Valet Companies Continue to Disregard City Rules

In the blocks of Washington Ave east of Tucker we cannot have on-street parking for local businesses from 4pm to 6pm as this is our evening rush period. We don’t really have a rush of traffic for two hours so much as we have a half hour when everyone leaves their parking garages at the same time and the signal timing on the lights doesn’t help with traffic flow. So keeping two lanes open seems to be the solution at this time. Well, except for Copia.

Yesterday afternoon, at 5:40pm, the valets had taken the right rush hour lane for their own personal use. They are granted a very generous valet zone which begins at 6pm but that is simply not good enough for them.  Despite being repeatedly told that cones and signs are now allowed in the public right of way, they continue to use these items which can be a danger to cyclists.

Again we are talking 5:40pm on a Monday evening.  We don’t exactly see a long line of cars to be valet parked this early and on a Monday. 

A few weeks earlier they were marking off additional parking meters as no parking valet area — beyond the assigned valet zone.  When I was taking pictures they approached me with permits from both the city streets department and the city Treasurer’s office (that handles meters) and said it was allowed.  It seems the Treasurer’s office is willing to issue permits that grant a business the right to take the meter despite what the Street Department says about a valet permit and only so much space.  It would appear that our political fragmentation in our region has little to do with the city not being part of the county but even within the city limits having too many entities all saying they have jurisdiction.  So who is it really that has the power to authorize valets to operate in the city? 

Meter parking is free downtown after 7pm weekdays and on weekends.  Are we now going to have valets getting permits from the Treasurer to take those free spaces in addition to what the Street Dept has already granted? 

New Signs for Gym Loom Over Sidewalk in St. Louis’ Loft District; Downtown Talk on Homeless

New businesses, such as gyms, are welcomed additions to loft districts such as the vibrant area in the 1300 block of Washington Ave in downtown St. Louis. We’ve seen some really great new signs of late at places such as Windows on Washington, The Dubliner, The Gelateria, Red and so on. St. Louis’ sign ordinance is about as modern as our 1947 zoning code so pretty much anything except uniform letters on the ends of boring awnings requires a variance. I’m quite pleased the city has worked with so many local businesses to allow the interesting variety of quality new signs.

But when it comes to the new signs at The Fitness Factory I am just scratching my head to think how anyone thought this was a good idea:

From the above angle you can’t even see the interesting sign for Flannery’s neighborhood pub to the west of the Fitness Factory.

To make matters worse, these are a matching pair!

From the opposite view, in front of Flannery’s, you can see the sign’s relationship to the buildings and sidewalk.

While the vinyl makes them look temporary (and cheap) the securing hardware makes them look more permanent. If I lived in the 2nd floor loft next door I’d be more than a tad upset about having my view up the street blocked to such an extent.

I’m going to see if Ald. Kacie Triplett (D-6th), shown at right, can take a look at these in person before her Downtown Talk on the homeless which starts at 7pm Monday August 13, 2007 at the beautiful St. Louis Central Library.

UPDATE 8/14/07 @ 7:30am:

The banners/signs for Fitness Factory are gone as one of the comments below indicates.  This was not due to my argument against them but the storm that passed through town in the hours before I posted this.

Last night’s talk was very good.  We didn’t really accomplish a whole lot other than have a pretty open and frank discussion about the needs of the homeless vs the quality of life for residents — but that is a huge step forward.  Hats off to Ald. Triplett for handling such a controversial topic so well.

Welcome National Urban League Conference, Please Excuse the Cabs on the Sidewalk

For those of you that don’t know, the 2007 National Urban League Conference is being held in St. Louis this week, attendees began arriving yesterday. It was great to see so much activity near the convention center.

Above, St. Louis Urban League President & CEO James Buford talks with members as they wait for the crossing signal.

The rest of this post is a direct message to our guests in our city, but the rest of you can read along as well.

Dear National Urban League conference attendees:

On behalf of regular citizens of the City of St. Louis and the St. Louis region, welcome! We hope that you enjoy your stay in our city. To make your stay and the conference safe & enjoyable I need to offer a word of advice — watch out for the taxis on the sidewalk in front of our convention center.

