Comments for “Next Generation Connectivity & Mobility Plan”
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This could provide a secondary connection to the new student housing in College Twp by following West Penn Power Right of way. With the proposed Easterly Parkway shared use path, this would provide good access to the Garner St bike route and onward through the borough. (and it would cost a lot less than 3 mil!) Hiking trail would need to be maintained, but there is a lot of space in the right-of-way for two trails.
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ReplyA ped/bike path through Walnut Spring Park is a terrific idea. Not only would it provide a safe alternative to walking/biking along East College Ave., but it would improve access for people who just want to enjoy the park.
Like Liked 1 timeAgreed - it's ridiculous that a few people in College township can legally create a fence between "their" park and a trailer park/now student homes and say that they don't want students walking through "their" park to campus.
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Please cut the embankment at this spot to provide better visibility for motorists trying to merge onto College Ave from University Dr. There are conflicts at this merge almost every time I use it, so I imagine it must be so for other drivers. (and I've witnessed many, too). The bank across college ave was cut down a few years ago to provide a flower bed. How about cutting this one down to improve safety?!
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Foster Ave "Bike Route" ends at University Dr. It needs to be extended up University Drive to Campus (Hastings Rd) along with Pedestrian facilities SEPARATE from the road network. There is no safe way from Foster Ave to campus. Well, there is a long, long detour around the Gateway complex, but that is troublesome to use and not direct -- people walk and cycle on University Dr because its the shortest route. A shared use bridge on the West side of University drive from approximately 40.800978, -77.850101, OVER the ramps to/from College Ave, then over College ave to approximately 40.803293, -77.851525 would provide peds & bikes a fairly level path from Hastings Rd to Foster Ave.
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ReplyInstead of trying to shoehorn bike and ped infra into a highway interchange, we should remove the interchange and create an extension of downtown to University. The traffic volumes do not warrant an interchange, and the funds could come from selling the highway ramp land to build housing: http://jamesgraef.com/projects/university-college
Like Liked 0 timesWe should not spend any time or money trying to widen the University bridge over College. Instead, we should work to get rid of the bridge and make an extension of downtown as safe and welcoming to people walking, rolling, biking, and taking transit as possible.
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Similar to the "gap" in cycling routes between Allen and Gill Sts, the same problem exists between Pugh and Garner. Locust lane is a major route to/from Campus for the fraternity section of town and there currently is no legal way to get your bike from Beaver Ave to the Foster Ave bike route without riding against traffic or riding on the sidewalk (which is prohibited in that area). A counterflow lane on Locust between Beaver and Foster would provide a mid-town pathway between campus and town.
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ReplyStrictly speaking I think the ordinances do allow riding on the sidewalk of Locust from Beaver to Foster. But I agree that this is a good idea.
With the exception of Garner (a crummy bike route at Beaver), every road between Pugh and University is one-way northbound only between Beaver and Foster (I'm thinking of Locust/Hetzel/High). I think it's very odd and it makes it hard to get into the neighborhood without riding on a major road. Any or all of these could probably fit a bike lane in the other direction.
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It's a long way between Allen St and Gill St. and cycling students use Burrowes (and Fraser, too) going against traffic between Foster and Beaver Ave because its the shortest path to/from campus. This needs to be a priority as from the borough's own study done in the early teens, 35% of bicycle traffic on Burrowes is "Wrong Way", and 33% on Frazer. I suspect that's a higher percentage now. Counterflow, parking protected bike lanes, with Bicycle Signals at Beaver should be considered for Burrowes at a minimum. Fraser is more problematic space wise, but it should be considered, too.
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ReplyBurrowes is also one of the best ways to access campus from the south side of the borough. Burrowes between College & Beaver is relatively quiet, College and Beaver crossings are both fairly pedestrian-friendly, and you have a nice shoulder once on campus. Allen is much busier and crossing College is more difficult, particularly with a bike. As pointed out, this translates into lots of people biking against traffic on Burrowes when leaving campus. Perhaps it's worth examining removing parking on one side of the street in favor of 2-way bike lanes?
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The corner of Atherton and Branch may be barely in the borough, but it's in the borough and it's the worst intersection the whole length of the bike path to Boalsburg. Please fix it.
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ReplyIf you asked me to choose the spot on earth I am most likely to shuffle off this mortal coil, it's Atherton & Branch, and I don't live anywhere nearby. College & Hetzel is probably second (ditto).
Like Liked 7 timesIf I were designing a trap intended to kill pedestrians and cyclists, it would look a lot like this intersection.
