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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCollege St Walk Audit ReportCollege Street Walk Audit Report Students from Montana State University (MSU)in the Honors class,“Design Thinking for Our Community”,partnered with the Western Transport Institute (WTI)to collect and analyze data regarding usage of College St.between 8th and 11th in order to provide recommendations for improvements to the City of Bozeman and MSU.A walk audit was conducted on Monday April 8th,2024 from 5:30 to 6:20 PM as part of this process.Walk audits are commonly used by civil engineers and city planners to engage community members in anticipation of upcoming redesigns/reconstructions;the main intent is to obtain community feedback in the context of project design and development.Business owners and representatives, City of Bozeman employees,MSU students,and MSU staff participated in this walk audit to observe users of College St.and share their perspectives and observations. Figure 1 -Depiction of route followed during Walk Audit,starting location marked by “X”,discussion stopping spots marked by “o” Figure 2 -Photo of Walk Audit participants Walk Audit Attendees and Affiliations (a)Business representatives Carol Patterson,College Exxon (on behalf of Dave Lapinski,owner) Jenny O’Brien,Pickle Barrel Bri Mango,Joe’s Parkway Market (b)City of Bozeman/MSU/WTI representatives Matthew Madsen,Western Transportation Institute Taylor Lonsdale,City of Bozeman Transportation &Engineering Nicholas Ross,City of Bozeman Transportation &Engineering EJ Hook,MSU Facilities Services Sarah Knoebl,MSU Campus Planning,Design,&Construction (c)Students Joey Kerr Carlee Joppa Tony Losi Kira Falaschi Oliver Cole Background College Street extends from Black Street (east end)to West Main Street.The stretch of College Street from the 8th Ave intersection to the 11th Ave intersection serves as the interface between Montana State University (MSU)and the businesses and residential streets north of College Street.According to the City of Bozeman’s 2017 Bozeman Transportation Master Plan, MSN-19,a reconstruction of College Street from South 8th to South 11th is in the Transportation and Engineering master plan.The description for the project states the new design should, “explore bicycle and pedestrian features such as bike lanes and bulb-outs for this high traffic pedestrian area”[1].No published timeline for this reconstruction exists currently. A Montana State University Honors College Course,HONR494:“Design Thinking for Our Community'',tasked students with identifying “pain points''in their communities and implementing design thinking to make improvements in those areas.One group formed around shared frustrations with the pedestrian/cyclist usability of College Street from 8th to 11th.The ultimate product of the semester’s work will be a complete design recommendation report, provided to the City to assist in the upcoming reconstruction design process.The walk audit is a vital part of that report as we seek to engage business owners in this area and use their input to inform our design recommendations. College St.-8th to 11th ●The speed limit along this stretch is 25 MPH. Measurements (made using Bozeman Geocortex Viewer [2]) ●Width of College from 8th-11th (not including parking lanes):27’ ●Width of eastbound parking lane:10’ ●Width of westbound parking lane:5.5’ ●Distance from 11th roundabout to 8th intersection:929’ Walk Audit Overview &Analysis The purpose of the walk audit was to engage with business members and community members while physically experiencing the atmosphere of College St.The goal was to listen to their perspectives’about various aspects of College St.It was conducted with the thirteen participants described above.The walk audit began across the street from Joe’s Parkway Market and finished on the corner of 8th Ave and College St.The group walked west towards 11th Ave, crossed at the roundabout,and then walked east along College St to its finish at 8th Ave.While walking,the participants stopped three times,at the locations shown in Figure 1,to discuss observations and viewpoints.Two students took notes throughout the walk audit in order to assist the writing of this report. In order to lead the discussions,students utilized an approach that follows,“Tips on Leading a Walk Audit,”written by Mark Fenton and Dan Burden.This approach lays out the criteria to consider while interacting with walk audit attendees.It first focuses on who and how the land is being used.Mixed use areas,such as College St,can create an environment that people come to in order to make multiple stops at shops and stores.Secondly,Fenton’s approach highlights the connectivity of various networks on the street,such