Pavement to Parks

Wallingford has a problem with traffic.

I don’t mean the standard complaint about congestion created on 45th and 50th as people drive back and forth from their homes in Ballard to their jobs in Redmond. The problem is with the people who try to avoid the traffic on these arterials, and instead choose to cut through the narrow residential streets.

Fig1_WallingfordCutThroughRoutes

West of Meridian Ave, the shortcut traffic between 45th and 50th is dispersed along 3 or 4 streets, with 46th carrying the highest number of short-cutting drivers. East of Meridian, there is only one route that carries all of this shortcut traffic–46th/47th. At one short block, this route makes the jog from 46th to 47th. This unusual offset intersection seems quiet and safe, set in a calm residential area of Wallingford. This is misleading–the large corner radii of each intersection creates a sinuous S-curve, inviting drivers to zoom through at inappropriate and unsafe speeds. This is the location of our proposed Pavement-to-Parks project.

Fig2_SquaredIntAndPassThrough

There are two separate but related pieces to this project, and together they perform several important functions. The traffic diverter cuts off the flow of drivers short-cutting through the residential area, while allowing pedestrians and bicycles to pass through. The curb extension narrows the corner radius, and keeps drivers from zipping around blindly, too fast. Both of these elements create important park space, with the potential for events and gatherings, community gardens, and play/sport space for kids and adults. Just imagine the block parties you could have here. Imagine the safe space that would be created not just within the modified areas, but in the section of dead-end street. Kids could have a generous public space, a safe area to play.
This Pavement-to-Parks project could have an initial implementation using curb stops to define and protect the space, flexible bollards to make the park more visible and well-defined, and paint.

With a full build-out (extending the sidewalks and creating permanent infrastructure), here is what it could become…a safe community space, with room for gardens, gathering spaces, and play areas. Here are some possible configurations for the traffic diverter space.

 

Safe Routes to McDonald International School

I’ve been working on Safe Routes to School issues at the McDonald International School for several years, since before it re-opened in 2012.

I’ve been aware of problems at this intersection, but recently several near-misses have prompted me to make sure the issue has attention from the city, and the simple solution designed and ready.

Here is the problem, animated….

McDonaldDropoffAnimation

To avoid having to wait in the traffic queue to drop off their kids, drivers are blocking the crosswalk, forcing kids walking to school into dangerous space outside of the pedestrian zone.

54th_Meridian

After the drivers have dropped of their kids, they will often back up into the other crosswalk in the arterial. Creating an even more dangerous situation as they drive in reverse across the sidewalk.

54th_Meridian_2

Here is a description of the problem, described by a parent…

This morning and yesterday morning while my kids and I were walking to school, parents in cars were dropping their children off in the crosswalk on the playground side of 54th Street and Latona Ave N. While I understand this is more convenient for the driving parents than waiting in line to drop off at the designated area down the block, it is extremely dangerous. The danger is twofold, they block the crosswalk so that walkers have to walk very close to the car in order to complete their crossing and the cars need to both back up and drive forward essentially making three moves inside the crosswalk. Children are small and easy to miss in the forward and rear views. Yesterday morning a parent backed into three children, myself and my husband, nearly touching us as we crossed. We were all scared.

This morning I told my kids to go in front of the driver so that we could be sure to be seen. And as I walked in front of the car, I rapped my knuckles on the hood to be sure the driver saw me.  I also spoke to the driver through her passenger side window once I was safely on the sidewalk at the corner of the 54th side of the playground and Latona. I said, “You know if is very dangerous to drop off here.”

What I wished I had said was, “When you drop off here you put my kids and me in grave danger.”

And another…

I also witnessed an incident at pick up.  Same issue (backing up into the crosswalk area) however this was caused from a slightly different situation.  A car wanted to drive westbound on 54th.  However, there was a car heading westbound and due to all the parked cars, there was nowhere for the eastbound car to go but forward to Latona.  Therefore, the westbound car was forced to back up nearly hitting a middle schooler and aging adult.  Had I not seen the car backing up and warned them, they would have been hit.

