TARC picks a dozen winners in its children’s Design-a-Bus contest

By Branden Klayko -
0
Daniel Gonzalez, Third Grade, Hartstern Elementary.

Earlier this year, TARC, the Transit Authority of River City, asked area students to take pen to paper and draw a poster for its 17th annual Design-a-Bus contest. This year’s theme was the city’s ongoing street safety campaign, Look Alive Louisville. And this week, TARC delivered a dozen winners by students from around the county.

These aspiring artists will have their designs displayed on a TARC bus for the next year—giving them a visibility that seasoned artists yearn for. Their work will also be displayed in the upcoming Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade on Thursday, May 5.

Take a look at all the winning designs in the gallery below. Click to enlarge an image.

1 of 12
Duncan Phillips, Fifth Grade, Bowen Elementary.
Deklyn DeSpain, Sixth Grade, Jefferson County Traditional Middle School.
Celeste Fairfax, Eighth Grade, Barret Traditional Middle School.
Jacoby Smith, Second Grade, Rangeland Elementary.
Megan Jacobs, Seventh Grade, Lassiter Middle School.
Orion Holcomb, First Grade, Rangeland Elementary.
Yenifer Dancia Ramirez Hernadez, Second Grade, Rangeland Elementary.
Katianne Sanders, Seventh Grade, Jefferson County Traditional Middle School.
Khaniece Keltee, Fourth Grade, Rangeland Elementary.
Laura Noel Gibson, Fourth Grade, Highlands Latin School.
Valeria Vasquez Lopez, Second Grade, Rangeland Elementary.
Daniel Gonzalez, Third Grade, Hartstern Elementary.

Pictorial: Relive CycLOUvia along Frankfort Avenue in 41 photos

By Broken Sidewalk -
2
The scene along Frankfort Avenue during CycLOUvia in Spring 2016.

This past Sunday’s CycLOUvia on Frankfort Avenue was a resounding success by any measure. Crowds were seen walking, riding bikes and skateboards, and generally having a good time in Louisville’s greatest public space asset: out streets.

For the vast majority of the year, we shut down our streets and turn these public spaces over to those whose price of admission is a private automobile. And as we’ve seen, this was a move carefully orchestrated by the automobile industry itself to help sell more cars.

That’s why the CycLOUvia concept is part of a greater Open Streets movement. CycLOUvia didn’t shut Frankfort Avenue down, as a Courier-Journal headline about the event read, rather it opened the street up for use as the true public space that our streets represent.

CycLOUvia is a small part of how Louisville is slowly becoming a more diverse city in terms of transportation choice. It shows people how much fun a human pace on foot or a bike can be when getting around the city—and so much more. Be sure to check out our 11 reasons CycLOUvia makes Louisville an even better city!

Click on a photo below to view a larger version.

1 of 41
The scene along Frankfort Avenue during CycLOUvia in Spring 2016.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
Signs showing how to pwoperly bike across railroad tracks.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
A fire truck responded to an emergency.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
Bike traffic blocked at Ewing Avenue to allow motorists through.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
Learning to skateboard.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
A jug band was among several the played along the route.
The scene along Frankfort Avenue.
A benefit for local bike groups peddled beer from a bike.

Share your observations of Louisville’s growing Open Streets movement in the comments below. See you at the next CycLOUvia!

[All photos by Broken Sidewalk.]

Transportation for America: Tell the feds not to turn city streets into highways

By Branden Klayko -
0

Will the Obama administration prod state DOTs to abandon the destructive practice of widening roads and highways, or will it further entrench policies that have hollowed out cities and towns, increased traffic and car dependence, and made America a world leader in carbon pollution?

That’s what’s hanging in the balance as U.S. DOT opens public comments on its newly released “performance measures” that states will use to assess their transportation policies. The rules proposed by DOT take the same basic approach to traffic congestion that American transportation agencies have taken since the 1950s — a strategy that usually concludes more asphalt is the answer. And they don’t do much of anything to address greenhouse gas emissions.

It’s important to weigh in and tell the feds that the draft rules need to change, says Stephen Lee Davis at Transportation for America:

There’s a direct connection between how we decide to measure [congestion] and how we choose to address it. If we focus, as this rule does, on keeping traffic moving at a high rate of speed at all times of day on all types of roads and streets, then the result is easy to predict: our solutions will prioritize the investments that make that possible, regardless of cost vs. benefits or the potential impacts on the communities those roads pass through.

