WHY PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ISN’T AS SIMPLE AS A OR B

Ever since the horrific car crash on Frazier Avenue last November that took the lives of a mother and child, Chattanooga has been grappling with how to prevent another tragedy. It’s not the most desirable thing to be a city known as a place where people worry about safety while walking on a downtown street.

Now, after several months of study and surveys, it looks as if city officials are close to a resolution. The city has two options to reconfigure the popular North Chattanooga street and create a more pedestrian-safe area.

Both proposed redesigns of Frazier Avenue address concerns that have been voiced about the dangers of traveling on the road, which is lined by restaurants, small businesses and apartments and is a popular tourist area with access to Coolidge Park and the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge.

Both options will reduce the four-lane roadway to one lane either way with a turning lane in the middle.

ABOUT THESE OPTIONS

Option A, which adds marked buffer zones, increased protection for pedestrians and a bike route that will detour through Coolidge and Renaissance public parks, will increase by eight the number of parking spaces along Frazier Avenue.

Then there’s Option B. It would reduce parking on the south side of Frazier Avenue and add a two-way protected bike lane. With most of the road on south Frazier taken up by the bike lane, parking will be moved to the north side and parking will be reduced from 27 to 19 spaces. This option also provides buffers to protect pedestrians and provide an opportunity for street art.

City officials indicate they prefer Option A. Advantages they cite include the addition of parking spaces on the street that can make it easier for patrons to park, something store owners certainly would not oppose.

Some merchants have shared that they have watched cars get into wrecks right outside of their stores. Some say that a buffer zone will be a great way to protect patrons walking along Frazier.

Option B has the support of citizens who favor roadway changes that accommodate cyclists.

“It’s really the only option of the two that takes seriously the idea of cycling as a form of travel,” Tremont Street resident John LeRosa said in support of Option B during a March 5 City Council meeting. “It’s almost laughable to use Coolidge Park as a form of travel. Sure you can bike there, but that’s for leisure.”

The good news is that both options would provide a buffer for pedestrians and both would reduce the number of lanes. That in and of itself should slow traffic down through the area.

Both options have advantages and create positive change to Frazier Avenue. But let’s not force a binary choice, an either-or decision. Who’s to say that we can’t take the best from both options and create Option C?

OUTSIDE THE BOX

Dan Reuter, executive director of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency, said both options have good features that will hopefully slow down traffic and make the street safer for pedestrians. And it might be worthwhile to explore combing features of both.

“You would create a bike facility but make it almost like a multi-use trail,” Reuter said Wednesday. “I like the idea of creating a permanent, multi-use biking and walking area.”

So, for instance, how about this: Option B calls for a dedicated protected bike lane. You could make that lane also available for pedestrians, giving them a second option to get around when bike traffic is low.

Chattanooga’s traffic congestion woes are well known — from East Brainerd/Ooltewah areas to the North Shore, traffic headaches are a fact of life. Last year’s tragedy on Frazier Avenue forced the city to put a laser focus on one thoroughfare, and we, the people, are responding.

To be clear, the city did make one significant change last year before the redesign announcement: In December, the city lowered the speed limit on the road from 30mph to 25mph.

Everyone wants the pedestrian experience on Frazier Avenue — the heart of our tourism district — to be better. Everyone wants the small business community to thrive. And everyone wants motorists who commute through the area to be able to get where they are going in a safe, efficient manner.

In the four months since the November tragedy, the city has two options that will hopefully mean significant improvements in safety in one of the most visited areas in the city.

Whatever option, or variation of the two, that is ultimately chosen, one thing is almost certain: Not everyone will be happy, but progress will be made.

Progress that can save lives.