Since it opened in August 2006 I’ve only been to the Sunnen MetroLink Station a few times. If you haven’t been you are not going to recognize it.
ABOVE: The view to the west of the Sunnen MetroLink station in Maplewood is radically different now, the equipment used to clear the area was parked close on my visit last month.
Before I get into what’s happening let’s take a quick look at what it looked like before the bulldozers started working.
Nearly everything between Hanley Rd and the MetroLink line has been razed.ABOVE: Older well-maintained apartments next to the station were great for those who liked to live near transit. June 2011ABOVE: Another apartment complex, this one between Laclede Station Rd and MetroLink, was also razed. June 2011
You are thinking such older structures have to go in order to build a more dense transit-oriented development. True, but that is not what is being built.
ABOVE: You can now see the Sunnen station from Hanley Rd.ABOVE: Turning to the right we see the first new building going up in the redevelopment area. What could it be?ABOVE: A new Mini auto dealership next to a light rail station! Seriously!?!
We should not built expensive rail transit infrastructure, light rail or streetcars, through municipalities until they adopt zoning requiring new development nearby to be dense and walkable.
It’s now been six months since I sold my car. Once before I didn’t have a car (2007) but I had a 49cc Honda scooter, so I got around pretty well on my own schedule. Now I have a power wheelchair and a bus pass, not as convenient.
ABOVE: The 30-day pass is different than the monthly pass in that it can span into two months, just depends on start date.
Don’t get me wrong, I love public transit (bus & rail) but I also love cars. I have numerous books on European cars, auto magazines from the early 1970s, etc. I read articles on the Motor Trend iPhone app daily. I’m a car guy without a car!
What I’ve noticed over these last six months is I think differently about time than I ever have since I got my driver’s license nearly 30 years ago (gulp). Just a couple of years ago I would compare how long a trip would take me on the bus to how long it would take me to drive. It doesn’t take long to get most places driving in the St. Louis region and the car was always faster, much faster just a few more miles away. A week ago I visited friends living near Loughborhough and Hampton and it took an hour to get there from downtown. Yes, an hour!
But that’s my new normal, surprisingly so it didn’t seem long. A trip to the Target at Hampton & Chippewa takes 40-45 minutes just on the bus, plus additional time getting to the stop and back home. Same for my doctor’s office, also on Hampton.
I’ve learned to make productive use of my time, often taking pics out the bus window, returning emails, making notes, keeping up on Facebook, etc. I feel I’m just as productive as with a car, I just schedule things differently. Granted, I’m single and on disability so I’m not dropping kids off at school before going to work. I’m not trying to convince you to give up your vehicle, just note that.
In July I went on an 8-day vacation that included Dallas, Ft. Worth, and Oklahoma City. Amtrak got me to my destinations and Greyhound got me home, I was able to see so much more on the trip because I wasn’t driving.
I’ve gotten a couple of rides with friends these last six months but I’ve not had to get a taxi to get somewhere, as I thought I’d have to.
Once you don’t have a car for a while your view of time and mobility changes.
Retail giant Walmart is looking to reverse declining sales by opening smaller, more convenient, stores:
ABOVE: Walmart Express stores will compete with numerous dollar stores like this Family Dollar on Gravois near Bevo Mill.
Express stores are less than one-tenth the size of Wal-Mart supercenters and offer groceries, general merchandise like tools, and pharmacies. Neighborhood Markets are more than twice the size of Express stores and offer perishable food, household supplies and beauty aids as well as a pharmacy. (USAtoday.com)
The new Walmart Express format is just under 15,000 square feet in size, a fraction of Walmart’s other formats:
Their Neighborhood Markets format is a grocery store, not seen in St. Louis but already dominant in some markets, like Oklahoma City. The Walmart Express will give other retailers strong competition:
Dollar-store chains have expanded quickly in recent years and pose intense competition to Walmart. They open stores closer to customers’ homes, a big advantage in times of high gas prices. According to a Credit Suisse analyst, the average round-trip to a dollar store is six miles vs. 30 miles for a typical Walmart trip. These stores have enjoyed strong revenue growth as they’ve lured more shoppers with bargain prices and wider selections. (source)
My concern is these national retailers with generic store designs will continue buying up every corner they can, making our city less urban every year, rather than more urban.
The poll this week wants your reaction to the idea of Walmart Express stores popping up in our neighborhoods near Family Dollar and Walgreens locations. The poll is the right sidebar, mobile users switch to the full site to vote.
There are many sidewalks that I am unable to use. The reasons vary: no curb cut, broken/rough, etc. But I often encounter another problem: foliage.
ABOVE: Public sidewalk along Loughborough significantly narrowed by overgrown shrubs.
I was able to get past the above just by pushing my way through but a senior walking with a cane, for example, might not be able to get by. Stepping onto the lawn increases the risk of a fall. This is an odd area since the public sidewalk is so far away from the curb and so close to the houses, but those overgrown shrubs need to go.
ABOVE: I couldn’t get past this growth to reach the #94 MetroBus stop/Wellston MetroLink station, I had to backtrack and take another route.
Keeping tree canopies high enough the average person can walk on the sidewalk without ducking is a good thing. Imagine if roads were similarly blocked with foliage, crews would be dispatched immediately to clear them.
Each year more and more bike lanes are added to roads in St. Louis. Unfortunately, they are often disconnected from each other because they are placed where the road is excessively wide and/or where an alderman was willing to fund the paint and signs.
ABOVE: Sign posted on westbound Lafayette Ave just before Jefferson Ave. Click image to view the Bike St. Louis website.
For years I biked, even commuted 10+ miles to work, without bike lanes. But some like the designated space, I get that. What do they do when the lane ends, turn around? If someone is biking westbound on Lafayette Ave and wants to turn left onto southbound Jefferson Ave will they know how to do so properly? Probably not.
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