USDOT plans to measure vehicle speed and delay seven different ways, while ignoring people carpooling, taking transit, walking & biking or skipping the trip entirely.

A host of people and groups from all across the map, including T4America, have already explained in detail how a singular focus on delay for drivers paints an incredibly one-dimensional picture of congestion. Focusing on average delay by simply measuring the difference between rush hour speeds compared to free-flow 3 a.m. traffic fails to count everyone else commuting by other modes, rewards places with fast travel speeds at the expense of places with shorter commutes and less time spent behind the wheel overall, and completely ignores how many people are actually moving through the corridor.

By reinforcing the old approach to congestion, U.S. DOT’s rule could give states more license to widen main streets in urban areas, Davis writes:

Whether in a rural small town or a big city, the needs of our country’s main streets are radically different from the highways and interstates designed to connect disparate places. For a main street to function well, it has to serve everyone who needs to use it.

On a main street, that which looks like “vehicle delay” to a traffic engineer looks like economic activity and success to a local merchant or mayor.

Davis goes into a lot more detail about how these rules will undermine the goal of creating healthy, sustainable cities — the full post is worth your time.

The public now has 120 days to weigh in on the draft rules and tell DOT to change them. This is more than just a dog and pony show. Public comments during a previous round of rulemaking helped ensure state DOTs would have to track progress toward preventing pedestrian and cyclist deaths. Inundating U.S. DOT with reasons to adopt a different strategy is the best hope for correcting the flaws in the draft rule.

[Editor’s Note: This article has been cross-published from Streetsblog. Top image looking east along East Main Street by Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk.]

Eleven reasons CycLOUvia makes Louisville an even better city

By Branden Klayko -
0

This Sunday marks the next CycLOUvia open streets event in Louisville, this time taking place along Frankfort Avenue—the third time that corridor has played host to everything but cars for a day. CycLouvia goes down from 2:00 to 6:00p.m. on Sunday, April 24 from Stilz Avenue in Crescent Hill to Pope Street in Clifton. A police-controlled vehicle crossing is planned at Ewing Avenue.

By now, you should be familiar with Open Streets and Louisville fine version of that program, CycLOUvia. For four hours, motorized traffic is banned from a corridor and people—on foot, on bike, on skateboard, or perhaps on pennyfarthing—are invited in. The Open Streets

03-louisville-open-streets-cyclouvia-frankfort-avenueAnd this year, businesses along Frankfort Avenue are pulling out all the stops to add to the fun of open streets. Block Party (2916 Frankfort Avenue) is hosting a CycLOUvia sale just for pedestrians and cyclists, will have Sno What Snowballs for sale, and cornhole set up in the street. Ramiro’s Cantina (2350 Frankfort Avenue) is offering specials on food. Barre3 Louisville (2400 Frankfort Avenue) will be offering free yoga. Varanese (2106 Frankfort Avenue) will host a CycLOUvia cookout. And Hilltop Tavern (1800 Frankfort Avenue) is hosting a fundraiser for Falls City Community Bike Works and Broke Down Bicycle Club where brews will be served off the beer bike, and free bike repair and water bottle filling station will be offered. And there’s sure to be more.

If you’re trying to get through the area on any of TARC’s Frankfort Avenue transit lines—Routes 15, 19, and 31—be sure to check out these scheduled Sunday detours.

But CycLOUvia is way more than just an excuse for some fun in the street (although that’s a big part of it). Open Streets events like CycLOUvia help us make cities better. Here are eleven ways that CycLOUvia is benefiting Louisville.

