Comments on: Park Boulevard: the anatomy of a city street http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/01/21/park-boulevard-the-anatomy-of-a-city-street/ Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:18:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: KenO http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/01/21/park-boulevard-the-anatomy-of-a-city-street/#comment-8644 KenO Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:12:42 +0000 http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/?p=155#comment-8644 stoplight will help. bravo. later add bulbouts, etc. stoplight will help. bravo. later add bulbouts, etc.

]]> By: KenO http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/01/21/park-boulevard-the-anatomy-of-a-city-street/#comment-8643 KenO Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:11:32 +0000 http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/?p=155#comment-8643 solution2- take control of the two inner lanes on park, put in concrete berms to keep cars out, add dirt and gardens, trees. (also perhaps some depaving except where there are pipes...oops!) then it would be like stanford ave in oakland/emeryville, but with gardens. google "depave portland", "portland city repair" solution2- take control of the two inner lanes on park, put in concrete berms to keep cars out, add dirt and gardens, trees. (also perhaps some depaving except where there are pipes…oops!) then it would be like stanford ave in oakland/emeryville, but with gardens.

google “depave portland”, “portland city repair”

]]> By: KenO http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/01/21/park-boulevard-the-anatomy-of-a-city-street/#comment-8642 KenO Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:09:14 +0000 http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/?p=155#comment-8642 Sounds like Park Blvd in Oakland needs a road diet. Works well for the emeryville overpass by ikea which increased the bike lane safety margins substantially (yay eville! muahaha.) Seems to work well in Albany. I'm sure sooner or later "some people" will paint real crosswalks onto Park Blvd. If not that, then parking cars/dumping trash/growing food in the median for blocks at a time to trim the road down. Zoning needs to go out the window...then we'll be able to live that idyllic existence of ordinary human poverty, mumbai style. =] Sounds like Park Blvd in Oakland needs a road diet.

Works well for the emeryville overpass by ikea which increased the bike lane safety margins substantially (yay eville! muahaha.)

Seems to work well in Albany.

I’m sure sooner or later “some people” will paint real crosswalks onto Park Blvd. If not that, then parking cars/dumping trash/growing food in the median for blocks at a time to trim the road down.

Zoning needs to go out the window…then we’ll be able to live that idyllic existence of ordinary human poverty, mumbai style. =]

]]> By: dc http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/01/21/park-boulevard-the-anatomy-of-a-city-street/#comment-8640 dc Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:12:15 +0000 http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/?p=155#comment-8640 A postscript: I was pleased to read today that a traffic signal is planned for the intersection of Park Boulevard and Newton Avenue, where F.M. Smith park's community center is. This is a big step in the right direction---with that park and its playground right there, it's appalling that families are currently forced to brave that crosswalk, since most cars don't stop for pedestrians at the crosswalks on Park Boulevard unless they also have a red light... A postscript: I was pleased to read today that a traffic signal is planned for the intersection of Park Boulevard and Newton Avenue, where F.M. Smith park’s community center is. This is a big step in the right direction—with that park and its playground right there, it’s appalling that families are currently forced to brave that crosswalk, since most cars don’t stop for pedestrians at the crosswalks on Park Boulevard unless they also have a red light…

]]> By: dc http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/01/21/park-boulevard-the-anatomy-of-a-city-street/#comment-6109 dc Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:56:06 +0000 http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/?p=155#comment-6109 Joe: Thanks. I haven't talked to anyone in officialdom about Park Boulevard (except for one police officer who <a href="http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/09/17/traffic-calming-on-park-boulevard-today/" rel="nofollow">was working a speed trap on Park</a> in September). Given the improvements to some other streets like <a href="http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/10/29/a-site-for-sore-eyes-and-sore-bicycle-rims-on-lakeshore-ave/" rel="nofollow">Lakeshore</a> and <a href="http://www.walkoaklandbikeoakland.org/pages/page.php?pageid=24" rel="nofollow">Harrison</a>, there might be hope for similar efforts on Park, but I have the feeling that resistance from a lot of drivers would be fierce, since any changes to Park would be (accurately!) perceived as an effort to slow their access to the freeway. Even more than Lakeshore, I think Park is seen as a commuter artery instead of a city street. Joe: Thanks. I haven’t talked to anyone in officialdom about Park Boulevard (except for one police officer who was working a speed trap on Park in September). Given the improvements to some other streets like Lakeshore and Harrison, there might be hope for similar efforts on Park, but I have the feeling that resistance from a lot of drivers would be fierce, since any changes to Park would be (accurately!) perceived as an effort to slow their access to the freeway. Even more than Lakeshore, I think Park is seen as a commuter artery instead of a city street.

