Barlow Street Needs a Complete Approach

by Gary Howe

I encourage everyone to drive down Barlow Street, from Carver to South Airport, and count the number of people waking dangerously on the side of the street. Each time I find myself on this street, I start counting the cringe worthy moments when someone is put into a dangerous situation because of the lack of infrastructure and design to address the urban context. 

 

It is dangerous by design to have a high speed street without sidewalks, bike lanes, and nary a crosswalk within sight. This is on all of us. The recent death and countless injuries are on all of us for not addressing the needs of all along Barlow Street.

 

I urge all of us at the City, County Road Commission, and Township to find the political will to transform Barlow Street into a safe, comfortable, and inviting corridor. I’m afraid the rural solution of widen the roadway with wider shoulders is highly inadequate and will likely worsen the problem. Wider streets equal faster speeds, faster speeds equal a decrease in safety and even more unequal treatment for those on foot, wheelchair, or bike. 

The City and the Road Commission have passed Complete Street resolutions. We have done so because streets designed for everyone create a better, more equal, and more prosperous community. Let’s find the will do what is right on Barlow Street.

Gary Howe is at a Traverse City Commissioner (Mayor Pro-tem), placemaking advocate, photographer extraordinaire, writer at A Strong Traverse City and beagle lover. You can follow him on twitter @GLHJR.

Recent Barlow Street stories:

A More Walkable Barlow Street by Tyler Bevier

Barlow Street Needs All of Our Voices by Laura Otwell

Please email the County Road Commission, Township Planning and Supervisor, and City planning, manager and commission if you agree that Barlow Street needs to be made safer for all people with sidewalks, crosswalks and, better lighting and bike lanes.

jcook@gtcrc.org
cbrown@gtcrc.org
amarek@gtcrc.org
mmckellar@gtcrc.org
wmouser@gtcrc.org
jgillman@gtcrc.org

rlarrea@garfield-twp.com
ckorn@garfield-twp.com
dan@gtdieselservice.com
deeschmuckal@hotmail.com
sjdenterprisestc@gmail.com
molly@mollyago.com

rsoyring@traversecitymi.gov
mcolburn@traversecitymi.gov
citycommissioners@traversecitymi.gov

---

Passionate about a more walkable, bikable, livable Traverse City? Get involved with our pro walk/pro bike advocacy grupo HERE.

A More Walkable Barlow Street

by Tyler Bevier

To start 2017 in a more environmental friendly routine, I started the new year by going “Car-Free”. My goal was to walk in the footsteps of those in our community who do not own a car or have access to a personal vehicle. This included taking the bus daily to work, and walking home from weekly errands to the grocery store and the laundromat.

After researching more into BATA’s daily ridership, I found that approximately 1,500 – 1,800 commuters take the bus daily. This equates to roughly the number of parking spaces of four Larry C. Hardy parking decks! This is not counting the vast numbers of residents who walk or bike to work and daily errands.

Moving into my first house in the Traverse Heights neighborhood from my previous apartment in Old Town, the change in the neighborhood walkability was quickly realized. My first few weeks in the neighborhood, I started to walk and take the bus to Family Fare, Deerings Market on Barlow, The Kitchen on Woodmere and Edson Farms on Garfield. The sidewalk network, or lack-thereof was surprising.

To be fair, the City has installed sidewalks the full length of Rose Street from Boon to East Front Street. Coupled with improved lighting from Traverse City Light & Power and Traverse Heights Elementary, this corridor is pleasant to walk day or night.

Yet, many of our north-south and east-west thoroughfares are lacking sidewalk infrastructure, especially to community assets along the Barlow Corridor.

The perimeter of the Salvation Army center is equipped with sidewalks, yet quickly disappears into a front-lawn of a residence not more than a few feet from the center’s property line.

The Barlow Corridor is home to not only the Salvation Army, but other points-of-interest such as Cherry Capital Foods, Image 360, Gordon’s Food Service, Secretary of State Office, US Post Office and the Sail Inn. Collectively, these businesses offer a wide array of uses to area residents and accompanied by increased lighting & sidewalk infrastructure this could be a future neighborhood commercial center for Traverse Heights.

Last year, 3,178 riders used the Barlow/Salvation Army bus stop, and with the lack of sidewalk in either direction, it is likely that many users had to walk in the street throughout the year. From 2015 to 2016, Route 2 (purple) which serves Midtown, Library, Hastings, Traverse Heights Neighborhood, Barlow & Cherryland Center, experienced a 5.4% increase in ridership to a yearly total of just over 72,000 rides for the year. As BATA’s busiest route, walkable corridors will not only enhance ridership but the overall transit & walking experience.

Tyler Bevier is at a transportation planner at BATA, Traverse Heights resident, Wayne State University grad and shovel champion.You can contact him at tylerbevier@gmail.com.

---

---

Passionate about a more walkable, bikable, livable Traverse City? Get involved with our pro walk/pro bike advocacy grupo HERE.

Barlow Street Needs All of Our Voices

Should we just care about some people? Which people should we choose not to care about? Are some designated as disposable? What horrible questions to ask. This is in effect what we are doing when we are complacent and allow streets like Barlow to exist in our town. A street that is not designed to protect ALL people. A street that is dangerous by design.

Many people use Barlow, people live in adjacent neighborhoods, work along this corridor or access services. As you travel this section between Carver and South Airport you will usually encounter people on foot, bike or waiting at a BATA stop. People just trying to get to where they need to go. They are young and old. And they deserve better, they deserve best practices. We all do. Not a skinny muddy, or slushy cow path or gravel shoulder next to fast moving traffic. The message being sent here is we don’t care about you, use at your own risk.

Two unnecessary and tragic collisions recently occurred along Barlow Street. David Knoll died on this section, and another woman was injured, in two separate incidences. It’s not acceptable. It needs to be fixed. We need to demand it. What does a street look like that is safe for all? Picture your child safely walking home along this street. That is the street that should be built.

Woodmere Avenue was such a street, in the not too distant past, redesigned, given new life with sidewalks, bike lanes, a boulevard. A collaborative effort between multiple units of government. A complete street. A place to be proud of.

Our community did it before, let’s do it again. Make your voice heard. Let our leaders know that deaths and injuries on our streets are unacceptable and preventable. Demand streets that give everyone safe access no matter their mode of travel.

A shoulder and a line of white paint on a wider street that encourages faster vehicle speeds is not going to cut it . We need best practice traffic calming measures. We need proper sidewalks. We need protected bike lanes. We need well lit crosswalks. We need to do what is right. And we need to do it now. Let’s find the will to make it happen before more tragedies occur.

If you agree, please make your voice heard to those with the power to make the right decisions by emailing the County Road Commission, Township Planning and Supervisor, and City planning, manager and Commission:

jcook@gtcrc.org
cbrown@gtcrc.org
amarek@gtcrc.org
mmckellar@gtcrc.org
wmouser@gtcrc.org
jnelson@gtcrc.org

rlarrea@garfield-twp.com
ckorn@garfield-twp.com

rsoyring@traversecitymi.gov
mcolburn@traversecitymi.gov
citycommissioners@traversecitymi.gov