Inviting Storefront Design Critical to Revitalizing Old Commercial Districts

Storefront design has a big impact on how we perceive an area. So often formerly inviting storefronts became closed over time as commercial districts went downhill. Lately, in many of these commercial districts, we’ve seen a welcomed return to inviting glass storefronts as the areas become filled with new establishments.

For many years the space behind my favorite bike shop, A&M Bicycles, was used for storage. Down the street Local Harvest Grocery needed to expand beyond their original space, a perfect match. Except for that awful storefront! No business was going to use the space with that front.

All up and down Morgan Ford Rd old closed storefronts like this one have been replaced by mostly glass storefronts. The visual impact on the commercial district is amazing, no longer does the street feel rundown.

Poll: Are Posted Handbills Urban Art Or Another Form of Graffiti?

Posted handbills, those posters often tacked up in urban cores, were the subject of a debate on a friend’s picture on Facebook. The photo was of handbills for the St. Louis Symphony’s new campaign called Save Powell Hall.

The debate went something like this:

• Friend A: Destruction of property, resulting in blight.
• Friend B: Not destructive but more colorful.
• Friend A: It’s illegal and will cost money to remove.
• Friend B: I like it, makes it look like something is happening
• Friend A: It’s ok to deface someone else’s property for your own interests?
• Friend C: Handbills are different than graffiti, removed by weather
• Friend B: Better than blank plywood
• Friend A: Project a negative image
• Friend D: Plywood isn’t a positive image

The debate continued but you get the point.

Gangs did “tag” numerous buildings downtown recently with graffiti.

Are handbills and spray paint equal? The poll is in the upper right sidebar, mobile  users need to switch to the desktop layout to vote.

– Steve Patterson

City Hall License Office Is A Convenient Option For Many

The Missouri Department of Revenue has many license offices (search list) around the metro area but I’ve found one of the most convenient is the one operated by St. Louis Collector of Revenue’s office in City Hall.

Like other offices you get register your vehicle, renew plates and your driver’s license. You’ll have to wait like you do at most license offices but the lines move quickly. I’ve been twice this year, it was nice not having to drive somewhere to take care of business. Keep this office in mind next time you need a license office.

– Steve Patterson

Permeable Concrete Reduces Water Runoff

Permeable, or pervious, concrete is becoming more and more common around the region but what is it?

Pervious concrete is a special type of concrete with a high porosity used for concrete flatwork applications that allows water from precipitation and other sources to pass directly through, thereby reducing the runoff from a site and allowing groundwater recharge. The high porosity is attained by a highly interconnected void content. Typically pervious concrete has little or no fine aggregate and has just enough cementitious paste to coat the coarse aggregate particles while preserving the interconnectivity of the voids. Pervious concrete is traditionally used in parking areas, areas with light traffic, residential streets, pedestrian walkways, and greenhouses. It is an important application for sustainable construction and is one of many low impact development techniques used by builders to protect water quality. (Wikipedia)

Sounds good but what does it look like?

The rough texture takes some getting used to although in a context like South Grand it’s a nice contrast with the smooth concrete of the sidewalk area.What’s your thought on this type of concrete?

– Steve Patterson

Communicating How To Ride The Bus?

Metro’s website explaining how to ride MetroBus is very inadequate — all text — no images or video (live html or archived PDF). Let’s take a look at the all text page section by section:

Plan Your Trip

Use the online Trip Planner, check out the Schedules & Maps or contact Metro Transit Information at 314-231-2345 or 618-271-2345 to plan your trip on MetroBus.

Simple as that? Not exactly? You’ll be given a list of possible routes that you’ll need to sort through to see which is best for you. Some have more walking or transfers than others.

Catch the Bus

Arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes ahead of the scheduled arrival time. As the MetroBus vehicle approaches, signal the operator that you are wish to board the bus by standing or raising your hand.

Before boarding MetroBus, verify that the lighted sign above the windshield shows your desired route number and destination.

You’ve got to know the direction your bus will be headed to entire you are at the right stop. Many stops serve more than one route, which is why you’ve got to verify the route number on the bus.

Purchase Your MetroBus Fare

If boarding the MetroBus using a valid transfer or previously purchased ticket, give it to the MetroBus operator as you board. If using a valid Metro pass, swipe it in the fare box or present it to the MetroBus operator. 

Otherwise, purchase fare upon boarding. Exact cash is required; the fare box accepts dollar bills and coins. MetroBus operators cannot make change. If you qualify for a reduced fare, present your reduced fare identification to the MetroBus operator. If you need to connect to another MetroBus route or MetroLink, notify the operator you need a transfer.

So many unanswered questions: What’s a transfer? Previous ticket from where? What does the farebox look like? What are the fares? How do I know if I might qualify for a reduced fare?

Enjoy Your Trip

Once you have boarded, take a seat, watch for your stop and enjoy the ride. MetroBus operators will announce all major intersections.

Remember, using radios without ear plugs, smoking, eating and drinking are prohibited on all Metro Transit vehicles.

If you want to be able to hear the bus operator announce intersections you’d better pick a seat very close so you can actually hear them. Even if you do hear them it might be announced as you pass it, too late to stop. Pull the cord and get off at the next stop and walk back to wear you wanted. It’s best to know the streets and area.

Choose Your Stop

MetroBus vehicles are equipped with either cords that run along the top of the windows or vertical strips positioned between the windows. Pull the cord or press the strip to signal the MetroBus operator that your stop or destination is approaching. Depart from the front or rear door.

Mostly it’s a pull cord, wheelchair users should use the strip rather than cord because it sounds a different tone so the operator knows you need to exit so they will position the bus to permit the lift/ramp. It’s best to exit the rear door as that allows new passengers to board at the same time, you might have to ask the operator to open the rear door.

Have Any Questions?

If you have any questions about using MetroBus service, contact Metro Transit Information at 314-231-2345 from Missouri or 618-271-2345 from Illinois.

I’ve got a question, why put something many find confusing and intimidating into a text only page? Even then, why not link to other pages for information on fares and such? Better yet, why not use photos and/or videos to take some of the mystery out of riding the bus for potential new riders?

Here are a few examples from other cities:

Oklahoma City (OK)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IqBYs17J94

Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns-v8_7qAN4

Stevens Point (WI)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gSkwbXbWdU

The Stevens Point website has the same video available in Hmong and Spanish.  These examples are not massive bus systems. Metro St. Louis has a YouTube channel with 19 videos but you won’t find anything helpful like the three examples above.

Years ago when I wanted to learn how to use the bike rack on the front of the bus I was frustrated by Metro’s text-only approach so I turned to YouTube for instruction. For over four years now Madison County Transit across the river in Illinois has had a bike and bus video — narrated by my friend (and MCT employee) SJ Morrison:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyyZYduZqYY

My only suggestion is to not board to tell the operator you plan to load your bike. Make eye contact with the operator and load your bike while others are boarding. If you are the only person boarding at that stop it’ll be obvious to the operator you’ll be loading your bike.

I’d like to see Metro St. Louis use photographs and videos to demystify the bus riding experience. I know personally it’s very easy once you learn but before then it’s very intimidating.

 – Steve Patterson