]]> By: Joe MacCarthy http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/01/21/park-boulevard-the-anatomy-of-a-city-street/#comment-6102 Joe MacCarthy Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:06:23 +0000 http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/?p=155#comment-6102 Great article. I live by Park and 580 and drop off my kids at a daycare on Park everyday. Traffic on Park goes unchecked by the police and the speeds probably hit 50mph on regular basis. Have you ever talked to the Traffic Engineers about your redesign of the street or other ways to slow down the traffic. I know budgets are tight but there has to be some sort of solution. Thanks for the post!! Great article. I live by Park and 580 and drop off my kids at a daycare on Park everyday. Traffic on Park goes unchecked by the police and the speeds probably hit 50mph on regular basis. Have you ever talked to the Traffic Engineers about your redesign of the street or other ways to slow down the traffic. I know budgets are tight but there has to be some sort of solution. Thanks for the post!!

]]> By: dc http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/01/21/park-boulevard-the-anatomy-of-a-city-street/#comment-98 dc Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:39:16 +0000 http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/?p=155#comment-98 Frankie D: Thanks. It's nice to hear that other people in the area feel the same way about Park Blvd. I find that a lot of drivers are very apologetic if they realize that they cut off or almost hit someone who was on a bicycle or on foot. While there are of course some real jerks behind the wheel, most drivers around here seem well-meaning but somewhat oblivious. Frankie D: Thanks. It’s nice to hear that other people in the area feel the same way about Park Blvd. I find that a lot of drivers are very apologetic if they realize that they cut off or almost hit someone who was on a bicycle or on foot. While there are of course some real jerks behind the wheel, most drivers around here seem well-meaning but somewhat oblivious.

]]> By: Frankie D http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/01/21/park-boulevard-the-anatomy-of-a-city-street/#comment-97 Frankie D Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:01:11 +0000 http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/?p=155#comment-97 This has been one of the best posts I've read regarding a problem street in Oakland. I am very familar with Park Blvd. as a pedestrian, driver and cyclist. Shoot, I almost got hit by a car while in the cross walk on upper Park Blvd. just this morning, no harm was done and the driver was very apologetic. The post WWII mentality among Oakland officials was to let the traffic engineers run rough shod throughout the city to improve vehicular access to the freeways at the expense of pedestrians and neighborhoods. This mentality persisted among city officials even into the late 1980's and could still possibly exist with some today. This along with other factors resulted in neighborhood safety spiraling downward, from a lack of pedestrians due to unwalkable, unsafe streets. Of course at the time the traffic engineers were first dreaming up what was to become these "expressways of fear", gas was 30 cents a gallon and we were all going to be in flying cars by 2009. The cosmetic changes to make the lower part of Park Blvd. as nice as the part above 580 or even Park Street in Alameda are not that cost prohibative. It just take better education of the public and the elected officials, which you are providing with this post and active community organization. This has been one of the best posts I’ve read regarding a problem street in Oakland. I am very familar with Park Blvd. as a pedestrian, driver and cyclist. Shoot, I almost got hit by a car while in the cross walk on upper Park Blvd. just this morning, no harm was done and the driver was very apologetic. The post WWII mentality among Oakland officials was to let the traffic engineers run rough shod throughout the city to improve vehicular access to the freeways at the expense of pedestrians and neighborhoods. This mentality persisted among city officials even into the late 1980′s and could still possibly exist with some today. This along with other factors resulted in neighborhood safety spiraling downward, from a lack of pedestrians due to unwalkable, unsafe streets. Of course at the time the traffic engineers were first dreaming up what was to become these “expressways of fear”, gas was 30 cents a gallon and we were all going to be in flying cars by 2009. The cosmetic changes to make the lower part of Park Blvd. as nice as the part above 580 or even Park Street in Alameda are not that cost prohibative. It just take better education of the public and the elected officials, which you are providing with this post and active community organization.

