New Rochelle is blessed with trains, buses, taxis, and rental cars and the city has celebrated this cornucopia of transport choice by building a transit center in 2004 complete with parking for those that want to drive to public transport. Unfortunately, as illustrated by the sign above, it is not so friendly for pedestrians. I see this as a flaw to be corrected and raised it at a community meeting last week run by Nelson Nygaard, a planning company hired by the City of New Rochelle to assess and make recommendations about Traffic Circulation in downtown. The transit center is an important hub so it featured in the meeting's discovery walks and the subsequent discussion.
I tend to get a little hot and bothered about the transit center because whether I exit the station at the east end, the west end or via the front of the station, I am confronted with cars and in only one location is there a crosswalk. Police stats show North Avenue (at the east end of the station) is hazardous for pedestrians. I don't know how many pedestrians are hit doing the Look Ma No Crosswalk Sprint but I've had some close calls and seen others dodging traffic in creative ways.
During the Traffic Circulation meeting we were asked to name areas of improvement. Of course I contributed improving walkability at the train station. I also put in a plug for my husband's favorite - covering the I-95 in front of the train station to create a plaza. This is in keeping with old design documents we were shown by New Rochelle's phenomenal city historian, Barbara Davis, and would be an amazing transformation of a horrible slash through our city and a dream some of us have to make the train station a meeting place and a hub of economic activity beyond just transportation. But I digress.
Once we had named our areas of concern/improvement we were given green and red dots - green to place next to items we felt were priorities and red for areas we didn't see as needing action. I need to note here that it was not mandatory to use our red dots. I was astonished to find that people had placed red dots next to my point about improving walkability at the train station. RED dots!!! It was a great reminder that while I walk around viewing my city from the perspective of a pedestrian others do not. What I regard as self evident others do not.
I have work to do!
I tend to get a little hot and bothered about the transit center because whether I exit the station at the east end, the west end or via the front of the station, I am confronted with cars and in only one location is there a crosswalk. Police stats show North Avenue (at the east end of the station) is hazardous for pedestrians. I don't know how many pedestrians are hit doing the Look Ma No Crosswalk Sprint but I've had some close calls and seen others dodging traffic in creative ways.
During the Traffic Circulation meeting we were asked to name areas of improvement. Of course I contributed improving walkability at the train station. I also put in a plug for my husband's favorite - covering the I-95 in front of the train station to create a plaza. This is in keeping with old design documents we were shown by New Rochelle's phenomenal city historian, Barbara Davis, and would be an amazing transformation of a horrible slash through our city and a dream some of us have to make the train station a meeting place and a hub of economic activity beyond just transportation. But I digress.
Once we had named our areas of concern/improvement we were given green and red dots - green to place next to items we felt were priorities and red for areas we didn't see as needing action. I need to note here that it was not mandatory to use our red dots. I was astonished to find that people had placed red dots next to my point about improving walkability at the train station. RED dots!!! It was a great reminder that while I walk around viewing my city from the perspective of a pedestrian others do not. What I regard as self evident others do not.
I have work to do!
A pedestrian in search of a sidewalk. The entry to the train station is on the left. This is one of the odder not-a-sidewalk's that I have seen. Most of it is wide enough for a sidewalk, it has a curb like a sidewalk but it has a big barrier, a no pedestrians sign, and a nipped in section where it almost disappears right in front of the train station. Pedestrians end up walking on the road because the other side of the road is not the obvious choice.
The other side of the road. There is a sidewalk but where it meets the rental car parking and the bus lanes it curves around inside the building. Pedestrians are like water, they tend to flow in the most direct route so most of us walk straight ahead rather than negotiate hoses, equipment and people washing rental cars inside a building.
The official walkway inside the transit center looking towards the train station. In case you are wondering, it spits you out in a car park.
We CAN do better!
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