Truman Parkway Comes Up Short
Recently Truman Parkway was extended diagonally from Chouteau to 18th & Gratiot St. To drivers getting to western sections of downtown this will be a huge improvement. To pedestrians, cyclists and scooterists the new roadway is not so great.
If you are on a bicycle the travel speeds and lane widths may cause some motorists to be intolerant of cyclists on a “parkway”, however, 18th was a very common route connecting parts south with downtown. Same with the scooter, many of us used 18th to get into downtown after coming north on Mississippi through Lafayette Square.
But pedestrians are the ones short-changed in the new roadway. The old 18th street was lined with trees. Street trees serve as a comforting buffer from traffic and thus are one of the best methods of enhancing a pedestrian experience.
The newly installed sidewalks along Truman from Chouteau to 18th offer nothing to the pedestrian in the way of protection from passing cars. You might say, “nobody walks here” and you may be right. Building more sidewalks such as these will continue to ensure people don’t walk where they might otherwise. Consider how things have changed just recently that might draw more pedestrains.
On the east side of the parkway and south of Chouteau we have lots of new housing, including the renovated City Hospital (aka The Georgian). To the west of the parkway we have Lafayette Square as well as the Eden Lofts on the corner of Truman Parkway and Chouteau. Just down the street we have the Mississippi Walk townhouses under construction. In other words, we have lots of potential new pedestrians within a half mile to mile walk of Union Station and the MetroLink.
I’m sure this new section of the parkway will be heavily planted on both sides but that is not the same as having a row of street trees to separate the pedestrian from traffic in addition to providing shade for the walk. In areas where on-street parking is not feasible it should be mandatory we have street trees.
Papin St. was realigned to intersect with the parkway at a signal. Papin goes east with the west side of the intersection serving as an entrance to Ameren’s parking lot. It is here the pedestrian experience was given no consideration.
Consider the distance required to cross the parkway at Papin. On the south side it is a wide 90ft and on the north a reasonable 80ft. Again, this is to cross a four lane boulevard with planted center median. The median also allows pedestrians a resting spot should they not make it across the full with in time. Crossing Papin on the east side of the parkway is only 50ft but that still seems excessive considering it it only two lanes. But the kicker is the 80ft it takes to cross the entrance to Ameren. Eighty feet! That is the same distance for the entire Washington Avenue right of way (building to building).
Once again the city was faced with an opportunity to enhance the urban experience and they failed to do so.
Additional photos on Flickr.
– Steve
The city made a similar mistake by interrupting the sidewalk on the East side of Union where it leads into Forest Park. The city also added an additional on ramp to the eastbound parkway which is duplicative destroys the pedestrain environment as it leads into the park. The walk light was taken out and the crosswalk not painted. Pedestrians apparently are a low priority.
Listen Steve, I am tired of your criticism of the City.
We are doing the best we can!
This is not Manhattan!’
You want my job, you can have it! I quit!
[REPLY Although sometimes funny, I ask that people not impersonate others. – SLP]
All right, you two, calm down!
The city is doing a pretty good job of working what we have to work with, including limited growth, limited resources and, at times, conflicting agendas.
Steve’s also doing a pretty thorough job of letting us know what his views are (and encouraging our responses). Discussion is always a good thing. Unfortunately, a lot of the discussion, as in this post, is occuring “after the fact”.
Hindsight is always 20/20. Perhaps, if the city (including the Board of Aldermen) were more open and inclusive (including more public outreach “before the fact”) in its design and review processes, it could be a win-win for all involved!
I wish Lafayette Square residents could be convinced now that it’s okay to reopen 18th and Dolman Streets south of Chouteau. With Truman completed, 18th and Dolman shouldn’t see any excessive thru-traffic. Just a block west, Mississippi Avenue has long been open without problems. And if 18th is to remain closed at Chouteau, then the very least that should happen is infill development on both sides, instead of surface parking for Ameren and the Gast Haus.
What would have to happen to make the design/review process more open? How do cities with good urban planning do it and what can we learn from them?