]]> By: dc http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/01/21/park-boulevard-the-anatomy-of-a-city-street/#comment-94 dc Sun, 25 Jan 2009 02:31:36 +0000 http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/?p=155#comment-94 OaklanderOnline: Thanks! I agree that deep breathing would be helpful for a lot of people in our culture. Unfortunately, the people who are most likely to take some deep breaths, or meditate, or do yoga, or go for long walks, are probably the people who need to do it the least. eric: Yes, Rockridge. Oakland actually has quite a few little commercial districts that are thriving pedestrian zones, including Rockridge, Piedmont Ave, Temescal (Telegraph from 47th to 51st or so), pockets of downtown, Lakeshore Ave near me, and as I mentioned in the post, Chinatown and Fruitvale, which are both buzzing immigrant neighborhoods. I just don't like how dead all the dead patches in between are. Parts of Telegraph, for instance, are pretty deserted after the sun goes down, which is weird since less than half a mile in either direction you can find busy restaurants, bars, cafes, etc. Things do seem to be improving slowly.. When I moved to this neighborhood there was one coffeehouse within a 10 minute walk. Now there are four, all of them friendly independents. If I'm willing to walk 15 minutes, then I can probably find 10 or more. Not too shabby. I hope this lousy economy doesn't do too much damage (unemployment reached 9.3 in California in December -- probably over 10 by now). OaklanderOnline: Thanks! I agree that deep breathing would be helpful for a lot of people in our culture. Unfortunately, the people who are most likely to take some deep breaths, or meditate, or do yoga, or go for long walks, are probably the people who need to do it the least.

eric: Yes, Rockridge. Oakland actually has quite a few little commercial districts that are thriving pedestrian zones, including Rockridge, Piedmont Ave, Temescal (Telegraph from 47th to 51st or so), pockets of downtown, Lakeshore Ave near me, and as I mentioned in the post, Chinatown and Fruitvale, which are both buzzing immigrant neighborhoods. I just don’t like how dead all the dead patches in between are. Parts of Telegraph, for instance, are pretty deserted after the sun goes down, which is weird since less than half a mile in either direction you can find busy restaurants, bars, cafes, etc.

Things do seem to be improving slowly.. When I moved to this neighborhood there was one coffeehouse within a 10 minute walk. Now there are four, all of them friendly independents. If I’m willing to walk 15 minutes, then I can probably find 10 or more. Not too shabby. I hope this lousy economy doesn’t do too much damage (unemployment reached 9.3 in California in December — probably over 10 by now).

]]> By: eric http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/2009/01/21/park-boulevard-the-anatomy-of-a-city-street/#comment-93 eric Sun, 25 Jan 2009 00:42:20 +0000 http://www.fragmentaryevidence.com/?p=155#comment-93 One more note about commercial space: it all depends on the bigger ecosystem. Right now there are at least a dozen storefronts vacant along mass ave. between porter square and the arlington border. I think part of the problem is that the avenue is just a long line, with stores spread evenly along it--so it's more of a car throughfare than a pedestrian district. It helps if instead, as you say, there are little clumps that can become mini-destinations--like that place out there--Rock Ridge, or whatever it's called. All this must be standard urbanist fare, right? It is pretty interesting. One more note about commercial space: it all depends on the bigger ecosystem. Right now there are at least a dozen storefronts vacant along mass ave. between porter square and the arlington border. I think part of the problem is that the avenue is just a long line, with stores spread evenly along it–so it’s more of a car throughfare than a pedestrian district. It helps if instead, as you say, there are little clumps that can become mini-destinations–like that place out there–Rock Ridge, or whatever it’s called. All this must be standard urbanist fare, right? It is pretty interesting.

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