Avoid tunnel vision on pedestrian/cyclist safety
Acouple of scary incidents at the pedestrian/cyclist tunnel under St. Francis Drive have provided new fodder for discussion of whether city government should go ahead with a second major underpass.
The St. Francis tunnel cost about $6 million, almost all of it from a federal program intended to reduce traffic and air pollution by encouraging bicycle commutes. The tunnel connects the Acequia Trail with the Railyard, eliminating the need for bikers or pedestrians to wait for a walk signal to cross St. Francis at the heavy-traffic intersection with Cerrillos Road.
Planning is underway for a similar underpass on St. Michael’s Drive where the Rail Trail and the Rail Runner train tracks cross the busy six-lane thoroughfare, a spot where cars not hindered by a traffic signal travel at high speed.
We argued during the St. Francis tunnel project that the millions spent to create a single safe crossing for cyclists could be better used on expanding Santa Fe’s overall trail system. But apparently the feds are partial to big, high-impact projects such as tunnels when it comes to doling out money for car-commute alternatives.
There also were many who warned the tunnel could be a dangerous, isolated spot for walkers, and encourage incidents such as the two reported recently, where a woman was attacked and a man made an obscene sexual approach toward a teenaged boy.
The police officer who responded to the female victim, who was pushed to the ground by a man who got off a bicycle and pursued her, told her that problems at the tunnel are common and she shouldn’t be walking there, according to a report in The New Mexican.
This victim figured out the assault wasn’t her fault and even collaborated with an acquaintance to spray paint warning signs on the pavement. She also might have asked the officer why she shouldn’t walk through a handsome, well-landscaped tunnel that the city spent $6 million on to attract her and others to use.
Now, the city is considering installing surveillance cameras in the St. Francis tunnel and the prospective underpass beneath St. Mike’s. There’s also talk of more police bicycle patrols at the existing tunnel, but officers can’t stake it out all the time.
The city should reconsider how to proceed on St. Mike’s. While it would be a boon for cyclists now facing a hazardous crossing, a tunnel at the railroad tracks there would be substantially more isolated than the existing one on St. Francis.
Back when creating a walker/ biker crossing for St. Francis was under discussion, the option of a bridge was considered. Many submitted attractive and quirky plans for a trail overpass that, if properly realized, could have created something of a landmark entryway into the heart of Santa Fe.
With City Hall now in the midst of developing the city-owned Midtown Campus off St. Mike’s and trying to encourage more attractive development along the road, blending in a well-designed pedestrian/bicycle overpass deserves a look. Along with providing a safe crossing, a bridge with a knock-out look could brand the neighborhood in a positive way.
Are there studies that compare safety on a bridge versus in a tunnel?
City Councilor Signe Lindell says tunnels are dangerous, regardless of the federal dollars that make them essentially free to the city, and create places for predators. At least with a bridge, those who use it would remain in public view, including from the thousands of vehicles on St. Mike’s every day.