Here is our simple solution…a curb bulb for this crosswalk.

McDonaldCurbBulb

A curb bulb would fill in the curb space where irresponsible drivers block the sidewalk while dropping off their kids. They will then be forced to proceed to an appropriate dropoff zone, which keeps them from blocking the crosswalk. This will also eliminate the danger of drivers making the dangerous reverse crossing of the Latona crosswalk.

Visibility will be increased with the kids being on the bulb, instead of further back on the sidewalk. The crossing distance will also be reduced for children in the crosswalk, creating an even safer environment.

I’m excited about this solution, and I’m looking forward to making the streets safer for our kids!

Bay Area & Central Sea

Ursula LeGuin did it first–Always Coming Home has a fantastic drawing of this, created in the mid-1980s.

This map shows what central California and the Bay Area will look like when the ice caps completely melt–66m of sea level rise.

The poster is available at Zazzle.

CentralValleyForWeb20150802Burrito Justice did a San Francisco version a few years ago. His map inspired much of the work I’ve done wigh sea rise maps in the past couple of years.

My favorite landforms? Sutter Island and the Isle near Rio Vista. Marin also becomes an island, which makes sense in many ways. Sacramento? Stockton? Lodi? Manteca? Screwed. The historic Tulare Lake re-emerges, but with salt water this time around. Monterey Bay becomes much larger.

 

Sea Rise near Leeds & York

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3 Meters

I’m working with the folks at the University of Leeds on a graphic novel depicting life in England in 200 years–if nothing is done to curb carbon emissions. It’s a sequel to their graphic novel about a low carbon future. The maps will be centered around York and Leeds, and includes the surrounding counties. The first three images will be a part of the novel, and show sea levels at 3, 5 and 8 meters.

The grey outlines are the boundaries of the two cities…Leeds to the west, York to the east.

These maps are based on sea rise elevations estimated by the IPCC. Scroll down for other sea rise levels…

Yorkshire5meters_forWebSmaller20150123
5 Meters
Yorkshire8meters_forWebSmaller20150123
8 Meters
Yorkshire40meters_forWebSmaller20150123
40 Meters

Great Britain

 

You can help me to keep this project going–

 

Buy the map!

I’ve started on some projects in the UK. I’m working with the folks at the University of Leeds on a graphic novel depicting life in England in 200 years–with an anticipated sea level rise of 8 meters. It’s a sequel to their graphic novel about a low carbon future. The maps will be centered around York and Leeds, and includes the surrounding counties. I’m excited to be contributing to this project, and of course while I’m at it I’ll be creating maps of what the area will look like with much higher sea levels.

I’m also working on a map of London. Check back in a couple of weeks!

The NY Sea

Buy the maps!

With Place Names

NY Sea, With Place Names

 

Without Place Names

NY Sea, Without Place Names

 

Check out my other sea rise maps, or see the original–Burrito Justice & Brian Stokle’s map of San Francisco.

For all of these maps, I am not portraying any sea level higher than what is possible. The IPCC has estimated that the total rise would be about 66 meters.

Here’s a version without the place names:

This will happen someday, but not in our lifetimes. Some who have dared to speculate on a timeline have given themselves plenty of space for error in their predictions–one estimate says anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 years. Whatever the time frame, it is a fact that humans are speeding up this process.

 

 

 

Husky Stadium–1920

…that is, Husky Stadium before it was Husky Stadium. Here are plans and drawings for the University of Washington Associated Students Stadium, by Bebb & Gould, 1920. I love the narrow, languidly curvy Montlake Boulevard.

ProposedStadiumPlan_ForWebBebb and Gould designed many of the iconic buildings on the UW campus, including the first wing of the Suzzallo Library and many of the buildings around the Liberal Arts Quad.

ProposedStadium2_ForWebHere is the 1920 birds-eye sketch of the proposed stadium. The Montlake Cut & Bridge, in the background, were also shiny and new.