Looking west toward the Union Station MetroLink Station from 16th & Clark. The offices on the left aren’t oriented to transit, just adjacent.The only thing at the North Hanley station is 1,583 parking spaces (926 surface, 657 in garage)Not much exists around the Wellston Station, the jobs center in the background is hard to reach on foot, easy by car though
The poll this week lists many possible reasons why development hasn’t happened around the stations, you can pick up to 3. The choices are presented in random order.
On July 31st, MetroLink’s 20th anniversary, I’ll share my thoughts on why development hasn’t happened and what we need to do so the next 20 years are more productive.
The two streets on either side of Washington Ave are basically named alleys: St. Charles St (south) and Lucas Ave (north). These may have had active businesses fronting onto them decades ago, but not so much anymore.
Alpha Brewing Co. on Lucas Ave between 14th-15th is making the back of a Washington Ave building lively.
Alpha Brewing Co doesn’t look like much when closed.The doors roll up when they open, changing the feel the streetThe patio and recessed glass wall are invitingThe patio space as seen from inside
Kudos to Alpha Brewing Co for a well-designed space that makes a positive contribution to an otherwise dreary road. If you visit just ignore the trash dumpsters behind adjacent buildings.
The poll last week had two related questions, basically how you’d expand the proposed streetcar through north & south city, respectively.
North:
Poll #1/2: From the options below, select how you’d extend the proposed streetcar line further into north city from N. Florissant & St. Louis Ave:
N. Florissant>Natural Bridge>UMSL South MetroLink Station 14 [26.42%]
None, I’d prefer light rail over modern streetcar 8 [15.09%]
None of the above, don’t extend at all 7 [13.21%]
Better to expand north from Lindell @ Taylor 7 [13.21%]
Cass>MLK/St. Charles Rock Rd>St. Charles Rock Rd MetroLink Station 4 [7.55%]
Unsure/No Answer 4 [7.55%]
None, I’d take a route not listed 3 [5.66%]
Won’t be anything to extend 3 [5.66%]
St. Louis Ave>Goodfellow 2 [3.77%]
N. Florissant>Goodfellow 1 [1.89%]
The option that was, at least partially, selected for a north extension of our light rail received the highest number of votes, though hardly a consensus. In that plan the light rail turned north at Goodfellow, whereas I proposed continuing west to UMSL. This would be about a 7 mile extension, perhaps built in 1-3 phases. Natural Bridge is excessively wide so the streetcar could run in a median, just as was planned with the light rail. Nearly the entire route is suitable for densification without displacement. This could bring much needed jobs as well as new housing options.
Looking east on Natural Bridge at Newstead, March 2012
This alignment would replace the current #4 (Natural Bridge) MetroBus route. Current frequencies range from 27 minutes to one hour, depending upon the time of day.
The teal route along Natural Bridge received the most votes of any one answer
UMSL is working on a plan to improve Natural Bridge, better connecting to the UMSL South MetroLink light rail station. A modern streetcar could be a great connection, helping deal with that first/last mile to/from light rail.
South:
Poll #2/2: From the options below, select how you’d extend the proposed streetcar line into south city from 14th & Spruce:
14th/Spruce> Chouteau> Jefferson> Chippewa> Lansdowne> Shrewsbury MetroLink Station 15 [28.3%]
None, I’d prefer light rail over modern streetcar 5 [9.43%]
14th/Spruce> Chouteau> Broadway > River Des Peres 3 [5.66%]
Other: 3 [5.66%]
None, I’d take a route not listed 2 [3.77%]
Won’t be anything to extend 2 [3.77%]
Better to expand south from Forest Park @ Taylor 2 [3.77%]
None of these, don’t extend at all 1 [1.89%]
Unsure/No Answer 0 [0%]
Three readers provided their owner answers to this question:
I’d like to see the route follow Jefferson, but continue south on Broadway
14th/Spruce>Gravois>Jefferson
think about the goals of the whole system first
Like The goals for a streetcar go beyond just transit, they include:
Creating dense corridors.
Spurring new construction, creating construction & permanent jobs.
Looking at the votes here it looks like readers would prefer the south alignment to get into the heart of the southside rather than stay closet to Broadway/I-55. If we were to build the planned light rail instead it would go down Jefferson to Broadway and terminate in a park- & ride lot at I-55, with further expansion along the I-55 ROW into South County.
The teal route along Jefferson & Chippewa received the most votes, though the pink route wasn’t far behind.
The south streetcar alignment that received the most votes would replace the current #11 (Chippewa) MetroBus which does a big “L” by traveling on Jefferson (north-south) and Chippewa (east-west). This would intersect with many existing bus routes, including the very busy #70 (Grand).
Right behind in votes was an alignment that would replace the rest of the #10 (Gravois-Lindell) MetroBus. Part of this bus route would be replaced by the original streetcar route on Olive/Lindell. Going down Gravois would cut through a big section of south city, connecting with east-west & north-south buses.
Bike lanes, when done right, can greatly assist the users by guiding them and making motorists more aware. Done wrong, the cyclist often ends up in the wrong position at an intersection. Most of the time in St. Louis our bike lanes are flawed, especially at intersections.
Sign posted on westbound Lafayette Ave just before Jefferson Ave.Eastbound on Olive just before Jefferson the bike lane becomes part of the right turn lane
In the situations above most people on bikes will incorrectly shift to the right so they’ll be to the right of right turning vehicles — not good for the cyclists or motorists. Bikes are vehicles so those continuing straight through the intersection need to be positioned to do that. Above, that means being on the white line separating the through lane from the right turn lane.
In cities where they do more than lip service bike lanes are more helpful.
The places where cars are allowed to cross bike lanes for right turns are very clear in Portland OR. 2009 photo
In the above example from Portland, even the most amateur cyclist will stay in the proper position on the roadway to continue forward. Motorists will be able to get into the right turn lane and turn without conflicting with the cyclist.
Colored bike lanes have been a feature of bicycle infrastructure in the Netherlands (red), Denmark (blue), France (green) and many other countries for many years. In the United Kingdom, both red and green pigments are used to delineate bike lanes and bike boxes. However, in this country their use has been limited to a few experiments in just a handful of locations. The most extensive trial took place in Portland, Ore., where a number of critical intersections had blue bike lanes marked through them and the results were carefully monitored. The results of the study, conducted by the City of Portland Office of Transportation and the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, can be found here.
The Portland photo was taken about a decade after their study. Portland cyclists must still be skilled to be able to make left turns, for example.
Vince Schoemehl served as mayor for three 4-year terms, from 1981-1993. He’ll be remembered in history for a number of things, but perhaps mostly for giving us “Schoemehl Pots,” concrete sewer pipe sections filled with dirt.
Schoemehl pots used in their traditional role of messing up the street grid. N 22nd St & Newhouse Ave, click to view in Google Maps
Lately they’ve been used in a way that calms traffic while keeping the grid intact: the Schoemehl Pot Roundabout Traffic Circle!
Utah St & Arkansas Ave, click image to view in Google MapsA more permanent traffic circle at Louisiana & Osceola, click image to view in Google Maps
The roundabout traffic circle shown at the bottom takes a considerable investment compared to a few sewer pipes filled with dirt, but the results are dramatically different too. I just know I’ve never seen a Schoemehl pot installation that didn’t make me cringe. Can we stop using them to block streets and create makeshift roundabouts traffic circles?
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