Walkability Impacts Number of Pedestrians Using Sidewalks & Transit

The form our buildings take has a direct connection to the number of pedestrians on the sidewalk: streats lined with urban buildings will see more pedestrians than those with anti-urban buildings (read: suburban). Transit riders are pedestrians on part of their journey, but many of us have no choice but to be pedestrians in unfriendly places where few pedestrians are spotted. On a recent ride on a packed #95 (Kingshighway) MetroBus this became clear.

ABOVE: Car storage separates pedestrians at the bus stop from numerous businesses.

ABOVE: The able-bodied can get inside but not everyone can

ABOVE: Eventually this building will get reused or replaced, but will pedestrians have access?

We don’t design buildings to be used by pedestrians. Sure, some will say there are no pedestrians so why should we? I say there are few pedestrians in many places because that is the result of decades of anti-urban policy.

 - Steve Patterson

The Average St. Louis Street is an Unfriendly Environment for Pedestrians

Just going about my life I encounter so many obstacles to making St. Louis a great city for pedestrians, and by extension, transit users and cyclists. Basically anyone other than motorists.

ABOVE: Light pole in the middle of the 39th St sidewalk @ I-44 says pedestrians don't matter to St. Louis

Yes, I own a car so I am, at times, also a motorist.  But I cover far more area as a transit using pedestrian and the design of our city makes being a pedestrian a challenge. Sure, we have a select few areas where being a pedestrian is a pleasant experience, but the other 98% is downright hostile. Place matters and the design of our place discourages walking and encourages driving. We need a balance.

ABOVE: When the new housing replaced the old west of 39th at McRee a curb cut wasn't built on the other side.

Yes, I use a power chair but these issues affect all potential pedestrians. We want middle-class families right? But they walk too, including with baby strollers. We must examine all our streets and improve the walkability.

I’ve not yet examined the Great Streets legislation adopted by the city but I doubt it will ever reach this two block stretch of 39th between Shaw & McRee. It will improve a few sections getting major reconstruction but the bulk of the city will remain unfriendly to most pedestrians.

- Steve Patterson

Olive & Lindell More Pedestrian-Friendly, Still Needs Work

ABOVE: Lindell (left) and Olive (right) before recent traffic calming. Source: Google Streetview

The point where Olive goes off to the right and Lindell begins has never been friendly to pedestrians. As the above image shows, the amount of paving was enormous. As a wheelchair-using pedestrian, going straight wasn’t an option.

ABOVE: Aerial image of Olive & Lindell. Source: Google Maps

For the first time ever, this once-open intersection has changed. In a major road diet, the intersection has dropped many sizes.

ABOVE: Looking west after road diet, Hotel Ignacio driveway in foreground

Most of the intersection is gone. Motorists wanting to go westbound on Olive must now slow and make a right turn to do so. The road diet happened because of the adjacent Hotel Ignacio.

ABOVE: Looking west after road diet, closer to the new intersection

For pedestrians the distance to cross the street is significantly reduced, thus decreasing the chances of being hit by a car.

ABOVE: Looking east at the new intersection

Crossing Lindell is still a challenge. Pedestrians could go east to Compton or west to Grand, both considerable distance.

ABOVE: Looking south at a planned, but unmarked, crosswalk

The city will probably paint the crosswalk after a person is hit trying to cross the street. A pedestrian refuge is needed at the center of the wide roadway to protect the pedestrian in the future crosswalk.

- Steve Patterson

Speed Bump Bill Hits a Bump in the Political Road

ABOVE: Speed bump in Tower Grove Park

Recently the humble speed bump was elevated to a political issue, from MayorSlay.com:

“Today, I vetoed an odd little bill that would have paid for the installation of speed bumps in one of the city’s 105 parks. The bill’s sponsor ignored the testimony of the Streets Department that there were better and more effective ways to slow traffic and the opinion of the city counselor that such constructions are legally questionable under state and Federal law.

At my direction, the city’s operations director will work with the directors of the Parks and Streets Departments, the city’s chief engineer, the park’s users, and the bill’s sponsor to find appropriate, effective, and legal measures to calm traffic along that stretch of park road. If the issue is safety, not aldermanic courtesy, that will solve the problem.”

The sponsor was 21st ward alderman, Antonio French, a personal friend of many years. The bill was BB43.

ABOVE: Jogging trail crosses road at the widest point from green barrel to barrel.

I visited O’Fallon Park to check out the places where French wanted speed bumps, namely two points where the newish jogging trail crossing the main internal road in the park. I can certainly see why he wanted something to slow traffic, neither crossing point is marked other than two faint crosswalk lines.

