Lindsey Street

[Geographer]

Are you going? I really like your ideas for Lindsey, especially the roundabouts. Put some fountains in the middle and you have a really nice entrance into the city and university.

Yes I will be at the meeting today.

The last public meeting will be held today at 4:00 at Legends Times Two (1313 W Lindsey Street). Boren, OU Institute invite ideas about Lindsey Street makeover » Headlines » The Norman Transcript

[ou48A]

I'm all for making Lindsey street look nice, but they have got to find a way to significantly increase that streets capacity. After all that's the bottom line on what the city of Norman voters voted for.

Hopefully the city will do better than they did on Flood Street just north of Robinson where they had to tear out several hundred feet of vegetation due to poor decision making.

There are a lot of times when something looks real good on a blue print but the practicality is virtually nil and in the mean time a great deal of money is wasted by people with good intentions but use far too little common sense.

Our city leaders far to often resort to expensive studies and outsiders rather than using good local judgment.

[Geographer]

I'm all for making Lindsey street look nice, but they have got to find a way to significantly increase that streets capacity. After all that's the bottom line on what the city of Norman voters voted for.

Hopefully the city will do better than they did on Flood Street just north of Robinson where they had to tear out several hundred feet of vegetation due to poor decision making.

There are a lot of times when something looks real good on a blue print but the practicality is virtually nil and in the mean time a great deal of money is wasted by people with good intentions but use far too little common sense.

Our city leaders far to often resort to expensive studies and outsiders rather than using good local judgment.

Then come to the LOCAL meeting and voice your opinion, it'll be a great forum for discussion.

[ou48A]

Then come to the LOCAL meeting and voice your opinion, it'll be a great forum for discussion.

I was actually thinking about attending, but I have had a situation that just came up that I can't get out of this afternoon. Hopefully somebody will say something close to what I posted and make it clear about what the voters thought they were voting for.

My air-conditioner broke down late night but I managed to seclude a repair person late this afternoon. You know what they say this time of year when it comes to air conditioning, beggars cant be to choosy.

[Geographer]

I was actually thinking about attending, but I have had a situation that just came up that I can't get out of this afternoon. Hopefully somebody will say something close to what I posted and make it clear about what the voters thought they were voting for.

My air-conditioner broke down late night but I managed to seclude a repair person late this afternoon. You know what they say this time of year when it comes to air conditioning, beggars cant be to choosy.

I feel your pain, I had to have my AC repaired in June.

I do hope that you can find time to come though. There will be renderings, drawings, workshops, presentations and general good discussion. It will be good.

[ou48A]

I feel your pain, I had to have my AC repaired in June.

I do hope that you can find time to come though. There will be renderings, drawings, workshops, presentations and general good discussion. It will be good.

AC is back on and fixed 100% free of charge.... Its already down to 72 degrees.

Please give us a report on the presentation.

[venture]

I was actually thinking about attending, but I have had a situation that just came up that I can't get out of this afternoon. Hopefully somebody will say something close to what I posted and make it clear about what the voters thought they were voting for.

There are ways to increase capacity without slapping down ton more pavement. I like the idea of 4 lanes, divided if possible, with bike and walking lanes - well landscaped at that, with roundabouts instead of traffic lights. It would increase capacity of the road without the need to making it any wider.

[ou48A]

In principle I can support most of this.

I understand this is just a start but without redoing Lindsey street from Berry to campus its almost a project to nowhere.
When Boren said that OU would start with a roundabout at Jenkins its pretty irritating because a large amount of money was just spent rebuilding this intersection.
It shows how little planing goes into their thinking process and the low levels of basic economic common sense that too many of our decision makers have.
I hope they are smart with the landscaping plants.




Lindsey Street set for a makeover » Headlines » The Norman Transcript



July 26, 2013
Lindsey Street set for a makeover

By Joy Hampton The Norman Transcript The Norman Transcript Fri Jul 26, 2013, 01:05 AM CDT

NORMAN — Imagine if west Lindsey Street looked more like Campus Corner or downtown, with gently flowing traffic, bicyclists and people walking and laughing. Imagine trees and sidewalk cafes. Imagine Lindsey Street as more of a village and less of a strip mall.
Imagine Lindsey Street as a destination to meander through and enjoy on the way to the university.

“You get one good chance to reinvent Lindsey, and it’s now,” community planner Dan Burden told a full house at Legends Times Two on Thursday evening. “A great street is something that harvests the best of the community and sets a template for the community.”
Burden is the co-founder and director of innovation and inspiration at the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, a nonprofit that helps communities build healthier, more livable environments. He spoke to Norman residents and stakeholders about the possibilities for Lindsey Street to become a model of what a great street can be.

