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Many years ago I was involved in a new development project which involved creating a number of city blocks and streets and connecting them to existing neighbourhoods. This is Southern California, a place with a visceral attachment and dependence on cars.
To create a walkable project, I placed traffic lights and crosswalks at each intersection approximately 250 feet apart along the development’s central street. However, after hearing many traffic engineers talk about how they prefer traffic signals and crosswalks as their way to steak – “rarely” – I became convinced that my tight placement of signals would not pass the requirements of engineering standards. I asked the traffic engineer hired by my company for help, and to my surprise, he said there was nothing wrong with my design. He explained that he would only coordinate traffic signal times and submit a study showing that traffic would not be impeded. Relieved, I asked, “But why are other engineers telling me it can’t be done?” I’ll never forget his response: “You need to hire the right traffic engineers.”
In fact, the success of your project depends on the quality and creativity of the professionals you hire, whether you hire professionals with the appropriate areas of expertise, and their ability to identify valid standards and those that need to be addressed.
We have some recent examples in Somerville that illustrate this principle – some with good results and some that need improvement.
Last year, a resident petitioned the Somerville Town Council to build a new crosswalk at West Carolina Avenue and Laurel Street — an intersection that connects the park to several churches. Sounds sensible. However, Department of Transportation (DOT) standards are less concerned with pedestrian convenience or safety, instead prioritizing traffic throughput. (In some cases, you have to show at least five accidents at the intersection in a year before a new signal is considered justified.) In the case of Carolina Avenue, the DOT requires at least a quarter between stops Miles (1,320 feet) distance indication. Unfortunately, there is already a stop sign just 250 feet away on Beaufort Street. Undeterred, the City Council creatively directed that existing crosswalks and stop signs on Beaufort Street be relocated to Laurel Street. But things will get better. After the new stop signs were installed and before the existing ones were removed in Beaufort, it became clear that, contrary to the Department of Transportation’s predictions, the sky was not falling. Pedestrians can cross the street more safely and there is less traffic congestion. Recognizing this, the City Council wisely and unanimously voted to keep both stop signs, taking us a small step toward making Somerville more walkable and proving that DOT standards should not be taken as gospel.
Turning our attention to Central Avenue, a much-anticipated sidewalk project is moving forward at the speed of… government. As part of the Vision 2014 plan, new sidewalks will eventually extend along the avenue from Western Carolina to Orangeburg Road in Knightsville. Preliminary engineering plans were developed in 2020 and the project is still awaiting full funding. One day the new pavement would be a significant improvement over the current various seasonal meadows and ditches, however, after careful review of the engineer’s drawings it was discovered that some key elements were missing from the design. For example, the new sidewalk will only run on the north side of the avenue, and there will be no crosswalks at the intersection to connect to the sidewalk. That means crossing the street on the corner will be just as dangerous as it is today, and if you happen to live on the south side of Central Avenue, you’re out of luck. Since there are only three existing (and rather tenuous) places for pedestrians to cross Central Avenue, you’ll need to trek about a mile through the grass to get to the lights and crosswalk before accessing the sidewalk on the north side. The silver lining of this project taking so long is that there is now time to revisit and correct these oversights.
At the same time, the construction of the extension of G. Myers Avenue in Berlin is also progressing steadily. Once complete, it will provide an alternative route to Main Street. (BTW, I’m starting to think the “Park Avenue” designation is in name only, since I haven’t encountered a park or landscape element along the road yet.) Anyway, that’s good news. The not-so-good news is that traffic engineers use tigers to do the cat’s job. At the intersection of East Carolina Avenue, where two four-lane roads intersect, they designed an interstate-style overpass with “overpasses,” on and off ramps and lane diverters. This is a machine that moves the car at the expense of everything else. It will comply with all DOT standards and be a traffic engineer’s dream. But unfortunately, it would be a nightmare for pedestrians and cyclists. Want to walk or bike to the nearby Sawmill Trailhead? You have to play “Frogger” and negotiate four separate turns on and off the ramp, hoping that speeding drivers will give you the right of way. According to a study by the Missouri Department of Transportation, “SPUI” grade intersections, such as this one, are among the worst for pedestrians. The researchers found that pedestrians and cyclists have long distances to travel and may need up to four green light cycles. At the same time, throughput efficiency requires “traffic movement”[es] Crossroads can be passed at any time. ” The study further warns: “The literature recommends discouraging pedestrian activity [at such intersections]”.
The new grade crossing will be difficult for pedestrians and cyclists and I suspect it will also be difficult for the eyes. With its utilitarian aesthetic, the interchange will now quite literally serve as the gateway to Somerville’s historic district.
Looking back, it didn’t have to be this way. If urban designers were involved, or traffic engineers just looked at other cities, they would see countless precedents for successful multi-lane boulevard and boulevard grade intersections, whether in Columbia, Greenville, or wherever traffic is more dense Places like New York or Chicago. If designed correctly, pedestrians, cyclists and cars can all coexist safely. Rather than building a multi-million dollar elevated grade crossing, the money could be used to build a beautiful boulevard, new connections and entrances to Sawmill Trail, and a proper gateway to Somerville.
It’s a good reminder that town design is not a science of applying standards and maximizing vehicle throughput, but an art of creative placemaking. This is exactly the realm of architecture and urban design. As an architect, I always hire traffic engineers because of their expertise in setting standards, solving technical problems, and improving efficiency. However, these are only a subset of the many considerations in possible designs—they are not actual designs. After all, towns are not machines.
As we continue to improve Somerville, we should create welcoming places, memorable experiences, synergies, strengthen connections and enhance quality of life. In other words, towns are designed for people. While standards do help and transportation engineers play a key role, this effort should be led by urban designers, architects, and planners with a background in livable place design.
Is there a way and time to improve the Berlin G. Myers plan? The answer is always yes, with creativity, the right mindset and political will.
Eric Epstein is a Summerville resident and principal of Epstein Architecture, a design practice focused on bringing people together s project. He also teaches architecture and urban design and occasionally serves as a guest critic at architecture schools.His contact information may be eric@epsteinarchitecture.com.
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