South Grand Great Streets to Test Reduced Traffic Lanes: Premise Sets Stage for Failure
Yesterday, East-West Gateway in coordination with St. Louis City began a 30-day test to evaluate reduced traffic lanes and improved pedestrian amenities on South Grand Avenue between Arsenal and Juniata. This appears to be the favored alternative of residents of the Tower Grove neighborhood, and testing the local preference would appear to be a good idea. The problem is made clear to anyone reading the St. Louis Great Streets Initiative press release:
The goals of the South Grand Great Streets project are to improve pedestrian safety while maintaining traffic flow... If the 30-day test shows that the lane reduction will not handle the traffic volumes adequately, the project will keep the existing four-lane configuration...Why? Why not only add back the two lanes of traffic if and only if the enhanced pedestrian experience offered by fewer traffic lanes can be maintained? Why isn't the pedestrian realm protected as the default?
The presented options for a new South Grand streetscape all offer a more pedestrian friendly environment than what currently exists. But given the premise that pedestrian amenities can be maximized only if traffic flow is maintained, greatly reduces the chance that the final decision will be made in favor of the pedestrian. How will it be decided if traffic flow has been maintained or if this portion of South Grand can "handle the traffic volumes adequately." Traffic is relative and I can guarantee that two lanes on South Grand can handle the traffic volumes adequately.
Planning "Great Streets" for pedestrians as long as it doesn't negatively affect traffic is a bit like designing unique and interesting architecture as long as it doesn't negatively affect the cost of the building. When will St. Louis find an advocate for pedestrians instead of cars? In the end, providing an environment for people requires a policy choice and not a traffic study.
For additional information on the 30-day test, you can contact the South Grand Project Hotline at (314)776-2423 or visit St. Louis Great Streets Initiative.
Gentrification: "... welcome by some and feared and loathed by others, and even dreaded and welcomed at the same time by the same people." Lance Freeman's pursuit of this duality makes the book strong-he's willing to admit that gentrification is both a pleasure and a problem, rather than setting up camp on one side.
My worry is that this test is
set-up for failure.
Basically, you get all of the negatives of the proposed changes
(traffic speed, volume reduction, increased congestion) with virtually
none of the benefits (pedestrian and streetscape improvements). Also
in such a short stretch of time, drivers will be surprised by the
changes and will not have time to change habits/use alternative routes
as if the change was permanent. In addition 95% or more of people
traveling that stretch do not live in the effected area and could care
less about the benefits of traffic calming and increased pedestrian
access.
Thus, you have a mountain of driver complaints, but very little for
the people living nearby or regularly using South Grand to praise
about the test.
Also I would be interested in guidelines will be used to determine
whether traffic is handled adequately. My fear from working with
traffic engineers is that any actual slowdown in the traffic flow and
slight increase in congestion will prove to them that the test is a
failure when that is actually a desired outcome for neighborhood
residents, pedestrians and businesses. For example, is the Delmar Loop
a failure because its three lane system does not "adequately" handle
vehicle volume at many points during the week. Downtown Maplewood is another good example.
If you prefer this three-lane option I encourage people to be vocal and as active as possible in
your support, call East West Gateway and tell your friends, neighbors
to do the same. If you know any business owners along Grand who are
also supportive remind them to do the same.
Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous, turning one of the busiest streets in the Saint Louis area into three lanes, makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. For starters why do we need more pedestrian space on Grand? There's plenty of sidewalk space as it is. I walk down that street all the time and have no problems at all. Further, where's all the traffic going to re-route to? Right into our neighborhood, making our streets busier, and noisier with all the traffic that used to be on the very convenient four lane Grand now funneling past our homes. Keep Grand at four lanes, spend the money on beautifying, restoring the current side walk and as use it as incentives to bring more business to this area. Maybe in a few more years when there's a good reason for three lanes and a bigger side walk we can revisit this issue but right now it's the least creative of ideas for South Grand.
Anon,
Do you like or dislike Delmar Avenue in University City or Lindbergh in Kirkwood or Manchester in Maplewood? If you don't like those streets that's OK, but that's the idea here on South Grand, that the street signal to drivers to slow down-you're in a neighborhood and not on a highway. I don't understand your concern that traffic will enter the neighborhood. A huge amount of the traffic is passing through and going through the neighborhood would take longer and make zero sense for those people.
Anon, the reason for changing a four lane road to a three lane road is that it slows down traffic, making the street safer for everyone and easier to cross for pedestrians. Also, the noisiness and busy-ness of your street is more a function of how much traffic it can handle than anything else. In other words, if you're living on a single lane one-way residential street, people who were previously driving on grand aren't going to suddenly start driving on your street, because more likely than not it's still inconvenient, slow, and a little confusing.
I drove in and out of the test area from both directions yesterday to test it out. Traffic flowed very smoothly with the test setup. And that is with the confusing signage and concrete barriers. I love it far more than I thought I would. My only concern is the section of grand from Utah to Chippewa. Obviously there is not money to do the full treatment, but I think they should restripe Grand to three lanes in that section since Grand is three lanes south of Chippewa already.
That's why you need to call (314)776-2434 and tell them what you think. It's incredibly important for everyone who has checked out the project to call. If you like it you should let them know!