Mar 27, 2009
Magnolia Avenue Complete Streets Reconfiguration Begins
By: Kevin Buchanan
At last, the reconfiguration of Magnolia Avenue between 8th Avenue and Hemphill has begun. Road crews have laid down some guide stripes that mark out the layout of the new street, and lane closures & physical work has already begun near 8th Avenue (some of that work is related to the rehabbing of an adjacent building, by the way). This is a major milestone for the Complete Streets movement here in Fort Worth; while there are a handful of other streets in town with bike lanes, this is the first instance that we know of where traffic lanes were removed to introduce them. This is in keeping with the Near Southside design guidelines put together by Fort Worth South, Inc. which designate Magnolia as a neighborhood main street, at a scale where two traffic lanes and dedicated bike lanes are appropriate.
As shown in these photos, the white guide stripes show the rough arrangement of the street’s new bicycle lane/traffic lane/turn lane configuration. Click for a bigger view.
I just found this site and I appluad it. What a great enterprise in the protection of civilization it is to closely consider the most fulfilling ways to live together. Isn’t that ultimately what it’s all about?
I am moving from Tokyo to El Paso; from a very walkable, in fact, a downright driver-unfriendly city, to a very unwalkable suburban mess. Do you know if you have any allies who are standing up for this urban rethink movement in El Paso? I am not looking forward to the car-forced experience of El Paso. Maybe a movement like this out west could make the living a bit more bearable.
Cheers,
Patrick
woo hoo! I am so excited about this!
Just so I understand the project are they dropping it to one lane of traffic in each direction plus bike lanes on both sides?
Dave,
Yes, plus a turn lane in the middle.
I was excited at Bike Routes in FW, thrilled with our developing of a Fort Worth Comprehensive Bicycle Plan, and always happy with Benbrook’s new Routes/Lanes and on-road network…
This is a real milestone!!! The removal of motor-vehicle lanes to incorporate a more Complete Street to include a Bicycle Lane! This says so much about the area, the businesses, and the direction they’re headed.
Thanks to each, we’ll be there often!
Now for a State Safe Passing Law for Vulnerable Users.
(House Bill 827 and Senate Bill 488)
Right on Jim Wilson! A safe passing law would be great. Did you know that when the automobile was first introduced, one town in the Northeast required motorists to pull off the road to avoid scaring horses, and if that did not work, they were to dismantle the vehicle and cover it with a tarp until the horse was comfortable enough to pass. Now, I am not aware of any one actually having to do this, but that just shows how far we have come.
When I was a kid in San Antonio, I was riding my bike down a particularly pedestrian unfriendly part of Culebra. I was just on the edge of the pavement with cars whizzing by. A cop stopped me and told me to get off the road. I was to ride on the very rough, rocky ground beside the road, he said. I protested that there was no way to really ride on that stuff, but of course he told me I could either obey or be arrested. So I waited until he got out of site, and got right back on the edge of the road. Hopefully, my kids will not have to live through car-naziism like I did.
PTR
Thanks Patrick.
Additionally, the League of American Wheelmen (now League of American Bicyclists) had over 102,000 members in 1898- they’re membership included the Wright Brothers and John Rockefeller! They are credited with getting paved roadways in our country- before the automobile took over our culture and country.
Of note: the Safe Passing Bill passed through the Texas Senate Transportation Committee today! I’ve asked my representatives, Representative Mark Shelton (R) supports this Bill and Senator Wendy Davis (D) does too.
Be informed- ask your representatives in Austin, just call and ask their office and tell them your position.