Quote:
Originally Posted by SAonFire
I realize that there is similar, but older information, posted elsewhere so I decided to post this updated stuff here. (What I found particularly interesting was the pdf file provided by one of the folks commenting on the story. I also liked his or her idea of closing down one lane of Commerce, to vehicular traffic, in order to widen the sidewalk for better pedestrian flow as well as a bike lane).
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Wow, this nt82 person sounds like a really smart person with some great ideas.
It's true though; every time I walk along Commerce, I feel like I'm going to get sucked under a bus or if I get a bit clutsy, that I might trip and fall in the street and not get up in time to avoid getting hit by one of the cars or oversized SUV's going 45+mph.
People need to feel safe, and if that means losing a lane which is underutilized anyways, or adding a barrier (parked cars) or widening the sidewalk and adding additional clearance with a bike lane, then so be it.
Heck, I'd go big with it; widen the sidewalk, put 4-6 trees along Commerce for some shade (since the awning is getting removed) and a bike lane for extra clearance. It turns to 4 lanes after that corner anyway (at Alamo) and with a bit of realigning by cutting the small triangle near the ToF, the 4 lanes east of Alamo can align with the 4 lanes west of it.
Also, I think that the "bus" lane is pretty narrow (as you can see in this pic below) anyways, and over by Fogo de Chao, there's only 4 lanes for the Marriott RW loading areas. If you realign from the garage entrance (make it a "enter only" lane) you'd only be losing a lane for a little over 100 yards (maybe). Plus, you could get a bit more room in front of St. Joseph's for pedestrians, especially on the weekends when there are wedding party's and such standing out front.
from
https://maps.google.com/
Instead of that, you could have something like this...
It just creates a better (and safer) pedestrian experience.