Transportation plays a big part of the success of a town that is revitalizing. You want your town to be automobile accessible, but at the same time, you do not want a super-highway running through your town. It is a delicate balance of convenience and walkability is always hard to achieve.

This is especially true if you have a state road running through your downtown. State roads are somewhat special. In Pennsylvania, the PennDOT rules and regulations, to which they must adhere, control the state highway system. While the rules are sometime cumbersome, they are there for everyone.

There are waivers for some of the regulations but for the most part, it is something with which everyone must comply. Items like midblock crosswalks, raised intersections and the like are all taboo. These are hallmarks of walkability but somewhat improbable on a state road.

In Phoenixville, we already had a midblock crosswalk when we did the streetscape project, and that was able to stay because it existed. We kept it painted and when the streetscape was planned, we were able to keep it. A midblock crosswalk is a valuable tool in making your main street walkable. It allows people to cross the street where it is natural to cross. It lessens the strain on handicapped individuals, as they do not have to go to the end of the block to cross. 

Raised intersections slow traffic down on your main street, but because they can also make a speeder airborne on occasion, there is an issue with installing them on a state road. Traffic engineers certainly do not want to design something only to have it rejected by the reviewing body, so that is why you do not see many raised intersections.  Officials who are somewhat passionate about accessibility, at times can have success with this issue.

The number of lanes is always an object of contention on a state road. In Downingtown, there was a call to eliminate parking when we did the streetscape. I, of course, objected about taking away parking and it was spared. When I left to work on South Street, there was another attempt to rid the street of parking and a limited amount of parking disappeared. 

It is the duty of PennDOT to make the traffic move faster. That is one of the reasons municipalities install a “closed loop system.” The closed loop system synchronizes the traffic light system. This is normally done through a Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant (CMAQ). When cars have to idle in place for an extended period of time it degrades the air quality of the area so this grant addresses that problem. 

The result of the closed loop project is the cars move through the town quicker, as the lights are timed to move the traffic. The result of this action is minimal, except maybe to the timing of the crosswalks. There is a limit to the time that handicapped people can use to cross the street, so many feet per second. Sometimes that is in conflict with the closed loop installation. Sometimes regulations conflict or maybe a better way of saying it is, they are not compatible. For those who seek to create a more walkable community, it is an opening to pick and choose what to advocate.

It is never one improvement, but the combination of improvements, that can make the difference if your town is walkable. Make the streets wider, move the traffic through quicker, and all of a sudden it looks like it is dangerous to cross the street, making the community less walkable.

Is it necessary to stop these improvements? No, I don’t think so, but what is important is that people look at all the options and make intelligent assumptions and decisions. Traffic calming items like midblock crosswalks and raised intersections will make a difference when it comes walkability.

Another item, bump outs on the sidewalk, to extend the sidewalk out to the traffic lanes is another good measure to make sure that the downtown is walkable. A bump out could be part of a midblock crosswalk, combining items to make the street more walkable. In Phoenixville, we did just that!! We combined the newly painted crosswalk (always remember not to let those crosswalk lines fade) along with a bump out. When I left Phoenixville, we were still discussing that crosswalk being raised. I am not sure the outcome of that discussion. 

When you pass through or stop in Phoenixville or Downingtown check out the improvements and see the difference they have made.