After a preliminary pass or two of scoring, here's the project ranking as a "early draft" assessment (here are notes on the very first whack at the list and earlier notes on the set of initial applications, so this may be the second pass) :
- Fixed-Route Transit Vehicle Replacement
- McGilchrist Street SE - 22nd Street Phase
- Pedestrian Safety - Improved Crossings
- Commercial Street - Vista to Ratcliff
- Salem Area Safe Routes to School Non-Infrastructure Program
- Center St. Lancaster Dr to 45th Pl NE, Ph 2
- State St. Lancaster Dr NE to 44th Ave, Ph 1
- Delany Rd. Battle Creek Bridge to 9th Ct. (Turner)
- Connecticut Av. Macleay to Rickey W Side Bike/Ped
- Lancaster Dr Ph2. State to Monroe Reconstr.
- River Rd N/McNary Estates Dr Project Design
- Turner Road Downtown Urban Upgrade
- Orchard Heights Road NW - Sidewalks and Pavement R& R
- Broadway Street NE @ Hood Street NE
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| The initial scoring tabulation (click to enlarge) |
But the gigantification of Center and State Streets in those project is just totally inconsistent with our urgent needs on greenhouse gases and also with the City's recent State Street Corridor plan.
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| We cannot continue to engorge these! |
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| Even with the County's denialism, the MPO has to accept this. Final pie chart from Our Salem: It's all about the cars |
I'm not sure what to do about this, but it's not working in a prudent or healthy way.
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| Look for the historic sign next to the entry |
SKATS Technical Advisory Committee meets Tuesday the 13th, at 1:30pm. SKATS is at 100 High St. SE, Suite 200, above Table Five 08 and Epilogue Kitchen.
Update, August 14th
And here is the map!
You can use the text boxes to add comments, or simply indicate a "like." Unfortunately, there is not also a "dislike" or "bad project" option.
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| the map with the Center Street gigantification selected |
8 comments:
(updated with links to the map project)
Over on FB a person who follows transit more closely asks, "I wonder why replacement Cherriots buses are at the top... when we have gotten 27 new buses in the past year."
The answer according to the project sheet/application is:
"to replace up to 10 Diesel-fueled vehicles with Compressed Natural Gas fueled, fixed route transit buses...the identified buses which are scheduled for replacement will reach the end of their useful likfe in 2020 (12 years)."
I represent East Lancaster Neighborhood Association (ELNA) and we are so glad that SKATS is finally looking at making improvements to both Center Street and State Street east of Lancaster. This is an area that currently has large sections where there are NO sidewalks or bike lanes. The shoulders are just rutted, potholed gravel. In this area are many people who do not own cars, or have no transportation alternatives during the day.
People who live in the apartments along Center have to walk these gravel shoulders with cars wizzing by. Anyone who actually lives in the area knows how hazardous it is to see mothers with one toddler at their side pushing a stroller through this gravel. Or to see dozens of young school children walking along the road with cars passing them at 45 mph as the try to navigate their way to school in the dawn hours, dodge across the street with no cross walks at all in the entire mile long length of road.
More people might ride their bikes if there were lanes. As it is now they can't really do this because the travel lane for cars is narrow, the shoulder is rutted gravel and traffic is heavy.
Do we need 5 lanes? That is a point worthy of discussion. But the area needs upgrades for safety. And if more poor people choose to ride a bike all the better.
Center and State Streets are getting more development along them. Conditions are going to get much worse. Because these streets are on arterials pretty much all of the existing open spaces are being zoned for multifamily development. I am currently dealing with two projects. One on Center is just over 5 acres and the applicant wants RM2 to allow up to 120 units. This means 1200 vehicle trips added. Between State and Auburn (with through access to Center Street) is another development in process for over 600 houses that will generate over 6000 new vehicle trips per day.
We can pretend that such areas won't be built to the highest density possible, but it is a pipe dream. We have to be realistic and accept that we need more housing and this will be populated by people who have to get to work, school, shopping.
As a plus these projects will add much needed drainage systems. The area is flat and the soil is hydraulic so rain does not drain well. The area has several creeks and drainage ditches that flood. This project will add both sanitary services much needed as well as drainage for future and existing homes.
Not everything is just about cars! Sometimes these projects are about people and improving their lives.
"Do we need 5 lanes?"
Nope!
A standard "urban upgrade" to two auto through lanes, one continuous center turn pocket, bike lanes and sidewalks, and the same drainage services, would do the trick and would not induce so many additional car trips.
When we oversupply auto capacity and indirectly subsidize car trips this way, we also make it more difficult to serve with transit.
The beef here is not with the sidewalks and bike lanes, which are needed as you say. The beef is with the five auto lanes, which is a gross super-sizing. (And will make for long crosswalks.)
How can we impact the decision to not have 5 lanes but just 3?
Sunnyview was at one point 4 lanes and we got the City to downsize it to 3 (one each way with a center turn lane) and it works well. They were able to add bike lanes too by taking out one lane. The impetus for the road diet was a child was almost killed when trying to cross the street. Do we have to get a child almost killed to teach the planners that 5 lanes on Center is not needed either?
I will bring this up at ELNA and ask the board to support writing a letter, but I wish there were a better way to get the change. The problem is that ELNA is city and Marion County pretty much controls this part of Center Street.
I am open to suggestions.
Here's a constellation of datapoints that seems relevant.
On the section of State Street between 12th and 25th where the City wants to do a 4/3 safety conversion with two through-lanes and one center turn pocket for cars, the latest traffic counts are in the low 20,000s:
- 20,606
- 23,010
- 20,210
- 23,920
On the section of Center Street between Lancaster and Cordon:
- 12,215
- 6,950
There's no universe in which those numbers call for the full five lanes!
Writing to SKATS that they not fund the project is one point of leverage. Another will be changing the composition of the County Board of Commissioners in 2020 so it's not so strongly anti-bike, anti-transit, and anti-climate.
Regarding Center & State Street
At the August SKATS TAC meeting, SKATS staff brought up the question as to whether or not the State Street project should be five lanes or if a three lane solution would address the needs as identified by Marion County in their application. After discussion by the group, the staff for Marion County was going to review this suggestion and report back by the September meeting.
Ray
MWVCOG/SKATS
Well that's partial good news! Thanks for the update.
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