This newsletter will be different than my previous ones. I have generally discussed things that the Council has been doing. This time I would like to make a suggestion that is very different from the current approach to crossing 32^nd St with the N ART.

One of the challenges of being a City Council is to do one’s best to “look outside the box”. This means being open to new ideas, different ways of doing things, seeing things from a different perspective and not being hemmed in by previous ways of doing things or ideas about how they should be done; rather to consider how they COULD be done.

All around the world and the nation are safe, at-grade crossings for pedestrians & bikes. This concept is possible here in Durango. My request is that this proposal be considered and evaluated as a way to provide safety for everyone.

Safety for 32^nd Street

As I was pondering the North ART crossing of 32^nd Street, I happened to see a photo in the Telegraph which changed my perspective and caused me to think of 32^nd St in a holistic manner and not to just focus on the ART crossing.

As such, I formulated an idea for safety along the entirety of 32^nd St, from CR250 to Main St. Below is the basis of the proposal I presented to City Council, City Staff and the County Commissioners:

Proposal for 32^nd St

I would like to suggest that Council and Staff consider the entirety of 32^nd St in a holistic manner regarding safety and attractiveness.

• • CR 250 to Holly
    • This area is mostly (if not all) County
    • The County and City have discussed jointly bringing it up to City standards so that it can be annexed. The County supports this transition
    • Currently, this section is without sidewalks or bike lanes
    • New construction around this section has created more ped, bike & vehicular traffic from people who need a safer way to traverse this area

• Holly to E 7^th Ave
  • This area has substandard and some non-existent sidewalks on the south/east side
  • No safe crossings in this stretch
  • Speeding is prevalent here, despite the 25mph restriction, as the road is very wide and appears to have good sight lines and no dangers
  • Senior housing and new construction creates more traffic and need for safety
• E 7^th St to E 3^rd St
  • This section of road bisects the Animas City area
  • There are few if any safe ways to cross
  • Sidewalks are sub-standard in areas
• E 3^rd St to E 2^nd St – includes the 32^nd St bridge
  • See above photo from the Telegraph
  • What struck me in this picture is that there are:
    • Protected sidewalks on each side of the bridge
    • Bike lanes on each side of the bridge
  • One of the current topics of conversation about this bridge and the N ART is:
    • There is not enough protected space for bikes and pedestrians to use the same area
    • A suggestion has been to have one-way traffic on each side
  • Rather, I would suggest that it appears that:
    • The concrete protection could either:
      • Be moved to the outside of the bike lane
        • If moving it is not possible or it would be more desirable to have two walls/dividers of protection, then a new form of protection could be put at the outside of the bike lane
      • Be replaced with another form of protection on the outside of the bike lane
    • This would provide safe and adequate space for bikes & peds without the need to widen the bridge or do structural work
    • The E 2^nd St & E 3^rd St crossing should have additional safety improvements

By putting traffic calming features along the entire stretch of 32^nd St, adding safe crossings along its length and making adaptations to the bridge – safety could be provided for ALL USERS – peds, bikes and vehicles. This is also an area that could greatly benefit from adding trees in the traffic calming devices and other areas (thereby implementing the Forest Management Plan).

If the City’s Streets, Multimodal, and Parks & Rec departments worked together to make this happen, the City could have a safe, attractive street with safe crossings that is used by a significant number of City & County residents.