What's so funny about it? Sounds like some people who actually live in that area expressing dissatisfaction with having more intrusion into their lives. Is it funny that the production value wasn't better?
I was in the meeting when they showed this video, and I happened to be sitting next a gentleman who was from the area and later spoke against the sidewalk. He was obviously very excited about the video, and thought it was great. My reaction (and he and I spoke about it during the meeting) was that while I am a bit ambivalent about the sidewalk in general, the video misses the mark and borders on being humorous (I didn't go as far as stupid, but that was my reaction also). He did not appreciate my comments.
But to your point Guido, the video is specifically NOT presented as people "expressing dissatisfaction with having more intrusion into their lives". That is, at it's core, the reason for their irritation but they rightfully understand that saying "I don't want people parking on my street or walking past my house" is not going to be a message that is well-received by the general public. Instead, they attempt to present a string of rationalizations and false comparisons, along with a comical scene of a women walking in high-heels on uneven grass about a foot from the roadway and declaring she felt uncomfortable about it. (Pretty sure when this section came on during the meeting, I audibly said "you have got to be kidding...")
So again, I'm on the fence regarding the sidewalk (although generally for it), and I do appreciate that it is going to impact the current residents somewhat. That said, here is a quick (and I am sure incomplete) list of the problems with the video:
- They go to great pains to illustrate the existing paths, and highlight that two other trails already exist. (Across Riverside, and Midland Valley) / Counter: This was my initial thought as well, but is immaterial. There is no doubt that the sidewalk would improve access to the park, especially from the West side of the neighborhood in question (as shown in the video where the highlight the side streets in yellow).
- They use the false comparison of safety (on an absolute measure) between the proposed sidewalk and Midland Valley Trail. / Counter: Of course the MVT is safer in an absolute sense than the sidewalk. This would be true of comparing the MVT to any sidewalk in Tulsa, as there are no cars alongside the MVT. Again, the question is not "is this sidewalk as safe as some other alternative", but rather simply "is it safe as compared to similar sidewalks, or simply safe in general".
- The point about the sidewalk crossing the side streets is simply laughable. This is perhaps the biggest "reach" argument they attempted. Sidewalks, almost by definition, cross streets at intersections. Especially given that the streets in question are very low-volume streets specific to that neighborhood, and given that this same scenario exists throughout the city, bringing it up as a negative point is simply unfounded.
- The portion of the video showing Barbo Cox and companion attempting to walk in high-heels immediately adjacent (and very close) to the roadway, on rough unkempt grassy terrain, is (at best, and think I'm being forgiving here) another false comparison. Even the most unfamiliar with the proposed sidewalk understands that "it's not going to look like that when it's done". Of all the attempted points in the video, I thought was the point where the video "jumped the shark", and went so far as to be negative to their overall attempted message.
- They finally came back to the real point at the very end, and briefly mention that the anticipate additional cars parked in the area will be an inconvenience. But they again miss the mark by attempting to suggest it is a major safety issue, and by that section in the video most viewers will have already discounted any further points.
Again, I appreciate and understand their concerns about increased parking and traffic in their neighborhood. And I think some good arguments could be made that (for at least that small area) some changes in street parking could/should be made. If they had taken this route, I think they would have been more successful, but as it is I think the video is counter-productive to their goals.