Bus Rapid Transit is coming to University Avenue soon. The change represents what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-imagine University Ave. as a street. What could it look like? Rather than a speedy route for cars to get through the city could it become a Complete Street that encourages pedestrians and bicyclists while promoting local businesses?
Come see what could be possible in a guerrilla urbanism display tomorrow, July 16th from 9-10 a.m. on University Ave between 200 N. and 300 N.
Here’s what the organizing committee has to say about the project and the possibilities:
The construction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on University Avenue with its dedicated lanes running down the middle of the street represents a HUGE once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the downtown blocks into a more livable, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, AND business-friendly streetscape from the current unappealing loud automobile thoroughfare. Who wants to spend time in the downtown University area when cars–and oftentimes semis–are noisily hurtling by much faster than the posted 35 mph speed limit?
To witness–and participate in–a vision of the downtown University core as a street that is complete and better for everyone–business owners, customers, pedestrians, bicyclists, the increasing number of downtown residents–please drop by University Avenue between 300 N and 200 N this Wednesday between 9 and 10 am. You will see an act of guerrilla urbanism performed by a broad cross-section of concerned citizens of local business owners, property owners, local residents, pedestrians, and bicyclists that (re)imagines the University downtown area as a destination that is inviting, interesting, and people want to be rather than the noisy, fast traffic automobile corridor it is now.
Specifically we hope to accomplish the following through this “performance piece”:
- To persuade UDOT to slow down vehicular traffic to at the most 25 mph in the core of the downtown from at least 300 South to 500 North.
- To use good design, not (just) speed limit signs, to calm traffic by creating a more visually narrow and interesting streetscape by:
- Saving and planting as many trees as possible and increasing greenery
- NOT adding righthand turn lanes and eliminating them wherever possible to calm traffic
- Adding bulb-outs wherever possible to make pedestrian crossings safer
- Turning the outside travel lanes into enhanced shared auto-bike lanes by painting the lanes green or blue and marking them with bicyclist icons
- Stringently enforcing the current but largely unenforced restrictions on semi-trucks using University Avenue
- Installing signals that give pedestrians plenty of time to cross University
- Building safety islands at all pedestrian crossings
Bill Graff
Chair, Provo Walkability CommitteeSusan Kruger-Barber
Co-chair, Joaquin Improvement AssociationAaron Skabelund
Chair, Provo Bicycle Committee
Picture from the Deseret News…if Salt Lake can have green shared lanes, why can’t Provo?
I wasn’t able to attend but I hope someone will post pictures.