Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

Issues concerning Downtown as described by the Downtown Council. River to 31st Street, I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins.
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chrizow
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

Post by chrizow »

kcmetro wrote: Actually, they aren't.  Sure, a car gets broken into every now and then in JOCO, but not with the frequency that downtown apparently suffers from it...at least according to this article. 
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/09/20 ... lance.html

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/08/20 ... rland.html

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/08/20 ... urder.html

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/08/20 ... sawed.html
LenexatoKCMO
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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kcmetro
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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Good thing people don't leave their garages open in areas near downtown KCMO.  Can you imagine how many drug fiends would be having a heyday?
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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kcmetro wrote: Good thing people don't leave their garages open in areas near downtown KCMO.  Can you imagine how many drug fiends would be having a heyday?
Fortunately, not owning a shrine for the storage of my personal autos alleviates me of this concern.  Way to completely brush off the very real examples of suburban crime, both property and violent.  Pretending it doesn't exist certainly doesn't make your neighborhood any safer than mine. 
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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Clever Crosswalk Squashes Jaywalking, by Making it Legal

Jaywalking: Everyone does it, so you might as well legalize it. But is there any way to make it less dangerous?
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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New stoplights on the plaza are my new target. This is crazy in our biggest tourist region people are expected to push a button to walk....we are going to get a des Moines resident killed.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

Post by shinatoo »

Walked from Lacleads Landing to the Edward Jones dome Friday night. Talk about a pedestrian unfriendly experience under I-70. Plus every crosswalk from 70 to the dome was push to walk. Not that anyone obeyed the signals anyway.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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KCPowercat wrote: New stoplights on the plaza are my new target. This is crazy in our biggest tourist region people are expected to push a button to walk....we are going to get a des Moines resident killed.
i noticed that on saturday. do they think anyone pays attention to those retarded audio announcements? somehow, cities with far more pedestrians seem to get by without buttons, chirps, or announcements.

shall we start another email campaign?
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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I think the chirps/announcements are purely an ADA thing but yeah, I'm up for some more emails.....their ADA requirements could still sound w/o a button there.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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KCPowercat wrote: I think the chirps/announcements are purely an ADA thing...
indeed, but with so few compliant ramps* or complete sidewalks outside of the urban core i don't see how they can prioritize the cost of audio installations anywhere.

* even the newest ramps in the loop aren't technically complaint.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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shinatoo wrote: Walked from Lacleads Landing to the Edward Jones dome Friday night. Talk about a pedestrian unfriendly experience under I-70. Plus every crosswalk from 70 to the dome was push to walk. Not that anyone obeyed the signals anyway.
I believe you're supposed to take the underground tunnel that takes you...surprise! right into the Lumiere Casino!

Totally agree about stoplights in the Plaza. Heck, just close 47th to traffic and make it truly a plaza.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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I just found the old email string I had for the downtown lights which had a lot of people in it and said in a not so blunt way "now this shit is going down on the plaza" 

We shall see if that works.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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KCMax wrote: Totally agree about stoplights in the Plaza. Heck, just close 47th to traffic and make it truly a plaza.
OHHHH, I love that idea.  Put up decorative barriers at JC Nichols/47th and the intersection where Fooleries is at and all cross traffic paths in that specific corridor and make it all a pedestrian plaza with canopies and seating, a performance/stage space about where Classic Cup/Latte Land/Houstons intersects.  That would be awesome.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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Got an email back stating public works is developing a policy regarding pedestrian signal activation and the plaza is being reviewed as part of this.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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KCPowercat wrote: Got an email back stating public works is developing a policy regarding pedestrian signal activation and the plaza is being reviewed as part of this.
good news! let's hope they do a little homework and see what other walkable cities are doing. hint: NONE of them are doing it this way.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

Post by trailerkid »

can anyone explain to me why there is even a debate on this? it seems like common sense for any human being that's ever gotten out of a car and walked across a street. i don't get it. it'd be like asking motorists to pull over and push a button when they want to go through an intersection.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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Agreed tk.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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It makes no sense to facilitate/accommodate traffic through the Plaza. If anything it should be discouraged.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

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trailerkid wrote: can anyone explain to me why there is even a debate on this? it seems like common sense for any human being that's ever gotten out of a car and walked across a street. i don't get it. it'd be like asking motorists to pull over and push a button when they want to go through an intersection.
What's more funny about your comment is during the great downtown pedestrian button debate, I sent that exact same thing to someone at the city....that cars should have to push a button.
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Re: Making downtown more pedestrian friendly

Post by enough »

i think this point came up months ago, but as the city continues to install the new illuminated street name signs on traffic signal mast arms, if you're a pedestrian walking against the flow of motorized traffic on a one-way street you won't see street name signs for the cross streets.
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