moderndukes OP t1_ix8qrfe wrote
Quoting the first two paragraphs for synopsis of the soft-paywalled article:
> Work is wrapping up on a $55 million, yearslong upgrade of a major downtown roadway serving Baltimore’s developing waterfront neighborhoods. But the revitalization of Central Avenue’s streetscape has surprised some business operators and residents.
> Many expected a four-lane road, with two northbound and two southbound lanes, plus turning lanes, to ease congestion into Harbor East and Harbor Point. Instead, two lanes will be eliminated, and a protected bicycle path will run between sidewalks and parking lanes.
The article goes on with quotes from businesses aghast at bike lanes. I’m quite happy that the plan is the dieting of Central Ave - it was obviously an old transit street from its width so this is returning it to some part of that usage, and the wide lanes that existed previously made people speed ridiculously in such an area.
explodingkneez t1_ix8xxuo wrote
I masturbate to the thought of boomers crying over livable city infrastructure
strifesfate t1_ix9j6mk wrote
The conversations about this on Nextdoor will be brilliant.
Lonnol78 t1_ixcfcwg wrote
Said it better than I ever could
sisqoandebert t1_ix8symc wrote
Thank god. The idea that drivers need two lanes to weave and speed into densely packed city centers is insane.
Used to work down on Fleet between Central and Caroline and the drivers blasting towards the light at Caroline made safe crossing very difficult.
okdiluted t1_ix92tys wrote
yeah honestly i'm insanely excited to feel less like i'm about to be obliterated by a car every time i need to bike somewhere around there
YoYoMoMa t1_ix93b4n wrote
>Many expected a four-lane road, with two northbound and two southbound lanes
Well they are dumb. Thank God no one listened to them.
>a protected bicycle path will run between sidewalks and parking lanes
Hell yes let's go.
todareistobmore t1_ix9a98g wrote
Well, this design is dumb--it's not like it's with the city's power to make MTA participate in making this a transit corridor, but given that they may as well have daylighted the falls rather than make two parking lanes.
TerranceBaggz t1_ixd1a5i wrote
The design is not dumb, bike lanes are good especially when they double as traffic calming in dense areas. Making it a transit corridor as well would be even better, but I’d delete the auto lanes for transit, not the bike lane.
todareistobmore t1_ixd5is6 wrote
The bike lane isn't the problem, it's putting two lanes of parking there. TBH I don't know the background of the places like Boston St. where there's street parking but only during non-peak hours, but I think it's a lot easier to imagine that being the next iteration of this design than a transit corridor. Just feel like this had the opportunity to be a really forward-looking design in a bunch of different ways and this is disappointing. But then honestly between my office moving out of Fells and the Broadway Market renovation, I hardly ever bike to Fells these days anyway.
TerranceBaggz t1_ixd94ak wrote
The point was to have traffic calming. Adding back in a traffic lane defeats that purpose. I’m not sure what you are calling for here to improve it. Could you elaborate? (We know they aren’t adding a BRT lane for a circulator or light rail.
todareistobmore t1_ixdb811 wrote
Not entirely sure, tbh. Like I think daylighting the canal would've been great and compatible with both traffic calming and a bike lane (at the expense of parking), but with that and transit off the table I think I'd still rather have the bike lane in the middle of the road like the proposal for 33rd St. Then you could put the parking against the curb but have bumpouts to shorten crossing distances too?
TerranceBaggz t1_ixjakhk wrote
It would be pretty awesome to have the water taxi run up the canal into the central part of the city.
Unusual-Thanks-2959 t1_ix8u9uh wrote
The "transit" portion was a former canal, with Central Avenue on either side. Pics
batmanofska t1_ix9eabv wrote
BRING IT BACK!
sit_down_man t1_ix9tqke wrote
That’s actually really cool! Thanks for sharing
puptrait t1_ixaz9v2 wrote
Wow!
throws_rocks_at_cars t1_ixcvjdj wrote
It’s insane that this was paved over. Canals are so cool.
XanderCruse t1_ix9uzy6 wrote
The funny thing is that Central Ave is never congested; at least from my experience navigating through Harbor East at rush hour.
DMelanogastard t1_ixacm3y wrote
Oh nooooo! Surely the bikes going 20mph and the pedestrians going 3mph will generate so much less business than the cars flying by at 40!
todareistobmore t1_ix98j8g wrote
> The article goes on with quotes from businesses aghast at bike lanes.
And yet if push comes to shove if the option were two travel lanes or one travel one parking, they'd choose the latter every single time.
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