St. Jude is great, but.... (Memphis, Germantown: home, neighborhoods, living in)

[Blutbad]

....from the perspective of someone living in the Overton Park area, the marathon they have going on today is a mess. Nearly impossible to get in and out of the neighborhood, with police redirecting traffic at every light. Far worse than that, an overzealous group of people who were out cheering on the runners took it upon themselves to block a side street I was trying to turn onto as a means to escape an ultra-congested section of Poplar -- and this is after I'd already patiently waited for 50 some odd runners to pass. What did they have to gain from blocking my progress down a completely clear street?! I appreciate that they were out there to support a good cause, but come on. I was only trying to go about my business.

Aren't events like these usually held in the early morning, so as to avoid inconveniencing folks who just need to use the streets?

[dc1538]

Originally Posted by memphjayhawk

....from the perspective of someone living in the Overton Park area, the marathon they have going on today is a mess. Nearly impossible to get in and out of the neighborhood, with police redirecting traffic at every light. Far worse than that, an overzealous group of people who were out cheering on the runners took it upon themselves to block a side street I was trying to turn onto as a means to escape an ultra-congested section of Poplar -- and this is after I'd already patiently waited for 50 some odd runners to pass. What did they have to gain from blocking my progress down a completely clear street?! I appreciate that they were out there to support a good cause, but come on. I was only trying to go about my business.

Aren't events like these usually held in the early morning, so as to avoid inconveniencing folks who just need to use the streets?

...these type of events will bring out these type of people. In their mind they probably were preventing people from turning that street into a detour route. They probably assumed that people wouldn't stop for runners or thinking about their safety and getting hit. Even though I think it's the police responsibility to take care of traffic control. If an intersection is blocked spectators shouldn't take it upon themselves to block it.

I still look at it as a minor inconvenience. I was looking at the map and it's no way that it wouldn't be a mess for those living in the area, you're basically boxed in. BTW it took me 20 minutes to get back home once I hit North Parkway and Poplar and I stay a a couple of street over . Should have took the loop around to the Madison exit instead of Sam Cooper. Next year I'll be more prepared! That's really all you can do and don't sweat it.

[ViolentDisasters]

Why on earth do people move into the heart of the city, and then find themselves inconvenienced by the regular sights and sounds of city life?

Overton Park isn't Germantown Parkway, there's still a pretty lively streetscape, which includes the annual St. Jude Marathon, numerous street festivals/block parties and a host of other things... why not celebrate them rather than viewing them as a nuisance or obstacle? I think your neighbors had the right idea -- appreciate the unique character of the neighborhood and stop wishing for it to be something its not -- especially when there are literally 10001 quiet secluded neighborhoods with 24-hour highway access across the metro area. Overton Park is not such a neighborhood -- it never has been, and I sure hope for the sake of the relatively little culture that still exists in Memphis -- it never will be.

[Blutbad]

Originally Posted by ViolentDisasters

Why on earth do people move into the heart of the city, and then find themselves inconvenienced by the regular sights and sounds of city life?

Overton Park isn't Germantown Parkway, there's still a pretty lively streetscape, which includes the annual St. Jude Marathon, numerous street festivals/block parties and a host of other things... why not celebrate them rather than viewing them as a nuisance or obstacle? I think your neighbors had the right idea -- appreciate the unique character of the neighborhood and stop wishing for it to be something its not -- especially when there are literally 10001 quiet secluded neighborhoods with 24-hour highway access across the metro area. Overton Park is not such a neighborhood -- it never has been, and I sure hope for the sake of the relatively little culture that still exists in Memphis -- it never will be.

Celebrating the marathon was not an option for me, as I needed to get into the office to get some work done. And I wasn't even trying to access the highway. All I needed to do was get onto Poplar or North Parkway, and based on the exact location of where I live this was a challenge requiring more creativity than I was expecting to have to employ at the time. For me, the event was quite literally a nuisance and an obstacle.

HOWEVER - I am also quite aware that I could have been more prepared. Somehow, I missed the memo about the marathon. I'll try to take a look at the course map ahead of time next year.

[85rx-7gsl-se]

Well I know the course map said they weren't going past my office, but come in Saturday and sure enough they are running right past our only entrance/exit. Fortunately we started work before the race and they had already clear our mile marker by the time we got out.

[CristenS]

It happens once a year.
I believe it starts at 8am, as early as possible. Not all runners are Olympian speed so it takes many hours for everyone to go through.
They post the course online many months in advance.
They post many yard signs along the route warning residents of the upcoming traffic issues.
You can use common sense this ONE day a year to figure out what you need to do to get it done.
Marathons take place IN cities all over the world, this isn't an abnormal occurrence.

[85rx-7gsl-se]

Well as I stated Cristen, the Route Map was wrong lol

[CristenS]

I still don't see the big deal. The course map was off by miles? Or just a block or two? If you knew the race was going anywhere remotely near where you needed to be, you could plan accordingly. I really don't see the big deal here, it's a 5 hour race, once a year, on a weekend morning. It's not "a mess" it's a marathon that goes through city streets. I'm not sure what people expect? For the marathon to go along I-240? I'm sure St. Jude didn't mean to inconvenience you for a few minutes!

[85rx-7gsl-se]

Wow dont get so defensive. All I said was that the route map wasnt entirely accurate so the whole "look at the map next time" argument is a little off. The particular deviation I am referencing was one block, but that put the race coming past our only entrance/exit effectively trapping everyone in during the race. Fortunately we worked 7am-1pm so they had cleared our stage by the time we got out. Apparently last year, the police had to create an opening so folks could leave work. I understand it is once a year and dont care all that much, but the map should at least be accurate so folks could plan their day.

[tigerphan]

Originally Posted by ViolentDisasters

Why on earth do people move into the heart of the city, and then find themselves inconvenienced by the regular sights and sounds of city life?

Yeah! Screw going to work and earning a living. That's not at all what Memphis is about!