Cherry Street makeover

[Ed W]

From today's Tulsa World:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20111001_16_A15_CUTLIN282261

Work is expected to begin within two weeks on a plan to narrow most of Cherry Street to two lanes, with angled parking on the north side and parallel parking on the south side, a city official said this week.

...Shain said the new parking arrangement should also make the area safer for pedestrians.

"The speed limit is 25 mph, and they (drivers) go 45 mph," he said. "With this angled parking, it will have to slow driving down."

Business owners are all for it, of course, because more parking equates to more customers. If they really wanted to slow down traffic, installing a couple of fountains, maybe a statue of some slightly crazed suburban shopper, or (gasp!) encouraging bicycle traffic would have the same effect.  As it is, traveling on two wheels around angled parking spaces is very hazardous.

As always, mo' cars = mo' money.

[SXSW]

Traveling on bike down 15th is already hazardous.  Much easier to use 14th (which connects to the MV Trail).

I live by Cherry Street and do not like this plan, especially since it doesn't include a better streetscape just new paint on the street.

[jne]

I'm a little concerned as well, last night I was trying to see how the angled parking would fit.  Looks like large vehicles would definitely be encroaching on the sidewalk and likely hang out pretty far into the traffic lane.  I also cringe at the idea of riding a motorcycle down that street with SUV's backing out of spaces blind...  I do, however, think it should be an obvious two lane - the abrupt 4 lane to 2 lane situations are already dangerous.  I've almost been creamed a few times by folks zooming by in the lane that suddenly becomes parking.

[AquaMan]

I'm a little concerned as well, last night I was trying to see how the angled parking would fit.  Looks like large vehicles would definitely be encroaching on the sidewalk and likely hang out pretty far into the traffic lane.  I also cringe at the idea of riding a motorcycle down that street with SUV's backing out of spaces blind...  I do, however, think it should be an obvious two lane - the abrupt 4 lane to 2 lane situations are already dangerous.  I've almost been creamed a few times by folks zooming by in the lane that suddenly becomes parking.

I don't know how well it will work, but I did notice in old Beryl Ford photos that the parking was angled from the beginning. The cars were smaller, Ford A's and T's, but cars got much larger shortly afterward. The key is to slow cars down in the area and make it inconvenient to use 15th between Utica and Peoria except for destinations in that area. Eventually it would work better to have wider pedestrian, dining and bike areas with perhaps a single one way street. Parking lots could be placed in between 14th and 15th.

[SXSW]

I'd like there to be a streetscape installed at some point.  They have angled parking on one side and parallel on the other on a street in Fayetteville, but the street is one-way.  15th, IMO, needs to stay 2-way.  The sidewalks in some parts are in bad shape and street trees are sorely needed for shade not only on our hot summer days but every day it's sunny with the east-west orientation of the street on a ridge.

[DTowner]

I drove down 15th last night and like the look and feel of the change.  It also seemed to substantailly slow down the 15th St. traffic.

One thing that was odd was the way the city striped the east bound lanes on the west side of Peoria in front of McDonalds.  Rather than have the curb-side lane flow into a right turn only lane, the striping mergers both lanes into a sing lane that then opens back up to three lanes at the intersection - a left turn only, straight only and right turn only.  It unnecessarily bottlenecks the intersection, especially for those cars trying to turn right on Peoria that now have to merged in with the east bound trafic only to merge back out of it to turn right on Peoria.

[Teatownclown]

Cherry Street is over rated....

[nathanm]

I'd like there to be a streetscape installed at some point.  They have angled parking on one side and parallel on the other on a street in Fayetteville

Oh lord help us if we learn from that bad example. Fayetteville's renovation of Block Street was the biggest boondoggle since their failed trash incinerator project. They did need to calm traffic, as people would often fly down the street between Dickson and about Meadowish, but the way they went about it was reminiscent of the Dragnet theme: "dumb, dumb dumb dumb."

Also, I'm not too keen on the new angled parking in the Cherry Street area. It caters to suburbanites who can't be arsed to walk around the corner and cuts off the sidewalk and shops from the street, making the area feel less cohesive. The only good thing is that they didn't do the back-in angled parking like Fayetteville did in their bout of the stupids.

[zstyles]

I think its a great plan, since most of the time you can only drive down the two lanes anyway with parking the way it is now and those Navigators and Escalades....

[carltonplace]

I think its a great plan, since most of the time you can only drive down the two lanes anyway with parking the way it is now and those Navigators and Escalades....

It has certainly slowed down the drivers on 15th; which is good.

[nathanm]

I think its a great plan, since most of the time you can only drive down the two lanes anyway with parking the way it is now and those Navigators and Escalades....

Except that one can have timed no parking to allow for rush hour traffic, if need be. It also allows for left turners to not completely block the road in many instances, even when the right lane is partially used for parking. Parallel parking is more flexible, and I, for one, never had trouble with parking in the area, but I'm willing to walk a block if need be.

As someone who occasionally bikes that section of 15th, I'm also not too pleased about now having to avoid people backing out who inevitably don't see me and having morons get upset that I'm biking on the street now that they don't have a way to pass.

Angled parking was wrong in the 50s and it's wrong now.

[Gaspar]

Oh lord help us if we learn from that bad example. Fayetteville's renovation of Block Street was the biggest boondoggle since their failed trash incinerator project. They did need to calm traffic, as people would often fly down the street between Dickson and about Meadowish, but the way they went about it was reminiscent of the Dragnet theme: "dumb, dumb dumb dumb."

Also, I'm not too keen on the new angled parking in the Cherry Street area. It caters to suburbanites who can't be arsed to walk around the corner and cuts off the sidewalk and shops from the street, making the area feel less cohesive. The only good thing is that they didn't do the back-in angled parking like Fayetteville did in their bout of the stupids.

I agree.  I have seen several 45 degree projects, and they always turn into messy and dangerous situations.  This type of parking arrangement went out with the invention of the SUV.  If you are in a small sedan and you are parked next to an Escalade, you just have to hold on to your steering wheel and prey when pulling out of a 45 degree parking spot!

[nathanm]

you just have to hold on to your steering wheel and be prey when pulling out of a 45 degree parking spot!

FTFY

[zstyles]

PS: Mi Concina has free valet parking

[DowntownDan]

I live right off Cherry Street and I like the change.  It was already two lanes by default most of the time since someone would always park in front of Full Moon and squeeze it to two lanes for that stretch.  It was a good idea to make the whole stretch two lanes and avoid the random bottlenecking.  Traffic has slowed down, but it doesn't back up to any real frustrating degree.  I drove through during a lunch hour rush and it was a bit slow, but not a stand still.  I had no complaints or frustrations.  It has become much easier to cross also since I walk up and down Cherry Street every few days for the exercise.