Truman definitely makes the downtown-Lafayette Square drive much shorter and easier. How odd that I never thought about it from the pedestrian point of view before, even though I’m one who preaches the mantra of “walk everywhere you can” to anyone who will listen. You’re right, Steve, it’s a terrifying place to walk . . . and I cross the eight lanes of Kingshighway with my two small children almost every day. The dark clouds hovering ominously in your photos underscore the fact.
I wonder how many people really move into the City because they want to live in a pedestrian-friendly way?
Here’s one example of inclusion, from today’s Rocky Mountain News (out of Denver, Colorado):
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/art/article/0,2777,DRMN_23958_4828541,00.html,
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/spotlight_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23962_4828621,00.html
and this is another: http://www.us36eis.com/docs/July2006PublicMeetingEnglish.pdf
Are the 90′ spans at legal crossing spots?
[REPLY – Yes!!! – SLP]
Wow! I hope there are cross walk signals.
“I wonder how many people really move into the City because they want to live in a pedestrian-friendly way?”
Ouch! Such a good question, though.
I drove through truman parkway tonight. I must say the direct access from I-55 merger to downtown is much quicker.
I’m sure landscaping will be planted one day. There are trees in the median near the Georgian now. One day they will landscape the whole parkway.
The city adjusted the street grid at the chouteau/18th intersection for the better.
I applaud Ameren for allowing the adjustment. They could have easily said NO and kept their property where it was.
How many people want to live in the City because they want to live in a pedestrian-friendly way? Good question Michael! I don’t recall anyone EVER giving me that as a reason.
“How many people want to live in the City because they want to live in a pedestrian-friendly way?”
I don’t know about “pedestrian-friendly way” — but, I’ve chosen to live in downtowns around the country — including St. Louis’ — because I like being able to walk to the places I work, shop, and play.
If pedestrians are defined as people that walk from their home to where they shop, play or work, then I would venture a guess that pedestrians are by far the minority in the city. If you consider pedestrians to be, like me, people that park their cars in a lot along a strip, such as S. Grand, and walk to various locations along that strip, then I’d still guess that that group is still in the minority, but a much larger group. The final group of pedestrians who stick-out in mind are those recreational walkers that walk around their neighborhood for leisure or exercise, which can be accomplished more easily in a more residential setting than a commercial one.
So, while we should accomodate pedestrians, as valuable residents and assets to the city, we do need to keep in mind that they are not the intended primary users of the streets. It is beneficial to the city’s residents and to the commerce of the city to provide easy access to the local businesses for pedestrians, but there is a limit to what is reasonable in compromise.
[REPLY – Pedestrian were the intended users of the streets — aka public rights of way — centuries before the car was invented. The public right of way is just that, the commonly owned land that connects private property. It gives us the ability to go from place to place without having to cross private property.
Pedestrians and cyclists were using this right of way in St. Louis before the car. No single form of transportation should dominate the public right of way to the point of exclusion of others. – SLP]
Anyone who walks on a sidewalk adds to the life of a neighborhood, no matter what you’re called. If you have to park ten feet from the door of the business, you should live in the County.
Walkability should be the goal of all our city neighborhoods, though I doubt I’ll live to see it.
Since the downtown population has grown so much in the last few years, I believe businesses have opened that would not exist with only the weekday crowds of downtown employees. As more people move downtown, more people use those businesses, more businesses open, and downtown looks more attractive to potential residents because people are out on the sidewalks making it look like a real city.
If all our neighborhoods were walkable, and we had public transit funded as well as our streets/highways/parking systems, then you wouldn’t need to drive to S. Grand as often, since the services/merchandise you seek may be within walking distance of your home, or a couple transit stops and a short walk.
To me, walkability is the real point of urbanism. Public transit can only enhance walkabilty, and bikability is also important.
St. Louis has made enough concessions to this auto-centric society since the 1950s and look where it’s gotten us. I’m not saying to do away with auto parking altogether. Let’s just keep it in the correct perspective–Don’t develop our neighborhoods giving priority to autos or we’ve learned nothing from the damage done since the 1950s.
“How many people want to live in the City because they want to live in a pedestrian-friendly way?”
Can’t give an exact number.
I can say: the urge to walk more, walk for coffee, walk to the movies has a been a prime reason for people to move from the ‘burbs into my neighborhood, Skinker-Debaliviere. The City needs to take this seriously. “Walkable neighborhoods” is one of our greatest selling points, but we are squandering this resource.