Currently, Lindsey is ranked as the No. 1 traffic congestion corridor in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, with a crash rate nearly three times the national average for similar roadways. In August, Norman voters approved a $42 million transportation bond package with 62 percent support. Federal matching funds will pay for a strong portion of the eight proposed projects in the bond package.

The Lindsey Street widening and storm drainage portion of that bond package accounts for more than $21 million — half the total approved package. Federal funds will pay an additional $11.5 million of the Lindsey project costs.
The vision for Lindsey presented to voters included landscaping, continuos sidewalks, bike lanes, two lanes of traffic each way and a center turn lane.

That cement river of road between cement seas of parking lots and strip malls is exactly what Norman should avoid, said Burden and his team, Lynn Richards, Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Michael Wallwork, an engineer with 40 years of experience in traffic engineering, road construction and transportation design.
Officials from the University of Oklahoma agree.

“We have an opportunity to make (Lindsey Street) beautiful and make traffic flow,” University of Oklahoma President David Boren said.
To make the streetscape beautiful — to take the plan for a good street and turn it into a great street — Burden proposes a triple canopy of landscaping. Instead of a center turn lane, a center median with trees would form a third area of landscaping to compliment the streetside landscaping.

Bike lanes and landscaping provide a buffer to make pedestrians on sidewalks feel safe and secure, Burden said.
Burden also proposed roundabouts instead of traffic lights at intersections. To start with, 24th Avenue and McGee Drive would retain their signal lights, but roundabouts at other intersections would slow vehicles down and provide a smoother flow of traffic at Murphy, Wiley Street and Berry Road.

Roundabouts are a different way of doing an intersection. They calm traffic, but vehicles get to destinations more quickly because there is continuous flow instead of a backlog from stopping at lights. Roundabouts create a more pedestrian-friendly environment, Burden said, and reduce crashes and fatalities.

Pedestrian crossings could be incorporated at halfway points and would increase accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists because people cross one lane of traffic safely to the median, then cross a single lane of traffic from the median to the other side. This means a pedestrian only has to watch for traffic coming from one direction.
Additionally, U-turns incorporated into the medians would allow vehicles easy access to both sides of the street versus trying to cross over several lanes of traffic during peak hours. Bus stops are another portion of the multimodal transportation portfolio envisioned for Lindsey.

Burden said accidents and injuries are dramatically lowered with these types of street improvements.
“It was not a popular idea when I started,” Burden said. “Now 80 percent of Americans want to live in a walkable community.”
The Lindsey project can’t be delayed and must meet bond goals and specifications as presented to the community, but many of the improvements suggested could be incorporated, he said. Colored bike lanes, for example, would increase visibility and safety along with aesthetic appeal.
Too often the real world we live in means sitting in traffic, Burden said, but a well-designed street can improve the economy along with improving quality of life.
“People now want beauty,” Burden said.

Boren said the university is on board with making Lindsey really beautiful and slowing traffic down to a pedestrian-friendly, continuous flow.
“We don’t want to see five lanes or six lanes of concrete divide our campus,” Boren said. “This could have the potential for doing something even beyond Berry Road.”

Boren praised the triple canopy streetscaping idea. He said he believes the proposed changes by Burden also would give better access to Lindsey Street businesses.
“You’re a lot better off if you never stop, you’re always moving,” Boren said.

Boren said OU would start with a roundabout at Jenkins and make it beautiful.

“I think it’s something we, from the university’s point of view, would be willing to look at,” he said. “I think we’ll kick ourselves 25 years from now if we don’t do everything imaginable to make (Lindsey Street) better. It could be so much more beautiful, so much more interesting. We could be a model in Oklahoma.”

[venture]

Great news out of meeting yesterday on the Lindsey redesign. A lot of elements many want appear to be the main focus. First and foremost, the 5 lane Lindsey Street plan is dead it would seem.

Story in the Transcript: Lindsey Street set for a makeover » Headlines » The Norman Transcript

Main elements...

• Traffic lights will be removed and roundabouts put in the intersections. Murphy, Wiley, and Berry would be the first converted. 24th and McGee would retain their lights for now.
• A center landscaped median will be added.
• U-Turns would be permitted in various cuts along the median.
• Bike lane added, possible painted to a different color, and additional landscaping to provide a buffer with sidewalks.
• Continuous sidewalks making Lindsey a more walkable street.
• Lindsey would be 2 lanes in each direction with new crosswalks over the median.
• Additional bus stops added along Lindsey.

