Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Fwd: [HEAR US] Evergreen Walk Report

From: Keith Garriott <saveevergreenave@gmail.com>
Date: December 15, 2010 12:34:04 PM PST
To: Hannelore Barnes <>, hearus@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [HEAR US] Evergreen Walk Report

Hi Hanne,

I just read your morning report for Evergreen Avenue traffic and
pedestrian interactions.

I was a bit confussed about your where abouts on Evergreen Ave between
Scott and Montford....do you mean Scott and Hawthorne?

If so, then with parked cars on the road at that section of the roadway
measures approximately 22 feet in width, the same as the desired
traffic calming senerio proposed to be planned for the entire length
of the street in the DPW current plans to build a 5 foot wide sidewalk
on the south side of Evergreen Avenue.

I noticed in your experience with two cars passing and then the Prius
coming toward
you quickly as a car approached from behind while you were between
Scott and Montford (Hawthorne?), you have found that the most
dangerous time for pedestrians on Evergreen is when two cars are
passing next to them as the drivers seem more focussed on clearing
each other than clearing a pedestrian.

Well Hanne, what if you were a MHS student or anyone else bicycling up
the street in that same senerio?

You stated the Prius suddenly stopped completely as did the oncoming
car as they realized there was not room for all of you at that exact
spot.  The Prius then continued on slowly and the oncoming car waited
for it to pass.

Had all as described not been on the street, both cars would have been
able to pass each other without any problems.  Had you not extend your
arm, you may have been clipped by the Prius at 20-25 mph.

This would be the same case for bicycle handlebars extending into the
right-of-way of the proposed narrowed road for traffic calming effects
and the proposed narrowed road to accommodate the addition of the new
5 foot sidewalk.

Now I agree with your statement of...If you had been on a sidewalk,
with a parked car or not next to you when these cars passed, there
would have been no need to "defend" your space as a pedestrian.

Hanne, the current DPW plans call for a 5 foot wide sidewalk on the
southside of Evergreen Avenue with on street parking and two 11 foot
travel lanes for vehicles.

Where's the room to safely bicycle and wheelchair access for people
who need it on the north side?

Imagine your experience at Scott taking place in the blind curve
section between Linden Lane and Ethel Ave!

I think I can speak for all of the residents on Evergreen Ave and in
Homestead when I say, "We want everybody who travels Evergreen Avenue
to have the safest route possible no matter if you're: walking,
running, bicycling, in wheelchair, a car, truck, SUV, emergency
response vehicle, delivery truck, unicycle, RV, tractor trailor,
mobile home, etc,..."

Sincerly,

Keith Garriott

aka: (The Local S. Disturber)



On 12/15/10, Hannelore Barnes wrote:
Since this is a neighborhood forum, I thought I would contribute my
perspective as an HV resident, Evergreen walker, and MHS parent.  My
intention is to provide a periodic report of walking the street with my
daughters and/or dogs.

I appreciate the earlier head counts of pedestrians on Evergreen in the
morning but think things may have been a bit skewed given that one day was
the week of Thanksgiving and the other was a very rainy day.  Those counts
were certainly not in line with my own experience of walking to school in
the morning, thus my own report.

Please keep in mind that I have young children who start at MHS at 9am, long
after kids are heading out of the valley to go to school as well as most of
the children heading to MHS.  If anyone cares to provide a report for the
morning school "rush hour," I would welcome it.   I also want to note that I
do notice whether the cars are MHS or not as I feel the parents get an
unjust bad rap in the neighborhood.  It seems that any car driving down
Evergreen, especially an expensive one, is assumed to be MHS and that is
just not the case, there are many people who live in the Valley using
Evergreen to get out of Homestead as it is the widest and fastest way to
Miller.  And many of these people have expensive cars too.

I begin my walk at Linden Lane (where I have lived for over five years)
between 8:45 and 9am and walk up to MHS with my 4 year old so I only see
half of Evergreen most mornings.

12/15/10 8:45am Report:

On our way to MHS, we passed two people heading out of the Valley, one with
a dog and one with a stroller, no bicyclists (probably given the weather).
Given that it was a borderline rainy day, this is pretty typical.  On sunny
days we usually pass a lot more people with dogs and strollers and a couple
of bikes.

The car experience was pretty typical I regret to report.  Most cars drove
the speed limit which seems fast but I know is actually 20-25 mph.  Four MHS
parents drove by me and six vehicles that were not MHS, ten cars total. Two
of the vehicles drove in a way that illustrates for me exactly why a
protected and dedicated pedestrian path is needed.

The first was a large four door silver pick up truck that passed us at 20-25
mph with an enormous side mirror less than a foot from my head even though
there was no oncoming traffic close to the intersection of Scott and
Evergreen.  I was surprised and frightened that the driver chose to drive so
close to us, particularly my head, when there was ample room on the street
for him to give us more buffer.  We happened to be walking next to a parked
car in the so I was further into the street than I would be if there were no
cars parked.   Walking on the strip on that block is just not an option
given the uneven terrain and multiple surfaces/landscaping.

Two more cars passed and then a blue Prius came toward us quickly as a car
approached from behind while we were between Scott and Montford.  I have
found that the most dangerous time for pedestrians on Evergreen is when two
cars are passing next to them as the drivers seem more focussed on clearing
each other than clearing a pedestrian.

I extended my arm out from my body to give my daughter and I an "arm's
reach" of buffer space which I find helps to slow cars down and notice us.
The Prius suddenly stopped completely as did the oncoming car as they
realized there was not room for all of us at that exact spot.  The Prius
then continued on slowly and the oncoming car waited for it to pass, then
proceeded towards Montford.  Neither car was MHS staff or parent.

Had we not been on the street, both cars would have been able to pass each
other without any problems.  Had I not extend my arm, I would have been
clipped by the Prius at 20-25 mph.  If we had been on a sidewalk, with a
parked car or not next to us when these cars passed, there would have been
no need to "defend" my space as a pedestrian.

The walk back to Linden at 9:45 am was uneventful, there were 3 people
walking dogs heading out of the valley and two cars heading into the valley
and one car heading out.

Hanne Barnes


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