Making Neighborhood Streets “Skinny” and Safe
With the release of its first-ever pedestrian plan last week, the city of Chicago is starting to make good on its promise to make pedestrian safety a major priority.
Our friends at Grid Chicago are delving into all the details and taking a look at some specific recommendations that could help improve streets for the Windy City's walkers. A lot of these ideas look like good things for any city to consider.
Today Steven Vance looks at the recommendation for "skinny" neighborhood streets -- where, and in what form, they might be appropriate.
Tool: Skinny streets, page 29: What it says: “After the severe winters of 1978 and 1979, many of Chicago’s streets were converted from two-way to one-way to improve mobility during the winter and to allow plows to go through. However, two-way streets have many advantages over one-way streets. These ‘skinny streets’ reduce vehicle speeds and can also increase connectivity for all users by providing more ways to traverse the city’s grid. Skinny streets should be considered on all one-way streets that are wider than 30 feet.”
Haddon Avenue from Western Avenue to California Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood is a prime candidate for conversion. I asked Joshua and Carolyn Koonce, who live in this stretch, about their street, to tell me more about the conditions there. Before being repaved, you could see the yellow center line that indicated it used to be a two-way street.
Here's what the couple had to say:
Speed is the main concern. The width of the street and the low speed-humps make anything resembling “neighborhood” speed rare. Drivers build up speed coming from Western, headed to California, often disregarding stop signs as well. If there was a speed camera here we wouldn’t be surprised if drivers routinely hit 40+ mph. The road becomes an easy, fast westbound alternate to Division.
Sounds like a good early project for the city of Chicago. A few rain gardens, some curbside permeable pavers and a reduction to one travel lane would do the trick, Vance thinks.
Elsewhere on the Network today: Charlottesville Tomorrow reports that the University of Virginia is not too keen about having an interchange of the "Western Bypass" near campus. Portland Afoot offers new evidence showing that TriMet's most recent fare hike may have been unnecessary. And Stop and Move comments on the slow but steady growth of Boston's Hubway bike-share.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Wednesday’s Headlines Ask How Much a Life Is Worth
There isn't much of a financial penalty for drivers who kill pedestrians — even if those drivers are cops.
‘I’m Not Grieving Alone’: New Play Explores a Father’s Journey After Losing Two Children to Traffic Violence
Colin Campbell and his wife Gail Lerner lost both their children in a car crash with impaired driver. A new play explores how to talk about similar tragedies.
How Transit Saved Lives — And Became a Lifeline — During and After the Maui Fires
A Maui bus agency helped transport 42,000 people off the island in the wake of one of the most devastating fires in American history — and highlighted the critical role that shared modes can play not just in preventing climate-related disasters, but saving lives when they happen.
California Has to Stop Building Freeways. Now.
"People aren't used to thinking of freeways as fossil fuel infrastructure, but they are." And once built, there's no going back, no making up for the extra driving by trying to convince people that a bus or train might be a better choice - we're stuck with it.
Streetfilms Tours Emeryville, Calif., the Little City that Can
Did somebody say "encore?" Safe streets rock star John Bauters, Mayor of Emeryville, population less-than 13,000, gave Streetfilms producer Clarence Eckerson a tour of his city.