The phrase “speed bump” doesn’t really apply in the case of O’Fallon Park, speed hump is better:

Speed humps are rounded raised areas placed across the roadway. They are generally 10 to 14 feet long (in the direction of travel), making them distinct from the shorter “speed bumps” found in many parking lots, and are 3 to 4 inches high. The profile of a speed hump can be circular, parabolic, or sinusoidal. They are often tapered as they reach the curb on each end to allow unimpeded drainage.

They are both inexpensive and effective.  But the mayor questioned the legality in his blog post on the veto:

The mayor is referring to the recommendation he received from the city counselor’s office, which told him in a statement, “since speed bumps are not explicitly permitted in [Missouri Statutes section] 304.120, they logically fall under the category of prohibited obstructions in [section] 229.030.” The counselor’s office goes on to state that the speed bumps would create additional legal liability for the City. (RFT)

At the request of the Post-Dispatch, the local [MoDOT] office researched state law on the issue, and found no reference whatsoever to speed “bumps,” which are in parking lots, or “humps,” which are in streets, said Traffic Operations Engineer Brian Umfleet.

And the law, Umfleet said today, typically spells out what is illegal. Roundabouts, for instance, aren’t in state law either. Nor are some of the newer, fancier traffic-control methods, such as the “Diverging Diamond,” at Dorsett Road and Interstate 270 – yet MoDOT builds those, too. (STLtoday.com)

ABOVE: Skid marks where someone did donuts at one point where the jogging path crosses the road

ABOVE: The 2nd point the jogging path crosses road is diagonally from the sign on the left to in front of the dark SUV on the right.

How could these crossings have only two narrow crosswalk lines and no signs at all? I wondered if this was the norm so at first I visited O’Fallon’s south side counterpart, Carondelet Park.

ABOVE: Continental-style crosswalk in carondelet park

The crosswalks in Carondelet Park are significantly more visible than the standard crosswalk markings in O’Fallon Park.

ABOVE: Crosswalk pavement marking variants per the U.S. FHWA. (Click to view Wikipedia article)

I personally prefer the Zebra or Ladder styles of crosswalk markings.

ABOVE: Another point where the jogging path crosses the road in Carondelet Park. The "continental" crosswalk markings become visible a bit closer and the sign is visible from a great distance.

It would appear the city skimped on pedestrian safety when the jogging path was completed in O’Fallon Park, relative to Carondelet Park at least.  Forest Park uses textured pavement near such crossings to slow traffic, in addition to warning signs. It amazes me French had to introduce a bill and have the mayor veto the bill over something that should have been included with the original installation of the jogging path.

- Steve Patterson

The Sound of a Suitcase Being Dragged

While I was waiting at 16th & Olive for the #10 bus the other day, I heard someone dragging something in the street behind me. Eventually a man passes by me and then makes his way up onto the sidewalk. The suitcase had no wheels, the bottom was in shreds.

My assumption is he is homeless. I say it that way because he may not be, but if not, he is probably close. Most likely everything he owns is in that ragged suitcase.

This post has no point, the sound of that suitcase on the asphalt stuck with me.

- Steve Patterson

Bollards Reconfigured At America’s Center To Create Protected Pedestrian Zone

ABOVE: relocated bollards at America's Center, view looking west

Link to above pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanreviewstl/5587359644/

I’ve done numerous posts about the sidewalk along Washington Ave in front of America’s Center (St. Louis’ convention center), in January 2007 the pedestrian experience was bleak (Taxi Cabs Block Sidewalk at Convention Center, Exit Via Crosswalk).   By May 2007 bollards were installed to prevent cabs from exiting at the crosswalks, but they were still on the sidewalk space (Taxis Still Blocking Pedestrian Sidewalk at St. Louis’ Convention Center)  It took me until December 2010 to get the cabs relocated onto 8th Street so the sidewalk was free for pedestrians (Sidewalk In Front Of Convention Center Now Just For Pedestrians).

Last week the bollards were relocated to clearly separate the circle drive from the pedestrian space.

ABOVE: protected pedestrian zone in front of America's Center, view looking east

Link to above image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanreviewstl/5586769385/

The lesson for me is to get to the person in charge.  I was only after I left my card for Kitty Ratcliffe, president of the St. Louis Convention & Visitor’s Commission, that change happened. Once I was able to explain the situation directly to her she began having meetings to get the cabs relocated.  After that was done she hired a form to redesign the bollard locations so the pedestrians would be protected from vehicles in the circle drive. I picked up a copy of the bollard plan the week prior to the work being done just in case I saw something that might need correcting. But the plan was great.

