What’s the Future of Safe City Streets?

City streets have evolved over centuries and attempt to adapt with new technologies. From people on foot and horses, to bicycles and trolleys, and eventually to a sea of cars and trucks. While the streets of over a century ago seem chaotic and congested by today’s standards, they did a better job of providing access to people in all modes of transportation than we do now.

In fact, when cars were introduced in mass to city streets many residents protested against them as they were seen as killing machines. Children were a frequent casualty of the new technology, leading many parents to fear for their safety. The eventual domination of cars, through intense lobbying efforts by their manufacturers, also led to all other forms of transportation losing the access they once enjoyed. Public transportation was defunded and slowed down due to the prioritization of private vehicles. Bikes were pushed onto the sidewalks or into parks, with a small minority of riders braving the streets shared with cars (in some ways this was a result of the “vehicular cycling” movement lead by John Forester in the 1970s). Pedestrians slowly saw their access to sidewalks diminish as roadways expanded, and many suburbs never even built out sidewalks to begin with.

Over the last 50 years, we’ve seen annual deaths related to car crashed hover between 30,000 and 40,000 per year. As we improved safety for those inside of the vehicles, we’ve made it more dangerous for everyone outside of them. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when travel was curtailed and most of us stayed home as often as possible, deaths related to vehicles increased. The combination of larger vehicles, higher speeds, and more people spending time outside for health reasons was deadly. 

But what about the quickly approaching dawn of the autonomous vehicle (AV) age? Surely, that will help improve safety for everyone involved.

If you’ve listen to Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast Revisionist History (which I am admittedly a fan, even if the AV episode was poorly done), or paid any attention to the near constant presence of Elon Musk in the news, you’d imagine that AVs are right around the corner and will change everything. They promise to provide door-to-door service while allowing their occupants to read, talk on the phone, or work on the way. Gladwell was especially excited about the gentle breaking and measured movements Waymo performed while he attempted to surprise it.

How close are we really to a full AV world?

Tesla continues to say that full on AV is only months away, after years of proving false. They’ve rolled out “Autopilot” which still requires full driver attention to operate, and has resulted in tragic crashes when drivers have put too much faith into it. Even the over-promoted hyper loop, with its first attempt now in operation in Las Vegas, requires drivers to be present in a tunnel solely built for them. The video below is so breathless about a technology that carries less people, and is less automated, than an average airport people mover.

So much of the coverage has been about how AV technology will make it safer and more convenient for people inside the vehicle, but the pedestrian experience often takes a back seat. Reports of difficulty seeing individuals with darker skin tones and confusion over bikes can lead to avoidable disasters. Some have begun arguing that pedestrians and cyclists need to be even further removed from roadways, or required to wear devices that communicate with AVs. Others just completely forget that pedestrians exist and believe AVs will be able to completely solve traffic congestion, as the YouTuber CPG Grey believes in the video below.

AVs can be seen as a way of getting us closer to the supposed utopian vision of “Futurama” from the 1939 World’s Fair, an exhibit presented by GM that featured high speed car access to central cities without a single pedestrian in sight. Futurama was a dangerous fiction then and continues to encourage engineers/tech giants to focus solely on vehicle access. No matter what we do, people will always travel on foot at some point during their day, and we should be encouraging more of it instead of encouraging more car usage. Walking has been shown to improve both physical and mental health, is beneficial to the environment, as well as provides economic/social benefits for all.

Futurama model at the 1939 World’s Fair, focused on providing high speed access for vehicles with no access to people on foot or bike.

AVs will eventually make their way into society, but we need to decide where they fit and what type of future we want for our city streets. Here’s my vision for that future:

We first need to pump funding into developing strong public transit and bike networks, which move far more people than private vehicles ever will. With the advent of AVs owning your own vehicle is no longer needed. Car shares can become much more efficient and affordable, resulting in far fewer vehicles on the road. While public transit should carry the majority of workday trips between population and commercial centers, AVs can fill in the gaps. 

Our city centers and neighborhoods should be primarily the domain of pedestrians and cyclists, much like Dutch cities and the super blocks of Barcelona are now.  Provide access by AVs on the outskirts, with exemptions for the elderly and disabled who’s vehicles would travel at slow, safe speeds within these destinations. Transit would travel into these areas on dedicated rights-of-way, primarily repurposed streets from our current network, with pedestrianized areas surround stations and stops. By freeing the majority of streets from vehicles, or at least greatly reducing the number of vehicles with access, streets can become parks, restaurants, and gathering spaces. Instead of restricting people for the benefits of AVs, we should be restricting AVs for the benefit of people. 

