A capacity crowd of around 125 at MICA’s Fred Lazarus IV Auditorium attended the Jan. 15 presentation and Q/A about the Jones Falls Gateway designs. Matt Hugel of MICA and Mark Mullen of RK&K Engineering presented.
Mr. Hugel told the audience that over 500 surveys had been collected at Central Baltimore community association meetings and festivals. Here are a couple of the survey questions-
Sample #1 – How comfortable are you moving through this corridor?
- About 44% of people walking and 47% of people biking or scooting reported feeling uncomfortable or unsafe. By comparison, only 13% of drivers felt that way.
- The street is currently working best for the people who are most protected, and least well for the people who are most vulnerable.
- The status quo of the Jones Falls Trail is not working, especially for casual users or people who are new to the trail.
Sample #2 – What would make you more likely to walk, bike, or roll along this section of the trail?
- Overwhelmingly, people prioritized safety, separation from traffic, better crossings, and slower vehicle speeds.
- Importantly, many respondents explicitly asked for less vehicle dominance in the corridor.
Mr. Mullen walked the audience through the concept drawings. Thereafter, reps of his team met attendees at breakout tables.
The preferred alignment for the 10-13′ shared-used path, illustrated here as the “Proposed Treatment” for the draft 30% design drawings, should be finalized in the approved 30% design plan to be released to the public later this spring.
-The Editors
Friends of The Jones Falls 