{current barricades at Newstead and Taylor}
{drawing of planned ball bollards – courtesy of www.wumcrc.com}
I highlight “temporary” because these street barricades, in whatever incarnation, have been around since the mayoral administration of Vince Schoemehl and are referred to as “Schoemehl pots” by long-time residents and history-savvy urbanists. The ball bollards will be an improvement over current barricades, but it is time to remove the barriers completely. Like other developments (CWE CVS), perhaps the “presence of recently arrived neighbors passionate about urban design” can make a difference.
Some barriers appear more permanently “temporary” than others as those located at Arco and Manchester as well as the sewer pots at Gibson and Boyle have been moved aside to allow cars to pass through. Effective examples of traffic calming and control exist in St. Louis’ Shaw and DeBaliviere neighborhoods. In addition, raised intersections, one-way street exits and mid-block speed tables would provide proven control while returning the urban street grid to its proper use.
According to TafficCalming.org the presence of a 12-inch speed hump can slow traffic by 22%. Given what we know about a pedestrian’s (or cyclist for that matter) chances of survival in a collision with a motor vehicle, every mile-per-hour matters. Speed humps can be installed for as little as $2,000. These could be very effective on the north-south streets throughout Forest Park Southeast.
Here are a few examples of alternatives to completely closing a street:
{drawing of a half street closure}
{a mid-block choke point with speed bump}
{a closer look at the proposed bollard}
Are these big ball-bollards familiar to you? Maybe you saw them here:
