My daily commute to and from work takes me through the Gate District Neighborhood.
Impressed by the little things in life, I have recently been filled with joy driving by the historic renovation of one of the remaining cool buildings in a neighborhood that has seen much demolition of brick housing stock over the last 50 years.
The “Garavaglia Building” was a former market at Nebraska and Lafayette Avenues that has been abandoned and crumbling for decades until a recent sale and historic renovation.
Watching this work take place has been a fun distraction filled with hope and city pride.
Note the foreground in the image to the right.
While the historic rehab has been fascinating, I’ve been equally obsessed with the daily progress of some minor, yet impactful changes to the intersections at Lafayette and Nebraska and Park Avenue and Compton in the Gate District.
I thought this work was important enough to jot down some thoughts and share some photos.
It has become very apparent to me that the average citizen not interested or plugged into urban issues may not know what these traffic things are. I mention the word “bump outs” in casual conversations and some friends or acquaintances look at me confused. I had to learn about this stuff through reading and talking to people like Steve Patterson who cared deeply about pedestrian experiences in a place like St. Louis.
By definition: “Curb extensions, also known as bump outs, are an extension of the sidewalk zone or curb line into the roadway zone at intersections or mid-block locations. Curb extensions are intended to increase safety, calm motorized traffic, and create additional space for pedestrians and the boulevard and furnishing zone. “
Curb extensions provide the following benefits:
Improved sightlines between vehicles and pedestrians.
Reduced pedestrian crossing distance, thereby reducing pedestrian exposure to potential vehicle conflicts.
Additional pedestrian queuing space before crossing.
Can slow vehicle turning speeds by decreasing turning radii and visually narrowing the roadway.
Additional corner space to fit two perpendicular curb ramps per corner, utilities and traffic control, furnishings, greening, transit facilities, bicycle parking, and sidewalk cafes.
Additional pervious space for green stormwater infrastructure.
Restrict cars from parking too close to the intersection and inhibiting sightlines.
I feel like taking a look at why these street upgrades make sense to me and seem to be a smarter investment than most neighborhood dollars.
First, as all know, we have a scourge of drivers around here who are willfully selfish, reckless and stoned/drunk/high. The police have shown they have no interest in enforcing laws from car registrations to issuing routine traffic tickets. I’m pretty sure they have no interest in partnering with the community who is fed up with these no-dignity drivers being help accountable.
So guess what? We’re on our own as citizens. But, we can advocate to physically improve the streets themselves to lean in the favor of those who value walking and driving a little bit more conscientiously, and yes…slower.
So I’ve given these recent upgrades enough time to sink in and see if they change my behavior behind the wheel, as well as other driver’s behaviors.
In short, they are doing their job.
Here’s my take.
First the red coloring is very eye-catching. You can see them well ahead of the intersections and it subconsciously alerts you to take note and slow down.
Lafayette Avenue looking east from Nebraska Avenue - Gate District Neighborhood
They are built a few inches from the curb, allowing storm water to flow to the sewers. They also installed pliable plastic bollards with reflective safety tape that is visible at night. As we know, the fools will hit these routinely and will eventually break them off. The city is not interested in replacing these, so the red concrete is really the smartest, most sustainable solution.
Their length prevents cars from parking right at the intersection, making crossing the street on foot or bike extremely risky.
Secondly, they exist on all four corners at Lafayette and Nebraska. This in itself makes visibility even more attention grabbing from behind the wheel. Your brain trains you to slow down as you see the red bump outs with both eyes at all angles.
Bump outs on all four corners, Nebraska Avenue looking west at Lafayette Avenue
Notice the ADA compliant sidewalks and curbs in the photos.
Further, the stop signs were installed within the bump outs making them more visible to drivers, nearer the line of sight from the driver seat.
Stop signs in bump outs on Nebraska Avenue looking north at Lafayette Avenue.
The most noticeable impact I’ve experienced so far is that you don’t get passed on the right close to the intersection. Yes, this happens a lot. You have to come closer to a stop and slow your right turn at an appropriate angle vs. clipping the turn. That means a lot. Next time you are here, pay attention to how it changes your approach.
