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I live in the immediate area of concern and think that each proposal has its pro's and con's. The likely scenario of closing Jones between Glenwood and West seems most likely and it will be a shame to lose that walking connection. However, I don't think it's a situation that should be viewed as "the sky is falling". People will make adjustments with other nearby cross streets and life will go on.
In the end, I think having higher speed between the cities will benefit DT Raleigh but I do think that the dialogue should continue among all parties with a stake in the decision so that we end with the best possible collective decision for the route.
Well, I agree with you about "sky not falling..."
Watching to see what accommodations will be made to make it most palatable.
Yes, people tend to adjust. Just like they did on Fayetteville Street Mall?
So why cant they figure out a way to not cutoff Jones St and still have the proposed rail system...how about it being elevated? There are some real unimaginative planners out there.
So why cant they figure out a way to not cutoff Jones St and still have the proposed rail system...how about it being elevated? There are some real unimaginative planners out there.
My guess is money.
I'd love to see the rail line depressed with the roads going over it but that will not happen because the owners of the rail line would never agree to the costs and/or the disruptions.
Bridging the road over it would "destroy" the old (historic) CP&L building and the other businesses in the the affected areas of Jones St. The elevated road was considered but it too would be a huge disrupter with an immense cost.
In the end, creating two half-blocks between Glenwood and West is not the same thing as the Fayetteville St. Mall. Besides, the bane of Fayetteville St. Mall wasn't that it was a pedestrian mall. It failed because nobody lived there or invested in downtown. At the time of its existence, the city was still abandoning its core like most American cities. Planners saw the Mall as the savior in and of itself when it is really just a platform on which to build success. So, in effect, the city built the platform and left it empty.
Believe it or not but there are successful pedestrian malls in this country. Just ask the folks in Boulder and Miami Beach.
I wonder how many people in the Triangle commute to DC on a daily/weekly basis?
.
I'm one too. I used to take the plane, but the price seems to have jumped 100 bucks in the 3 years I've been commuting. Now out of my budget.
I'd love to take the train, but I live really close to i85 and my place of work is within a mile of i495. Hence, driving is a really easy 4hr door to door if I time traffic right. Unless I can get to DC in two hours I can't see the train working for me given the extra time it would take me to get to and from the train stations.
I'm disappointed that we seem to be settling on mediocrity and having top speed of trains nowhere near the 200mph+ seen in other countries. Why bother with all this expense with only little improvement in service?
That is interesting. Just to be clear, I wasn't being smart ... I am genuinely interested in how many people make that commute. When I first moved here I was still working a job for the EPA in Long Island and commuted weekly via plane for a month and a half. It is an interesting way to live!
I regularly use Jones street to walk over to West since I live very close to that area. In fact, that is also how I drive to work in the morning, avoiding the lights on Glenwood. I know that I am not going to be living in that particular area forever, so a future closure of Jones at this location would probably not affect me anytime soon. However, it would really cut off a lot of foot and vehicle traffic. I've walked over to West via Hillsborough when they closed Jones to work on the RR tracks, and it is pretty sucky compared to going via Jones. You have to go well out of your way to get to Natty Greene's, Napper Tandy's and 42nd St. It would really suck for anyone who lives at Quorum trying to get to 518 or Mosaic.
I think that pedestrian traffic will be impacted more than vehicle traffic if Jones was closed at this location. It doesn't take much to drive a car an extra block, but to walk takes a bit longer (and feels redundant). Will it hurt the businesses there? I think that most people who are driving to those businesses will adjust easily and just park in the parking deck behind Natty Greene's or on West or Jones. However, those who might be having dinner somewhere on Glenwood and then decide to walk over and have a few beers at Natty's or Napper's might be more inclined to just stay on Glenwood instead of humping it over to West St.
On the other hand, maybe the closure would actually help West St create its own identity separate from Glenwood South? If it is more difficult for people to park on West and walk over to Glenwood, maybe they will spend more time and dollars at the businesses on West, helping to cultivate businesses there. While it seems to be currently stalled, the Powerhouse Square project may indeed still be built across the street from 42nd Street. This would bring a hotel and offices to West and Jones.
Wouldn't an elevated walk over Jones, either at Jones or nearby solve the pedestrian issue? I can't remember the last time I parked close to my destination at Glenwood South, and a little walk is not likely going to separate me from a good drink or a good time.
Wouldn't an elevated walk over Jones, either at Jones or nearby solve the pedestrian issue? I can't remember the last time I parked close to my destination at Glenwood South, and a little walk is not likely going to separate me from a good drink or a good time.
What am I missing?
I agree. It would be a lot easier to build an elevated walkway that it would be to elevate a road. Given the ADA, I am guessing that the walk would have both a stair and elevator access. It could actually be a really cool opportunity to provide a piece of signature public design to the area. They would just have to make it safe enough so that drunks didn't fall off of it onto the railroad tracks!
Wouldn't an elevated walk over Jones, either at Jones or nearby solve the pedestrian issue? I can't remember the last time I parked close to my destination at Glenwood South, and a little walk is not likely going to separate me from a good drink or a good time.
What am I missing?
Since I rarely drive anywhere downtown, walking certainly doesn't separate me from a good time, either. That being said, I DO like good connectivity. It would suck to be at Tobacco Road and want to head over to Natty Greene's or Napper Tandy's, but the shortest way to get there would be by going up to Hillsborough and then coming back down on West to Jones. I dislike having to go past my destination to get there. It's not a dealbreaker, just a major peeve of mine, and I'm sure I'm not alone.
A ped bridge would do the trick, but I have no idea what that would entail in such cramped quarters on Jones. Most ped bridges I've seen have had some sort of long ramp in order to be ADA compliant. Maybe they could make a spiral ramp. IMHO, an elevator would be cost prohibitive.
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