Here’s a few odds & ends from the wide world of neighborhood transportation:
Streetcar: CHS reports that the 12th Ave streetcar plan is picking up steam, with city councilmembers getting involved, SDOT including the Broadway/12th loop as an alignment possibility, and a new Facebook Group with a lot of members.
Street Art: Got some art skillz? Time is running out to get your application in for the signal box art decal program. Submissions due July 24th.
Chicanes: Back in March we mentioned the city’s plan to install four traffic “chokers” on 18th between Cherry & Union. Construction has started on them in the last couple of weeks, with two completed in the 700 block (in front of the old fire station) and 900 block. The one in the 1100 block is almost complete, with new concrete in place, leaving only the one in the 800 block in front of Immaculate Conception left to be done.
New Chicane in 700 block of 18th, in front of the CAMP firehouse
New Chicane in the 900 block of 18th
Freshly poured chicane in the 1100 block of 18th, near Union
I almost get the S curves they create out of sidewalk to “choke” traffic, but how are those little things supposed to work? On 22nd, 2 solid walls of cars and oncomming vehicles don’t slow people down…
that seems like a cheaper solution than a complete street narrowing like they did below jackson street. that cost several hundred thousand dollars to do two blocks.
you know, the things that actually FORCE people to really slow down? they can’t be that much more in materials and labor than these mini-chicanes (the ones on 19th near Union work…these will not), so what’s the deal?
I believe speed bumps actually damage cars and the suspension of busses, whereas chicanes are “traffic calming” devices. They also don’t need to be maintained as much as speed bumps as they don’t wear from the constant traffic riding on them, as speed bumps do.
However, I am not a Civil Engineer, so don’t quote me on this.
Different solutions for different issues, too – speed bumps are (belatedly) seeing use in Seattle in a variety of locations, something I never thought I’d see. But for a low-volume non-arterial route like 18th, chicanes seem like a good solution – no worries about fire truck or emergency vehicle access being blocked, narrowing travel lanes to make traffic slower. What’s not to like?