The Award For 'Best Urban Street Transformation' in 2015 Goes To....
At Rear View Safety, we pride ourselves on being more than just a provider of high quality backup camera system options for vehicles of all makes and models. We're also a road safety advocacy organization and hope to act as a comprehensive educational tool for people who are looking for ways to make the roads in their area and around the world safer places. StreetsBlog USA recently opened its annual contest for the Best Urban Street Transformation of 2015 in an effort to highly big cities that have made positive achievements in terms of walking, biking and transit safety. As you can see from the list of nominees, all of them are something to be proud of.
Chicago: Washington Street
The Chicago Department of Transportation revolutionized Washington Street from the ground up in 2015, adding six new bus lines to bypass the type of heavy congestion that used to drive commuters wild. They've also added a brand new protected bike lane, both doing their part to make the roads in the area safer for bikers and to promote it as a viable form of transportation in the big city.
Columbus: Summit Street
Located very close to the Ohio State University main campus, Summit Street is yet another project that saw the roads become safer for bikers in 2015. The City of Columbus, in partnership with a local bike advocacy group, redesigned the street to give more space to bikers and to help keep all commuters safe from harm in 2016 and beyond.
Los Angeles: Reseda Boulevard
The Reseda Boulevard project completed in 2015 saw the creation of Los Angeles' first parking protected bike lane. New furniture was also added to the area, designed to attract new people to some of the businesses along the road. A survey that was conducted after the redesign was completed found that an incredible 97% of all respondents thought that the finished design helped to foster a much-needed sense of community.
New York City: Queens Boulevard
Queens Boulevard was formerly one of the most heavily motorized streets in the entire city, thanks largely to its strategic location and to the fact that it was 1.3 miles long. It also had a catastrophic level of fatalities and injuries, which is something that the New York City Department of Transportation looked to change. The redesigned Boulevard is home to a new bike lane protected by traffic posts, slip lanes that are designed to get drivers to slow down instead of merging at speed and more.
Salt Lake City: 200 West and 300 South Intersection
The intersection at 200 West and 300 South in Salt Lake City is now a protected intersection, designed in such a way that motorists, pedestrians and cyclists are now visible to one another at all times so that everyone can stay out of everyone else's way.
Seattle: Boylston Pedestrian Plaza
Finally, the Boylston Pedestrian Plaza in Seattle is one of two "pavement parks" that were initiated in the area in 2015. Instead of acting as a high volume and dangerous traffic area as it once did, the function of a "public living room" allows the plaza to act as a focal point of the community moving forward.
These projects just go to show you: if cities as diverse as New York, Chicago and Columbus can redesign their roads to make them safer for everyone involved, anyone can do it.
Source: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2015/12/22/vote-for-the-best-urban-street-transformation-of-2015/
