Detroit closing part of Woodward Avenue for pedestrian block

[CrashDummy]

C'mon yourself! Whenever Jefferson is very busy you aren't allowed to cross it going south on Randolph to the tunnel. It's routed right and you must loop back around Jefferson at Woodward.

Huh. Well, maybe it will help make Jefferson less busy by keeping jerks like me from taking a left from Woodward and blocking up traffic.

[Danny]

Bad ideal!!! Coleman Young tried to do that in the 1970s what what it ended up. It would be traffic overflows all over Gilberttown Detroit.

[Atticus]

Well, it looks like the initial implementation is going to be using just temporary barriers. That means if it is traffic Armageddon as some are suggesting, it will be easy to put things back the way they were.

Personally, I think traffic will operate fine. Most traffic will just use the Congress/Larned pair, and get to M-10 and I-375 without much issue. And if there is a little backup at rush hour, so be it. First step in eventually getting a better connection to Hart Plaza.

[Gistok]

Yeah.... they could give it a try-out before making it permanent. There might be some unintended consequences, so that would be prudent. Glad there's no retail along that stretch... although maybe vendor stands could be part of the future....

[MicrosoftFan]

My biggest issue with this is that it will handicap any Q Line extension to the south, to Jefferson, unless they run Q Line down Cadillac and Randolph.

[southen]

My biggest issue with this is that it will handicap any Q Line extension to the south, to Jefferson, unless they run Q Line down Cadillac and Randolph.

Im not sure that they would extend the current line to Jefferson anyway. They would likely just have a Jefferson Line stop at Woodward. Even if they wanted to extend it it wouldn't be an issue. Street cars cut through pedestrian areas all of the time in Europe.

[Hypestyles]

we'll see what happens. I'd like to see renderings.

[Lowell]

I walked on the median walkway between Campus Martius and Larned on Monday. Very nice. This looks north from near Larned.

[Lowell]

...and looking south.

[Scottathew]

One thing that isn't complete obvious is how much this will improve crossing Jefferson.

I think this is probably a good idea. If it works well, it will put a lot of pressure and making better use of Hart Plaza.

[DetBill]

[QUOTE=southen;526674]I am all for making downtown more pedestrian friendly but this seems like a bad idea to cut off Jefferson from Woodward. This "plaza" that they are creating will likely look as cheap and tacky as what they did on Randolph and Gratiot.[/QUO
Personally, I cant believe how bad the Randolph area looks, unbelievably cheap, a few chairs and tables scattered around and on terrible pavement. The barriers are curbs about 6 inches high. Any intoxicated driver can, and will jump these, which could result in very serious injuries to people sitting there. Who in the world approved, and designed this accident waiting to happen ?

[archfan]

so when will we be seeing plans for hart plaza redo? i assume that's not far behind...

Eastside Al posted the conceptual model on another thread:

[MSUguy]

There was article in crains some time ago how the city was working with Bloomberg Associate on city planning and other issues. This and the Randolph plaza are directly inspired by pedestrain improvments done in NYC. When the Congress for New Urbanism held their conference in Detroit last year their former head of transit highlighted some their projects.

[clubboss]

Slim pickings on pic's

[casscorridor]

I walked on the median walkway between Campus Martius and Larned on Monday. Very nice. This looks north from near Larned.

Looks okay, but I don't understand the ugly poured concrete. There should be investments into stone, brick, concrete panels, or different concretes that are higher quality and more pleasing aesthetics.

[JBMcB]

How about closing off Griswold and Shelby and making capitol park larger? It's already a park, has quite a few stores and shops around it, and is only a short block away from Woodward. It would also encourage development of the two parking lots there into something else.

[hybridy]

How about closing off Griswold and Shelby and making capitol park larger? It's already a park, has quite a few stores and shops around it, and is only a short block away from Woodward. It would also encourage development of the two parking lots there into something else.

iirc shelby will be closed as part of capitol park redux. griswold has been narrowed already. in addition the surface lots you mention are going to be redeveloped into apartment buildings.


refer to pg 45 in the placemaking book for capitol park
http://opportunitydetroit.com/wp-con...Book-PDFSm.pdf

also the new pedestrain plaza is opening June 12...it's being called 'Spirit of Detroit Plaza'
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...ian_block.html

"The plaza is expected to open Monday and will be followed by a 90-day evaluation process. "

[1953]

I have two concerns here.

1. In a city for everyone, cars and pedestrians can co-exist. We don't need to go too far one way or two far the other way [[all cars or all pedestrians). A city is a vibrant, dynamic place, with multiple users who have differing needs.

2. Woodward and Jefferson has deep symbolic value as the heart of the region. There is something special about being able to turn onto Woodward at its start and drive all the way to Pontiac. Or driving your kids downtown and going past the Spirit of Detroit and all of the skyscrapers in the heart of the city.

1953

[GPCharles]

I think this will create a traffic nightmare, but I am willing to wait and see how it works during the "trial" period.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

I am not at all sure that this is a good location to try this idea. But it's reversible if it is problematic, so why not?

[casscorridor]

I have two concerns here.

1. In a city for everyone, cars and pedestrians can co-exist. We don't need to go too far one way or two far the other way [[all cars or all pedestrians). A city is a vibrant, dynamic place, with multiple users who have differing needs.

2. Woodward and Jefferson has deep symbolic value as the heart of the region. There is something special about being able to turn onto Woodward at its start and drive all the way to Pontiac. Or driving your kids downtown and going past the Spirit of Detroit and all of the skyscrapers in the heart of the city.

1953

omg chill out with the nostalgia lol

and pedestrians should definitely take priority over cars downtown as cars take priority everywhere else in the metro area. in fact, you're likely to be seen as a criminal, degenerate or homeless if you're walking in many areas of metro

[jcole]

They tried to make part of Woodward into a mall back 80's for a few blocks around State, Grand River, etc. It obviously wasn't a good idea then because it's no longer a Mall. I think it was around the time that the put up the bright red Erector set on Washington.

[Atticus]

Well, I drove to the parking ramp at One Detroit Center today. Even came in from the Lodge. Amazingly I still got there fine, and didn't lose an hour of my life in traffic because of the new "plaza".

[Lowell]

Slim pickings on pic's

Not sure if it is possible but wouldn't it be nice if the two outer lanes of Jefferson, the ones that blow into and out from the Lodge underpass of Cobo, could put underground at Woodward?

That would narrow and ease/make safer the currently lengthy pedestrian crossings and opening possibilities for a greenspace plaza around the Joe Louis Fist.

[Gistok]

Well, I drove to the parking ramp at One Detroit Center today. Even came in from the Lodge. Amazingly I still got there fine, and didn't lose an hour of my life in traffic because of the new "plaza".

So you just provided a statistical sample of ONE.....