We’re all pedestrians at some time, even if it’s just when we’re walking from our SUV’s to our air-conditioned offices . . .
[REPLY – For my purposes I consider someone walking in the public right of way — the public realm. So if you park that SUV on a public street and take the public sidewalk to your office then yes, you are a pedestrian. If you are simply walking on private property then no, you are not a pedestrian simply by virtue of being outside. – SLP]
There have been some amazingly ignorant comments in this thread. Talk to folks in Lafayette Square, Shaw, Tower Grove Heights, TG East, CWE, downtown, etc. I’d argue that one of the primary reasons many people choose to live in the city is so that they don’t have to drive everywhere.
This is especially true in the nabes I mention above that feature shopping, eating, etc in close proximity to residences. The freedom to go a whole weekend without having to drive and park is wonderful.
Take it from a city resident – being able to go car-free, at least temporarily, is a primary reason people choose to live in the city.
Parking is a problem in the City.
I don’t think the solution is more parking garages, or parking lots.
The clear solution is a Vespa.
I am going to get one when I graduate, regardless if my fiance thinks its geeky.
The Buick is a P.O.S. when it comes to parallel parking.
Side comment, Doug, why were you banned from urbanstlouis? I liked your posts and you didn’t say anything wrong????
So, after staying late at work on Saturday night, I rode home along Truman Parkway. Right as the Spinks fight was letting out. Never seen so many Escalade limos in my life, but that is another story.
Anyway, that stretch has been made much more dangerous for the bike commuter and an even less ped friendly environment. Even if you aren’t riding at 11 at night w/ a bunch of hyped up boxing fans in way to big SUV’s. It’s too bad. I thought that stretch had potential to tie Lafayette Square to the Union Station area.
^ After sifting through your comments I found the reason for your post. You said “I thought that stretch had potential to tie Lafayette Square to the Union Station area.”
Not to sound smartalec but IT DOES tie lafayette square and union station area. How did you get from point a to point b?
And don’t forget, this parkway is just an extension of I-55. And there are sidewalks along this parkway. I’ve walked them.
-Use the sidewalks, that’s what they are there for. Dammit. You guys cry over not having sidewalks and when there is a sidewalk you don’t want to use it. (margie where are you, you have a sound mind, am I wrong?)
-two areas in question are actually connected via the parkway.
-this is a parkway FOR vehicles coming off the highway.
-it is the same logic as Forest Park Parkway – it’s intent is for vehicular use.
Thank you and I hope I helped you realize what you already knew.
-with all respect.
[REPLY – Simply having a road does not mean something is connected in the pedestrian or bicycle sense. Roadways actually can do great jobs of accommodating various means of transportation but such a requirement must be made a priority.
And yes, we know there are sidewalks — I photographed them and showed them in the post. Again, the presence of a sidewalk does not make it a desirable walking environment.
Margie is in Italy… – SLP]
“Side comment, Doug, why were you banned from urbanstlouis? I liked your posts and you didn’t say anything wrong????”
Didn’t really say anything wrong publicly…
There are very few people living in Lafayette SQ who would use that route to go to Union Station. Truman Parkway is at the far Eastern boundary of the neighborhood, and at this point, there isn’t a lot of population once you get past 18th St.
Most people walking to Union SQ, or Savvis for that matter (I’ve done both) would take 18th, and not swing East to pick up Truman at Park, etc.
[REPLY – I think you missed two major points. First, more population now lives in the area on both sides of the parkway and the parkway replaced 18th street. – SLP]
I was banned from Urbanstlouis for a few reasons that I don’t want to discuss publicly, because the ordeal took place in private.
Lets say that I did not agree with his policy’s, or the way he runs his forum, and I let him know this privately.
Fine by me. He can run his forum however he wants, since it is his intellectual property, however I wanted to make it clear that I did not agree.
Thanks for the information. I’ve made a few good comments on urbanstl but found some were removed from the forum without my consent. That act was suspect. I’ve heard rumors about the people who run that site and don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. Last thing I want to do is get banned for “questioning”.