I noticed yesterday, as many of you were coming and going between the center and the convention hotel, you were unaware that what looks like it should be the public sidewalk parallel to our Washington Ave is really a taxi stand. Some of you found this out as a taxi would honk at you as you tried to leave. So yes, getting from the convention hotel to the convention center requires crossing four lanes of traffic, then a taxi stand and then the drop-off/pick-up lane. At least crossing the street you get a traffic light and a pedestrian signal but without warning a taxi might be heading toward you just when you think you’ve made it to a sidewalk.

Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression, this taxi stand is not some subtle racial discrimination trick aimed at your convention. We genuinely want you here — and your money. No, taxis coming and going on a public sidewalk in one of the most heavily pedestrian areas in our downtown is business as usual in St. Louis. I was able to unearth an interesting policy:

The St. Louis Taxi Cab Commission prohibits taxi drivers, when driving on public sidewalks and nudging pedestrians, from discriminating between pedestrians on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or status as a covered veteran.

Basically, the drivers cannot aim for someone of a certain race, gender or so on — every pedestrian on what should be our sidewalk is fair game (for anyone reading that is satirically challenged the above ‘policy’ is pure fiction — the drivers are free to discriminate in who they hit). So again, I simply ask that you use as much or more caution going from the curb to the door of the convention center as you do crossing the street.

Should you be so unfortunate as to get hit by one of our taxis I have some helpful information for you. If you witness someone getting hit, please use your cell phone camera to get information such as the taxi company (sometimes the color of the cab alone with help), the driver and all the usual things you’d record if a car was driving on a sidewalk in your city. Of course, make sure someone calls 911 to help the victim(s).

Let me share a few images with you to help navigate this area and to illustrate just how close many of you were yesterday.

Yesterday I noticed that most people were using the crosswalk nearest me as it is more direct to the convention hotel (note the van that crossed in the crosswalk space). In the background you see a group of women that crossed toward the convention center, just beyond them is the taxi stand for two taxis. As you can see, they are pointed westbound means you are crossing their taxi lane (formerly a sidewalk) when you get across Washington Ave.

Above, say you return to the convention area from using our MetroLink light rail system and you are walking back to your hotel along Washington Ave. As you approach the convention center you’ll see taxis, like the green one above, in the sidewalk space. Pedestrians are forced to either side of the taxis. Remember as you get along side or past them, watch for them to take off and they head westbound toward the exit.

Everyone walking westbound from the centerpoint remains fair game. This group above is walking not on a sidewalk but in the taxi exit lane right where it combines with the exit area from the drop-off zone. Don’t stop and marvel at the brick paving — this is no place for pedestrians!

Luckily here we can see the taxi drivers waiting for a fare which allows this group to safely cross what they probably think is a sidewalk area.

Above we see a brave volunteer for Barack Obama talking with one of your fellow conference attendees. In the background we see two women going around the taxis waiting on the former sidewalk area. I know this appears to be a safe place to stop and talk but it is not.

From the other direction we can see, above, how the taxis on the pedestrian sidewalk narrow this area considerably, forcing pedestrians to go around. If you are waiting on a bus at this bus stop, I strongly suggest you do as the woman is doing above and wait behind one of the bollards for protection.

Above, you can see how those using our bus system are placed right in the path of the taxis.

You will see locals and tourists having to do just like you will, walking around the taxis. This forces you to go from walking side by side to in line as the space narrows.

We can’t provide any benches for those waiting for the bus. If you are like the woman on the right, simply use a planter as a bench while waiting on your bus. The only trick is you need to keep looking past the taxis to see if your bus is coming so you can dart in front of the taxis to get out to the curb in time.

Standing up every so often will help to see if the bus is arriving. In the background, a group of young men foolishly walk on what they think is the sidewalk, walking directly in the exit route for the cabs.

Pedestrians coming from the east, from the west, waiting on the bus, two crossings over Washington Ave. Just remember, you are not really safe until you hide behind a bollard or dash into the convention center.

Oh, the bus has arrived so the woman that had been using a planter as a bench cuts in front of the sitting taxi to catch it. The older woman in the far left walks slowly with a cane, she remained leaning against the light standard for about 15 minutes while waiting for her bus.

Above we see two attendees of the conference walking on one side of a taxi while a young man who just exited the bus on the other.

And below is a short video showing the cabs navigating the space:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_ij5CTxZ8I[/youtube]

Well, I think you get the point. I want you to enjoy your visit to our city but just because something looks like a sidewalk do not assume that is the case. A few years ago a nationally known pedestrian expert, visiting St. Louis, was tragically killed by a tour bus as the woman crossed the street returning to her hotel a few blocks away.

