Really should not be and / or in this area…Our sidewalk ‘backlog’ at the city level makes zero sense.
2 Likes
Agreed, but I’d also add that any sidewalk strategy should also have a component of working from the center outward. While that isn’t to say that sidewalks shouldn’t be prioritized outside of the city center, I do think that we have to make getting all of downtown and adjacent neighborhoods “sidewalked” as a priority.
3 Likes
Seems like it shouldn’t be that difficult. Removing one lane gives you a full set of bike lanes, and a sidewalk should be able to be built next to that.
I feel like they failed hard on the road leading out of RIW. There’s a second entrance/exit at Wicker Dr, so does there really need to be a protected left turn lane, left/straight hybrid lane, AND protected right turn lane here? One of those should be removed, and the bicycle lanes should have been built as a cycle track.
14 Likes
Crazy what just this small change would do for connectivity in the area.
This combined with the probably 500 yards that is without sidewalk between RIW and the greenway would be such easy fixes that would make it so much more walkable.
4 Likes
This is too easy. (Maybe that’s why nobody has thought of doing this). Due to the number of driveways/curb cuts between Whitaker Mill and Hodges, just eliminate a lane, add a center turn lane, and replace the old travel lane with a cycle track and sidewalk connecting RIW to Crabtree Creek Trail.
Note the current design of Atlantic Ave in the lower half of the pic (except without the sidewalk) and my proposal in the upper half.
Edit - Atlantic Ave seems like it would be ideal to focus on as a bike route. It parallels Wake Forest Rd but much carries less traffic. Plus much of that corridor is ripe for redevelopment.
7 Likes
You could save the city 5 years of studies and 10 community meetings by sending these to the council.
6 Likes
this! there is some digging in front of the warehouses along that stretch and i am praying that a sidewalk goes on top
10 Likes
Yes, agree. My point is that that this project was started in late 2019 based on Internet Archive and more than 4 years later it’s still not there. If it gets build by the fall, that will have taken about 5 years.
I know, I’m being negative but is this how long it will take to have those installed on Whitaker Mill and see improvements for pedestrians in this area?
On the north side of Whitaker Mill, they were included in east end market site plan (from WF road to rail road tracks) so one could argue that the city doesn’t have to do anything now on that part… But… The first phase of east end market is done (from Progress Court to rail road tracks) and they have not built sidewalks.
Plan:
Reality:
2 Likes
Another - and this is really thinking outside the box - solution. We could actually expect people in this country to understand how to safely operate an automobile “in general”.
Look up the comparison of annual traffic deaths between Europe and the US. Here we don’t even require drivers to inspect or pay their car taxes.
1 Like
I haven’t been to Raleigh since Christmas, but at least here in Charlotte it feels like the roads quickly turned into the wild west after the pandemic. It is an extreme rarity to ever see a car pulled over for literally anything except causing a wreck. Maybe once or twice a year (if that) I will see a couple of State Troopers camping out along the interstates well outside of the city, pretending that enforcing arbitrary speed limits is doing some sort of good for humanity, but there is an absolutely astounding general disregard for basic road etiquette that could and should be aggressively ticketed before speeding is ever mentioned. On my way to the gym tonight I counted several dozen cars over the course of a few miles, driving with either their highbeams on, or no lights on at all (many of these were newer models that certainly come with automatic headlights). Rampant red light running at virtually every intersection. Not even sure why cars still come with turn signals because they are never used. I could go on and on but it seems noticeably worse than just a few years ago.
I have never been to Europe, but I have always been under the impression that driving is taken much more seriously there. From what I understand, driver training is infinitely more rigorous, vehicle roadworthiness is strict, and laws are aggressively enforced. It has also historically been much more common for Europeans to drive smaller vehicles with manual transmissions, which cause less damage due to their size and force drivers to actively drive in a way that automatics cannot replicate. Whereas basically everything is the opposite here.
9 Likes
I always felt that this was the smartest option. One lane of traffic in each direction with sidewalks and bike paths to at least Six Forks. They’ve already begun (although halted for now) the bike lanes on Atlantic north of 440, might as well bring it all the way down south where hundreds of people will be living soon.
3 Likes
I think that’s what it is, but I can’t find any information that says what it is or isn’t. Sure looks like a long pedestrian ramp though.
1 Like
This is a very good point. I’ve always driven manuals (yes, still today) and you have to be actively engaged in the effort when driving in a city. It all but eliminates pursuing other activities like eating, putting on make-up, playing with ones phone, etc.
5 Likes
Is this the start of the campaign to make all cars manual so people MUST pay attention to driving?
Where do I sign?
6 Likes
Budleigh East changed names to Birney Park? Birney Park Coming Soon - Beacon Street Development
And the buildings have fancy pretentious names now too. A must-have to get those tippy top dollars.
10 Likes
Noticed the new name on the fence along Fairview Saturday! As long as the already limited retail (initially planned for the corner of Fairview x Oberlin) is still planned, I truly don’t care about anything else regarding this development hahaha - they can call it whatever pretentious names they want! Just bring more housing density and some pedestrian activation and I’m for it!
1 Like
Took a brief stroll around Raleigh Iron Works today. It was before noon and Andia’s Ice Cream had not yet opened for the day, but EastCut Sandwich was busy. As more of the retail spaces open and the weather warms, we should see increasing activity here.
25 Likes
The 18 townhomes on Sunrise… a new rendering. Can any architects out there explain whats going on here??
8 Likes
They’re clearly designed for vampires. They’ll save a fortune on blinds.
3 Likes