How to Slow Down Streets For Children

Bold. But I like it.



From the Canadian organization The Community Against Preventable Injuries.

Park(ing) Day is September 17

This Friday is Park(ing) Day an "annual, worldwide event that inspires city dwellers everywhere to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good." Kansas Citians will be reclaiming parking areas at 11th and Grand downtown at various parking lots at UMKC, and at Independence Center and  Independence Square in Independence.

Here's a great video showing how a car-dominated area can be converted to a much more enjoyable people-dominated area.


PARK(ing) Day: User-Generated Urbanism from Brandon Bloch on Vimeo.

Walk-Friendly Communities Program

 "Walk Friendly Communities" will be giving grants in November to communities that establish or recommit to a high priority for supporting safer walking environments. This is similar to the "Bike Friendly Communities" program which of course awards grants to communities that support safer biking environments. Our own Lee's Summit earned "honorable mention" in the most recent award.

This is a terrific program that Kansas City communities should be aggressively applying for. While receiving an award may take several applications, the process can still help communities guide their plans for developing more walkable, bike-friendly communities.

McPaper Trumpets Streetcar Success

USA Today recently brought attention to some of the success stories of the Portland Streetcar system, which not only generates manufacturing jobs here in the States, but also spurs economic development in formerly blighted areas.

In 2008, a study by the city found that Portland's streetcar system had generated $3.5 billion in investments and prompted construction of 10,212 housing units within two blocks of the line.

The Pearl District has had "a fraction" of the business closures experienced by other Portland neighborhoods during the recession, says Joshua Ryan, executive director of the Pearl District Business Association.

"It's the hottest place in the city," he says. "It's the safest district, the cleanest district. ... The benefits of streetcars have surpassed our expectations."

Kansas City at one time had one of the most extensive streetcar systems in the United States, with lines even running as far as Leavenworth, Olathe, Lawrence and St. Joseph. The system was purchased and dismantled by General Motors so that people could buy their automobiles, and we have been without a rail system ever since. KCATA is currently studying the feasibility of a River Market-Crown Center route for a streetcar. St. Louis recently won federal funding for a downtown loop trolley.

Streetcars are a quaint, slow mode of transit that is nice for a neighborhood you are trying to slow down and improve walkability. For example, I think a streetcar would be wonderful at tying the Country Club Plaza with the Nelson-Atkins Museum, UMKC and Brookside. I'm not so sure it works as well as a major spine running through the heart of a city. If you want to travel from the River Market to Crown Center (and possibly onto the Plaza), you will want something that is at least competitive, if not faster than an automobile. With a top speed of about 30 mph, I'm not sure a streetcar will be that competitive mode of transportation.

Emmanuel Cleaver Boulevard to Become More Pedestrian-Friendly?

Kansas City, Missouri will begin public hearings to discuss design improvements for Emmanuel Cleaver Boulevard between Rockhill Road and The Paseo to improve streetscaping. Improvements may include better sidewalks, trees, enhanced crosswalks, improved pedestrian-level lighting, traffic calming, road diet, and bike lanes.

The strikes me as a rather significant opportunity. One of the complaints about the Plaza is that it pretty much sits as an island that doesn't mesh well with surrounding areas.  Connecting the Plaza to UMKC, Theis Park, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum together would do wonders for tying the area together and extending the vibrancy of the Plaza further eastward and would help develop areas east that have become neglected and blighted.

And imagine the foot traffic to Gates Bar B.Q.!

The first public hearing will be Tuesday, September 14 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center at 47th and Troost.

New Crosswalk Design to Cut Down on Jaywalking?

The only reason jaywalking is illegal is to protect the safety of those jaywalking. Well what if we made it easier to cross at crosswalks by making them bigger and safer?

Korean designer Jae Min Lim has the clever idea to turn crosswalks into, well, “J”s. By curving the typical Zebra crossing to take up a wider swath of road, you carve out a nice, safe path for pedestrians -- one that reflects how they actually walk. 

You would have to make it illegal to turn right on red, which should be done in several places already as I see many cars parked on the crosswalk creeping towards a turn as people are trying to cross. But this crosswalk shows a clear design that sends the message that the roads are to be shared with pedestrians and cars must operate accordingly.

Seven Year Old Gardner Boy Hit By Car

Tragedy in Gardner as a child was struck by a car walking from his elementary school. The full details aren't yet known, although reportedly he was not crossing at a crosswalk. It it the second student struck in Gardner in the last month. Whether or not the automobile is at fault or it is simply an accident, it does highlight a bit that there are entirely too many cars picking up kids at schools these days.

Not to get all grumpy old man on you, but when I was a child, the only time anyone picked up their kid at school was when they left early for a dentist appointment. Now there is a cavalry of SUVs lined up outside elementary schools at 3 p.m. Many schools have cut back or eliminated bus service due to budget cuts and an emphasis on "neighborhood schools" which in theory allows most students to walk to school. So you have a combination of more kids walking to schools AND more vehicles around schools. Its not a good combination.

This is a good time to point out that the Obama administration did implement a new initiative called "Safe Routes to School" to fund community projects that improve the walkability of school routes. The primary goal seems to be to encourage walking and biking to improve children's health and stem the tide of childhood obesity. But the Gardner incident highlights what should be another major goal of such an initiative.

We have massive product recalls for cribs that don't even injure a single child. We implement regulations that require child safety locks for firearms. But we seem to do little to make neighborhoods safer for kids other than putting up a few signs that everyone can ignore. And the results reflect it - about 1200 kids are injured by cribs per year. 16,000 are injured by firearms. And 25,000 are injured by motor vehicles. Its time we got serious about making schools safe areas for children.