We shouldn't design roads that force us to stay in our cars

By Dan H. Hoxworth

A lot of attention has been given recently to the great progress being made in reducing highway deaths both at a national and state level. Now we should make a similar commitment to reducing accidents and deaths for people walking and biking.

Estimates suggest that biking and walking account for 9.6 percent of all trips made by individuals, but for 13.1 percent of travel deaths -- a dramatically higher risk to people walking and biking than driving. Despite the increasing awareness of the importance of active living and lowering our carbon footprint, we continue to spend our limited tax resources on roads that are not safe for all users.

One local decision currently moving toward implementation creates unsafe environments for pedestrians and bicyclists and warrants reconsideration, as well as broader public scrutiny.

Everyone agrees the current design at Interstate Hwy. 694 and White Bear Avenue, by Maplewood Mall, does not work for motorists, walkers or cyclists. Through federal funding, $25 million has been made available to reconstruct the entire stretch of roadway between I-694 and Beam Avenue. This project will shape the way future development occurs in this area.

The design for the new White Bear Avenue is eight lanes wide (two turn lanes and two through lanes in each direction), with no median. There is a sidewalk adjacent to the roadway, but no buffer to protect or isolate pedestrians from the traffic. No accommodation is made for cyclists. A pedestrian will have to cross eight lanes of traffic -- nearly 100 feet -- to get across the street.

Consider someone with a disability trying to cross this street. Imagine being a parent trying to cross with children. Will you make it across? And would you feel safe on a sidewalk next to eight lanes of traffic with no buffer?

What are the alternatives? Trying to cross 1-694 from the north, you could try to bike or walk down Hwy. 61. That's even worse. What about Century Avenue? That's only a couple of miles to the east. That road has no shoulder for cyclists and no sidewalks for people. McKnight Road has the same issue.

Ultimately, if the reconstruction of White Bear Avenue continues in its current form, it will be the very definition of an "incomplete street." It will wall off pedestrians and cyclists from getting to not only the Maplewood Mall but also the Ramsey County Public Library branch just west of it. We need road designs that help us move forward to live more active lives and provide for transportation choices, not designs that continue to confine us to our cars for all features of our day-to-day lives.

Who is accountable for such a road design? Many players share the responsibility, including Ramsey County Public Works, the Maplewood City Council and the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Now, this is just one example. There are many others. Daily, decisions are being made across our state that will have a lasting impact on the way we live for years to come.

What can citizens do?

You can support Complete Streets legislation at the national, state and local levels. The Complete Streets initiative is geared toward helping the public, elected officials and public servants understand that when they make decisions about street design, they are deciding how our communities will function and whether they will be safe.

If you live in Ramsey County or Maplewood or care about the White Bear intersection, you can let your elected officials know that you want them to look at alternative designs.

You can ask the Complete Streets Task Force established by MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel to request that the Towards Zero Deaths program include all modes of transportation in its reduction targets and action plans.

Much as we plant trees today for future generations to enjoy, we design and build roadways today that shape the way we live tomorrow. In Minnesota, let's stop creating roadways that are like buckthorn -- invasive and destroying all other modes of transportation. Let's create streets and roads that are conducive to creating active, vibrant, livable communities.

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Dan H. Hoxworth, Mahtomedi, is a runner, bicyclist and president of H3 (H-Cubed) Consulting, which provides consulting services to nonprofits.

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