Like Liked 1 timeIncredibly, the beg button to walk across branch lights up the walk light during the left turn cycle from atherton. It does nothing other than change the light. It's far safer to cross when the light isn't illuminated. I can't count the number of times I have almost been hit by right turning traffic from branch when crossing here. With the number of severe crashes between motor vehicles at this intersection, something should be done about it from that perspective as well.
Like Liked 2 timesI often make this crossing with a kid in a trailer or on a third wheel. If I want to have the kid not sitting in the middle of the road (when westbound), I have to pull onto the island so far I can't reach the beg button anymore. We barely fit on the thing anyway, which only adds to the sense of adventure I experience every time I visit this intersection.
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It's unpleasant as a cyclist to try to get off of the Westgate building and onto Pollock into campus. The ramps are way off to the side, and the three car directions at the intersection are controlled by stop signs, so they don't give you a turn.
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ReplyThis intersection sees lots of pedestrian traffic and it's only increasing as engineering moves over the IST bridge. Particularly between classes, it's an unpleasant crossing for everybody, as pedestrians have to make sure cars won't run them over as they cross while cars have to thread the needle to get through the stop sign with practically non-stop pedestrian traffic.
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This is a bike route to nowhere. Do you also propose to run a path down the right-of-way to Metz?
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ReplyI'm not sure why this goes here. Maybe there's a plan to cut through to Osmond? If not it would be best to go Buckout to Metz to Osmond to connect this to Corl St. It would be great to see that route continued in the other direction all the way to Allen or even University. This could provide the EW bike route that connects the NS routes I've proposed on Allen and Gill. It would allow kids to get to school safely and also allow shoppers to reach downtown.
Like Liked 0 timesIt could be sensible to go out to the dead end since there is a pedestrian right-of-way down from the water tower to Metz which could be paved. (It's where Butz would run, if it didn't end at Metz.) If that got built it's a great connection from Foster to the school with very little traffic. The Buckhout option is OK, but then kids have to manage the left from Buckhout onto Metz, and cars tend to speed up the hill from College/Beaver and run the stop sign. My feeling is Buckhout will inevitably become a busier through-street with a connection to west campus, so better avoid relying on it for bikes if possible.
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This is another bad corner on your proposed bike route. I am curious to see the plan.
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ReplyThere has to be enough asphalt at what should be this pretty minor intersection that you could probably fit a whole basketball court in the middle of the road.
But there is no crosswalk across Fairmount anywhere around, despite the entrance to the park at this very corner.
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I think Fairmount as a bike route is an interesting idea.
The difficulty is that Fairmount is 100% the worst place to cross Atherton anywhere in the vicinity.
I can't imagine what could be done about this without adding a traffic signal. The is just very little visibility because of the hill. The cars are also speeding.
A Fairmount bike route without a signal at Atherton seems like a complete non-starter to me.
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ReplyThe hill here and the changing speed limit does make this a dangerous place. Foster may be a better location for an EW bike route.
Like Liked 3 timesI would add that I do not think that a "Watch Peds" sign over the road like we currently have at Foster would not be sufficient to make this a remotely safe crossing. Maybe I would change my mind if presented with some compelling data in favor of these things, but I have made the crossing at Foster thousands of times and I believe the sign there has virtually no effect on traffic.
I don't mind the Foster crossing too much because there is the island and good visibility both ways, but you can often watch a dozen cars go by without slowing while waiting on the island.
Like Liked 1 timeThe Atherton crossing is better at Prospect, in terms of visibility, but Prospect gets tricky during State High tennis and baseball/softball seasons. Foster as a crossing is problematic because it is too close to Beaver and where the car traffic widens. Nittany might be better.
So, yes, if Bikes and Pedestrians get a specific sign, then Fairmount could work.
Like Liked 0 timesA refuge island for pedestrians which blocks cars from making any left turns (some are already illegal) and from crossing Atherton would make this intersection safer for everyone.
Like Liked 1 timeFoster Ave is a good place to cross Atherton. Improve on the island there with signaling.
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There is basically no way to bike from campus into the neighborhood here: all the streets are one-way in the wrong direction.
Hetzel has plenty of room for a bike lane the other direction. Or just close it to cars altogether.
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ReplyI agree that more streets both on campus and in town need to be closed to cars, at least during the day. We still have a traffic engineering mindset that convenience for cars is the priority.
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Phew, I made it up the bike lane on the punishing Garner St hill.
What, you're telling me I'm just being unceremoniously dumped into one of the worst intersections in town, and I have to make it across a lane of right-turning traffic to go straight?? I just want to get to campus!
Terrible.
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ReplyThe walk/don't walk signal at the northeast corner of this intersection is bent and you can't see it heading northbound on Garner street.
