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June 2005 |
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Afternoon in the Intersection of Equality and Safety School and Ped Safety Bills Passed Taking It To the (Healthy) Streets DuPage County Observes Bike Day |
Afternoon in the Intersection of Equality
and Safety So, a blind man, a bicyclist, a motorist and a wheelchair rider arrive at the corner of Clark and LaSalle streets at the same time ... Fast forward to the punchline: They all encounter hazards, and they work together to find solutions. At the March 31 Soles and Spokes Real Intersection Design Workshop, sponsored by the Chicago Area Transportation Study as part of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Healthy Streets Conference, nearly 45 participants did just that. Dividing into teams representing limited mobility, the visually impaired, motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, mass transit and streetscaping, the workshop sought to make-over this major intersection with equal accommodation to all, whether they arrive in an SUV or a wheelchair. The only rule was, make the intersection safe, and exclude no users. Participants were given a crash course in design, led by intersection design expert Michael King of the New York City consulting firm, Nelson/Nygaard. Then, they split into teams and, independently of one another, evaluated the intersection from the perspective of their assigned user-groups. Finally, they reported their recommendations to optimize access and safety for their respective constituencies. For the wheelchair group, this included relocating a fireplug from the center of a sidewalk, fixing the slopes to the crosswalks and increasing the crossing signal times. For the motorists, making sure that the lanes of LaSalle line up on each side of the intersection was a priority. The bicyclists asked for little more than a lane of their own and a “bike box,” or advanced stop bar, to help make the left turn from LaSalle onto north bound Clark. What would seem to be a recipe for conflict, became instead a study in how groups protecting their own interests can find common ground when the guiding standards are fairness and safety. For example, each group sought to tame the "soft" right turn from southbound Clark to southbound LaSalle. Tightening the other corners served the interests of both pedestrians and motorists, who sought to moderate speed in the intersection. None of the design recommendations contradicted the others in any substantive way. The six teams presented practical, doable solutions, which were forwarded to the city of Chicago for review. CBF Planning Director Nick Jackson said CBF hopes to develop partnerships so this process can be used to remedy other dangerous interesections.
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