as the connectivity of sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrians.It also focuses discussion on safety and accessibility. Street designers want to make sure that travel is safe,inclusive,and comfortable for all users. Finally,there was a focus on street design.It is important to consider:was the street designed to be functional to each user?This approach is commonly utilized by WTI while performing their own walk audits.The observations and discussions from the walk audit are summarized below. Walk Audit Participants’Observations &Discussions ●Parking and Traffic ○Cars have been observed to park past the two hour limit on the street and in parking lots,sometimes staying for multiple days. ○There are often parking violations near fire hydrants and other off-limit zones. ○In the summer,it was observed that cars will pass others using the parking area as a second lane. ○Exxon &Pickle Barrel both reported submitting parking complaints to the City, but did not receive responses to these complaints ○Big fuel and food trucks have to deliver to businesses on College Street. Depending on the size of the trucks,they will either park on the street or back into driveways to deliver. ○A roundabout is being considered at the 8th and College Street intersection to help with traffic flow.There is relatively little backup on College Street going towards the 11th roundabout compared to the current stop sign at 8th street, indicating that having another roundabout would help with traffic flow. ■The roundabout would be mountable to allow for big trucks to continue using College Street. ●Pedestrians ○There is high pedestrian crossing traffic at the middle of the street,usually coming from the Langford Path.This path can be seen below in Figure 3. ○Sidewalks have no curb cuts,making it difficult to traverse for senior citizens and disabled pedestrians especially when there is ice and snow. ○Joe’s has lots of pedestrian customers year round but believe that some customers don’t walk because of lack of pedestrian crossings ○Pickle Barrel -estimates about 70%of customers pedestrians,30%drivers in the winter time (while MSU in session)but flipped in the summer Figure 3 -Highly used pedestrian path into campus,referred to from here on as the “Langford Path” ●Biker Safety ○Bike travel can be unsafe when sharing the road.Safe bike infrastructure is needed. ●Drainage and Plowing ○Water frequently gathers in front of driveways,creating hazardous “frozen lakes” during the winter time. ○Parked cars limit the ability to plow College Street.Removing parking from one side of the street would be beneficial for future snow removal and road safety. ●Businesses ○Along the business (north)side of the road,there are lots of driveways - especially for Joe’s ■There was discussion of the possibility of taking some out,as they can cause parking issues. ■Center entry for Joe’s is used the most (by worker observation)-other entrances are much less popular. ○Business owners concerned about widening the street,would be especially problematic for Pickle Barrel which is already very close to the street. ■Widening would have to go south (towards College).Not seen as a viable option because it would only encourage more car traffic which is not wanted. ●Street Atmosphere ○The public space on the campus (south)side of College Street is often used by both pedestrians and business customers,especially in the summer or when there is nice weather.There are more benches and open space that contributes to a better community feel. ○In the summer,Pickle Barrel customers come to the campus (south)side of College Street to eat on benches.Joe’s tables are always being used in summer. People are attracted to seating ○Trees had been removed on the business (north)side of College Street in the past with the city promising to replant them.While no replanting has been done yet, there is promise of replanting after the College Street reconstruction. ○It is unlikely that the power lines on the business (north)side of College Street will be buried. Participants’Suggested Solutions ●Curb extensions and curb cuts at intersections ●Enforcement of 2 hour limit on street parking ●Safe bike infrastructure,such as a bike lane (maybe street parking is removed) ●Mountable roundabout on the 8th and college intersection (allows large vehicles to navigate the roundabout) ●Increase trees and plants ●Addition of a bus stop ●Get rid of extraneous driveways on the business side Citations [1]Transportation and Engineering,Robert Peccia and Associates,&Alta Planning and Design, Transportation Master Plan 75–75 (2017).Bozeman,MT. [2]Bozeman Geocortex Viewer,City of Bozeman Geographic Information System.Bozeman, MT.https://gisweb.bozeman.net/Html5Viewer/?viewer=infrastructure.