Month: September 2020

Windsor Ave is a great way to bike to Towers

Windsor Ave was a fun road to discover. The first couple of times that I biked from downtown to the Towers shopping center I used Brandon Ave and it was terrifying. Discovering Windsor Ave, and that it allowed me to mostly avoid Brandon Ave was exciting.

As it is, Windsor Ave is a pretty functional bicycle boulevard. It may not be signed as one, or designated as one, or designed in any way as one, but if you find it then it is pretty useful. There is a somewhat parallel signed bicycle route on Maiden Lane and Wasena Ave that allows access to Wasena Village. But there is no question, in my mind, that Windsor Ave provides unique access to Tower, which is otherwise scary and dangerous to access by bike.

What I’d like to see is for Windsor Ave to go from a hidden gem that is functional if you know how to use it to a bicycle route that is recognized by everyone and is designed so that most people use it in the safest manner possible.

Map of Windsor Ave Bike Route

Map of Windsor Ave Bike Route

Current Bike Routes in Wasena

Current Bike Routes in Wasena

This post is organized going from the Towers Shopping Center to Raleigh Court Park because the improvements close to Towers are much more important to the crucial function of Windsor Ave – providing a low-speed, low-traffic alternative to Brandon Ave in order to access Towers by bike.

Access to Towers happens at 23rd Street SW. There is a short discontinuity between the end of Windsor and 23rd Street. The way that I deal with this discontinuity is using the driveway that leads to the Tropical Smoothie Cafe to move onto the sidewalk on the north side of Brandon Ave for one block and then line up to cross Brandon Ave at 23rd Street SW in the parking lot of Tech Squared Inc. Since Brandon Ave is the major roadway at this intersection I’ve never found myself not waiting at a red light. If there was oncoming traffic and the light was green when I got to the driveway in front of Tech Squared I would not necessarily expect it to stop for me even though I would have the right of way over left turning traffic.

The intersection of Windsor Ave and Brandon Ave is pretty large and unstructured. That’s probably difficult to change because of Brandon Driveway SW, but I think that there could be a bulb-out or sidewalk along the east side of Windsor Ave added in order to slow people turning onto Windsor without obstructing Brandon Driveway SW. A bulb-out or sidewalk along the east side of Windsor Ave might make people feel better about walking to Towers along Brandon Driveway SW, and might make it easier to transition from Windsor Ave to the sidewalk in front of Tropical Smoothie Cafe while biking. Making that biking transition easier and more likely would be good so that drivers exiting Tropical Smoothie Cafe can expect people. Right now, there are no visible cues that drivers should watch for people biking and walking other than the sidewalk color.

The current sidewalk is not continuous from the corner of Windsor and Brandon to the crosswalk at 23rd Street SW. This crosswalk is the only crosswalk across Brandon Ave for a one mile stretch from Brambleton Ave SW to Franklin Road. Although there is a ADA-accessible curb ramp, it is obstructed by what looks like a recently built traffic signal post. If a person bicycling did not feel comfortable riding through the intersection facing left turning traffic then they’d likely have to dismount to access the curb ramp. A person in a wheelchair would likely have to move into the street against traffic, or cross on the west side of the intersection where there is no painted crosswalk – although “Every Corner is a Crosswalk.” Making this sidewalk continuous would be a great improvement, but is unlikely given the cost of relocating the traffic light post.

Bridging the discontinuity could be improved with signage directing people from 23rd to Windsor. It may also be helpful to have sharrows or other markings at the intersection with 23rd in order to make drivers more aware of bicyclists using this type of crossing as part of a bicycle route.

Intersection of Brandon Driveway and Windsor Ave

Intersection of Brandon Driveway and Windsor Ave

Accessible curb cut blocked by traffic light post

Accessible curb cut blocked by traffic light post

Minimal disconnected sidewalk in front of Tech Squared

Minimal disconnected sidewalk in front of Tech Squared

After that discontinuity the next issue is the concrete diverter at Grace Street SW. I am an unabashed fan of traffic diverters and would love to see Roanoke implement more, but the City should make sure that there is designed room for people biking, walking, pushing strollers, walking dogs, or using wheelchairs to proceed through the diverter. I bike in the drainage ditch right now, but would really like a central cut-through that is at least 3-4 feet wide.

Current concrete diverter

Current concrete diverter

After the diverter the next place I’d like to see changes is at the intersection with Main Street. Green two-stage turn boxes would help draw attention to the bicycle boulevard and encourage people to use a two-stage turn to cross Main Street, which can be much easier and safer when there is traffic as there is no center turn lane or safe place to wait to turn left. This is probably more of a nice to have, but it would be an easy place to implement some infrastructure that I haven’t seen in Roanoke yet.

