NAPIER AVENUE PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE PLAN Prepared By:
DRAFT: 1/17/1 WHAT ARE WALKABILITY AUDITS AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT? Walkability is important for a community and everyone benefits from walking. Walkable communities are safer for pedestrians and school children walking or biking to school. Walking improves fitness, contributes towards cleaner air, reduces risks of certain health problems, and promotes a greater appreciation for a community. On average, home values are increased in walkable communities, and with the proper design, communities will see an increase in commerce for local businesses. However, people are unable to walk if an area is unsafe or difficult to utilize. Walkability audits enable individuals in a community to analyze how walkable their communities are. They are a key planning tool that provides communities with the technical assistance necessary to access walking and biking conditions while creating a plan for improving them. The Walkability Audit developed for the Napier Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan uses the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) walkability checklist as a starting point. The project team adapted the CDC s observation checklist to be more specific to the Napier Avenue Corridor and to be easier to complete while in the field. The Walkability Checklist asks auditors to rate the conditions of the corridor for seven different categories, including the presence of a pathway, the potential for conflict with vehicles, the presence of crosswalks, sidewalk or pathway maintenance, accessibility for the mobility impaired, how inviting a segment is to walk along, and the presence of trees along the segment. Each criterion is given a score between 1 and 5 and the total score is added to determine the overall walkability of the segment. The scale at the bottom of the checklist denotes how walkable the segment is based on its total score. The Walkability Checklist is a tool used to provide both a snapshot of current conditions and assess the auditor s ability to walk to destinations within their neighborhood. The Walkability Checklist provides a way to easily record safety problems along walking and bicycling routes to school. They can also be used to share information with school and community leaders and media. The Checklist enables the individual to determine problems within a community that would benefit from specific improvements. Napier Avenue
DRAFT: 1/17/1 NAPIER AVENUE WALKING AUDIT As an initial step view Napier Avenue, the project Steering Committee was invited to accompany the project team on a walkability audit of the corridor. This allowed the group to gain a better understanding of the roadway and how it currently functions in for non-motorized trips. The audit allowed the project team to learn from the experiences of the Steering Committee who are more familiar with the roadway. Understanding the views of the committee helps to shape the team s perspective on the existing conditions, as well as provide the start for a new vision of Napier Avenue. The following members of the Steering Committee and project team participated in the walking audit: Debbie Boothby Benton Charter Township Denise Cook St. Joseph Charter Township Jonathan Fisk St. Joseph Charter Township Brian Berndt Berrien County Road Department Heather Cole Be Healthy Berrien Jim Paul Slumberland Furniture Store John Curtis Napier Shell Alex Little Twin Cities Area Transportation Authority Ellis Mitchell Twin Cities Area Transportation Authority Ryan Fellows - SWMPC Kim Gallagher - SWMPC Jeromie Winsor - AECOM Josh Bocks - AECOM Hank Kelley - AECOM Phil Vogelsang - AECOM Max Dillivan Williams & Works The project team would like to thank TCATA for providing transportation for the Steering Committee between the Napier Avenue Corridor segments and Kinexus for allowing the group to meet in their offices. Napier Avenue 3
DRAFT: 1/17/1 Prior to the walkability audit starting, the group met to go over a brief overview of the instructions and to make sure that everyone had a safety vest. The walking tour that followed consisted of three separate walking trips that were prefaced by trip purpose scenarios to allow the group to better view the activity from the perspective of a local who actually makes these walking or biking trips. The three scenarios were completed in three uniquely different segments of the corridor. All of the trips required the users to navigate both along Napier and across it. In addition to walking, the group was asked to imagine completing the trip with everyday items like strollers, walkers, or wheelchairs to encourage the group think about all users, not just able bodied persons. While on the walking tour the project team encouraged the Steering Committee members to keep an eye out for other non-motorized users and take note of any unique actions or routes they may take. Additionally, if any committee members were to witness something of importance, they should attempt to document it in a safe manor by taking a photo. Upon completing the walking audit the Steering Committee met again, allowing the group to reflect on the results of what they had just completed. Napier Avenue
DRAFT: 1/17/1 FAIRPLAIN PLAZA WALKING AUDIT The Steering Committee was given the following scenario for the Fairplain Plaza Walking Audit trip. A resident of the apartment complex near Union St and Napier Ave is walking to the Fairplain Plaza shopping center in order to get to work. The Steering Committee was dropped off at the Village at Fairplain apartments on the north side of Napier Avenue. With the ultimate destination being the Fairplain Plaza, the group was tasked with getting to the destination by foot. This segment of Napier is a more commercial area than other segments of the corridor. It would be expected to have ample amounts of pedestrian activity in most scenarios. However, on this day the group of walkers in the audit process did not see any other non-motorized activity in the area. The majority of the segment had no sidewalk or any other walkway that was easily navigable. At the intersection of Napier Avenue and M-139 there is a pedestrian crosswalk with countdown signals and ADA ramps. However, the crosswalks and ramps do not lead to any place other than the end of the sidewalk. Finally, the route took the group across M-139 and subsequently across Napier Avenue where the ADA ramps again end and the group was forced to walk across the grass and landscaping of Rite Aid to get to the parking lot where the bus was waiting to pick the team up. Napier Avenue 5