Space that was originally dedicated to cars is now used for community activities in the Barcelona Super blocks.

The best part is, we don’t need to wait for AVs to become a reality for us to begin these changes. These changes can be implemented now and we can start reaping the benefits. Car share is successful in many other countries, with easy access within a short walk. The Barcelona super blocks still provide car access to residents, at highly reduced speeds, while keeping out most other vehicles, which has freed up space for playgrounds and greenery. Every city has at least a few streets they could close off right now to vehicles and start implementing these measures. And when AVs come we can just double down on the efforts we’ve already begun. 

Let’s make the future safe for people, not cars.

Byrne Square Can Dance Back From the Grave

Over the past 10-15 years, Downtown Syracuse has seen a number of its architectural treasures preserved, renovated, and reoccupied, bringing more life back to the city’s center. One outlier of this trend is the Byrne Square on West Genesee Street and Franklin Street. While its basement is occupied by Studio 54, the rest of the building remains vacant, with remnants of its dance studio past evident all around; large mirror walls, barres, wooden floors, and a large billboard on top advertising “License to Dance - Arthur Murray.”

Some would argue that this building suffers from a lack of parking, with most street spots already taken up by Dinosaur BBQ and Apizza customers, but in many ways the availability of this parking is what hinders this space. West Willow Street, which borders the triangular building to the north, is rarely used for traffic, and the little traffic that does come through is often drivers looking for a shortcut, leading to high speeds and little awareness of their surroundings. Parked cars often back up to the corners, even with parking restrictions in place, causing poor visibility for people on foot. The western intersection, over 100 feet wide, has no crosswalk and any traffic turning onto the street often picks up speed to avoid oncoming traffic. 

Here, there are a few solutions to improve the appeal of this location and make it safer to access. 

The first, and probably less controversial option, extend the sidewalk and have West Willow Street square off with West Genesee Street. This would require drivers turning onto the street to slow down to make the turn instead of continuing on at the same speed. This would also provide shorter distances for people to walk across, making walks from the nearby Creek Walk more pleasant and appealing, as well as provide extra sidewalk space for outdoor dining opportunities. Utilizing bump outs at each corner would also prevent cars from blocking crosswalks and sight lines, making it safer to cross.

The second option is to make West Willow Street into a one-way street heading west and squared off as discussed above. This alone prevents some of the faster moving vehicles from turning onto the street from West Genesee, while also providing opportunities to expand the sidewalk, add in bike facilities, and create a more welcoming place to walk to hang out.

The third, more ambitious option, is to close West Willow Street off from traffic. Remake the street as a pedestrian plaza and allow a new building tenant to control the space, creating significant outdoor dining opportunities, as well as performance spaces. The plaza space should continue down into the Franklin-Willow intersection, functioning as a raised intersection, a significant traffic calming measure that would fit perfectly in a space surrounded by popular bars and restaurants.

All of these options options should be paired with expanded sidewalks around Dinosaur BBQ, a place that consistently has lines outside the door on a narrow strip on concrete, and Apizza, which currently forces people to walk around cars parked in the space a sidewalk should be. It may also be worth exploring partnering with the parking lot that makes up the fourth corner of this intersection. The lot sees heavy use during traditional work hours Monday thru Friday, but very little use at night and on the weekends. Using this as a share space for the restaurants’ customers at night would help lower the competition for on-street parking and allow that space to be used for other things.

Finally, time to consider what type of business make work well in this space. With Dinosaur BBQ, Apizza, Press Room Pub, and Trexx Night Club within an easy walking distance, Byrne Square could become the third major dining/nightlife spot in Downtown Syracuse. Hanover and Armory Squares benefit from the close proximity of multiple bars and restaurants with relatively slow vehicle traffic. Part of this is thanks to narrowed streets and some street closures. Byrne Square could be the missing piece that uplifts this entire district.

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Considering the uniqueness of the building, and its history as a dance studio, Byrne Square has the potential to become a unique bar/restaurant experience where each floor has its own theme and vibe. This is similar to the concept of Tequila Cowboy in Pittsburgh, which is home to four different bars that are interconnected (country, karaoke, modern, and casual). Part of the first floor, where the dance studio used to be, should be turned back into a dance floor and named “Licensed to Dance” to honor the former occupant. The top floor can be used as a casual lounge with views of the city. The basement, currently occupied by Studio 54, could be reinvented as a speak easy or a wine cellar, catering to a more upscale clientele. During the afternoon and early evening, lunch and dinner can be served indoors on the dance floor and out on the newly expanded sidewalk/plaza area, while dining can continue at night on the top floor with snacks provided in the speak easy/wine cellar in the basement.