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The block is a key connection from the South Atherton path to downtown via Garner. The Google map shows it as a bike path on the east side of the road, and your map shows it as a bike path on the west side. The sad reality is that it is just a sad sidewalk and the church doesn't reliably shovel it in the winter.
Please complete this connection.
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ReplyDefinitely the most treacherous stretch of the bike commute from Boalsburg to campus. Southbound traffic does not usually signal a left turn onto Atherton and many drivers cut into the turning lane early.
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Transit/Pedestrian Priority
This light allow a longer time for pedestrians to cross and have a little more buffer from when the countdown hits zero to when the light changes (it is instant right now). It should also change faster after pushing the cross button.
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ReplyThis intersection makes me nervous as a driver too, particularly at night. The lights are slow to change for pedestrians but unavoidably lots are crossing here, so pedestrians are prone to trying to cross while drivers have the green. I know this is a PennDOT road so the borough has limited control, but this seems like an accident waiting to happen
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Transit/Pedestrian Priority
This intersection needs an all-pedestrian crossing time. All cars off Allen are turning left and people dart across the street. It's not safe for pedestrians and leads to bad traffic flow.
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ReplyI agree, every now and then a pedestrian darts across the street and almost gets hit by a cata bus. The pedestrian crossing needs to be improved.
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This One-Way Rd could use a bike lane. It is frequently used by bikes and scooters given its proximity to the residence halls and the relatively narrow sidewalk that runs parallel to it on only one side. Bikes and scooters frequently go the wrong way on it, because the only other obvious roadway to run parallel to it is Pollock which is a quarter mile uphill and not that well connect to Mckean. Very few bike riders want to go around the long way. The current strategy seems to be police enforcement in the first few weeks of the semester which quickly falls off, and only encourages the bikes/scooters to go on the sidewalks because they don't police the sidewalks.
The only time that the full width of this road is really used heavily is during move-in, so it seems like a two way bike lane should fit and with even small vertical delineators it would make it safer. Just shut down the bike line for move-in and it would still serve its function.Liked 4 times
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Please improve the ramp access at Allen and College. The ramp is on only one side of the intersection and is fairly narrow. Bikes, strollers, and sometime wheelchairs/scooter end up lining up single file for this one access. Because of this location if you are exiting campus and planning to continue south on allen, you are forced to either diagonally cross the intersection from the ramp (illegal) or cross the crosswalk to the sidewalk (where bikes are not supposed to be) and wait for the pedestrian crossing going across Allen to go south on Allen. I'm not sure which is more legal or safer. Is there any plan for how bikes are supposed to go south on Allen from this location?
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ReplyTotal agreement. Pedestrians and bikes need a priority signal during each signal rotation. As well as a ramp for south-bound traffic from campus onto Allen.
Like Liked 2 timesAny bike/ped only signal should be between EACH DIRECTION of traffic, rather than once per cycle. Walk signs should remain on during the parallel vehicle green, since people will cross regardless.
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The intersection of S. Buckhout and West College Avenue is increasingly dangerous for pedestrians, bicyclists, and even vehicles. It is a common route to campus and the bike paths and contains blind spots and lacks signage. As Ferguson Twp continues to develop, the problem will increase.
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ReplyAdding to my own comment: the College Connector stop at Butz actually sees some traffic now with students getting off here. It is maddening to get from westbound bus stop on the north side of College back to the building. As configured now I think you are supposed to use a sequence of three different crosswalks to get across College. Of course nobody will actually do this.
Like Liked 2 timesOK, I double-checked on the way home today. To get from the bus stop to the building directly across the two-lane street, you actually need to use four different crosswalks:
0) (which I won't count): cross a currently blocked off entrance to the parking lot on the old Houts property
1) cross Buckhout to the NE corner (1 lane)
2) cross College to the SE corner (2 lanes)
3) cross one lane of Buckhout to the island (1 lane)
4) cross the other lane of Buckhout (1 lane)
Worse, the island seems to be not really done, and the two crosswalks that meet in the middle of the road come to a point outside of the part that's protected by a curb.The mind boggles.
Like Liked 2 timesThis and every intersection in the borough should have a crosswalk on all 4 sides of the intersection.
Like Liked 1 timeIn this case the "missing" crosswalk is because of cars coming off of the Houts side of Buckhout turning right. I use this bus stop a lot and have literally never seen a car there.
I assume there is some PennDOT policy or recommendation that you can't have a crosswalk in front of cars turning onto a one-way street. The idiotic situation at this intersection is pretty compelling proof that this policy is ridiculous. We are forcing people to cross extra live lanes of 26 rather than cross in front of turning cars from a completely dead road with perfect visibility.
Another busyish bus stop with similar silliness is at Beaver and Hetzel.
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