Bike Rack Added Along South Grand

Back in May I did a post on the recent improvements along South Grand. I had this to say about Grand at Asenal:

As you can see in the picture on the right a bike rack, a 3-bike wave rack, has recently been added to the area where it was certainly needed. While I prefer the inverted-U rack this wave rack will do fine. Cyclists riding along Grand will easily be able to go from the bike lane to the parking area. When full cyclists will easily be able to get to their bikes and at no point will pedestrians on the sidewalk be blocked.

Out of curiosity I lifted the escution plate at the sidewalk to confirm they used what is called a flange mount rack. This type of rack is designed for adding a rack to an existing sidewalk. When you add a new rack in new concrete it is recommended to use a below grade type that is set into the concrete. These typically only go about a foot below grade so it doesn’t require major digging.

Again, I’m glad to see the addition of this rack. Other than the minor issue of the mounting type (which won’t affect its use unless someone unbolts it) I think they’ve done a great job. So next time you are heading that way considering taking your bike.

– Steve

Update on New St. Louis Target Store

I happened to be near the new Target store at Hampton & Chippewa yesterday. Still under construction, the store is beginning to take shape. I drove around it a couple of times to try to take it in.

Before I go into my criticisms of the design let me say that yes, I agree that it is a far cry better than the old store it replaces. Of course, I certainly expect any new store built from the ground up to be better than the one they just tore down. The use of brick on the front looks great — nice detailing and colors.

In April I did a post on the new target store. I still think it is set too far back from Hampton Avenue but I’m glad it is closer. The new store is further away from Bancroft on the South and I think this is actually a good thing as it relates to the houses to the West.

The first problem I’ve noticed is the new sidewalk, just poured, along Clifton Avenue along the back (West) side of the building. It was raining so I didn’t get any photos but let me paint you a picture. The street is concrete and lacks a proper curb, it is one of those that just rolls up a bit. The new sidewalk is very narrow, can’t be much more than 3 feet wide. It is directly up to this non-curb. Along the very long back of the building are several telephone poles which sprout up right in the middle of this new sidewalk. This new sidewalk should have been separated from the street by a couple of feet and some street streets or other plantings. This would have made this much more hospitable to nearby residents using it to walk around to the front of the store.

Most likely the old sidewalk, if one existed, was in this same place and they simply replaced it without any thought. Clearly, our city has no standards regarding sidewalk width and relationship to the street.

– Steve

New St. Louis CBD Traffic Study

I love alleys, they serve a great purpose. On Friday this alley served the purpose of getting me quickly from 10th street to 9th street on my bike without having to deal with all of our one-way streets. I really hate one-way streets. But, this is a perfect lead in to the real point of this post.

Today “from the Mayor’s desk” comes an announcement about a new traffic study to be conducted in St. Louis’s CBD roughly bounded by Lucas, Memorial, Spruce, and Tucker.

Next week, Downtown Now staff will begin inviting downtown’s businesses, entertainment venues, residents, and other stakeholders to participate in the Traffic Circulation and Access Study being conducted by the City, in partnership with Downtown Now, the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, and the Office of the City Treasurer.

The study area includes Washington Avenue East of Tucker which I posted about on Friday. To read the Mayor’s full note on the parking study click here.

My requests are simple: Zero one-way streets and allow on-street parking everywhere. Make sure pedestrians can cross intersections at any corner — no having to walk to a different corner to cross the intersection. Pedestrian signals should be on every corner and should include a countdown timer that shows how many seconds are left.

What are your thoughts for traffic and signals in the CBD?

– Steve

Cardinals Traffic a Nightmare

Tonight I was biking home from downtown as thousands of people were leaving downtown en mass. Tons of cars all leaving parking garages heading for the interstate highway. I’m sure some spent money before the game and some spent money afterwards. But most of these were just clogging the street with their SUVs and polluting our air.

Funny, as they were gridlocked in their own mess I was able to bike past them. I’m sure I made it home sooner than many of them.

We are getting a new baseball stadium because hosting thousands of people for these games are supposed to be a good thing for the city. I’m not convinced. They should have built the stadium in Illinois or near Earth City. It would have given us a chance to repair our downtown.

– Steve

East Washington Avenue: To Park or Not to Park?

This evening on the way to the First Friday Gallery and Design Walk downtown I couldn’t help but notice cars parked on Washington Avenue East of Tucker. This is special because the street has neither parking meters or no-parking signs. So is it allowed or not? Back in December I did a post on this streetscape and had this to say about parking:

Someone made the foolish decision to not have parking on Washington Avenue East of Tucker. This decision is going to have a negative impact on the friendliness of the street by having four lanes of fast moving traffic going by you.The street will seem dead – parked cars have an amazing ability to indicate that something is going on. Can you imagine sitting on one of those benches near the curb line knowing cars, SUVs & buses are going to be whizzing by just a few feet away? Not me!

As a result, these blocks will not be as successful as the blocks to the West. Just imagine the Loop without on-street parking and four lanes of traffic. Yes, you could get through during rush hour much easier but that shouldn’t be the goal. Think of Euclid without street parking – it would be boring and lifeless.

So I was excited to see people parking along this stretch of Washington Avenue. It looked and felt so much better. But later what did I spot attached to the lamp posts with string? No-parking signs. At some point after 6:30pm the city came by and attached temporary “no-parking tow away zone signs.” They weren’t ticketing or towing. They were simply trying to keep the area lifeless and sterile.

Everyone I’ve talked to about this points the finger in one place – Carole Moody, President of The St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission. The CVC thinks they need four lanes of traffic to support their conventions. I’m not quite sure why they need that much traffic capacity, can they offer anything to support this need? It seems to me visitors come to a city to see an exciting city, not a blank four lane street. Urban street life will not prosper on Washington Avenue without on-street parking. If you agree with me please send CVC President Carole Moody an email via administrative assistant Bonnie Abler.

And look for a post next week on the St. Louis Convention strategy and the convention hotel that is not living up to expectations.

– Steve