The medians on University Ave. are they useful?


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“Those orange cones are not enough.”

About two weeks ago, several residents of North Park reported accidents at the university, a few blocks east of Texas Avenue.

Bob LaRose, who lives closer to Morley Field, emailed Councilor Stephen Whitburn on November 9. University Avenue, “the street, ends up with ambiguous and misleading lane signs that cause people to dig into midway and / or parked cars,” he wrote. in part of the email. “A number of cars have already been seriously damaged, and fortunately, so far no one that I know of has been injured.”

Bob and Joan LaRose: “We really didn’t need a median on the road that was too narrow for that. I don’t care what the planners say. “

On November 22, I spoke to an employee of Jack’s Muffler; the store is on the corner of Mississippi and college, about three blocks west of the questionable set of Medians. “I thought to myself, ‘What was that? Said the employee. “As I was leaving work after 5 pm a few days ago, I saw a black or blue car above the median. I think the people who live in that area don’t know that they put in a new median, and they didn’t expect that median to appear all of a sudden. “

There are [18,637 average-daily-traffic][1] cars and trucks driving past the university [2][Jack’s Muffler Services] – including the car driven by LaRose, 75, and his wife, Joan, 71. The couple have lived in North Park for 17 years. “There have been a lot of reported accidents there,” LaRose told me on Nov. 21. “You can see a lot of scuff marks on the unfinished midline to see where the tires hit them.”

“I saw the kid in the truck you mentioned. He was above the median. I almost did the same … “

Joan took pictures of the Median News as her husband drove east on University past the Muffler Store, Louisiana Street, then Caliber Collision on the corner of University and Arizona. The LaRose midwayers told me about being in front of the Caliber collision automotive store.

Coming from the direction of the North Park sign, heading west on University, a North Park resident pulled over, took two photos of the same ‘problematic’ median on the opposite side from Joan LaRose’s perspective, then posted the images on the NextDoor app. “You can see where the tires of many vehicles have been rubbing the median,” it reads below.

Joan LaRose continued, “This ‘road improvement’ runs from Florida east to the 805. The lanes will be very narrow, one for a bus / bike lane and one for smooth traffic. … We really didn’t need a median on the road that was too narrow for that. I don’t care what the planners say. They won’t drive on it every day. If you drive that, you’ll see scuff marks. throughout this new median as it weaves its way through and aligns with the road unsettles drivers. Perhaps this will improve when the road is paved and noticed, but in the meantime, be careful! “

JM, of North Park, notified his neighbors of Nextdoor on Nov. 8. only about 25mph and swerved to miss it which could have caused a crash in itself. I just walked past it, and a truck had completely destroyed it and had broken down, stuck on the other side. The poor guys. It was a bad idea, to begin with, from a traffic point of view, and now they’re just plain dangerous. “

Someone from Hillcrest corroborated what JM said: “I saw the kid in the truck you mentioned. He was above the median. I almost did the same, then a car tried to merge into my lane at the same time. “

On November 10, Ryan Darsey, director of community engagement in Councilor Whitburn’s office, emailed LaRose. “Hello bob [LaRose], thank you for contacting our office regarding these concerns. I received a few calls about this yesterday, and immediately reached out to advocate on behalf of our residents and their concerns. Today, the contractor will begin adding additional measures to help visibility of the new improvements, which will include temporary bands and additional signage … “

LaRose said construction on the new University Avenue medians began about two months ago; he sent me the picture Joan took on November 12th. “Some of the old track lines were still visible which, if followed, made drivers sink straight into the median,” he explained to me.

“They need to add lights to it,” the Jack’s Muffler worker suggested. “Those orange cones are not enough.”

Federal highway administration website states that adding a raised median is approximately $ 15,000 to $ 30,000 per 100 feet for US taxpayers, depending on site conditions, design and whether the median can be “added as part of an improvement in public services or another street construction project.

“Medians … are an advantage for pedestrians because they can serve as a place of refuge for pedestrians crossing a street mid-block or at intersections. . “

The medians on University are distributed at the intersection of Arnold and University.

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