


Curbs, Medians, Tables






















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Stevens Avenue Project: Tables, Medians, and curbing
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This is a
shot of the Pleasant-Stevens intersection / speed table looking North, Nov. 1998.
This is the only known speed table under a signal in the U.S.
The cans were- taking a
beating, as usual. The orange building at the time had a video store, hairdresser,
tailor, and consignment shop in it, and is right across from a church at left. A
pizza place is at left behind the tree, along with a store/deli/restaurant. The
Pepsi sign hangs off a variety store.
As of Fall 2000, the cans have
been gone.
The original traffic calming plan would
have specifically eliminated parking within 50 feet of the table, which would have meant no
parking anywhere in this area, to the North end of the orange building.
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I passed out a flier about the no
parking situation, and I gather that the business owners got on
the phone, not to mention bending the ear of the mayor when he walked
around one day, talking to shop owners. Guess what specifically got
dropped from the ordinance! Parking has been unaffected since.
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Right: July, 1997: Remember,
according to the original CMAQ funding request from the city to
the Federal Highway Administration, the project was to "beautify
the avenue", amongst other things. This the view from opposite
New St. looking North. This chicane eliminated all the
parking that Catherine McCauley HS used to have. The "bike lane"
looks a little rugged, no matter what side of the curbing
you are on! The point of the curb is about 18" from the original
curbing- just right to catch a pedal on!
Notice that the asphalt forces bikes out closer to moving traffic-- more
safety!
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This
was cute: the median on the very north end of the avenue blocked off access to a
church when approaching from the south. To get to church if you were headed North, you had to go
about 400' further, and pull a U-turn, or circle in and out of a bakery store parking
lot. This is a high accident area without the curbing!
If you wanted to go North out of the driveway, you had
to go about 200' South, and U-turn, or 3-point in a driveway!
People were not
too happy about this.
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