July 10, 2015 - "Safe Passage" Brochures Released Now that we have a beautiful sidewalk and very well-functioning road diet on Brownsboro Road, the Neighborhood Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Committee has turned to other projects. On July 10, 2015, we released to the public our Safe Passage Initiative and the the two brochures we created for this project. The business version includes details of the rules and regulations that apply to keep the sidewalk clear for pedestrians. The public version has general information for all users of sidewalks. Click each title to display a PDF of each brochure. (Note for the visually impaired: these PDF versions are not currently text-readable, but text-only versions are forthcoming.)
This project has brought to the neighborhoods on both sides of Brownsboro Road: - Much safer pedestrian, bicycle, and car transit. 40% fewer accidents in the project area as compiled by Louisville Police.
- More efficient traffic patterns
- A vibrant business community available to all
The
Brownsboro Road Sidewalk and Reconfiguration Project have made
Brownsboro Road a 3-lane road -- one center turning lane and two
traveling lanes on each side -- with a sidewalk on the  north
side. Read 9th District Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh’s description of
the project details here. You
might ask, "How can removing a lane improve my neighborhood and not
cause traffic backups?” It seems counter-intuitive, but taking away
lanes can actually help traffic flow smoother while improving safety for
everyone. Watch a video about road diets here. Our Community Challenge
- Imagine that you live in
a Clifton Heights apartment on a cliff overlooking the Kroger store across busy
Brownsboro Road. You need to walk to
Kroger to pick up a few items for dinner and a prescription for your child, but
you can't even get to the stoplight to cross the four lanes of speeding traffic
because THERE IS NO SIDEWALK on your side of the street.
- Imagine that you are an
elderly woman living in Clifton who wants to walk across Brownsboro Road on a
beautiful afternoon to get your hair done. But you cannot cross the four lanes
of speeding traffic at the light at the bottom of the hill because THERE IS NO
SIDEWALK on the other side of the street.
- Imagine that you are a
Clifton resident who is blind and you are running errands. You ask if you can
cross at the traffic light at the corner to the businesses across the street.
Someone (mistakenly) tells you yes, but when you cross the four-lane road,
THERE IS NO SIDEWALK on the other side and you find yourself at the edge of the
road with a cliff towering over you. Fortunately, traffic stops long enough for
you to make your way back across the street.
These
pedestrians and countless others were often effectively barred from doing
business on Brownsboro Road because there was not sidewalk on the north
side of the road at the Clifton Ave. traffic light. Read the rest of our Community Challenge printed in the Courier Journal on February 6, 2012. Rejected options
Both these options would have been more than twice the cost of the reconfiguration: - Cut or blast into the cliff, rejected because deemed too risky to the apartment complex sitting on top of the cliff;
- Move
the entire road to the south to make room for a sidewalk on the north
side, rejected because Metro would have to acquire right-of-way that
would reduce parking lots for businesses on the south side.
Ask the Expert
Shawn
Dikes, AICP, has been a professional in the transportation field for
almost 20 years and is the Chair of the Transportation Committee for the
Crescent Hill Community Council, neighboring community to the project.
He says: “Contrary to the unsubstantiated rumors and
misinformation,…. this project is exactly what the community needs and
will NOT harm businesses in the area nor significantly impede traffic.”
Read more here. From 9th District Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh
Guest editorial on WDRB41: http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroCouncil/Members/09/IWantTo/BrownsboroRoadProject.htm |
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north
side. Read 9th District Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh’s description of
the project details here. 