Furthermore, I don’t want to start my own blog as it would just add to the dozens of st.louis blogs that are out there. Urbanstl and this one are two of the best sites out there.
You have the general idea.
I believe the forum has some good content, however I believe the administrator has other motives.
Again, he can do whatever he wants, however I have no desire to contribute, especially when my comments could be selectively deleted. There are better ways to allocate my time.
Anon, please send me an email, because I would like to hear any constructive criticism you have. I’d also like to hear the rumors. You don’t have to send me your username if you don’t want, but you won’t be banned anyway. Only 2 people have been, and you know who one is, and can probably figure out who the other is. I could probably explain why any comments were removed as well. My email address is under my name on this post. Now back to the discussion.
[REPLY – This is not the place for this discussion so I ask that it end here. – SLP]
“We’re all pedestrians at some time, even if it’s just when we’re walking from our SUV’s to our air-conditioned offices . . . ” We’re also all motorists at some time, whether we’re passengers on a bus or driving our Vespa/Scion/Escalade. Urban desian and public works are about balance – you gotta do your best to address both sides’ needs. And odds are pretty good that we’ll all experience periods of disability, thus the ADA requirements and the curb cuts shown.
Steve, your criticism is a bit premature, given that striping is not in place, particularly at the crosswalks, and the landscaping remains to be completed. This was not designed as a tranquil neighborhood street, it was designed to get commuters in and out of downtown, but adding the missing parts will make the pedestrian experience (slightly) better. This project does include many amenities for pedestrians (including sidewalks and curb cuts) that are conspicuously lacking in many suburban areas that carry similar traffic volumes. And while Ameren’s curb cut is wide, at least it’s not one of many – the curb is more continuous than in many other parts of town (a lot fewer curb cuts).
I agree that this isn’t the greatest place to be a cyclist. However I come from the school of discovering parallel routes that have a lot less traffic and far fewer conflicts. As an occasional cyclist, I concede that I’m a minority, and especially at rush hour. I’d much rather spend my energy connecting the missing links on viable bike routes than bemoaning the fact that this project was designed (well) to move the vehicles that make up the vast majority of our traffic!
Keep pushing – we need to hear the minority opinion!
[REPLY – Simply because suburban areas don’t have sidewalks does not mean we should be accepting of just any old sidewalk in the city. The pedestrian expectations should be higher.
No amount of plantings on the sides will make the sidewalk acceptable. What is needed is something, namely street trees, to help separate the passing cars from the pedestrian. Trees along the old 18th street served this purpose.
As for bike routes, this was one of those routes to take to avoid higher volumes on Jefferson. This leaves only 14th as an alternative to Tucker. Far too few choices for cyclists between downtown and the neighborhoods to the south. – SLP]
I agree, street trees are the ideal solution, especially when combined with a tree lawn and a detached sidewalk. I’m guessing here that what you see is what you get as far as right-of-way. Trying to plant street trees in (the middle) of the sidewalk creates more problems than they solve, including maintaining the tree grates, having to prune the branches to avoid head banging, and forcing the pedestrians to dodge a tree every 30′-40′. At least here the sidewalk is new, flat, unobstructed and actually there. Could it be better? Yes. But I doubt Ameren was willing to donate any more land than they did, and I doubt the city could justify buying another 10″ or 15′ on either side in the name pedestrian comfort, especially when the number of pedestrians is and will remain small – this looks and feels much more like a suburban office park than an urban residential or office district . . .
[REPLY – I’m not buying the lack of space excuse. I doubt any consideration was given to making it a good pedestrian experience. It was roadway first with an obligatory sidewalk second. You can get away with a tree grate in 3-4ft of space, very little in the big scheme of things.
I’m also not buying the lack of users argument. Creating a bad environment and then saying nobody uses it cannot continue to happen in our city. We can create quality spaces and do the things necessary to see active use. – SLP]
I was responding to the post about the Parkway connecting Lafayette SQ and Union Station. One of the primary reasons for the Parkway was to divert commuting traffic from streets like Mississippi (where stop signs were added at Rutger, Hickory and LaSalle) There are certainly more people living on the east side of the parkway now, but I don’t think it’s designed as a connector as much as it is a by-pass.