A previous open streets event along Frankfort Avenue. (Courtesy Metro Louisville)
A previous open streets event along Frankfort Avenue. (Courtesy Metro Louisville)
  1. CycLOUvia changes the way we interact with the city. It’s not every day that you get to walk leisurely down the middle of a major street in Louisville. That’s what Open Streets makes possible. When you’re in the street—anywhere on the street—you get to look at the city from new perspectives, see just how wide four lanes really are, and just how many people such a street can support.
  2. It gets people out and active that otherwise might not be. While many of us are active already, either exercising regularly or commuting on foot or by bike, there are many others of us who need a little extra nudge to get out and walk or bike. There’s nothing like CycLOUvia to get someone who’s bike-curious out and pedaling on the street for the first time. And who knows, maybe it’ll become a habit.
  3. It contributes to the economic vibrancy of the street. Did you see that list above of all those local businesses offering specials and hosting fun events during CycLOUvia? Open Streets is good for business. Studies have shown people on foot or on bike are much more likely to spend money at local businesses they see along their route. And the reason is logical enough: It’s a lot easier to lock up a bike and stop in a store—or simply walk in—than it is to park an enormous automobile when you see something cool.
  4. CycLOUvia allows us to rethink how we use public space. While perennial Open Streets hosts like Frankfort Avenue and Bardstown Road are narrow by suburban arterial standards, there’s still a lot of space there dedicated solely to cars during most days. But our streets are still public space, and as such, we should get as much out of them as we can. CycLOUvia allows us to think about where traffic calming might work, where pedestrian bumpouts would help cross the street, or where bioswales might help improve the environment.
  5. It’s a chance to show off or take in the public theater. One of the best parts of living in the city is all the quirky people you share it with. Whether you’re the one keeping Louisville weird or you’re just taking it all in, the theater of the street is a sight to behold. Watch for plenty of zany antics while people-watching at CycLOUvia, from yoga in the street to exuberant garb, to kids at play.
  6. It allows us to appreciate our local architecture. When you’re up against a building on the sidewalk, it can be difficult to take it all in. Or if you’re driving, your eyes had better be on the road! But CycLOUvia gives us a chance to view Louisville as a work of art where the street is the gallery. While you’re out riding around on Sunday, be sure to take time to admire the beautiful—and sometimes more unsightly—scenes along Frankfort Avenue.
  7. CycLOUvia gives us a peace of mind that we’re not in danger. We’ve all felt it, that feeling of dread when walking down a busy street, or trying to cross a road with cars zipping all around. Open Streets takes away that panic and let’s you enjoy the street on your own terms. Life moves a little bit slower and the headaches of being a pedestrian in Louisville slowly fade away.
  8. It’s a chance to breathe easy with no exhaust. When you look at it from a microscopic perspective, our streets are a bit like open sewers of exhaust. You can feel it in the heat of summer, or when a particularly dirty truck speeds by. But at Open Streets, you can breathe a little easier as you play in the street.
  9. CycLOUvia is a chance to build community. CycLOUvia attracts thousands of people from all over the city, and you could run into anyone from the Mayor to your regular TARC bus driver. Or perhaps that neighbor down the block you’ve been meaning to introduce yourself to. Open Streets is as much a neighborhood event as a city one and it can make those neighborhood bonds even stronger as people realize what an asset their neighborhood thoroughfare really is.
  10. It’s a great excuse to take a selfie. You know, ’cause on any other day there’s a pretty good chance of bodily injury when you try to stop in the middle of an arterial street to get the perfect shot of your mug.
  11. CycLOUvia shows us that the city can change. This is the Open Streets clincher. When you put all the other reasons why CycLOUvia is so great into one, you can really begin to see that there’s a better Louisville within our grasp. All we have to do is ask for it, create it, and repeat. Four hours on a Sunday can mean a better city for life.

Kindred’s headquarters expansion ready for construction on Fourth Street

By Branden Klayko -
3

With Theater Square now rubble in the landfill, Kindred Healthcare‘s $36 million headquarters expansion at Fourth Street and Broadway is ready to begin construction. The new structure, more suburban office park than Downtown headquarters, includes 142,000 square feet of space over six stories that will accommodate up to 500 new jobs.

The company received four building permits this week, reports Sheldon Shafer at the Courier-Journal. Construction is expected to take 18 months.

The project site is a flat dirt lot today. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)
The project site is a flat dirt lot today. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

We’ve previously criticized the project here on Broken Sidewalk for its bland design, setback from Fourth Street, the poor composition of a public plaza planned in front of the structure, and for the back and forth politics among planning staff.

The project was unveiled in December 2014 fait accompli by Mayor Greg Fischer and then Governor Steve Beshear. The structure is set far off Fourth Street behind an unfortunate plaza design known as Kindred Square. The first floor includes 7,000 square feet of retail, slated to be a restaurant and coffee shop. Shafer reported that Kindred already has agreed to let the BBC Brewing Co. open a restaurant. That outlet was displaced by demolition of Theater Square.

