Updated Street Lighting on Taylor

In July new lighting was turned on along a short stretch of Taylor, a description from June:

The Taylor Pedestrian Lighting project is nearly complete. When finished, Taylor Ave between Forest Park Parkway and Lindell Ave will be illuminated by pedestrian lights rather than cobra-head lights. The pedestrian lights will make that stretch of Taylor Ave more attractive and safer for pedestrians at night, and will better connect Taylor south of Lindell to Taylor north of Lindell, which already has pedestrian lighting installed. Pedestrian lighting is another initiative to make the Central West End and the 17th Ward a more walkable, pedestrian-friendly, and vibrant community.

The $330,000 project was funded by various sources, including $60,000 from Washington University Medical Center, $30,000 from Central West End South Business District, and $100,000 from block grant. The remaining funding came from the 17th Ward Infrastructure Funds allocated by Alderman Joseph Roddy. (Source)

It seemed bright at first but the night I was out taking pictures I noticed it was about the same as some areas north of Lindell. These lights aren’t as tall as the cobra head lights that are common throughout the city. These lights equally light the street and sidewalk.

The cobrahead fixtures are taller, spaced further apart and directed toward the road rather than the sidewalk. I’m glad to see this change, but I’m disturbed these types of changes happen only within a single ward. Corridors involving more than one ward are probably out of luck.

– Steve Patterson

Ordering Food at a Walk-Up Window…in Ladue?

Recently I was in Frontenac and decided to stop for lunch on my way back downtown. I was already on Clayton Road so I decided to visit Red L Pizza owned by my friend John Rice.  Rice previously operated Colorado’s on Laclede & Restaurant Space on The Hill. Red L Pizza is located in the wealthy suburb of Ladue.

The above isn’t the entrance to the dinning room — this is it. You order at a window.

Rice explained:

“We have no food, nor do we prepare any food in our ordering booth. The window is merely an vehicle for controlling our food delivery to the automobiles or the patio. 95 % of our orders come via the telephone.”

I sat on the patio to wait for my food and sure enough a guy came around the corner from the kitchen to deliver my order to me.

My visit was on a picture perfect day so as soon as I was done there were other customers ready for my table. Now that the weather has changed I suspect you won’t have any trouble finding a seat.

I’d like to see this model used more often. It’s not a full restaurant but it’s more than a food truck. It livens up this corner of this strip shopping center in Ladue (map).

– Steve Patterson

Pretty Paver Sidewalk Not Functional

Clayton Missouri is the upscale county seat for St. Louis County. Being upscale it has enjoyed new development and has infrastructure other cities can’t afford — such as paver sidewalks around the Ritz-Carlton hotel (map).

I’m sure from the back of a Town Car the sidewalks look nice enough but the short walk from the hotel to the Forsyth MetroLink light rail station is anything but pleasant. When I came upon the lamppost shown above I thought about going to the left but I was afraid my wheelchair would go off the curb, tossing me into the street. Instead I pushed my way past the shrubs that have grown over and narrowing the sidewalk.

Both sides of the street the pavers are uneven, greatly so in places. But it looks pretty driving by in a car — that’s all that really matters, right?

– Steve Patterson

Readers Support Cost-Saving Measures for USPS

In the poll last week Readers showed support for changes at the U.S. Postal Service:

1. Reduce delivery to five (5) days per week per the USPS plan 44 [43.56%]
2. Privatize the postal service 17 [16.83%]
3. Other: 16 [15.84%]
4. Reduce delivery to four (4) days per week or less 14 [13.86%]
5. Keep delivery six (6) days a week & raise first class cost up to $1:  9 [8.91%]
6. Unsure/no opinion 1 [0.99%]

Not surprising since you are online. These days government checks (pay, Social Security, Disability, etc) are direct deposited for most who receive them. But there are still many who eagerly await mail delivery six days a week.Privatization sounds good but as one comment on the original post pointed out, those in rural areas would get the short end of the stick. The USPS can deliver to the 40 household in my condo building much easier than 40 households in Franklin County or edge cities like Wentzville.

Here are the “other” answers provided by readers:

1. Look into how top heavy the post office is and the financial abuse by the mgmt
2. end the unusual and crippling pension funding levels that only apply to USPS
3. Keep six days and raise bulk rates. I get 5-10 pieces of bulk a day.
4. Charge more for junk mailings, reduce to 5 days. Don’t close rural offices
5. Close it down. Take the money spent prossising mailand give every a PC
6. stop performance bonuses to mgmt of all levels. stop paying unit to move every
7. Pass HR 1351.
8. go back to the way the PO was run prior to 2006 postal reform, get rid of congre
9. Have OPM give the USPS the money they owe them
10. Require the union to allow firings/layoffs
11. get rid of 1 supervisor in each office
12. Stop making the Postal Service prepay into the retirement fund
13. does it really lose money? I though that’s mostly budget games.
14. Reduce service and raise price to breakeven
15. Reduce 5 day/wk but no deliver on Wed, mid week
16. Close every single post office that doesn’t make a profit; see what people think

I’m well on my way to not needing the USPS at all. As more of us conduct out business online the USPS will continue to struggle. That realization explains a recent USPS ad called “hacked:”

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

Click here for tips on how to stop USPS junk mail.

– Steve Patterson

New Development on Hampton not an Improvement

The vacant Ponderosa Steakhouse on Hampton is no more.

The job site foreman told me the building will have an ADA pedestrian access route along the north side of the property.  That’s good, but the fact the occupied building is at the rear isn’t so good. Many falsely think a new building is better than an old one.  The old Ponderosa was nothing worth saving but it was relatively close to the sidewalk. Adjacent commercial buildings are near the sidewalk so this new development is going against the established pattern. The existing pattern isn’t urban like downtown but it is vastly better than what is replacing the Ponderosa.

As is the case all over the city and region nobody is taking the time to set a vision for the Hampton corridor. The one exception in the region is the Delmar Loop.

 – Steve Patterson