Hi - There will be major improvements made to this intersection beginning next year. These improvements will include sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian signals. - Kent Kent Johnson Transportation Engineering Technician Office of the City Engineer City of Ithaca 108 E. Green St. Ithaca, New York 14850 (607) 274-6528, (607) 327-0316 (cell) [EMAIL PROTECTED]
--- On Wed, 6/18/08, Margaret McCasland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: Margaret McCasland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [SustainableTompkins] Rt 13 at Third To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: "Sustainable Tompkins County listserv" <[email protected]> Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 10:47 AM Hi Kent, Do you know the history of this intersection? It used to be painted for crosswalks, but the State did not repaint after a major repaving about 7 years ago. When Aldi's was built, they paid thousands of dollars towards a safer crossing. I think that money is still waiting to be used, to be pooled with DOT and local (ideally from fed grants) funds. This is an essential intersection for people--many of them Northside residents without cars--who need to cross there to get to Aldi's and the Community Gardens as well as the IFM (maybe even B&W). I think a pedestrian island combined with zebra stripes would work best. People with kids and or limited mobility could go half way, and then safely wait for the next crossing cycle. This is often done in large cities with wide boulevards and many lanes of traffic. But it also seems ideal for this otherwise very dangerous but very important crossing. It also could be THE bike/pedestrian gateway from downtown to Stewart Park and the whole Waterfront Trail. (Dey St, would be harder to make safe, as a major crossing.) It would be an attractive way to welcome people to a walkable, bikeable city! However the island should NOT have plantings, which can obscure views of smaller people, folks in wheelchairs, recumbent bikes, etc (as an aside, some of the existing islands should have some of their plantings removed, to be replaced with ONLY very low plants). One of your predecessors wanted a pedestrian bridge, and therefore did not push the state DOT for "lesser" options, or even for restriping the crossing on an interim basis. But a bridge would be an obstacle for all but very fit people not carrying much stuff. I know that this has to be a City-State partnership, but the state DOT will do exactly nothing until the City insists on a solution that works for a wide range of city residents. Thanks, Margaret McCasland (former member of the City BPAC) 511 First St. 272-2544 _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