- Steve Patterson

Pedestrians Exist Even in Bad Weather

ABOVE: Mother & daughter walking on Locust at 16th

The other day I stepped out the front door of my building to check out the sidewalk, friends was going to come pick me up and I wanted to make sure I could walk to their vehicle. Our condo association pays a crew to come out and create a pathway.  At the moment I stepped out I saw a mom & child walking down the street, a reminder we do have pedestrians even in bad weather.

- Steve Patterson

Brentwood Finally Addressing Poor Pedestrian Connections

A friend sent me a link to this alert issued by the City of Brentwood on December 1, 2010:

Brentwood Pedestrian & Transit Improvement Project
The design phase of the Brentwood Pedestrian & Transit Improvement Project is now underway. The City was awarded $664,000 in federal transportation enhancement funding for the project through a competitive grant program administered by East West Gateway Council of Governments. The City of Brentwood selected two engineering firms, CDG Engineers and Crawford Bunte Brammeier, through a competitive bid process to design two miles of new sidewalks connecting the Brentwood MetroLink station to area shopping centers and employers. The new sidewalk starts in the Brentwood Pointe (Dierbergs) shopping center and will continue south along Hanley Industrial Court, providing safe pedestrian access to the south entrance of the Brentwood Promenade. It then connects with the existing sidewalk on Strassner Drive by Memorial Park. The design phase is scheduled for completion by the end of September, 2011. Construction will start in 2012.

I’m glad I saved a PDF of the alert on the 7th, by the 9th it was gone:

But onto the actual issue, connecting the Brentwood MetroLink station to adjacent retail.  I’ve experienced all the retail in this area as a motorist but on one day, 6/19/2008, I experienced it as a pedestrian. What a horrible experience it was too.  Did I get from the MetroLink platform to Trader Joe’s and back without getting struck & killed?  Obviously, but not getting hit by a car is not how you’d describe a good pedestrian environment.

ABOVE: West exit for the Brentwood MetroLink station

The journey starts with the narrow & long path up to grade from the west MetroLink platform. At the top you see the grim reality of what the pedestrian will find at the top.

ABOVE: To the left is the Hanley Industrial area

ABOVE: To the right is the back of the Dierbergs

ABOVE: Decorative fountain along Eager Rd is for show to make the motorists less depressed

I got to to the Trader Joe’s in the next development but it was not an easy task. Below is an aerial showing the route (blue) from the MetroLink station on the right to Trader Joe’s

ABOVE: Route from MetroLink to Trader Joe's (blue) and back (red). Click to view in Google Maps

It was kind of a crazy route because I was trying to find a way other than just through a parking lot. You see on the day I made this trip I was still a few weeks away from driving again post-stroke.  Transit and my power chair was my only option to reach Trader Joe’s.

I felt unsafe going to/from a store that is very close to expensive transit infrastructure.  I talked to a couple of lawyers that take ADA cases.  They liked the case but they didn’t have $30,000 to bring a suit.  I feel Brentwood was primarily responsible since they acquired the land for the developments.  When built next to the rail line they knew future plans called for a station.  The fact it wasn’t built to handle pedestrians is shameful.

The fact another $664,000 tax dollars needs to be spent to improve the area is frustrating. Why wasn’t this built better to begin with? Someone at Brentwood was asleep!  And this project only gets you to the edge, “providing safe pedestrian access to the south entrance of the Brentwood Promenade.”

Once at the south entrance you still cannot safely visit each merchant. Look for lots of money to be spent in the coming decades retrofitting pedestrian access where it should have been in the first place.  I’m not saying this shouldn’t be done now, it just should have been better planned so the best pedestrian route wasn’t the back way through an industrial park.

- Steve Patterson

Look, Pedestrians!

Lately readers have commented they never see pedestrians in my photos.

ABOVE: Two men cross Washington Ave at Tucker (12th)

My photo library contains just over 46,000 images — few with people.  In St. Louis there are quite a few pedestrians but they pass as quickly as they appear so you are more likely not to get pedestrians in pictures.  In NYC, on the other hand, it is nearly impossible to take a pic without people.

ABOVE: midtown Manhattan in October 2001

No matter when you press the shutter there will be people in your photo.  I’m going to try to get pictures that are more representative of our pedestrian traffic.

- Steve Patterson

Improved Pedestrian Space Comes Before Pedestrians

Often readers comment that my pictures never show pedestrians.  They’ve said it is hard to justify improving the pedestrian environment given how few pedestrians we have.  To me the opposite is the case, we have so few pedestrians because our pedestrian spaces are so deficient.

ABOVE: A couple of pedestrians walk east toward the Amtrak/Greyhound station in August 2008.

My the logic of some we should have this dismal sidewalk bustling with pedestrians before investing in improving the area.  But if the area is teaming with pedestrians there would be little reason to make capital improvements.

- Steve Patterson