Lafayette and Nebraska is a safer intersection now.
The intersection of Park Avenue and Compton has bump outs on Park only. My assumption is that Compton could not have them since it is a snow route. But, that didn’t stop the city street department from installing a speed hump on the Compton Avenue bridge. Yes, a speed hump on a bridge. It works in slowing traffic, but semis are not loving it and people are ramping it Dukes of Hazzard style and you can nearly get rear-ended slowing down as people are not used to it.
But, the changes are amazing at Park and Compton. The behavior is improving as people slow down.
Heading eastbound on Park Avenue from South Grand, drivers can gain a decent amount of speed as you approach Compton. A center island was installed to narrow the lanes, providing a visual queue to slow down and narrow your approach. It also makes passing on the left or right while blowing the intersection stop signs less of an option for the no-dignity set.
Traffic island on Park Avenue heading east at Compton.
Notice the bump outs on Park Avenue are red here as well and they installed solar-powered pedestrian signs that are intended to blink. This makes a lot of sense as there is a popular restaurant on one corner and a child care facility on the other.
It is working to slow people down on Park, sadly Compton is still pretty much a horror show for idiots passing and recklessly blowing the stop signs.
But Park works much better for all.
Park Avenue looking east at Compton
Every little bit helps folks. And, the investment location in the Gate District is smart. It is one of the few neighborhoods gaining population over the last ten years. It is racially and economically diverse (well, as diverse as St. Louis gets)…this ain’t Queens. And, there is a lot of housing construction taking place within the neighborhood from private developers to St. Louis University to Habitat for Humanity.
Also, St. Louis University, one of the largest institutional land owners in the neighborhood, is starting to reverse their decades long trend of land banking and devaluing the neighborhood with inactivity. They have been sitting on undeveloped land that is vast seas of empty surface parking lots and weed fields. SLU recently agreed to sell off 18 high-profile acres of their land to a developer.
One could easily see a better day where more housing and human-scaled retail is built and a lot more people call this part of the city home. The street grid could be healed and the vast fields of weeds could be reconnected to the neighborhood.
The curb appeal of someone driving to the Gate District and looking for a home will be positively impacted by these highly visible infrastructure investments. It looks like this is a part of the city worth investing in, settling down in…and it is.
The location just makes sense and Nebraska Avenue is one of the remaining north-south streets that goes over I-44 connecting the Gate District to Fox Park, Compton Heights and Tower Grove East to the south. It is heavily traveled for this reason alone.
Even more heavily traveled and prone to insane driving and high speed is Compton Avenue. Compton has an exit off of I-64 so drivers are in high speed mode. Further, Compton is a really long north-south street that runs from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in North City all the way to deep South City at Delor Street. Many use it, and at high speeds, especially between Delmar down to Gravois. Living here for 15 years, I’ve seen some of the most selfish, reckless and hateful driving along this stretch. It really is lawless and terrifying. I’m not being hyperbolic or dramatic to prove a point.
This makes both locations extremely high-impact and I’m thrilled the work was completed professionally. The contractors hired by the city did an amazing job, and I’m really pleased with the end results as traffic calming measures.
But, I know what you are thinking: “they won’t last”, or “the fools will destroy them”. You are partially correct if not justified and taking the negative Karen approach. Just look at all the tire marks of distracted or ill-intentioned drivers on these newly installed bump outs. The evidence of car/driver damage already exists. When these are fully hit by someone at a speed that is not uncommon to witness, will the city replace them? Or, let them rot in place?
This is a key consideration and it will likely be up to the citizens to complain and advocate for replacement. Don’t wait for some politician or city department employee to step up. That’s not how it works here.
All that said, I am initially thrilled with the work and the effects on driver behavior.
I’d rather see this level of traffic calming in every neighborhood than branding via streetlight banners, signs, etc. It makes us all safer: drivers, residents, pedestrians, visitors…you name it.
This is my kinda curb appeal!
More please, all over the city, Baden to the Patch, Downtown to Skinker-DeBaliviere. If I ran the show, we’d be using Federal windfall funds on this stuff. It benefits EVERYONE, not just a select few and it will last for years and could actually save lives.
