On Tuesday night the Union Park District Council's Neighborhood Issues
Committee hosted a discussion on the next phase of the Marshall Avenue Green
Streets project. See attached letter for the details of the project, which
proposes a median from mid-block between Cleveland and Wilder to mid-block
between Wilder and Moore.
Our discussion on tuesday was spirited and respectful with a multitude of
opinions on the project. The hope is to continue the discussion here in a
respectful and thoughtful manner.
To get it going, I'll report on some of the issues that emerged on Tuesday.
This is not a full reporting by any means but I hope to hit some of the key
points from both those who support the median and those who are opposed.
Pedestrian Safety: The most common concern expressed by supporters of the
median was the unsafe nature of the crossing at Wilder. A median provides a
pedestrian refuge and traffic studies generally show that medians slow down
traffic speeds and decrease accidents involving pedestrians. Some complained
of being almost hit at the intersection on different occasions.
Those skeptical of this issue suggested that increased enforcement of vehicles
yielding to pedestrians and more careful pedestrians were better solutions.
Access for vehicles: The largest complaint seems to revolve around the
decreased access of vehicles to local businesses and Wilder. The median would
eliminate all left turns at the intersection. Some expressed concern that this
would negatively impact businesses, cause inconvenient access for those who
live nearby, increase dangerous U-turns, and send vehicles to nearby
residential streets.
Those skeptical of the impact of access argued that after a month or two,
drivers learn new routes and any inconvenience is relatively quickly forgotten.
U-turns are already a problem and the median actually makes many mid-block
U-turns more difficult. It was argued that traffic rerouted to nearby streets
would increase by only 5-12% according to multiple studies in similar
situations (although many were concerned that no traffic study exists
specifically for this area).
Business Impact: Business owners expressed mixed feelings about the median
ranging from adamantly opposed to very much in favor of the median. Worries
about how customers would reroute were common with one or two owners very
concerned about loss of customers.
Others saw this as a potential boon to the business area by turning the area
into more of destination address through beautification and a more pedestrian
and bike friendly atmosphere. Many pointed to the medians recently installed
on Snelling near Grand Ave, citing conversations with businesses there that
reported no long term negative impact due to the medians.
I could go on, but these struck me as the main factors. I invite others to add
to the list or offer their opinion. The next meeting will be before the City
Council on Wednesday, February 19.
Kyle Dukart