The existing Kindred headquarters (left) and the new structure (right). (Courtesy Kindred)
The existing Kindred headquarters (left) and the new structure (right). (Courtesy Kindred)

Above the single-story retail podium, the main building mass sets back again before rising another five floors clad in brick and glass. The structure was designed by Louisville’s K. Norman Berry Associates.

For more on the project, read through the Broken Sidewalk archives.

 

 

Construction well underway at Kurfees Building conversion to mini-storage

By Branden Klayko -
5

It might be Downtown’s least exciting new construction project, but it’s still giving a grand historic structure some much needed attention. Construction has been going on since late last year on the J.F. Kurfees Building on Market Street and Brook Street that’s being converted into mini-storage, but it’s not readily apparent that there’s something big happening at the site.

(Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)
(Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

Atlanta-based NitNeil Partners is working with local developer Aaron Willis to convert the structure at 201 East Market Street into more than 600 climate-controlled, mini-storage units in the four-story building.

(Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)
(Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

The 110,000-square-foot Kurfees Building, built by Louisville-based Joseph & Joseph Architects, was built in two phases: the first, westernmost section in 1915, and a later addition in 1928. The sturdy concrete building features a limestone and brick facade with Beaux Arts detailing. Louisville architect Edward Eiche is handling the current renovation.

(Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)
(Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

When we last spoke to developers, the plan was to replace the structure’s old windows with new ones that had similar mullion patterns, but it appears that plan has changed. On our recent site visit, the old windows had been painted black and broken panes of glass removed. That would suggest the plan is now to keep the old windows, which would be a big win for maintaining the character of the original building.

(Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)
(Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

While developers insist today is not the right time to develop retail or apartments in the building, Willis previously told Broken Sidewalk that some day the building could shed its storage use for something a little more vibrant.

Had the structure been converted into apartments today, we believe it would have succeeded, but the structure does sit several blocks from where we typically think of development taking place. Still, you’ve got to push those boundaries from time to time. In the meantime, the structure will at least be properly maintained.

The project is expected to be complete later this summer. For more details, check out our previous story on the Kurfees Building here.

Meet your Metro Council candidates: Unchallenged Incumbents

    By Broken Sidewalk -
    1

    This year, Broken Sidewalk asked each Metro Council candidate to respond to a survey of questions related to the topics we cover here on the site: urbanism, transportation, health, and the environment. Broken Sidewalk will make no endorsements this year for Metro Council candidates, but we hope these survey responses—published verbatim—are helpful to voters in making up their minds.

    02-metro-council-district-20We will be publishing the results by district. Our survey included two types of questions: 1. multiple choice answers about personal behaviors and views, and 2. longer responses on a range of topics. Each candidate was also given an optional open field to expand upon a topic of their choosing, if they so desired.

    Many incumbents in this year’s races face no challenger. We still reached out to all of them, but only District 20 incumbent Stuart Benson responded. The other candidates include Pat Mulvihill (D-10), Rick Blackwell (D-12), Marilyn Parker (R-18), Robin Engel (R-22), Madonna Flood (D-24), and Brent Ackerson (D-26).

    Louisville Metro Council District 20 comprises parts of Fisherville, Fern Creek, Eastwood, Jeffersontown.

    Pat Mulvihill

    District 10

    Did not respond.

    Rick Blackwell

    District 12

    Did not respond.

    Marilyn Parker

    District 18

    Did not respond.

    Stuart Benson

    District 20

    Have often do you walk to work or for basic errands?
    Never

    Have often do you take transit to commute to work or for basic errands?
    Never

    How often do you ride a bike to get to work or for errands?
    Never

    How often do you drive in a personal motor vehicle?
    Every day

    How safe do you feel as a pedestrian walking on Louisville’s streets?
    Somewhat safe

    Louisville’s transit system should expand service, infrastructure, and offerings.
    No response.

    The city should invest in complete street design that promotes safety for all road users.
    No response.

    Walkable and transit-oriented development should be promoted over auto-oriented development.
    No response.