Other than those changes the biggest question is how to mark the bicycle boulevard so that people know it is there. Right now, Roanoke uses signage and it is easy to miss. There are basically two schools of thought for marking a bicycle boulevard with on-street markings:

  1. Edge Lane Striping (also known as Advisory Bike Lanes)
  2. Shared Lane Markings (Sharrows)

I personally would be really interested in seeing edge lane striping on bicycle boulevards in Roanoke. While not common in the United States, it has a good track record abroad and provides a much more continuous experience. One goal of either marking, to me, is to provide assurance to a person bicycling that they are on a route and lanes provide more guidance than occasional markings.

I am intrigued by sharrow-like markings that can be used for wayfinding. There is a NACTO-hosted document on wayfinding sharrows that looks interesting. Somewhat similar is a proposal for wayfinding bicycle dots from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. Something like that would be an improvement from signage and could be done in a way that leverage Roanoke imagery to provide a local branding to bicycle routes.

One other thing to consider is that there are several T-intersections along Windsor Ave. Traffic calming at those points might be beneficial and VDOT may have some ideas to use.

Statement to City Council on Labor Day Weekend Pedestrian Deaths

The Roanoke City Council resumed in person City Council meetings and did not offer a call-in option on September 8th. I was unable to attend in person, but drafted this statement which was printed and distributed to City Council in lieu of my ability to read it.

Thank you Mayor and members of the City Council for hearing me today. In May, I spoke to the Council about a person walking who was hit and killed on Brandon Avenue. 

Today, I am speaking because three people were killed by drivers while walking in Roanoke in the last week.

  • On Thursday, September 3rd, Albert Cager Jr. was hit and killed by a driver on Salem Turnpike NW.
  • On Friday, September 4th, a man and woman were hit by a driver on Williamson Road NE. The woman died.
  • On Monday, September 7th, a woman was hit and killed by a driver on Hershberger Road NW.

When the City of Roanoke launched its “Every Corner is a Crosswalk”pedestrian safety campaign this summer, three people had already been killed while walking in the city this year. Now, that number has doubled in less than a week.

The City of Roanoke needs to do more than admonish drivers to respect the legal rights of people walking. The City of Roanoke needs to take positive action to make its streets safer – it needs to invest in safe sidewalks throughout the city, invest in street lighting, and invest in crosswalks and infrastructure to slow down drivers and give space to people walking.

This deadly week highlights the need for the City Council to provide leadership to Roanoke’s built environment and correct past mistakes that have created dangerous conditions for people walking and biking. The Department of Public Works, City Manager, and others involved in making our streets safe, or unsafe, need to know that the City Council believes traffic deaths are preventable and supports them prioritizing the safety of people over the speed of vehicles.

Whether planning for a livable built environment in the City’s next Comprehensive Plan or making decisions about corridors during repaving, the City of Roanoke needs to actively decide to prioritize the safety of people walking, biking, taking transit, and driving in order to prevent tragedies like this in the future.

Small Greenway Accessibility Improvements

Sometimes small improvements can make all the difference. This post is a collection of smaller issues that I’ve noticed while riding on Roanoke Greenways. The common theme for many of the potential improvements in this post are that they limit accessibility to a greenway. What could be an access point is instead a barrier.

One issue with small projects is that there may not be a budget for small projects. It can sometimes be easier for an agency to plan and deliver a large project, which might be eligible for grant funding, over a small project, which might be too small to be worth putting the project out to bid for a contractor. This means that small issues can stay unsolved.

My hope with this post is to describe these small issues so that they can perhaps be bundled into larger projects in their relevant areas, be bundled together so that they can more easily access funding, or be solved in any other way.

Norwich Access Improvement

In the 2003 Neighborhood Plan for Norwich the Plan says “Many residents expressed that developing the river for recreational use with better accessibility is a high priority.” At the time of that Plan, there was no Roanoke River Greenway in the area.

When the Roanoke River Greenway was built, it was not connected to Norwich. Instead a fence separates the residents of Norwich from the Roanoke River Greenway where it is mere feet from the end of Ashlawn Street SW. A post marks a dirt path that people have likely made through accessing the Greenway here. It is a half mile walk, or ride, to the next access point at the current end of the Roanoke River Greenway at Bridge Street SW.

Improving access here could be as easy as removing part of the fence and laying down 10-15 feet of pavement to provide an access point.

Improving access here could also be part of any larger project of repaving in Norwich, if Ashlawn is repaved. Or if sidewalks and gutters were added to the neighborhood, which currently lacks them.

An additional improvement would be striping a crosswalk at the intersection of Ashlawn and Roanoke Ave SW to facilitate a connection between Norwich Park and the Roanoke River Greenway. Creating a good connection there could mean less vehicle traffic for softball games.

Fence blocking access to Roanoke River Greenway

A fence prevents access to the Roanoke River Greenway at Ashlawn Street without a walk through grass.

