Teams
Forum List
Toggle sidebar

Des Moines removing one-way streets, adding bicycling infrastructure, walkability

capitalcityguy

capitalcityguy

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2007
8,332
2,124
113
Des Moines
I realize many do not bike and some only think of biking in terms of trail riding. However, for those like me who see it as a viable and many times preferable alternative to traveling by car, this is exciting news!

On Monday, the city council of Des Moines unanimously approved one of the biggest downtown street transformations United States has seen in years, switching dozens of miles of downtown streets from one-way to two-way, improving hundreds of crosswalks, slowing auto traffic and creating a remarkably dense grid of protected, buffered and conventional bike lanes.
Click to expand...


posts-to-planters-768x514.png



after-before-768x508.png




http://peopleforbikes.org/blog/business-leading-charge-des-moines-33m-street-overhaul/
 
  • Like
Reactions: JH4ISU, cyclonesurveyor, sdillon500 and 7 others
I hate bikes being on the road, but the long term plan picture would be great and something I have been in favor of. To me, that is proper infrastructure to support bikes occupying the same space.

I just hope Kansas City does the same thing...
 
  • Agree
Reactions: Cyclones423
ImJustKCClone said:
Just pointing out that the happy happy joy joy weather always shown in these grand plans is not exactly a reality here. :)
Click to expand...

They also didn't put the humidity/temperature on there for such a 'sunny summer Iowa day *wink wink*.

Midwest winters and most types of vehicles aren't meant for one another in general.
 
Cedar Rapids has done this over the course of the last few years. Biggest issue is the places where the bike lane is between on street parking and the sidewalk and people pull farther forward than they are supposed to and block the bike lane.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: Entropy
This is great. Wish Ames would offer more bike lanes or at the very least properly mark the few lanes that already exist. I don't think people realize that many of the large side walks (like on stange) are for mixed use.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: STLISU
wxman1 said:
Cedar Rapids has done this over the course of the last few years. Biggest issue is the places where the bike lane is between on street parking and the sidewalk and people pull farther forward than they are supposed to and block the bike lane.
Click to expand...

Cedar Rapids has tried very hard to become more biking and walker friendly. There is also a ton of new apartment buildings, restaurants and other commerce downtown. More and more people are living and working in the downtown area instead of commuting in. Not sure if I could ever do that, but I guess if I was young and didn't have all the stuff I do, it would be easier.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: wxman1
At least with the ones in the east village I think they might be better received with them only being on one side. I think these plans go to far usually. I totally get and support making the city more bike and pedestrian friendly. I think some are set in making it car unfriendly though.
 
  • Agree
  • Disagree
Reactions: STLISU, khardbored, cygrads and 1 other person
CyCloned said:
Cedar Rapids has tried very hard to become more biking and walker friendly. There is also a ton of new apartment buildings, restaurants and other commerce downtown. More and more people are living and working in the downtown area instead of commuting in. Not sure if I could ever do that, but I guess if I was young and didn't have all the stuff I do, it would be easier.
Click to expand...

A couple of buddies and I (of course after I was married) discussed it and agreed that if none of us were tied down it would have been different/fun to get a nice apartment together down there.

One disappointing thing I thought of was that they did not make the old Milwaukee RR line from the east side of Marion tie in with the CVNT/Cedar River Trail. Marion did a small chunk from basically Indian Creek to near C Ave but that is has gone. Most of the rail road right of way is still there too. the CVNT/CRT now goes from Waterloo to the south side of Ely non stop and is paved from Center Point through Ely.
 
Two way traffic in congested areas adds a lot of conflict crash points including fatal ones. I'm in favor of more bike/ped friendly, but not the 2 way traffic. Also, unless you're right downtown, things are still spread out enough sometimes its a pain to walk from one area to the next.
 
  • Informative
  • Disagree
Reactions: STLISU and khardbored
wxman1 said:
A couple of buddies and I (of course after I was married) discussed it and agreed that if none of us were tied down it would have been different/fun to get a nice apartment together down there.

One disappointing thing I thought of was that they did not make the old Milwaukee RR line from the east side of Marion tie in with the CVNT/Cedar River Trail. Marion did a small chunk from basically Indian Creek to near C Ave but that is has gone. Most of the rail road right of way is still there too. the CVNT/CRT now goes from Waterloo to the south side of Ely non stop and is paved from Center Point through Ely.
Click to expand...

Wish there more trails in general and they widened the highways for bike lanes surrounding C.R.

I remember when I had FB, some moron from my hometown took a picture of a bicyclist on the highway from his truck, ridiculing him for not using a trail.

1. Taking a pic while driving (illegal and cesspool-level moronic), to ridicule someone that's following the law doesn't add up.
2. There's one trail north of C.R. and it's the CFNT that goes in one direction and even if paved isn't great for training or getting a good ride in.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: wxman1
dmclone said:
What's funny is that I sit at that stop light on Keo every day and over the last 15 years I have seen maybe 10 bikes. I guess if you build it they may come.
Click to expand...

I would guess if they made it more inviting to bicycles, people are going to utilize it.

Wonder if they go from statistics/bike sales/usage from other cities before deciding on these kinds of things.

As mentioned above, it seems like I see more and more bikes in C.R. when I'm back and that may be a result of the infrastructure.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: STLISU
For people that work downtown do you find that a large percentage of the people you work with also live downtown? I would like to see what the percentages are like because in my limited experience I would guess less than 5% of our workforce actually lives downtown.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: khardbored
mj4cy said:
Two way traffic in congested areas adds a lot of conflict crash points including fatal ones. I'm in favor of more bike/ped friendly, but not the 2 way traffic. Also, unless you're right downtown, things are still spread out enough sometimes its a pain to walk from one area to the next.
Click to expand...
The point of the conversion from one-way to two-way is to make the street feel less like an expressway and more like a neighborhood collector. With the addition of bike lanes and other amenities that add "friction" to the street, speeds will drop such that crashes (if they happen) will be less severe.

As the report states, you will likely survive (as a pedestrian) getting hit by a car at 20 mph. At 30 mph the odds go to 50/50, at 40 mph you are likely dead.
 
  • Agree
  • Like
  • Winner
Reactions: cyclonesurveyor, STLISU, capitalcityguy and 1 other person
You must log in or register to reply here.

Help Support Us

Become a patron
Top Bottom