    Louisville should repair and maintain its existing transportation network before widening or building new roads.
    Undecided

    Historic architecture promotes the economic vitality of the Louisville region.
    Agree

    Describe your favorite walk OR your favorite place to hang out in your neighborhood.
    Louisville Metro District 20 is home to the majority of 21st Century Parks. I am also very close to Veteran’s Park in the City of Jeffersontown.

    What’s the biggest issue facing your district and how would you address it?
    Infrastucture. Better Planning.

    In three sentences, what does Metro Council do?
    Listen to constituents. Resolve problems. Push for government to better address infrastructure needs in advance of growth.

    Louisville is among the most dangerous cities in the country for pedestrian collisions and fatalities. What would you do to improve street safety for all road users in Louisville? Please cite specific examples.
    Continue to push to invest more money in repaving streets and improving intersections.

    What does responsible development look like in Louisville and in your district? What would you do to promote responsible development in Louisville?
    Responsible development requires action by the government to ensure improvements are made to roads, sewers and other infrastructure to handle planned growth.

    Louisville is among the fastest warming cities in the country. Please describe your stance on fixing Louisville’s Urban Heat Island Effect. What specific steps need to be taken to solve this problem?
    Support for more projects like 21st Century parks which is setting aside hundreds of acres of land thus preserving trees and naturescapes.

    How would you strike a balance between preservation, development, and economic development in Louisville?
    Ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard when contemplating projects. The goal should be both economic development and historic preservation.

    Robin Engel

    District 22

    Did not respond.

    Madonna Flood

    District 24

    Did not respond.

    Brent Ackerson

    District 26

    Did not respond.

    Edwards Companies threatens to shut down two major apartment projects

    By Branden Klayko -
    9

    Developers behind two ambitious residential projects on East Broadway are threatening to shut down both developments if the city doesn’t hand over millions of dollars more in subsidies. Bill Bardenwerper, an attorney representing Columbus, Ohio–based Edwards Companies, suggested that the projects could be shuttered at a Metro Council zoning committee meeting.

    The two projects in question are the $25 million Mercy Apartments on East Broadway, sited on the former campus of Mercy Academy, and the $52 million Phoenix Hill Apartments, located on the site of the former Phoenix Hill Tavern.

    The Mercy Apartments on the left and Phoenix Hill Apartment site on the right. (Montage by Broken Sidewalk)
    The Mercy Apartments on the left and Phoenix Hill Apartment site on the right. (Montage by Broken Sidewalk)

    On Wednesday, the Courier-Journal‘s Sheldon Shafer reported that Edwards Companies wants a total of $10.4 million in incentives from the city to build the Phoenix Hill Project, up from the $7.5 million the city has already pledged. Edwards Companies’s lawyer said both projects are linked and the developer will either build both or none.

    This is not the first time Bardenwerper has made suggestions that the projects might not make it if the developer doesn’t get its way. In February, WDRB’s Samantha Chatman reported that Edwards Companies made similar statements at the Bardstown Road Overlay Committee to gain design approval for the Phoenix Hill Apartments.

    Rendering of the Mercy Apartments. (Courtesy Edwards Companies)
    Rendering of the Mercy Apartments. (Courtesy Edwards Companies)

    “The Mercy one is more reliant on this one [Phoenix Hill] because that’s an all residential project,” Chatman quoted Bardenwerper as saying at the meeting. “So as that one has already been approved, we’d like to see this one across the goal line before we make a total commitment to that one.” The implication then was that if the overlay committee didn’t come through with an approval, then the unrelated project might not make it.

    Rendering of the Baxter Avenue side of the Phoenix Hill Apartments. (Courtesy Edwards Companies)
    Rendering of the Baxter Avenue side of the Phoenix Hill Apartments. (Courtesy Edwards Companies)

    This time, the threat is more overt, saying they need the city to increase the existing $7.5 million in subsidies by another $3 million if the projects are to proceed.

    “Bardenwerper said Edwards is ready to give up on persuading the Jefferson County Public Schools to approve $3.8 million in financial incentives for the two projects—a deal that would include payments by Edwards to the schools, in lieu of paying property taxes over the long term,” Shafer wrote. JCPS is apparently reluctant to agree to the terms as they have never undertaken such a deal.