With or without following my suggestion on how to bring the Byrne Square building back to life, the improvements on the street will give the building a real chance at reinvention while lifting up the surrounding buildings as well. Reclaiming space for people instead of cars is how you build a stronger Downtown and Byrne Square is some of the lowest hanging fruit in the Syracuse area.

A Friendlier Entrance into Downtown Syracuse

Downtown Syracuse is surrounded by a ring of highways and a sea of parking lots, separating it from the urban neighborhoods that surround it and prioritizing accessibility from the suburbs. Walking or riding a bike into Downtown is unappealing and can be dangerous. First you’re forced onto narrow sidewalks next to speeding traffic squeezed beneath low highway bridges. You emerge into large expanses of asphalt used for car storage with frequent curb cuts forcing you to interact with cars entering and exiting. Once you’re into the Downtown core, walking becomes a more pleasant experience, with mostly human scale architecture and a mixture of uses that encourage people to interact. If you’re coming or going at night, the walk into Downtown is even worse with the poor lighting conditions under the overpasses.

For Downtown Syracuse to truly thrive, we need to improve the experience of arriving on foot and reconnect it with the rest of the city. A good place to start is North Salina Street.

With a right-of-way over 100 feet wide, North Salina Street is daunting to cross at times. The wide travel lanes encourage vehicles entering the city off of the highway, or just further up the street, to speed into the center of the city, especially when the lights line up in a “green wave.” In order to create a safer, more accessible entrance to the city you must start by taking away space from cars, and I do believe there is plenty of space to take away without impeding traffic.

Removing one travel lane, converting the third lane to an alternating turn lane, and narrowing each of the remaining lanes to 10 feet would provide ample room for increased pedestrian and bike facilities. A pedestrian refuge island, filled with trees and grass, would not only shorten the distance people need to cross all at once, but it would also force drivers into wider, safer turning movements. In addition, the greenery placed in the pedestrian island would function as a placemaking tool, alerting drivers that they are now entering a space where they are a guest. This can be reinforced by utilizing raised crosswalks along the entire street, slowing traffic and providing increased visibility and mobility to people walking.

You also end up with enough space for a protected two-way bike lane, ideally on the western side of the street due to the presence of fewer curb cuts and intersecting streets. Salina Street is one of the flattest roadways in the entire city and runs its entire length. While a bike lane the entire length may not be feasible, or desirable, providing a safe entrance into Downtown Syracuse from the Northside of the city on bike is needed. North Salina Street connects to some of the densest neighborhoods in the city as well as thriving business districts, a prime location for this sort of connection.

Once we narrow the roadway and provide additional space for people on bikes and foot, we need to look at reusing an abundance of asphalt in the area. As you enter Downtown from North Salina Street you are greeted with one of the best murals in the city, showcasing a night scene of the Erie Canal, yet you only get to appreciate it as you pass by or park your car beneath it. Instead, this space should be transformed into a simple park with trees and benches. Beside the park we should look to add a three-to-four story building with commercial space on the first floor and apartments above. Currently, two historical buildings have been renovated in this area with similar layouts, but continue to struggle to attract commercial tenants. One of the biggest issues they have is that they’re not part of a place. They’re stranded in a sea of parking that no one wants to cross. If a bar or restaurant opened here they would struggle to attract customers because they’re removed from the foot traffic of nearby Hanover Square. To benefit these buildings, and connect this part of Downtown with Hanover Square and Little Italy, some infill development is needed. Creating a cohesive street wall invites people to walk in this area. Coupled with the park and mural, this space becomes attractive to visitors and doesn’t feel secluded anymore.

One more piece of the puzzle in this area is the old Post Standard building. While there are plans to redevelop the building, a large portion that contains the printing press and loading dock will remain. This portion of the building, with its bland tan brick walls and tiny windows, creates a drab experience when walking near it. At the same time, it provides an opportunity to tie it into the history of the neighborhood. A simple way to improve this experience is to paint a complimentary mural along the facade. As a personal preference, I feel a mural depicting the 1950s hustle-and-bustle of Downtown Syracuse, especially along Salina Street, would help show the progress of the city over the years and how we continue to evolve. The new mural would surround people with art and history, making the new park a prime location for anyone looking to relax and enjoy the surroundings. 

Combined, these changes would be a game-changer for this area. These few blocks would no longer be dedicated to the movement and storage of cars, but instead be refocused on people. Walking and biking would now be invited and encouraged. Extra lighting from the new infill buildings, improved lighting up and down the street, and the eventual removal of some of the overpasses through the I-81 project would make the space more accessible at all hours of the day.  We end up with a friendlier entrance for Downtown Syracuse; an entrance it deserves.