Manchester Ave More Accessible Than Expected

I highlight accessibility problems all the time, like Tuesday & Thursday, so today I’m going to talk about the pleasant surprise I discovered on Monday. I ended up at Manchester & Macklind well before the westbound MetroBus was due, so I headed west. I knew this stretch of Manchester Ave isn’t a trendy neighborhood so I wasn’t sure what to expect as I rolled along passing the time.

Pleasantly rather than find obstacles at every cross street I found new ADA ramps. Plus they are directional, meaning I could actually continue in a straight path rather than be directed out into Manchester Ave.

So at least 1.1 miles of Manchester Ave from Macklind to Dale (map) is now accessible. Because MoDOT is resurfacing Manchester they updated the accessibly, as required by federal guidelines.

As for the problem I encountered above I got this reply from Streets director Todd Waelterman: “At this particular intersection, sewers and the proximity of buildings did not allow them to install a compliant ramp. Thus we are utilizing the ramp a few feet north and will be placing signs to indicate such access.”

I was prepared to wait for the bus at Macklind, so I was very happy I could spend the wait moving in that direction.

— Steve Patterson

One Spot On Sidewalk A Challenge, Who’s Responsible?

I’ve used many sidewalks throughout St. Louis, most are adequate. It just takes one bad point though to made a decent sidewalk barely adequate. That happened to me on Saturday going from Kingshighway to Grand for yesterday’s post. The entire length, over 1.5 miles, was good until I was almost at Grand.

I see these often, I think they’re lids for vaults. Everyone I’ve encountered are raised above the adjacent sidewalk.  Who’s responsible? The City? MSD (Metropolitan Sewer District)? The adjacent property owner, Saint Louis University? I haven’t a clue, but I’ll email this post to a few people and find out.

— Steve Patterson

Pedestrian Activation Buttons Almost Consistent

Most signalized intersections in St. Louis don’t require pedestrians to push buttons to get a “walk” sign, but this is changing as sidewalks & signals are updated.  The biggest challenge is hunting for the right button to press. Take 14th & Olive, for example.

On the SW corner I’m not sure why both buttons aren’t on the same poll, with the top one for Olive, the one already controls the 14th signal. Typically when the buttons are separated from each other the one nearest a ramp controls that signal.

Every time I go through this intersection I forget and have to circle around to hit the right button. I’m not sure if this can easily be rectified, but I’ll find out.

— Steve Patterson

Complaints About Our Pedestrians

I’ve done my fare share of complaining about motorists — blocking crosswalks, nearly hitting me making right turns, parking on sidewalks, etc. Today I want to talk about bad behavior among pedestrians.

First thing I should get out of the way, I’ve been known to exhibit bad pedestrian behavior. Specifically, I can think of one time crossing Tucker, I didn’t wait for the pedestrian signal. I started across because I knew the pattern of the lights. What I momentarily forgot was cars can legally make a right turn on red. They had the right of way but I cut them off by crossing when I did.

So what are some of my complaints?

1. People walking 2-3 abreast, expecting others to step aside so they don’t have to walk single file. We have very few sidewalks downtown where pedestrians can walk 2-3 abreast while meeting others going the opposite direction. So sorry folks, I’m not going to stop and wait behind a planter or trash can so your trio can remain intact.
2. People come out of stores clueless that anyone else is using the sidewalk.
3. People in front of me walking slowly but not letting me pass them, especially when they’re smoking.

We’re not Manhattan, but it would still be nice to have our pedestrians be more aware of their surroundings. To be fair, I probably encounter many pedestrians who are tourists so they aren’t familiar with downtown, they may not even be used to walking in a downtown context with crowded sidewalks.

— Steve Patterson

Elevated Highway Will Continue To Divide Downtown From The Mississippi River

The CityArchRiver 2015 effort has been about connecting the city to the Arch and to the river. But I think the name needs an asterisks, followed by a legal disclaimer in fine printer.

The disclaimer would read something like this:

*The connection will be applicable for a block or two at the center of the Arch grounds, the north & south portions will remain disconnected. We’ll make a few token changes, nothing significant. 

I agree there isn’t time now to raze the elevated highway and complete an urban boulevard before October 28, 2015, but I’d like to see us work on starting shortly after the 50th anniversary of the last piece of the Arch. If we start now we can have the urban boulevard by the 75th anniversary on October 28, 2040.

Only after this is removed will downtown be reconnected to the Mississippi River in a meaningful way.

— Steve Patterson