    Site plan for the Phoenix Hill Apartments. (Courtesy Edwards Companies)
    Site plan for the Phoenix Hill Apartments. (Courtesy Edwards Companies)

    Today, Insider Louisville’s Caitlin Bowling reported that Louisville Forward, the city’s economic development department, is standing its ground on incentives for the project, refusing to add to the $7.5 million already proposed.

    “Per the proposed agreement, the city would take out a bond of no more than $60 million on behalf of Edwards to fund the Phoenix Hill project and a second bond of no more than $30 million to finance the Mercy project,” Bowling reported. “The city would own both properties and lease them back to Edwards until the company paid off the bonds.”

    The Mercy demolition site in late March. (Courtesy Tipster)
    The Mercy demolition site in late March. (Courtesy Tipster)

    Demolition of the historic and non-historic parts of the old Mercy campus is already complete. That site was to house 200 apartments. No work has started on the Phoenix Hill Apartments, where 281 more units and 33,000 square feet of retail are planned.

    There’s no doubt these two projects would transform the East Broadway corridor and enliven Baxter Avenue. We have previously written highly of the Phoenix Hill Apartments concept as a good fit for the site. But how much pushing from developers will the city take? In a recent panel discussion of Edwards Company Vice President Jonathan Wood and three other out-of-town developers, all agreed that subsidies are necessary to get new urban apartments onto the market in Louisville. But how much is enough?

    But on the opposite side of the coin, when everything being built in the urban areas of Louisville are subsidized with incentives like these, how can you say no to one developer and yes to another? Given the overwhelming subsidy at the Omni Louisville Hotel, $3 million seems like peanuts. Yet these two projects along Broadway will transform their section of town as much if not more than the Omni will around the convention center.

    The original Mercy convent building (left) and stone ruins after demolition. (Courtesy Tipster)
    The original Mercy convent building (left) and stone ruins after demolition. (Courtesy Tipster)

    Should Edwards Companies abandon the projects the two projects, Louisville will be out another historic building. (Shafer reported that Edwards Companies had told area residents the Mercy site is worth more as a blank slate.) But that’s nothing new as developers have repeatedly demolished historic structures before financing has come through. According to Shafer, Councilman Tom Owen, cautioned against the city issuing demolition permits for several historic buildings on the Phoenix Hill Tavern site if the projects might lead nowhere.

    For more, read these reports by the Courier-Journal and Insider Louisville.

    Man struck by driver on Dixie Highway

    By Branden Klayko -
    1

    A man was struck along Dixie Highway by a motorist on Wednesday evening around 9:30p.m. The collision took place on the 11700 block of Dixie, about a mile south of the Gene Snyder. The unidentified pedestrian was taken to University Hospital with serious injuries.

    The incident was only reported by WLKY, and very few details are available.

    01-louisville-pedestrian-struck-dixie-highwayWhat we do know is that Dixie Highway at Moorman Road and Flowervale Lane, around where the collision took place, is surrounded by residential neighborhoods with little built-up commercial, giving Dixie Highway a much more rural feel despite it’s egregiously oversized roadway.

    Medora Elementary School sits Just north of the site, hugged by the large ramps of the Interstate. At that intersection, there’s a Thornton’s and a Dairy Queen, but the other two corners are greenfields. There’s also a TARC stop, although it’s no more than a sign attached to a telephone pole by the side of the road with no sidewalks or shelter.

    02-louisville-pedestrian-struck-dixie-highwayA recent repaving project added freshly striped crosswalks traversing the street’s wide 7 lanes, although of a low-visibility design. They do little good good, however, as there are no sidewalks present, save for an awkward stretch of sidewalk in front of the Thornton’s that die off into grass once development projects end, a common occurrence around Louisville. Strangely, a tiny swatch of concrete was poured in the Dixie Highway shoulder in front of the TARC stop and outfitted with bumpy texture for the visually impaired was also included when the street was repaved.

    04-louisville-pedestrian-struck-dixie-highwayIt’s also at this intersection where the speed limit changes from an already too fast 45 miles per hour to the north to a whopping 50 miles per hour to the south. These speeds are almost guaranteed to kill a pedestrian struck by a motorist.

    Louisville is in the midst of a three-year, federally funded pedestrian safety campaign called Look Alive Louisville due to the city’s above-average pedestrian collision and fatality rate.

    [All images courtesy Google.]

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