I drove through this area tonight, and I think the discussion thus far has overstated the problems with the parkway. The comments about the sidewalks being there for pedestrians are dead-on. And, I took special note of “share the road” signs posted alerting motorists to the shared use by cyclists.
The only pedestrians I can foresee using this stretch of road are those neighborhood walkers out for exercise. They and exercising cyclists really should use smaller neighborhood streets rather than major thoroughfares.
As for cyclists that are actually going somewhere, perhaps painting dedicated bike lanes could be of help. But again, the safest solution would be to use smaller side-streets.
[REPLY – I see the problem, most everyone is willing to accept driving with walking being recreational. Whereas I visit other cities where people actually walk to get from point A to point B and think we can create such an environment to encourage such use.
What about the person that lives in the Eden Lofts and works in downtown Clayton. They should be able to walk to MetroLink to get to work.
As for your “smaller side-streets” idea that is all good and well except when crossing the train tracks too few smaller side streets exist —-18th was one of the most commonly used access points.
If we ever pull our collective heads out of our asses we’ll see the potential for pedestrians everywhere. Hotel guests staying at Union Station might want to walk up and have dinner at the Gast House restaurant. Similarly, employees of Ameren may wish to do the same or to walk over to Eleven-Eleven Mississippi for lunch.
From the sound of some apologists here it is almost as if we are afraid to have people walking from place to place. That sidewalks teaming with people not using a car might call into question our own car use. Whatever the reasoning, get over it folks.
To compete with other cities we must provide good pedestrian spaces for more than simply walking the dog. We are failing to do so even though the solutions are more about good planning and thoughtful touches rather than requiring lots of money. – SLP]
As a person who regularly bikes this street to get to and from work, I will tell you the new section is not an improvement for me. Ive found the “parkway” gives drivers permission to drive much faster and more aggressively. Despite obvious signs that something resembling planning took place on this site, there have been minimal accomodations to ped/bike. I always take neighborhood streets, but how many neighborhood streets go into downtown from the south?
While maybe you just can’t see why people would ever bike or walk this street, the reality is they already do, and they should, we should have more of it, and we will, esp. in light of looming transportation crises. Yeah, you dont like us ’cause we slow you down for a second, and somehow you let me know that almost everytime I ride.
Planning discussions shouldnt be adversarial and exclusionary. Its not cars or ped/bike here. Planning that doesnt take both into account is a failure, no apology for a little better is good enough.
I occasionally have walked this stretch of S. 18th to get from the Union Station MetroLink into Lafayette Square, but not since the Parkway Phase II was completed. I recall the street trees by Ameren being rather puny, no real protection provided, and there’s no on-street parking so traffic whizzed by rather fast even before the Parkway was built.
It’s possible the Parkway makes things worse, but the main problem is the narrow, long sidewalk on the S. 18th St. viaduct. The sidewalk is only on one side (west side of street, so at least it does connect Ameren with Union Station MetroLink), and passes under the creepy section of elevated I-64/US 40 westbound as well as over the majestic railyards.
South of Chouteau, I can’t imagine using Truman Parkway as a major pedestrian route. 18th or Dolman are much calmer, because they’re barricaded.
Another potential benefit of Truman Parkway is that maybe it will take some traffic off S. Tucker connecting from I-55/44 to downtown, making that traffic calming median project perhaps more successful.
To me, tying together the communities along either side of S. Tucker (LaSalle Park + King Louis Square etc.) is just as important as acknowledging that, yes, the Truman Parkway does unfortunately accentuate the long-standing physical and psychological barriers between Lafayette Square and the Clinton-Peabody housing complex.
While Steve’s response to Travis’ comments hits the nail on the head, I can’t help but add another point.
People often tell cyclists or walkers to “get out of the way” and use streets that carry less automobile traffic. These same people would laugh at an argument that directed cars to “get out of the way” on streets that cyclists and pedestrians preferred. This viewpoint suffers from the delusion that streets exist to move vehicles. Streets are for people, and exist to connect people with places. Any street that is not easy for pedestrian use is a failure as a street!
I’m still confused about the Truman Parkway. Why did it get built (besides fulfilling an outdated, anti-urban plan first drafted when gas was cheaper than bottled water)?