TU's poor job of "updating" Delaware Ave.

[darkspectre]

I'm not sure how many of you live over by the 3rd street & Delaware crossing, but the University of Tulsa is taking it's sweet time re-opening that area.  Uneven roads and  cruddy redirection of traffic is driving me insane!

Also, they've turned Delaware into a 2 lane road instead of 4, just so they can put in a few freaking plants.

It sure is nice that TU gets to do whatever the heck they want.  I hope the new dorms they put in fall apart due to cheap construction.

[RecycleMichael]

I like the two lane roads...makes it feel more like a walkable campus.

[NellieBly]

I quit driving down Delaware years ago. The college kids just step off the curb in front of your car. So, of course, I would speed up.

They should probably just make it limited access, like the street that runs through OSU campus.

[TheArtist]

One thing that seems to be missing on the TU campus is an area where the students can be in a walkable, sociable, interactive area.  You would kind of hope something like that would develop naturally on the South side of 11th. And to some extent there is the occasional coffe house etc. that springs up. The new apartments could have been a prime opportunity to build that "Collegiate Village" environment but to me they just come across as looking like an apartment complex. Will have to see how it all plays out when its done, but doesn't look that promising.  I think the apartments are a great addition and am glad to see TU expanding.  But in their next phase of expansion I would really hope they do something more along these lines....

This is a rendering of what they are adding to the Duke campus. And yes I know they have a lot more money than TU does lol. But just to show the general idea of what I am talking about with a campus restaurant, bookstores, internet cafes, club house, gym, etc. set up along street like avenues with housing above.

[dsjeffries]

quote:Originally posted by darkspectre

I'm not sure how many of you live over by the 3rd street & Delaware crossing, but the University of Tulsa is taking it's sweet time re-opening that area.  Uneven roads and  cruddy redirection of traffic is driving me insane!

Also, they've turned Delaware into a 2 lane road instead of 4, just so they can put in a few freaking plants.

It sure is nice that TU gets to do whatever the heck they want.  I hope the new dorms they put in fall apart due to cheap construction.

Excuse me, but TU is not the entity in charge of the Delaware Avenue project--That would be the City of Tulsa.  TU had input on design, but limited at best, and are not involved in construction.  So if you have construction quibbles, don't blame TU.  Do you really think that TU would choose to have one of its main access roads shut off to students, faculty, guests and sporting events for extended periods of time?

Did you attend TU?  If so, you'd know that trying to cross Delaware is a death wish with all the speeding, inattentive drivers (the speed limit is NOT 50), so I, along with the 4,500 other students, am grateful that it's being turned into a 2-lane road with an even lower speed limit.  And you might think plants are stupid but they add aesthetics and charm to the area.  Plus, trees can help reduce the heat island effect when planted near roads, which is always a benefit.

As for "cheap construction" on the new "dorms", which are actually apartments, I doubt you've taken a look-see inside any of them.  Based on my experiences, they're nicer than a lot of apartments in town.  They have quality cabinetry and nicely-appointed kitchens and baths that make some of the apartments here in Tulsa look like a  joke.  Note: Not all, but some.

Here are some pictures of an unfinished one:

And TU doesn't have a carte blanche.  They don't just get to do whatever they want.











Bottom line, it's not TU's fault that Delaware is still closed.  Write the City of Tulsa.

[darkspectre]

From my front porch I can see the dorms at 3rd and Delaware.  Delaware is a major corridor for most of the people on this side of 11th street that do not want to have to drive out of our way just to get home.

Frankly, I could care less about TU students and the way they cross the street.  Most of the time they are walking(on in some cases, running) directly in front of traffic heading down this CITY street.  I accept the fact that they put in the extra stop light there for student to cross, but I can follow traffic rules.  They cannot.

There are also the students that play soccer on that eye-sore of a field they put  in right next to 6th and Delaware that always seem to be running back and forth towards the road.  Very distracting.

I didn't have mommy and daddy buy my way to college, and I could care less if you or any of the 4,500 other students at that campus worked your way just to be accepted.  Just because you go to college doesn't mean that traffic bends to you.

And yes, I did write the City of Tulsa about this.  I've received no answer yet, but I accept this being that our city could care less about what I have to say on the matter.  TU gets carte blanche as long as the City does whatever tell them to do.

