Pedestrian group meets to discuss parking issues at Feb. 14 meeting at the HideAway

A group of pedestrians who regularly ‘commute’ to downtown Northfield met at the HideAway Coffeehouse & Winebar on Thursday morning to discuss pedestrian issues directly or indirectly related to downtown parking. Ross Currier hosted the meeting and I was the designated photographer. It was the third of several stakeholder group meetings that will be held over the next few weeks. (See Ross’ Jan. 24 blog post, Planning for stakeholder input on downtown parking management.)

The group generated a list of items they they’d like to see discussed. Here’s Ross’ post-meeting translation:

• Is the Walking Shed: ¼ mile or ½ mile for Pedestrians?
• Is it perhaps 1 mile for the hardcore walkers?
• Is it perhaps ¼ mile for Vehicular Commuters?
• For Elementary Students: ¼ mile; Middle and High School Students: ¾ mile
• Consider “String of Pearls” Concept – people will walk further if they’re visually entertained
• Gather and Distribute Information on Crosswalk Protocol
• Launch Educational Campaign on Crosswalks and Intersections
• Bring Back Temporary “Pedestrian Crossing” Signs
• Address “Triangle of Barriers” – Hwy 3 (Dahomey Ave.), Washington Street, Woodley Street
• Raise Awareness of City’s Excellent Job of Shoveling Downtown
• Raise Awareness of Private Property Owners’ Excellent Jobs of Shoveling
• Increase Awareness of Shoveling Responsibility for Rental Properties, Vacant Properties
• Consider “Back-In” Parking for Diagonal Spaces
• Recognize that Humans Cross at Shortest Distance
• Explore 20 mph Speed Limit for Critical Section of Hwy 3 (Dahomey Ave.)
• Consider Temporary Bump Outs
• Explore Previous Uses of Temporary “Stop” Signs
• Inquire on Carleton’s Series of “Experiments” from Campus to Weitz
• Identify Major Walking Routes and Seek Opportunities for Strings of Pearls
• Recognize that Walkers Eat More Muffins
• Explore “Downtown Businesses Deliver” Campaign
• Explore “Shop Local” Carts and/or Backpacks
• Identify Major Walking Routes and Pursue Sidewalk Continuity Projects
• Identify Major Walking Routes and Address Key Intersections
• Explore Ideas to Address “Triangle of Barriers”
• Work with PRAB to Identify Walking Path Gaps

Update 02/23: Discussion of these issues is now taking place here. Comments on this post are now closed.