DRAFT: 1/17/1 Fairplain Walkability Audit Results During the meeting that followed the walkability audit, the Steering Committee reviewed the results that were submitted by each member. The overwhelming feeling of the first segment of the walkability audit was that it provided a large potential for conflict and made the segment almost impossible to navigate for the mobility impaired. The segment includes a crosswalk at the intersection of Napier Avenue and M-139, but the sidewalks on either side of the crossings do not continue past the intersection. Few trees are present along the segment. The pleasantness of the walk was scored the lowest of any of the segments in the corridor. 1 Accessibility for Mobility Impaired 1 Potential for Conflict 1 3 5 1 3 5 1 Pleasantness of Walk 1 Segment s 1 3 5 7-1 13-1 19-5 - 3 31-35 Segment Napier Avenue
DRAFT: 1/17/1 THE ARTS & COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMY The Steering Committee was given the following scenario for the Arts & Communications Academy (formerly Fair Plain Middle School) Walking Audit trip. Imagine your child is a student walking to school from the nearby neighborhood at Columbus Ave and Napier Ave to the Arts and Communication Academy. The second segment of the walkability audit trip was in the middle of the Napier Avenue corridor. It began in the neighborhood north of Napier between Colfax Ave and Ogden Ave. The bus dropped the Steering Committee off just north of Napier on Columbus Avenue. This segment of the corridor is much more residential in nature in terms of land use. However, Napier still has four travel lanes and has a posted speed limit of mph. Because of the mostly residential nature of this segment, the Steering Committee was forced to walk very close to the roadway. Many residents have constructed fences or other impediments to keep pedestrians off of their lawn, which has caused the travel path, which was clearly worn into the ground, to be uncomfortably close to the travel lanes. Additionally, the close proximity of utility poles and mailboxes to the roadway obstructs the path of pedestrians. This segment did contain a few small segments of sidewalk, but the majority of these segments are old and in serious disrepair. A Steering Committee member noted that traveling on the grass and the unmaintained sidewalks would be very difficult for a pedestrian with disabilities. Near the end of the segment there is a new crosswalk, which is very important for the students in the area who travel this route every day. Napier Avenue 7
DRAFT: 1/17/1 The Arts & Communication Academy Walkability Audit Results Upon completion of the walkability audit, the Steering Committee reviewed the results that were submitted by each member. Portions of this segment have possibly the most uncomfortable walking environment as it is all in such close proximity to the roadway. This segment does however have better crosswalks and more of a presence of trees than the other two segments. The scores for potential conflicts were still very low in this segment as was the overall score as voted on by the group. Potential for Conflict 1 3 5 5 3 1 Present and Visible Crosswalks 1 3 5 Trees Along Route 1 Segment s 1 3 5 7-1 13-1 19-5 - 3 31-35 Segment Napier Avenue
DRAFT: 1/17/1 THE LAKELAND MEDICAL CENTER The Steering Committee was given the following scenario for the Lakeland Medical Center Walking Audit trip. A resident who needs to get to their job at the Lakeland Medical Center is walking from his home in the neighborhood at Miami Rd and Napier Ave. The final segment evaluated in the Napier Avenue Corridor Walkability Audit was on the very west end of the study area. The team traveled from the north side of Napier Avenue on Miami Road to the Lakeland Medical Center. At the start of this segment the team was able to cross Napier with a crosswalk that included a countdown signal. This signal functioned well for the crossing; however the crosswalk is only on three sides of the intersection. The land use in the segment is mostly residential; however it also contains the Berrien Hills Golf Course and the Lakeland Medical Center on the south side of Napier Avenue. It was noted by the Steering Committee is that although there is a pedestrian crossing signal, the access to this signal activation is difficult. The signal is on a hill and would be potentially impossible for a person with disabilities. This segment of the walking audit has sidewalks throughout. However, the sidewalks are in serious need of maintenance and in many places are very narrow. Along the bridge there are sidewalks, but the Steering Committee indicated that they still felt uneasy because there was no buffer between the non-motorized zone and the travel lanes. Napier Avenue 9
DRAFT: 1/17/1 Upon reaching the end of this segment the continuous sidewalks do continue along Napier Avenue, however, there is no connection to the hospital itself. As a pedestrian you are required to either walk across the landscaping of the hospital or in the driveway where vehicles are actively driving. Additionally, a person who might be using a mobility device such as a wheelchair or a walker would not only have to travel in the driveway to access the hospital s pedestrian network, but would have to do so without an ADA accessible ramp. The Lakeland Medical Center Walkability Audit Results At the end of this final segment the Steering Committee returned to the Kinexus offices to review the results. This segment received higher scores for the pleasantness of the walk and the overall score. This segment also has an ample amount of trees and scored better on the potentials for conflict than did the other segments. Potential for Conflict 5 3 1 1 3 1 3 5 Accessibility for Mobility Impaired 1 3 1 3 5 Pleasantness of Walk of Walk 1 1 33 5 Segment s 7-1 13-1 19-5 - 3 31-35 Segment Napier Avenue 1