[Ed W]

quote:Originally posted by DScott28604

Excuse me, but TU is not the entity in charge of the Delaware Avenue project--That would be the City of Tulsa.  TU had input on design, but limited at best, and are not involved in construction.

Yes, TU had input on the design and they even had a meeting for public comments.  Two of the attendees are knowledgeable bicycling advocates who pointed out that the inclusion of bikelanes was not only a bad idea, it was contrary to the city's own bicycle master plan.  They were soundly ignored.  TU's planners got their way regardless of citizen input.  The university pulled the strings and Public Works danced.

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by darkspectre



There are also the students that play soccer on that eye-sore of a field they put  in right next to 6th and Delaware that always seem to be running back and forth towards the road.  Very distracting.

I didn't have mommy and daddy buy my way to college, and I could care less if you or any of the 4,500 other students at that campus worked your way just to be accepted.  Just because you go to college doesn't mean that traffic bends to you.

Waaaaa, boo hoo

[OurTulsa]

I can imagine that TU had heavy input in the redesign of Delaware.  I can't imagine the City proactively going in and doing traffic calming although I hope that is changing.

It's all a matter of which type of environment you want for your city.  I prefer a city that doesn't premise it's mobility on the automobile.  I prefer better streets over bigger streets.  Streets can move cars/truck efficiently without completely sacraficing other modes of mobility, without decapitating one neighborhood from another, without killing the way a place looks and feels.  
I can imagine that that stretch of Delaware feels much better to be in now (or when it's finally completed): slower cars, better sidewalks, trees.  I bet it feels safer too; for both people walking and people driving.  God forbid we want a more walkable environment around a college campus and heaven forbid we actually not create driving environments that allow people to rip/zip through a place and have absolutely no connection with it...hmmm maybe that's one reason people are so damn apathetic around here...they go from bed to car to cubicle back to car to the tv and back to bed to get up and do it all over again...while they are in their car and out in the City they have zip/zero connection with their surroundings...it's hard to when you are flying through 30-50 mph or at a stop light staring at the car in front of you waiting start zipping again.  So no wonder people don't give a s*** how a place actually looks and functions beyond allowing them to drive as fast as they want.

Next time you drive through there slow down, roll down your windows and enjoy the space...you may appreciate it.  

[patric]

I attended some of the meetings where TU took credit for specifying the streetlighting, and how proud they were of how neat they looked in the daytime.

Pretty lights arent always the most efficient, but these were so bad they had to install 3-4  decorative lights for each standard one they replaced.  Of course, the city picks up the tab for the 3-4X electricity and maintenance on the city streets.
Who needs pools open in the summer, anyway?

[dsjeffries]

quote:Originally posted by darkspectre

Frankly, I could care less about TU students and the way they cross the street.

I think that's apparent.

quote:There are also the students that play soccer on that eye-sore of a field they put  in right next to 6th and Delaware that always seem to be running back and forth towards the road.  Very distracting.

Poor thing, a well-maintained soccer field.  If drivers watch the road, they need not worry about (gasp) people in a field.

quote:I didn't have mommy and daddy buy my way to college, and I could care less if you or any of the 4,500 other students at that campus worked your way just to be accepted.

You could care less, but most of us work our butts off not just to be accepted but because we want a solid education.  My parents aren't paying a single dime because of my work.

quote:Just because you go to college doesn't mean that traffic bends to you.

You know, you're right on this point.  It's not the college that does it, it's the act of being a pedestrian that does it.

quote:And yes, I did write the City of Tulsa about this.  I've received no answer yet, but I accept this being that our city could care less about what I have to say on the matter.  TU gets carte blanche as long as the City does whatever tell them to do.

What exactly is your original "problem" again?  Slow reconstruction?  That's life.  This is Oklahoma- Weather happens.  Delays happen.
I hope you enjoy the new trees, landscaping and smoother ride down Delaware.

[cannon_fodder]

I love the threads that complain that Tulsa doesnt have any "real colleges,"  the ones that complain Tulsa cannot attract residents, complaints that there is nothing to do in this town or that all of our teams are "B league teams for a B league city," the tidbits that lament the poor education, and even the ones that argue that no one ever has a reason to come to this city.  These threads are in equal proportion to the ones that bash TU as a "monster eating 11th" or some elitist bastion of evil.  

