From: Laura Garrett, Community Initiatives lead for CRH Health Communities
Columbus
We have the pleasure of working with a spectacular group of fifth-graders at Parkside Elementary School on a traffic-calming project at the intersection of Parkside Drive and Arlington Street. Through tireless research, hard work and technical guidance from our city engineer, the students came up with a creative solution to solve two problems:
- Make the intersection safer for students that walk and bike from the neighborhood south of the school
- Clarify confusion and encourage proper utilization of the intersection by vehicles.
The changes will feel different, actually a little strange. But, the changes are by design to create a safer intersection for all users.
I want to spend a moment explaining what I believe are the most controversial components of the design:
- The lanes have been narrowed
- The turning radii have been reduced
These design changes make the turns more difficult to maneuver. Our goal was to reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians and tighten the corners to force drivers to stop, think and proceed slowly with caution.
This can feel weird and almost scary for the driver because it is very different than many intersections in the community. However, one of the most successful ways to discourage speeding and distracted driving is to create street scenarios that force users of the roadway to pay attention. This is most important around schools where the safety of our children is a priority. As you drive around in the community, you will notice that wide roads encourage speeding, and large turning radii discourage traffic sign obedience.
My request is that you give these design changes some time before you make a judgment. Think of all users of the intersection as you drive or walk through this area. After four to six weeks, let us know how the changes are performing.
As with any educational project, this intersection design has been created as an experiment. We will take what we learn from the temporary solution and use it as guidance for the permanent solution. We appreciate your support in this learning opportunity.
