I’m Putting My Foot Down on 4-Way Stops

Despite St. Louis have way too many 4-way stops, this post is not about reducing the number of stops.  No, I’m tired of the way 4-ways are treated in this town.

First we have the locally famous rolling stop.  This involves letting off the gas and potentially applying the brakes in a very token effort.  Very common among the locals, including police.

We also have the basically ignore the stop sign types that simply fly right through the intersections as if nobody else existed.  These people are the reason we look left & right before proceeding.

Then we have the folks that think because they are on the bigger road that they have the right of way — regardless of who stopped first and who was to the right of whom.  Conversely, we have the people that are on a smaller side street that have the right of way but refuse to go until the person on the bigger through street go first.

And then we have people that see me on my scooter and they simply freak out — “oh my gosh, a scooter, I don’t know what to do!”  Seriously, it is often like people have never been to a 4-way stop before.

The rules are simple folks, whomever stops first has the next right of way.   Same time?  The person on the right has the right of way.  If someone is turning left, they need to turn behind the car that is going the opposite direction.

But drivers see my scooter and all of a sudden they want to toss out the rules and wave me through.  I appreciate the thought, really I do, but we need to focus on following the time tested rules of 4-way stops — not toss them out because of a really cute scooter.

I continually face drivers at intersections where, due to timing or placement, know that the other person has the right of way.  Often I get drivers that have the right of way try to wave me to go — but I know they have the right of way and that they will be turning right behind me.  Don’t wave me through and then get right behind me — that really steams me.  If it is your turn at the intersection, go.  I’ll be behind you and that is just fine.  Too often I’m working on stopping and balancing when someone already at the intersection is already trying to wave me through.
Now most skilled riders of 2-wheel vehicles can come to a nearly complete full stop without putting a foot on the pavement — balance is an excellent skill to have.   I’m pretty certain that technically a rider is considered to have run a stop sign if they don’t put a foot down but don’t quote me on that.  So from a balance perspective at least I don’t need to put a foot down but I often do a 4-way stops with other drivers simply trying to communicate to them I am coming to a complete stop.  Depending upon the situation, I will use my left or right foot to use body language to tell others drivers that I am still working on stopping.  It helps sometimes.

The other day, near my house, I pull up to a 4-way stop.  A guy in a large passenger van had already stopped at the left of me.  He was on the bigger street while I was on a narrower side street.  I looked at him and he wasn’t going.  Mind you, I don’t just take off through an intersection in front of 3-ton vehicles that have the right of way.  He had the windows down and started yelling something and making hand gestures (more than a single finger).  But I couldn’t tell what he was saying.  Finally, in a stroke of brilliance, the guy figured out a way to communicate what he’d be trying to say — he put on his right turn signal!!  Yes, somehow using the turn signal to signal a turn had escaped him.  Once I saw the signal I knew I could safely go.  I went as soon as another driver that had pulled up to the intersection from the right made a right turn in the same direction I was going.  Had the original driver communicated his intentions by using his turn signal things would have been so much easier.

I also see the people that try to wave me across but forget that it is dark outside and it is nearly impossible to see inside their car from across the intersection.  I’ve also seen people, barely, driving cars with tinted windows trying to do the same.

Of course you have the opposite where people pull up to the stop, wait a few seconds and then go — without looking to see who else is around.  Sometimes drivers simply assume that all intersections are 4-way.  I’ve had people pull out in front of me because they stopped and just assumed I was going to stop as well even though my street didn’t have a stop sign.   Better yet are the ones that stop at the intersection even though they don’t have a stop sign.

What are your favorite 4-way stop observations?

The Magic Continues at Loughborough Commons

It has been a while since I’ve written about Loughborough Commons, the big box retail center receiving something like $14 million in various tax incentives. They been busy building some more retail square footage and preparing for some new tenants to open soon. This is simply a teaser post to show you a couple of the things I’ve been watching for a while.

Above, a staircase leads you down to the parking lot for the multi-unit strip center from the public sidewalk along Loughborough. So we have an SSC — sunken strip center. Or is the center depressed rather than sunken? Or simply depressing? When this stair was announced in the Holly Hills neighborhood newsletter a while back, prior to construction, they made mention of a bike rack at the bottom of the stairs. And here it is — a bike rack at the bottom of stairs.

A bike rack at the bottom of stairs! Get it? Pretty convenient location if you are capable of biking down a set of stairs. So when you bike into the parking area from the complete opposite side you might decide to ride over here to lock up your bike — if you know it is there. And yes, the bike rack is the same width as the concrete pad so that on the off chance the front side is full and you need to use the back side you must push your bike through the grass and shrubs, assuming the sprinkler system is not on. I’m not sure how they expect you to bike back up the stairs.

Those that bike for transportation might have actually appreciated not having to lift their bike over the curb. Say you’ve got one of those handy kid holders on the back of your bike — suddenly the bike is a lot heavier and the kid is precious cargo. Those biking through the park with a kid trailer are simply out of luck as no place is big enough to park your bike & kid trailer. Well, unless you can pick up both over the curb and through the shrubs you can leave the trailer on the grass portion at the back.

I’m also really fond of the ADA ramp at the bottom of the stairs. That will actually come in quite handy for everyone taking their wheelchair up & down the stair. The red truncated domes serving as a “detectable warning” for those with visual impairments are meant to be felt under foot to alert someone when entering a road — not a parking area. That is communicating to someone the are entering a street situation. Clearly they should have consulted with someone with some actual knowledge about the ADA.
Speaking of ADA ramps.

Down the hillside closer to the Schnuck’s and Lowe’s some new stores are being built. In the foreground is a new sidewalk and ramps that to the right connect to the sidewalk along the edge of the main driveway (I say sidewalk but it is too steep to be considered a sidewalk per ADA). The original drawings for the center didn’t include this is the way to get to the Schnuck’s — they had pedestrians crossing the main drive earlier and then the side drive to where you see the back of the stop sign above. I think this could have been a better solution. OK, so you make your way down the hillside from the pubic street, you cross a drive that is just to the right, you make the 90 degree turn, you note the half buried fire hydrant, and you spot the ramp across the drive — they don’t line up.

This is entirely new construction and the ramps on each side of the main driveway do not align. This is all by the same people being built at the same time — am I being unreasonable expecting that they’d align ramps so the person in the mobility scooter, the child on their bike or the parent pushing a baby stroller can safely cross the main entrance to a busy shopping center? This is not complicated stuff here. Yeah yeah, they are not done yet. I don’t want to hear it —- they’ve poured the concrete so they are done with this portion.

I am waiting for a bit more to get done and I will bring you a more in depth review of the new areas and some changes in the old. It is clear to me they were making an effort to improve upon what they had previously done but from the looks of things they simply didn’t have the right people on the job.

The Gateway Cup, Bicycle Racing in St. Louis (w/Video)

Labor Day weekend means many things to many people. To cyclists the weekend is all about racing with hundreds of cyclists from a multi-state area converging on St. Louis to compete for, as they say, cash and prizes. Below is a short video (9:37) from each of the four days as well as some still images. Enjoy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEQPG7tRGP8[/youtube]

Friday August 31, 2007 – Tour de Lafayette around Lafayette Park:

Above, riders speeding by race control as evening sets. This Friday evening tradition brings out many spectators.

Saturday September 1, 2007 – Downtown St. Louis:

Above, an early race turns onto 14th from Locust.

Above, final men’s group on Locust.

Above, racers on Washington Ave at the start/finish line. Races are up to 115 minutes + 5 laps.

Above, racers make the turn from Washington Ave onto 20th.

Above, expensive racing bikes resting against the wall of the recently condemned Centenary Tower building at Locust and 16th. The team van is just out of view. This team was from Iowa.

Sunday September 2, 2007 – Giro della Montagna (Tour of the Hill):

Above, “The Italian Immigrants” outside St. Ambrose are not dressed for cycling.

Above, I spotted this old car in an alley and had a little fun with editing features in Apple’s excellent iPhoto program.

Above, back at the main race area crew were busy keeping bikes in top shape for the riders.

Above, every year the Italia-America Bocce Club hosts a pasta dinner following the races. The dinner is free for riders but $7 for adults — well worth it in my view. The rider in line in front of me didn’t want meatballs on his spaghetti and the older gentleman serving was completely shocked. When I said “no meatballs” he couldn’t believe it. I had moved on to the salad and he was telling the other volunteers, “they didn’t want any meatballs!” The ladies were great, they were like, “Not everyone eats meat.”

Above, friends and parents greet their kids at the finish of the children’s races.

Architecturally the Hill neighborhood is one of the most interesting in the city. While some buildings are similar to those from other parts from the same era, some are quite different. The Hill seems to have more 2nd floor balconies such as this one on Marconi.

Monday September 3, 2007 — The Delmar Loop:

Patrons at Brandts enjoy the view of the first corner of the race, out of view to the right.

The sidewalks were packed!