I'm sorry for the confusion, but it seems to me that the University of Tulsa helps answer a lot of those problems.  It provides a staggering number of good jobs.  Brings notoriety and name recognition to the city. Provides an elite pool of educated individuals - especially in the field of petroleum engineering.  Exposes 1,500 new, young, and educated people per year to living in Tulsa.  Provides TOP NOTCH sports teams, lectures, performances, and other entertainment at unbelievably reasonable prices to the community.  Donates MILLIONS.  Organizes volunteer efforts, blood drives, and adopts schools.  Brings thousands of people to Tulsa for games, conferences, lectures, interviews, job fairs, and so on.  Provides a barrier stopping the disease of urban decay from wondering into midtown.  Provides entrepreneurial, legal, and many other workshops to help local businesses get established, residents retain their rights, and the community to improve as a whole.  Pumps hundreds of millions into the local economy.  And on and on and on.

And you complain because of road construction?

I'm guessing you also moved across the street from a Division 1 football stadium and moan about the traffic on game days.

quote:Originally posted by darkspectre
[brFrankly, I could care less about TU students and the way they cross the street. Most of the time they are walking(on in some cases, running) directly in front of traffic heading down this CITY street.

Again, you moved near a college.  College students are not known for their candor towards traffic while on campus.  Thank god you don't live in Norman or Stillwater (or Austin, College Station, Manhattan,Lawrence, Ames...) where college student slalom is just part of driving.  It isnt ideal, but it also is not more than a minor inconvenience.  I drove that street daily for 3 years and never had a real problem... perhaps you could go 3 block out of your way to Harvard if it is such a big deal for you.

quote:There are also the students that play soccer on that eye-sore of a field they put  in right next to 6th and Delaware that always seem to be running back and forth towards the road.  Very distracting.

You are actually complaining that the University installed green space for kids to play soccer?  Wow.  There is a softball field just down the street, is that a problem?  Near my house Eisenhower has a playground right near the road, can you believe that.  Up and down riverside there is nothing but huge distracting parks with people running and biking all over.  Union even has the nerve to put an entire football stadium and practice field just of the street.

Seriously, when you start complaining about TU providing fields for kids to play soccer on, your just displaying your angst towards the institution in general.

quote:I didn't have mommy and daddy buy my way to college, and I could care less if you or any of the 4,500 other students at that campus worked your way just to be accepted.

Neither did I.   I worked my way into school there and THEN paid my way.  Just like most of the people I know that went to school there.  But thanks for telling me (again) that you don't care.  It seems by virtue of taking the time to bring it up that you do care on some level.

quote:Just because you go to college doesn't mean that traffic bends to you.

You are correct.  But as Tulsa strives to get walkable neighborhoods and more urban areas you will have to get used to it.  Just like how traffic laws bend when you are downtown, they tend to do the same around college campuses.  This is not unique to U of Tulsa and should not come as any surprise.  It is a fact in any area with a high percentage of people on foot and even more so near a college campus.

Pedestrians do, after all, have the right of way.

quote:but I accept this being that our city could care less about what I have to say on the matter.

Well, you could care less about the 6,000 people that are on that campus every day and the city could care less about you.  Sounds fair.

[TheArtist]

Way to tell it Cannon.[8D]

[dsjeffries]

To Cannon, in the voice of Borat:  "High five!"

I took some photos today of the mess, and as you can clearly see (heavy sarcasm here) there's absolutely NO work being done on the road by anyone (and one of the photos even includes that eyesore of a soccer field!):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dscott28604/782784940


http://www.flickr.com/photos/dscott28604/781905585


http://www.flickr.com/photos/dscott28604/781907901

[tulsascoot]

Anyone who owns a home in the area, like me, should be delighted that street improvements are being made, even at a slight inconvenience. I look forward to a landscaped boulevard to replace the four very narrow lanes of bumps and potholes that it will replace.

I drive that way almost every day, and that road has been crap for a long time, and it barely fits 2 cars next to each other anyway.

If you do own your home, and you complain about TU making or facilitating improvements in the area, you're stupid. It will only increase your home value.

If you rent, well, then move.