Street design

[Red Arrow]

Maybe this is a better solution.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=uvalde,+tx&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=60.246331,131.572266&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Uvalde,+Texas&ll=29.216264,-99.792836&spn=0.00412,0.008031&t=k&z=18&layer=c&cbll=29.216239,-99.792929&panoid=Iw-RRMOIA6rIYK1wJmvc5w&cbp=12,235.71,,0,5

[PonderInc]

Tulsa's current standards for street design are crazy.  They require new arterial street lanes to be WIDER THAN the federal requirements for INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS. 

The interstate highway system requires a minimum lane width of 12 feet (minimum design speed of 75 MPH).  The Tulsa "Trafficway Right-of-Way Standards" indicate that "secondary arterials" should have two lanes in each direction: one 12' and one 14' wide.  A primary arterial should have three lanes in each direction: 12', 14' and 12' wide. (Same for a "Parkway," whatever that is.)  Meanwhile our standards for a "Freeway" are "two or more 12' lanes."

This strikes me as crazy.  Why should city street lanes be wider than freeways and interstate highways?

I've noticed that when I drive, I don't notice speed limit signs as much as I respond to the street design.  I speed up or slow down based on the width of the lanes and the setback of buildings from the street. 

If I'm on more narrow roads with buildings closer to the street, I slow down instinctively.  If the streets are huge and wide, and the setbacks are enormous, I feel like...well, like I'm on an interstate.  I got a ticket once in Stillwater for going 45 in a 30 MPH zone, on a street designed for 90 MPH.

[Red Arrow]

This strikes me as crazy.  Why should city street lanes be wider than freeways and interstate highways?

So we can run a street car / real trolley down them in the future. 

[SXSW]

41st between Lewis and Peoria appears to finally be finished.  Very nice road, not excessively wide (4 lanes, no turn lane), and with a nice sidewalk along the north side.  Wish they would've connected to Lewis though.  Now the sidewalk goes from Peoria to about a block from Lewis before stopping near that big house at the NW corner. 

It looks like instead of working around the existing power poles they moved the poles to create a straight sidewalk.  Why can't they do this in other areas?  It looks much better. 

[Townsend]

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/15-dangerous-cities-for-driving.html

15 Dangerous Cities for Driving


15. Oklahoma City, Okla.
Population: 551,789
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 13.41
Total fatalities: 74
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 13.5

14. Birmingham, Ala.
Population: 228,798
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 13.55
Total fatalities: 31
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.2

13. Tulsa, Okla.
Population: 385,635
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.00
Total fatalities: 54
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 18.5

12. St. Petersburg, Fla.
Population: 245,314
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.27
Total fatalities: 35
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 28.6

11. Jacksonville, Fla.
Population: 807,815
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.36
Total fatalities: 116
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 13.8

10. Lubbock, Texas
Population: 220,483
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 14.97
Total fatalities: 33
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.2

9. Memphis, Tenn.
Population: 669,651
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 15.08
Total fatalities: 101
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 11.9

8. Jackson, Miss.
Population: 173,861
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 15.53
Total fatalities: 27
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 18.5

7. Chattanooga, Tenn.
Population: 170,880
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 16.39
Total fatalities: 28
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 17.9

6. Salt Lake City, Utah
Population: 181,698
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 16.51
Total fatalities: 30
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 26.7

5. San Bernardino, Calif.
Population: 198,580
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 17.12
Total fatalities: 38
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.8

4. Little Rock, Ark.
Population: 189,515
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 17.94
Total fatalities: 34
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 26.5

3. Augusta-Richmond Co., Ga.
Population: 194,149
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 19.57
Total fatalities: 38
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 15.8

2. Orlando, Fla.
Population: 230,519
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 19.95
Total fatalities: 46
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 10.9


The most dangerous city to drive in: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
1. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Population: 183,126
Total fatality rate per 100,000 population: 22.39
Total fatalities: 41
Percentage of fatalities that were pedestrians: 24.4

[Conan71]

Why does Oklahoma attract such crappy drivers?  I'm serious, some of the worst drivers in the country live here in Tulsa.

[Gaspar]

Why does Oklahoma attract such crappy drivers?  I'm serious, some of the worst drivers in the country live here in Tulsa.

We're afraid to use our horns.

[TheArtist]

Why does Oklahoma attract such crappy drivers?  I'm serious, some of the worst drivers in the country live here in Tulsa.

Because we have a huge underclass of people who don't have the educational, social, and moral skills to take care of themselves let alone responsibly look out for anyone else.

[Townsend]

Because we have a huge underclass of uneducated people who don't have the skills to take care of themselves let alone responsibly look out for anyone else.

"SLAP!" I said

[Townsend]

So I read today that Tulsa is racing to suck up even more land to our North and then I read this on the TW FB:

Revenue projections for the city’s 2006 third-penny sales tax and 2008 Fix Our Streets initiatives show a $55.1 million shortfall by the time they end in 2014, potentially leaving projects unfunded.

Nothing wrong there...

[DolfanBob]

If you have ever been in a car in Fort Lauderdale you would agree with the number one listing.
A couple of buddies of mine had me come down for 10 days and they themselves drove like maniacs on purpose screaming and yelling at older retirees and the non English speaking population of drivers.
Constant road rage and they loved it.

[Conan71]

Because we have a huge underclass of people who don't have the educational, social, and moral skills to take care of themselves let alone responsibly look out for anyone else.

Our underclass drives some nice cars.  The chances of someone using their turn signal appears inverse to the price of their car.  I was also curious if we have an disproportionate number of cell phone users behind the wheel.  I see people texting all the time.  Generally holding the cell phone with the left hand seems to be the culprit for no turn signal.

[Hoss]

If you have ever been in a car in Fort Lauderdale you would agree with the number one listing.
A couple of buddies of mine had me come down for 10 days and they themselves drove like maniacs on purpose screaming and yelling at older retirees and the non English speaking population of drivers.
Constant road rage and they loved it.

Kinda surprised Dallas didn't make that list.  For all the time I was up there, that place has the WORST drivers of any place on earth.

Believe it or not, when I lived in Houston, although the traffic sucked, drivers were mainly courteous and knowledgeable.  They just drove fast.   

[custosnox]

I do my part in educating people to some degree. I drive a crappy car, so I hope some idiot with a nice car (good insurance) runs into me, so when they rush up to the barrels on a lane merge and try and force their way over, or try to come into my lane as if I'm not there, I don't bother with avoidance maneuvers.  To be honest, I'm surprised I haven't gotten a new car yet...

[nathanm]

If you have ever been in a car in Fort Lauderdale you would agree with the number one listing.

It is pretty funny how you've got this mix of old people driving poorly because they haven't been able to see in the last 20 years and young people driving poorly because they have to subscribe to the crazypants theory of driving whenever they're not boxed in by old people if they want to get anywhere on time.