Reducing traffic violence
From "Ideas Portal"
Go to the project
The city has an issue with high speeds, reckless driving and the traffic violence that comes with them. This is largely due to the over built road network that encourages people behind the wheel to drive like they're on a highway or interstate with extremely wide and straight roads.
The city should focus on making the city safer by introducing road diets and traffic calming on a wide scale across the city.
This should be coupled with a plan to encourage non-car transit options like bikes, scooters, walking, public transit and even golf carts.
Comments(15)
Please to comment.
Most recent comments have loaded.
Profile of Daniel Grothaus
Posted by:Daniel Grothaus
1 month ago
The reckless and aggressive driving I see the past several years is not "due to the roads...". It is much more basic. Who has the right to be in a car and driving on our public roads? Just anybody with a car? I live in the Central West End near Boyle. I can't drive 5 blocks on any day without seeing 5+ autos with no current MV License. Often these cars would not pass an inspection. If the driver doesn't need to pay his property tax, or maintain his MV plates, or be sure his car passes a safety inspection, or carries auto insurance, or even has a driver's license.....why should he care about traffic rules -- or even your safety? Why does St Louis allow just anybody who has a car (owned or stolen) to drive on our roads? No minimum law enforcement = lawless driving behavior.
Profile of Gregory Anderson
Posted by:Gregory Anderson
2 years ago
This is a CITY… not some hick town!! Streets should be wide with multiple lanes so people can get where they’re going. Last but not least… the police need to do their job and stop reckless drivers and Stop making Excuses all the time!!!
Profile of Christopher Lehmuth
Posted by:Christopher Lehmuth
3 years ago
This could all be funded completely if we invested all of the money into a municipal endowment fund. We do not touch it for a period of time and allow the returns on that fund to finance all services of the city including enhanced social services, infrastructure improvements and comprehensive street safety programs. It could be funded 100% and forever.
Profile of Darren Kunkelmann
Posted by:Darren Kunkelmann
3 years ago
I support almost any and all attempts at road diets, encouraging ped/bike, and curbing traffic violence. OUR driving behavior badly needs to improve, so I support mobile signage/reminders to be courteous as drivers and safe driving police checkpoints such as at busy cross walks opposite parks. There are many ways that carrots can be used such as $5 "thank you for being a courteous driver coupons". The expectation and huge value of being a courteous driver needs to be communicated positively. We cannot speed-bump our way out of this, since the worst driving offenders often blow through the next stop sign after a speed bump, assuming they slowed down at all.
Profile of Nix Evans
Posted by:Nix Evans
3 years ago
@Darren Kunkelmann All urban design research suggests that speeds are based on the design of the road, not driver attitude. Only changing the road has a proven effect on the speed of the average driver.
Profile of Darren Kunkelmann
Posted by:Darren Kunkelmann
3 years ago
@Nix Evans We must consider aggressive and reckless drivers here, and not just the average driver that might slow down via traffic calming. Watch the most aggressive drivers not be "calmed" in the least by many of the expensive measures proposed. (Did "all" these researchers observe poor driver behavior that I see along traffic calmed streets like Louisiana or Arsenal?) Thus my suggestion to add some attempts to correct the extreme bad driving. I see in the 9/19/23 P-D reference that the city is considering red light cameras again. I also support red light cameras to keep the worst driver behavior in check. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/red-light-cameras-are-back-in-st-louis-officials-pitch-fix-to-bad-driving/article_b223c290-562c-11ee-b1e4-b33a8e688027.html
Profile of Malik L
Posted by:Malik L
3 years ago
@Darren Kunkelmann what research are you using to make this claim?
Profile of E Rogers
Posted by:E Rogers
3 years ago
Get on with fixing Kingshighway. Start working on the recommendations fomr the engineering study
Profile of T W
Posted by:T W
3 years ago
Speed humps in residential streets would be a good start. Copy what they did in soulard recently. I believe speed humps are only 3000 ish each so it would be a very cheap
Profile of Mike Hofmeister
Posted by:Mike Hofmeister
3 years ago
@Drew G Although speed bumps would slow down traffic, I believe most fire departments are against this.
Profile of Malik L
Posted by:Malik L
3 years ago
I support this! Safer and more sustainable streets would do a lot to benefit the city!
Profile of Brian Nordmann
Posted by:Brian Nordmann
3 years ago
@Malik Lendell Yes!
Profile of Patrick Cuba
Posted by:Patrick Cuba
3 years ago
I'd love to see more dramatic changes, but maybe a good start is this idea. Instead of "pedestrian pilot" zones where you have to drive to get close and then the area is blocked with barricades of cop cars, it would be inviting to just have some stripes through the city that are blocked off for all vehicles capable of high speeds and if someone on a bike or LSV comes through, they can do what they like. This might even be good places for busses to cut through and avoid traffic if dedicated bus lanes are a no-go.
Profile of Christopher Lehmuth
Posted by:Christopher Lehmuth
3 years ago
@Patrick Cuba The most dramatic change to traffic violence includes the following approach:
Create a municipal endowment fund that *cannot be touched* for a set period of time and has strict rules/laws around how the money can and can not be spent.
Invested and saved properly (for a period of time) this could create a fund that could potentially achieve the following: Eliminate all debt for the city of Saint Louis, perpetually self-fund education, safety, healthcare, parks, and social services for the entire city. This could open the door to eliminate the need for an earnings tax and reduce the tax burden for all citizens.
Also, discretionary spending could be tied to returns only after basic services have been fully funded. Existing tax revenues could feed into this municipal fund to accelerate returns for all of Saint Louis. Large gains could be redirected into investment in areas previously underserved or in requirement of economic expansion. Including great ideas like this, and all other ideas listed on this site.
Of course this would call for careful planning, and a cool tempered approach to this historic windfall. However, if it is done, Saint Louis (and all citizens included) will be on a fast track to prosperity.
Total likes: 254, total dislikes: 8
. Sign in to react.. Sign in to react.
Share
Posted by
Current status
viewed
Tags
Public spaces and buildings
Work, economy and tourism
Social inclusion
Safety
Mobility
Sustainable development