fear about property values? Some worry that Airbnbs create rooming houses. Living in a neighborhood where people move in and out frequently, I can’t say I understand the extreme reactions, even when there are some negative consequences of high mobility, like the lack of community involvement.

We already have regulations about rooming houses. Zoning allows Airbnbs (and similar short-term rentals as outlined in zoning regulation 3.5.1.E) and requires that property owners complete a permit to do so.

The tiny fuss over Airbnb has popped up only in recent months, though Airbnbs have been operated in Hartford since at least 2014 and can be found in nearly every neighborhood.

If we must occupy ourselves with concerns over housing, those energies might be better spent looking into substandard housing conditions.

 

Axe Throwing Venues

My love of the sideshow — sword swallowing, knife throwing, fire spinning — makes me biased, but axe throwing in or near bars is not a high risk activity.

As a reminder, there are bars that have darts tournaments in sections of the establishment that are not physically divided. The placement of dart boards is not always thought through so well.

Now, if you check out an axe throwing place, you will see that steps have been taken to keep clients alive and unwounded, starting with separated throwing stalls. Imagine a bowling alley, but with tall dividers between lanes. There is training and age restrictions. People who are visibly intoxicated are not permitted to participate.

One such venue quietly opened inside 1429 Park Street,  with its grand opening the first weekend of June . So far, no carnage.

LimeBike

Unless you are involved in transportation planning or advocacy, or especially tuned in, it’s likely that the pilot bike share program in Hartford took you by surprise.

That is partly why it and other innovations have a chance of success. They are not stifled by misplaced mass anxiety.

In the case of dockless bike share, we are currently in a learning phase — learning how to find, ride, and store them. Learning where there is high demand for bicycles and how many bikes we might ultimately need for LimeBike to become a reliable form of transportation. Those who do not read instructions are no doubt learning that the first free ride had a time limit. Others are learning that if they do not lock bikes at the end of their rides, someone will come along to use it, sticking the first rider with charges, particularly if the bike gets vandalized or stolen. That LimeBike was not funded by the City of Hartford or any other government entity is information that still needs dissemination; these are not free bikes. The hope is that people will not need to learn natural consequences: that if they break their toys, they will have no more toys to play with.

Although Hartford is different from other cities (Seattle, Washington DC) in which Lime operates, the private company has experience deploying hundreds of bikes at a time. They are not going to be blindsided by some stolen or broken bikes. They have protocols for dealing with incorrectly parked bicycles. As Olivia Pope would say, it’s handled.

Any of those issues could have stalled or complicated implementation of dockless bike share had the public been more aware that it was coming and fussed over minutiae.

Instead, LimeBike is here and it is flexible enough to allow for ongoing readjustments. Those who have not been hearing about it for over the last six months or more have opportunity for education, which takes little more than downloading the app and reading the straightforward instructions that cover the bikes. Those who understand how the program works can correct misinformation: LimeBikes do not need to be “returned” to where they were found, as parking them in the weirdly-named “furniture zone” is all that’s needed; aside from riding them recklessly, people can ride them for whatever purposes they see fit, whether that is to get to work or school, or to go joyriding around a park; the bikes are not supposed to be taken on buses. A little community outreach might help those few who are misusing the bikes to understand the consequences, which are spelled out in the User Agreement:

Learning curve aside, LimeBike has received fantastic cultural buzz and support from neighborhood residents and City officials, and from transportation insiders. The timing of the release, just one week and a few days, from the opening of the Hartford Line could not have been better in terms of drawing attention to complimentary modes of transportation. There is a bike plan meeting on June 18th in which people can weigh in on how Hartford’s streets could be made safer for all road users.

It’s too early to make predictions about what LimeBike will ultimately do for Hartford. We’ll have to wait a few weeks at least for the novelty to wear off. But it did show that a large number of people around these parts do have curiosity and a willingness to try new things, despite the dreadful reputation of Connecticut residents having the inability to make changes.

Read part two and three