So, as I witnessed on Secor the other day, a car (car "A") wanting to turn left onto Central from Secor was able to get in the turn lane a quarter of a mile from the intersection. That car, however, needed to pass 3 curb-cuts prior to getting to their turn. The problem is, another car (car "B") was in front of car A and was turning at the middle of the three curb cuts.

Car "A" decided to swerve back out into a straight lane of traffic to get around this turning car nearly causing a multi-car pile-up. By having a continuous turn lane, drivers are encouraged to get in the turn lane as early as possible to avoid being shut out closer to the intersection but simultaneously these drivers don't want to get caught behind another car only to have later drivers get in the turn lane at the last moment ahead of them. (It is similar to being on a highway when traffic reduces to one lane - how early do you get over to one lane and how many people pass you before you move over and try to block these people taking advantage of more cooperative drivers).

In any case, Toledo traffic engineers are inflicting this traffic arrangement in more places throughout the City. It is a lazy, unsophisticated, and dangerous approach to traffic planning and it should be stopped and corrected.


The Disappearing Traffic Islands on Secor

Thursday, August 30

How does the City of Toledo Transportation Department get away with free-lancing changes to Secor Road just south of Central Avenue without clearing those changes with other City Departments, the Mayor's office, and without input from citizens.

Given the contentious nature of the development at Westgate and some of the negative results, common sense should have told them that just because they could engineer that many lanes to fit, it may not be the best solution. It should be investigated who they did consult and people should be held responsible.



The changes have made the area far less safe for pedestrians and require unrealistic out-of-the-way travel distances for pedestrian while accommodating more and more cars at faster speeds and fewer traffic-calming restrictions.

The traffic islands that were removed were a safe refuge for pedestrians attempting to cross Secor. The road is now a wide open 6 full lanes. The engineers from the Transportation Department claim people should walk all the way up to Central or all the way down to Kenwood to cross Secor - these roads are over 1/2 mile apart and defy all logic.

These are not the practical paths that pedestrians use. People arriving by bus on Secor or from Old Orchard are just 30 or 40 yards from SteinMart. Yet traffic engineers would want these citizens to walk 250 - 300 yards out of the way up to Central to cross.

And crossing Secor at Central is no bargain either. There is no dedicated pedestrian only walk time and with right turn on red there is no time that pedestrians can practicably cross safely.



New traffic islands, better exits from Westgate, and a new signalized cross-walk and traffic light at the SteinMart entrance are needed. This location is far enough from Central and Secor to accommodate cueing and would allow left hand turns out of Westgate onto Secor, currently not allowed. Most importantly, it will help to ensure the safety of customers who need to cross Secor.

This is not the first time they acted without consulting the Mayor, the Plan Commission, or other citizens - the Transportation Department also put in the driveway on Central Avenue going toward Sears/Elderbeerman at the behest of the Westgate Village Shopping Center people. Apparently those interests are more important than the citizens. The Administration needs to make clear that their goals and policies are the goals and policies of all departments.


Westgate Update

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

A couple items in response to comments made by the morning person on WSPD.

Westgate Village Shopping Center is NOT totally private investment. When the project is complete, they will have received several million dollars from the State and the City - an amount that was over 10% of their total development budget. Westgate Village SC will be developed with a higher percentage of public dollars than the Marina District or Southwyck will be when all is said and done.

WSPD also said the owners could have let Westgate continue to decay but instead chose to invest. Actually they did let it decay for a very long time which depressed the rates they could charge tenants. If they continued to allow it to decay, they would eventually have been unable to pay the property taxes on some of the most desirable and commercially viable property in northwest Ohio. They were killing the golden-goose.

At a time when global warming is very evident and 98% of all scientists agree that burning fossil fuels is the problem AND that Americans are becoming obese because of overly sedentary livestyles AND that many of the stores at Westgate are attractive to children between the ages of 13 - 16 who are not able to drive WHY NOT make Westgate accessible for pedestrians?

Sure, a trip to Costco is likely to require that you drive in order to take home large purchases and no one objects to having a large number of parking spaces there. But most of the stores at Westgate do NOT lend themselves to large purchases (Fiesta Hair Cuts, Barry's Bagels, Starbucks, Rite Aide, Chipotle, even SteinMart). These customers could certainly walk. Besides, with major bus stops across both Central and Secor from Westgate many customers are certain to walk.

Toledo's economy lags in part because we fail to plan effectively - this was another lost opportunity. Nobody tried to stop ANY store at Westgate and nobody tried to stop Westgate from getting excessively large parking fields - far larger than would be permitted in cities that are thriving. What was asked for from Westgate (and from ALL development in the City) was forward thinking that would allow safety and accessibility through good design and planning.


Wednesday, August 10, 2007

Those that supported the Westgate Village Shopping Center when they were before the City Plan Commission and Toledo City Council must have some degree of regret now. The ill-conceived pedestrian circulation plan along Secor and Central was exacerbated when the City recently tore out the traffic island and put in new turn lanes in each direction. The "right lane must turn right" sign across from Markway is uniformly ignored by drivers (and there are other circulation issues). The dumpsters and coffee cueing lines along Secor at Central is unsightly. Steinmart blotting out their windows. And now the neighbors just south of the project who were so supportive of Westgate are now up in arms because Westage ignored the agreed upon site plan and have installed a meager substitute.

Many of the ills now at issue were brought up prior to approval of the plan. But these concerns were largely ignored. And those that would say that at least the brick buildings look nice have a very low standard of expectation and, subsequently, accomplishment.

The new Westgate is an old-fashioned development. The buildings are spaced and configured out just like those right across Central Avenue at Sears and Elderbeerman - even worse because the back of house functions are far more public. Cutting edge progressive development is what was done out at Levi's Commons in Perrysburg and the Fallen Timbers Mall.

Contrary to the "Walk Westgate" project - overseen by the University of Toledo Urban Affairs Center and with the participation of hundreds of residents and dozens of professional designers, architects, and engineers - Westgate, while visually more attractive, is actually less pedestrian-friendly now than it was before.