Improved Pedestrian Space Comes Before Pedestrians
Often readers comment that my pictures never show pedestrians. Â They’ve said it is hard to justify improving the pedestrian environment given how few pedestrians we have. Â To me the opposite is the case, we have so few pedestrians because our pedestrian spaces are so deficient.
My the logic of some we should have this dismal sidewalk bustling with pedestrians before investing in improving the area. Â But if the area is teaming with pedestrians there would be little reason to make capital improvements.
– Steve Patterson
It is surprising how few people are seen walking in St Louis, even in the ped-friendly areas. I would blame it on the density of the city, not the lack of pedestrian friendly zones.
I'm often out photographing at odd hours. Also our pedestrian flow is not a 24/7 continuous stream like Manhattan. Other times I wait for pedestrians to pass so they don't block what I want to show or so I end up showing their face in my pictures.
Sidewalks would look a lot busier if they were narrower. Some of our sidewalks are as wide as a one lane road. They cost a lot to maintain. Of course they need to be wide so that businesses can use them for free expansion of their space.
The effective width of Washington Ave is about half the literal width due to light posts, planters, etc.
Living on the North side, I would be happy with ANY sidewalks, even half the width of downtown, just so as not to walk in the street.
I couldnt agree more. Sometimes my husband and I drive places in walking distance bc we don't want to deal with the obstacle courses on our route.
Last night I went to hear the Michelle Norris talk at Christ Church Cathedral just west of N. Tucker on Locust. After the talk, I walked down a deserted Pine to the 8th and Pine Metrolink. The sidewalk was fine. The problem was walking past blank walls, empty surface parking lots, empty parking garages, and unoccupied retail. I don't know how much of this parking is used during the daytime, but it is not pedestrian friendly at night.
This is absolutely correct. I'm not sure what Mr. Patterson means by “odd hours”, but these photos all seem to be taken in broad daylight, during which time the sidewalks in Chicago and any other vibrant city would be teeming. Yes, effectively-designed sidewalks enhance the pedestrian experience and encourage people to walk, but if you're walking past a whole bunch of nothing (which would describe most of St. Louis) it still does not make for a pleasant experience.
It's what I keep saying, it's the jobs, the economy, the bottom line, combined with the weather and the low cost of land, all of which conspire to create a sprawling, autocentric metropolis. Most people don't walk because they're inherently lazy, and most people do walk because they're inherently cheap. How so? How do you explain the apparent conflict? Simple, we drive because we can afford to (free parking, no toll roads, relatively short commutes and tolerable congestion), plus we don't need to deal as much with our summer humidity and the biting, damp cold of winter when we drive. In “real” cities, downtown parking is usually expensive or a hassle, or both, which makes transit, and by default, walking, much more attractive. GMichaud is on the right track with his comments, too. Because the city can't grow, our region is made up of more than hundred governmental units, most of which all want to attract new businesses. The end result is a city built for 800,000 housing less than half that. Do the math – empty storefronts and emptier streets are a direct result of population and job loss. Build it and they will come only goes so far – better sidewalks help, but what's really needed are many more people, day and night . . .
Yes the democratic power structure in St Louis has let become a poorly designed pedestrian city, it is useless to name the many well done cities and policies implemented around the world because the power structure could care less.
The political system is a mirror of the national system: a self serving power base that includes corporate, political and major media partners who spend much time patting themselves on the back and giving themselves awards while they rape St. Louis in any fashion that stuffs money into their pockets.
Issues such as walkability, mass transit and urban design are not to be bothered with when it interferes with the agendas of the master developers who call the shots with their car centric money making machine.
Other cities make capital improvements in areas full of pedestrians, further investment is not limited by success. The leadership in St. Louis is so mediocre and so self centered the basic planning is not done correctly, much less the refinements other cities invest in to make further improvements.
By the time this power structure following collapses from its own ignorance, St. Louis will be so far behind it will take a century to catch up.
The Paul McKee northside project is a perfect example, Instead of the city guiding McKee into an overall framework that meets the needs self sustaining city, everyone waits for McKees plan.
Successful cities around the world would give McKee some wiggle room, but he would have to meet standards of density, walkability, transit etc, Not in St. Louis though.
But hey, lets just give out more TIF's and tax credits and everything will be okay.
Somewhat related, from this week's Road Crew chat in the Post-Dispatch:
“drew: With the sidewalks being widened on Manchester Ave in the Grove area there is now not enough room for parking on the street and 4 lanes of traffic. Is there plans restrict parking or have you effectively just reduced this to a 2 lane road? If parking is not going to be restricted who keeps making the decisions to reduce lanes on heavily traveled roads in this area?
Linda Wilson, Todd Waelterman and David Wrone: MoDOT is working with the city on these changes to Manchester through the Grove. The road is being restriped to one lane in each direction to allow for parking for this developing business district.
Linda Wilson
MODOT”
And another interesting perspective: http://allaboutcities.ca/can-you-have-too-much-walkability/