Comments on Saint Louis Urban Workshop: Forest Park's Limited Pedestrian Accessibility: I-...

The new FPSE footbridge is the way that most FPSE ...

2009-11-08T21:08:35.836-06:00

The new FPSE footbridge is the way that most FPSE residents access Forest Park - and that's the point. The map above is meant to show access points for pedestrians - meaning people who arrive at the park from their home on foot.

You're wrong about majority use of the footbridge. The 4500 block of Choteau now required a residential parking permit and WU/BJC employee/student parking is concentrated on 4400 Chouteau and Taylor Avenues (with some of other side streets. Those who park here by and large walk down Taylor Avenue to the medical center. WU/BJC may have lobied for the bridge, but as an FPSE resident I can tell you that the neighborhood was HEAVILY in favor of this bridge and its new placement. So if others use it as well then I say, thank you - the more foot traffic the better. But the bridge itself is simply not an example of "special interests" getting their way.

You're correct to mention the pedestrian bridge that once connected the Area area with FP. While the new office park and small amount of residential may not generate the foot traffic that the arena once did it would be nice to have more pedestrian connections.

I agree 100% on your comments about Forest Park itself.

MB94128 - thanks for posting the additional inform...

2009-11-08T21:00:57.991-06:00

MB94128 - thanks for posting the additional information. I'm in Providence a couple times a year and hope to see India Point Park firsthand one of these times.

The new footbridge in the SE section is NOT a dire...

2009-11-08T07:42:37.173-06:00

The new footbridge in the SE section is NOT a direct link to FoPa for most visitors. It is a pedestrian bridge for doctors and other workers who prefer to park on the south side of the 40 and who work for BJC. It is a story of how limited resources are manipulated to serve special interests. Indeed Kingshighway is only a stone throw away and offers a pedestrian path (not a great one though).

Previous pedestrian paths over 40 were not addressed and in some cases permanently eliminated and the New 64 didn't address those losses. For example, the pedestrian bridge that directly connected the Arena area with FoPa was eliminated years ago and not replaced.

Overall the sidewalks have been improved and that is good but the story of the StL region is the growing gap between potential and reality. The New 64 is another example of how this gap is being widened. FPF in recent years has concentrated its resources on building golf courses (does anyone believe that is environmentally friendly?) and catering to customers who are auto-dependent. On some weekends, parking fees generate over $30,000 and Hoffarth has been given the responsibility to increase revenues (or in polite circles, cater to the customers).

If the Park is to become pedestrian friendly, the following will be observed in the next few years: 1. End of free parking, 2. Enforced speed limits, 3. The closing of FoPa roads on weekends to automobile traffic, 4. A substantial expansion of alternatives such as trolleys, bikepeds and cycle paths, and 5. Lowering the speed limit on surrounding roads to encourage the use of alternatives to access the Park. Want to bet on how many of these a MoDOT mindset will accomplish?

Last weekend in biking through the Park, came across golfers in golf carts using the bike paths near Stienberg and drinking beer with their radio blasting. They said that the came from the western golf course. The Science Center facilitates the use of motorized vehicles on the bike paths via Segways, Ms Hoffarth fits the direction of the Park perfectly.

More on India Point Park in Providence, RI : Wiki ...

2009-11-07T01:41:05.872-06:00

More on India Point Park in Providence, RI :
Wiki Page
RIDOT I-95 Simulations
RIDOT I-95 Video Podcasts
YouTube page for RIDOT VP#5

Safe passage for pedestrians over a freeway or through an interchange can be a bitch. I know of a couple of nasty spots in San Francisco (CA).

The first is the Glen Park platform for the Muni's J-Church line. There's a steep climb up to the pedestrian bridge followed by a short walk to the nearby BART station. The problem with the short walk is that it crosses a spur ramp (albeit with a signal) from the San Jose Ave. feeder to I-280.

The second is the unholy mess under US-101 used by Cesar Chavez (aka Army St.) with a split off to Potrero. This beast is a tangled web worthy of a spider on LSD. There are (? were ?) some unofficial paths through the tangle tramped in the verge greenery. The official paths take you way out of your way.
Cesar Chavez - Potrero "Hairball"

Daron - Thanks. Right, the colors on the map simpl...

2009-11-05T20:43:34.674-06:00

Daron - Thanks. Right, the colors on the map simply rotate to differentiate the neighborhoods and corresponding park entrances. The areas or neighborhoods themselves were delineated to the best of my knowledge of the most obvious path to the park given the presence of Metrolink, private streets, Forest Park Parkway etc.

I suppose that the next step would be to examine various intersections in detail and propose pedestrian-priority options. Over the next few weeks I hope to get to it.

CMT - You're right, and on the east side of the Un...

2009-11-05T20:33:31.266-06:00

CMT - You're right, and on the east side of the Union intersection pedestrians also have to deal with the eastbound entrance ramp to Forest Park Parkway. In fact, I'd say that access from the south side of the park is the most safe (Tamm, the tunnel and pedestrian bridge especially). The new intersection across Lindell at Skinker at least has a median, but crossing Skinker, elsewhere on Lindell or Kingshighway is uninviting at the least.

excellent work. This is kind of a huge topic. Do...

2009-11-05T20:15:54.052-06:00

excellent work. This is kind of a huge topic. Do the colors on your map indicate anything or are areas of the same color just from a lack of color options? I'm curious to know why you chose those distinct areas. Should we expect a pedestrian access article for each of them? Take your time.

I haven't been in St. Louis for a few years. I wasn't aware of any tunnels at all. Thank you for alerting me to their existence. I wrote a while back about Korean highways and included some of their impressive tunnels.
http://stlelsewhere.blogspot.com/2009/09/st-louis-highways-seoul-highways.html

Your blog is very valuable and I really appreciate you putting this information out there.

The pedestrian access at Union is dangerous. The "...

2009-11-05T16:50:16.314-06:00

The pedestrian access at Union is dangerous. The "cutoff" that allows westbound traffic on Lindell to go north on Union should be removed. Currently it encourages higher speeds by autos and the drivers aren't paying attention to pedestrians. the city should consider installing a roundabout at the intersection to slow traffic and give pedestrians a safer experience