Above, at this point I’ve got a slice of cheese pizza from Racanelli’s in one hand and the camera in the other.

Above, riders making the first curve of the course. Joe Edwards’ Blueberry Hill restaurant and club is in the background.

Good times, good times…

For more information & professional photos of the races visit stlbiking.com.  If you missed these races, mark your calendars for next year!

Gateway Cup Bicycle Races Continue Throughout the Holiday Weekend

Many have wondered what it takes to get me to stop bitching about the poor job our leaders are doing guiding the city and region. Well, hundreds of individuals from all over the country racing through the streets on bicycles pretty much does the trick.

Above, the final run to the finish line in the men’s pro race downtown on Saturday September 1st. The racing continues today on The Hill and Monday in the Delmar Loop. Click here for more information on times and exact routes. I’ll have a video compilation of all four races on Tuesday.

Patterson a Panelist at National Rail~Volution Conference in Miami, MO-APA Conference in St. Louis

I’m very pleased to announce that I will serve on a panel discussion at the upcoming Rail~Volution conference in Miami FL. The panel on media tools will be on November 1st. I attended the annual conference for the first time last year and I was amazed at the quality & quantity of information.

Keynote speakers for the upcoming conference are, from the website:

Henry Cisneros, Chairman, American City Vista and City View
Henry Cisneros has an illustrious career that combines executive management in a variety of businesses, local and national government leadership positions, and numerous prestigious civic positions. He is the former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a four-term mayor of San Antonio. In these positions Cisneros has unprecedented success in revitalizing urban areas and providing housing for urban families in all income ranges. His current ventures, American City Vista and City View, focus on building significant numbers of reasonably priced homes in the central neighborhoods of major metropolitan areas. Cisneros has been awarded more than 20 honorary doctorates from leading universities across the nation.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer, 3rd District, Oregon
Congressman Earl Blumenauer, founder of Rail~Volution, has focused most of his 34 years in public service on transportation and livable communities. He served as a state-, county-, and city-elected official in Oregon before being elected to Congress in 1996. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Blumenauer promotes livable communities, the environment, sustainable development and economic opportunity at the federal level. He currently serves on the Ways and Means Committee, the Budget Committee and the Select Committee on Global Warming and the Environment.

James S. Simpson, Administrator, Federal Transit Adminstration, Washington, DC
Mr. James S. Simpson was sworn in as the Federal Transit Administrator on August 10, 2006. Jim began his career in transportation over 30 years ago as a tractor-trailer driver for a local moving company while attending St. John’s University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Managerial Science and Economics. He eventually bought the moving company and developed it into an international transportation business. Jim has been an airplane pilot for almost twenty years and flies both jet and multi-engine prop aircraft. He has a special interest in aviation and transportation safety.

William W. Millar, President, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, D.C.
William W. Millar is president of one of North America’s foremost organizations dedicated to the advancement of public transit. Millar became chief executive officer of APTA after 24 years in transit operations and is credited with re-energizing the national organization. Millar will bring us up to date on transit projects and will share his perspective on the future of public transit.

James F. Murley, Director, Catanese Center for Environmental and Urban Solutions, Florida Atlantic University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Jim Murley is the leader of an organization whose mission is to: “work with policy makers and the public in their pursuit of options for managing growth while preserving natural systems, promoting a strong economy and planning livable communities.” He served as secretary of the Florida Department of Community Affairs under former governor Lawton Chiles and helped draft and gain passage of Florida’s landmark Growth Management Act. Murley also is a former leader of 1000 Friends of Florida and will provide great insight into the history and vision of our host region.

Rep Blumenauer gave a great presentation last year and I had a chance to talk briefly with him about St. Louis:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gidCOjS82mU [/youtube]

You can also read my post as a summary on the conference here. Additional posts can be found in the archives. Yesterday I had a conference call with the other panelists and the moderator, a very diverse group including transit advocates, industry consultants, a transit agency representative and the federal DOT. I will give you more details prior to the conference.

Although I have visited Florida numerous times as a kid (my older brother lived in Jacksonville while in the Navy) I have never been to Miami. I hope to do some quality blogging from the conference as well as some sight seeing and taking advantage of some of the mobile workshops on the conference schedule. Last year the host group from Miami had an excellent promotional video with the music from Will Smith’s Miami.

Following the short trip to Miami I will be back in St. Louis in time for the Missouri state conference of the American Planning Association, held this year in downtown St. Louis (more details) November 7-9. This panel will be called “Daylighting Planning Decisions” — more details to follow.