On September 5, the City Council approved the Charles Avenue Friendly Street project, which will remake Charles into a street that emphasizes safe bicycling and walking.  The project was first proposed in the Central Corridor Bike/Walk Action Plan, and then reinforced in the light rail station area plans. It was recognized some years back that the new configuration of University Avenue would not have adequate space for dedicated bike lanes, and as such nearby parallel routes would be needed to accommodate cyclists. Two years ago, a group of Hamline-Midway and Frogtown residents started a grassroots process to find out what kinds of things neighbors would like to see happen on Charles and nearby streets.  Earlier this year, Transit for Livable Communities funded preliminary design work of what these grassroots efforts determined to be the community's priorities.  The Charles Avenue Friendly Streets Project developed a great deal of momentum.

Residents at one of the Charles Friendly Streets block parties last summer.

Financing has been secured for several elements of the project, including street signs on Charles and stencils on the street indicating that the street is a bicycle boulevard, as well as new median pedestrian/bicycle refuges at the major intersections of Snelling, Lexington, Dale, and Marion.   The treatment at Snelling became far and away the most contested element of the project, as area businesses led by the Holcomb, Henry, Boom Purcell Funeral Home expressed concerns about the loss of left turn movements at Snelling and Charles.  Hearing this concern at the first city-led community meeting about the project, Public Works staff went back and looked for a way to mitigate the concerns of the businesses while maintaining the integrity of the original plan and vision for Charles.  They proposed opening the median at Sherburne and Snelling to allow left turns there, one block south of Charles.  The net effect of this would be that those trying to get to the funeral home via automobile from the north could travel just one extra block to Sherburne, and either go around the block or make a legal u-turn. 

An example of the kind of treatment that major intersections on Charles will have once the project is complete.

This compromise struck me a reasonable balance between creating a safe crossing for cyclists and pedestrians using Charles, while also accommodating area business customers.  During the course of the public process on this project, there were many conversations about what is safest for pedestrians and cyclists.  Some people argued that signalized intersections are always safest.  The City's professional traffic engineers pointed out that part of the idea of the treatments on Charles at the major intersections is to eliminate the potential conflicts brought about by vehicles' turning movements. Saint Paul's most recent pedestrian fatality occurred when the pedestrian was in the right of way in a crosswalk, crossing with a green walk sign light, and was hit by a vehicle turning right.  This points to the reality that not all safety issues can be resolved by engineering, and that as motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists, we all have a responsibility to be more vigilant about safety.

The initial elements of the Charles Friendly Streets project will be constructed next summer and be the City's first bicycle boulevard in advance of the Green Line beginning operations in 2014   

MNDOT launched its pedestrian safety education campaign statewide on September 25.  My office organized the St Paul launch event at 7th and  Kellogg in downtown Saint Paul, and it was great to see so many volunteers participate to raise awareness about this issue. Special thanks to community members, St Paul Police officers, and St Paul Fire and Public Works employees, and St. Paul Smart Trips staff who participated.  

This education campaign is something that many pedestrian safety advocates and I have been waiting a long time for.  While state law provides that vehicles must stop for pedestrians at crosswalks - and EVERY corner is a crosswalk, whether marked or unmarked - there has never been widespread messaging about the law.  Additionally, the data shows that statewide, responsibility for pedestrian crashes falls evenly  between motorists and pedestrians.  Even if a pedestrian is doing right by the law, s/he is not protected from injury.  As motorists and pedestrians, we all have a responsibility to educate ourselves about the laws as motorists and pedestrians, and to look out for each other. Pedestrian injuries and deaths are nearly all preventable. I will also be working with my colleagues, the Mayor's office, and the Police Department on strengthening enforcement efforts in this area.

Please visit the pedestrian safety campaign's website and share the information with neighbors, colleagues, and community groups.