However, should you get hit by a taxi while visiting St. Louis I want to offer some helpful information for your attorney, just email them a link to this post.

Here is a shortlist of the people and entities to consider suing for damages due to negligence:

• D. Michael Tully, Director of the St. Louis Metropolitan Taxi Commission
• Kathleen Ratcliffe, President of the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission
• Mayor Francis Slay and Alderwoman Phyllis Young, City of Saint Louis.

Your lawsuits against the city should be sent to Patricia A. Hageman in the City Counselor’s office. The Taxi Commission and the Convention & Visitors Commission are separate entities so they have their own counsel but I’m not sure who that is — I’m sure your attorney can find out easily enough.

As a sort of “convention special” to you, our guests, I’m making a limited time offer to waive any fees as an expert witness in any case arising out of getting hit by a taxi in front of our convention center. So if you are hit this weekend, I’ll gladly work with your attorney sharing my hundreds of photos that fully document how the area is dangerous, poorly designed and lacking proper warnings. Furthermore, I will share videos taken at the site as well as private emails to and from the above and others regarding this issue which helps illustrate they’ve been given notice as to the problem. You know, I am feeling generous, so I will forget any limitations — I will voluntarily be an expert witness to anyone hit by a taxi in front of St. Louis’ convention center regardless of who you are (local or visitor) or regardless of if it happens this weekend or anytime going forward.

If you, or your attorney, cares to read more about this situation check out my prior posts on the subject from January 12, 2007 and May 30, 2007. My full collection of photos on this subject, ranging from January through yesterday, can be viewed here.

I hope that those of you visiting our city will use extra caution when coming and going from the convention center this weekend. I’m sure the speeches from presidential candidates and the many other speakers will be uplifting but you will need to come down to earth when venturing back outside.

Book Review; “Down Town, True Tales of Trial & Triumph on the Mean Streets” by Robert E. Lipscomb

I’ve never been homeless and hope that is the case throughout my life but one should never assume they will never be in that situation. Author Robert Lipscomb takes the reader through his journey from the good life (penthouse apartment overlooking Forest Park) to, at 51, living homeless living in various shelters downtown.
After talking with a priest at the suburban church where his father was a founding member, Lipscomb prepares to be homeless:

“I’m heading into society’s version of Hell, called poverty and invisibility. The living ghost existence. But I am encouraged. I feel stronger than I have felt in a very long time. As I have virtually nothing, how can this be? Choosing not to examine this too closely right now, I begin selecting which items can fit in my backpack, which will contain the sum total of my earthly possessions for the future to come.”

Lipscomb’s strength turns to fear and anger and back to strength through his “adventure” on the streets. Along the way we learn how the “normal” homeless make fun of the ones who are crazy, the best wearing brand of shoes, and where to get a meal. Lipscomb’s writing was very engrossing, making me want to continue through to the end without a break.

Down Town is preachy only to the extent of the importance of “God” to Lipscomb, a perfectly reasonable expectation given the circumstances. The book’s intent is not to make those of us with homes feel guilty so that we give to charities. Furthermore, the book does not make out the homeless to be a homogeneous society we should all pity. Instead, Lipscomb shares his experiences and mindset as he goes from being new on the streets to being more seasoned.

Lipscomb also talks about What’s Up Magazine, the street newspaper sold by homeless to raise money, and its program director Jay Swoboda. Swoboda, if the name sounds familiar to you, is the main person behind the EcoUrban modular green housing project. Lipscomb was an original writer & vendor for What’s Up when Swoboda started it.

There were many times in the book where I could not keep from getting watery eyes. This book is an emotional roller coaster ride — a ride all of us would just as soon never experience in person.

I don’t want to give away any more information but I do highly recommend this book. You can order the book directly from Lipscomb at Eagle’s View Press, I bought my copy at local independent Left Bank Books. Or if you must, Amazon.

Public Open House for Failed Gateway Mall, Tuesday 7/17/07

Consultants working on the latest plan to revitalize the failed Gateway Mall concept will be holding an open house from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in Room 208 of St. Louis’ City Hall on Tuesday 7/17/2007.

Related Links:

• Official information from the City of St. Louis
• Post from June 18, 2007