All in all very pleased with this. The plan has the full support of President Boren, which is huge. He also stated he can see doing the same through Campus and also stated Jenkins would be the first intersection to go to a roundabout.

[BG918]

[*]Bike lane added, possible painted to a different color, and additional landscaping to provide a buffer with sidewalks.

Maybe a crimson-colored bike lane?

Sounds like they have a solid plan in place, hopefully it gets constructed that way. The sidewalks will be a huge improvement, especially between Berry and campus.

[ou48A]

Maybe a crimson-colored bike lane?

Sounds like they have a solid plan in place, hopefully it gets constructed that way. The sidewalks will be a huge improvement, especially between Berry and campus.

Maybe I missed it but I haven't seen any plans to offer even basic sidewalks from Berry to campus.
Clearly they are needed.

[Just the facts]

Maybe a crimson-colored bike lane?

How about a checkerboard crimson and cream bike lane (and maybe crosswalks)?

[ou48A]

How about a checkerboard crimson and cream bike lane (and maybe crosswalks)?

It probably won't fly with the anti OU crowd in Norman but I actually like that idea.

[Geographer]

It was a fantastic meeting. I loved the revealed designs.

It's funny...the city traffic engineer's presentation took about 3 minutes. There was no narrative, no excitement. Dan's presentation was full of excitement, passion, reasons why we should do this, why it matters (economically, traffic-wise, etc), etc.

Venture I must correct you though, Lindsey will be two lanes each direction but with a much better overall design than what was originally planned.

All in All, the meeting went great....there were concern questions but it was mostly positive concern...not immediate "turn-offs" on the project. We shall see what happens. I'm thrilled though.


The funniest part of the meeting? A former councilman stated "Norman is not a city".

Sigh.

[venture]

Another good part is that Boren definitely sounds like he doesn't want Lindsey any wider into campus. I could see Lindsey remaining 1 lane each way, but adding in a center landscaped median. This should be pretty easy to do since the turn lanes aren't needed anymore. Asp would probably go to a roundabout at some point, but its going to be a tight fit.

[venture]

Thanks Trey...it was hard to tell from the text when they said pedestrians only had to cross one lane of traffic at a time. So that through me off.

[Geographer]

Thanks Trey...it was hard to tell from the text when they said pedestrians only had to cross one lane of traffic at a time. So that through me off.

I think the author meant one "direction" of traffic at a time. There's a median in the middle with a spot dedicated to pedestrians where they can wait and cross.

[venture]

I think the author meant one "direction" of traffic at a time. There's a median in the middle with a spot dedicated to pedestrians where they can wait and cross.

Yeah I was able to get that out of it...but I think you are right, he just got the phrasing wrong.

All in all still glad with this design. We avoid the 5 lane concrete monster and get a better traffic management system in place. I would imagine speed limits will stay around 30 mph through this.

[Just the facts]

Well, let me say that I am blown away by this turn of developments. Maybe they learned their lesson from UNP. I am glad they are on the right track now.

[Geographer]

Well, let me say that I am blown away by this turn of developments. Maybe they learned their lesson from UNP. I am glad they are on the right track now.

Thanks to intervening by a couple of groups of people....haha...came in at the nick of time too.


HOWEVER...none of this is final though! It still has to be approved and whatnot....we shall see how much of this (if any of it) gets approved...

[HangryHippo]

Thanks to intervening by a couple of groups of people....haha...came in at the nick of time too.


HOWEVER...none of this is final though! It still has to be approved and whatnot....we shall see how much of this (if any of it) gets approved...

Were there any council members present? Any idea how it sits with them?

[Geographer]

Were there any council members present? Any idea how it sits with them?

Yes there were 3-4 council members there...and at least 1 previous council member. As far as I could tell, it went okay with them, but you know I don't really know what they're thinking. We'll see.

[venture]

Thanks to intervening by a couple of groups of people....haha...came in at the nick of time too.

HOWEVER...none of this is final though! It still has to be approved and whatnot....we shall see how much of this (if any of it) gets approved...

Hopefully we can keep out the people that want their 5 lane concrete abomination going through the middle of Norman and this proposal sales through.

[traxx]

Are there any renderings or videos of what was discussed/presented etc.?

[Geographer]

Are there any renderings or videos of what was discussed/presented etc.?

I will see if I can get ahold of the presentation that Dan gave.