View of Ashlawn Street

Ashlawn Street lacks a sidewalk and ends at the Roanoke River Greenway.

West End/Hurt Park Access Improvement

At the end of 17th Street SW there is a gate and a dirt patch that turns to mud when there is rain. This could provide an access point for the West End and Hurt Park to the Roanoke River Greenway.

Aside from the dirt/mud pit, this access point is not ideal. To get to it you have to cross a railroad track once if coming from the west and three times if coming from the east. A more direct path through some of the industrial land along Cleveland Avenue SW could help improve access from the West End and Hurt Park.

The closest alternative access point is at Memorial Bridge. From any place west of 16th Street SW, this is likely to be the closest access point to the Roanoke River Greenway. From the intersection of 18th St SW and Patterson Ave SW, a person would save half a mile if they used this access point rather than the one at Memorial Bridge.

Improving access here could be as easy as laying down about 20 feet of paving where there is a mud pit today.

Improving access here could also be part of a larger project to clean up and redevelop the current industrial uses along Cleveland Ave, particularly if a connection could be made to Campbell Ave SW or 16th Street SW.

View from 17th Street looking toward Roanoke River Greenway

View from 17th Street looking toward Roanoke River Greenway

Roanoke River Greenway looking toward 17th Street

Large dirt patch seen from Roanoke River Greenway looking toward 17th Street

Best Buy Access Improvement

When the Lick Run Greenway crests over I-581 toward Valley View Mall, people are greeted by a sturdy fence that runs along the southwestern edge of the Best Buy parking lot. Eventually that fence ends and the parking lot opens up, but people biking or walking on the Greenway have to continue another thousand feet or so to the signalized intersection to turn into the parking lot.

A ramp and about 5-10 feet of paving could let people access the parking lot without having to deal with the signalized intersection.  That would be a great improvement as traffic is heavy at the intersection, making it an uncomfortable place to cross. There is bike parking by the Target and a ramp would ideally be placed to guide people to that bike parking without too much riding through the parking lot.

Lick Run Greenway at Target/Best Buy

Lick Run Greenway at Target/Best Buy

Gilmore/Patton Access Improvements

At Wells Ave SE, the Lick Run Greenway starts to become a real trail. Unfortunately for the people who live along Gilmore Ave NE and Patton Ave NE, there is no ramp along 2nd St SE that gives them access to the Lick Run Greenway. 

It is possible to cut through the parking lot of the Anstey Hodge Advertising Group and access the Lick Run Greenway without getting off your bike, or scooter, or wheelchair, or other mobility device. But, cutting through a parking lot is not an ideal solution and does not recognize that people deserve a public right of way to a public space.

For an area that has suffered so much due to transportation projects designed to tear up the community of historic Gainsboro, the least that can be done is to put a curb ramp and about 3-5 feet of trail so that people can access the trail without using the parking lot.

Solid curb at Gilmer Ave

Solid curb at Gilmer Ave

Disturbed plants where people might be accessing trail

Disturbed plants where people might be accessing trail through parking lot

Norris Dr NW Access Improvement

At Norris Drive NW the Lick Run Greenway is accessible from the cul-de-sac end of Norris Drive NW. For residents of Northwest Roanoke who are on the south side of Lick Run the next closest access to the Lick Run Greenway is at Brown-Robertson Park along 10th Street about a mile away. This is access point is the furthest western access point on the south side of I-581. For all these reasons, this should be an important access point as it has the potential to serve a large community in Northwest Roanoke who have no closer access point.

On either side of the bridge over Lick Run at this access point is a mix of gravel, dirt, and vegetation. When it rains, this area can get muddy and stay muddy. There is also the possibility of flooding, which is not exactly uncommon in Roanoke. Improving this access point is straightforward. It would require a paved path on either side of the existing bridge to provide a more consistent surface. My guess is that it would be 20 to 30 feet of path in total. It is possible that some stormwater management would add to the cost and complication of an improvement here, but that is only based on seeing pooled water in the cul-de-sac.

The area to the west of this access point appears to have a complicated development history and the City of Roanoke should improve this access point rather than wait for potential development to provide another access point for Northwest Roanoke or to improve this access point.

I don’t know if the potential for development has prevented Roanoke from investing in this area, but there are some oddities in the neighborhood in anticipation of some development. Andrews Road NW is incredibly wide, probably wide enough for six lanes of traffic or more. It seems likely that some of that width could be used to create a cycle track that connects this Lick Run Greenway access point to Kennedy Park, which has an extensive pathway system. Creating a connection there could also be as easy as adding wayfinding so that more people are aware that the Lick Run Greenway can be found here.

Lick Run Greenway at Norris Drive NW

Lick Run Greenway at Norris Drive NW