When you said you were going to write about an intersection near you, I had a very strong inkling it was going to be this one! Every time I try to cross here, I see cars running the red light, so I just don't do it anymore. Streetsblog has covered it here: https://sf.streetsblog.org/2024/07/26/commentary-oakland-councilmember-bas-fails-to-fix-estuary-channel-path. This is such a well researched piece. You might also consider submitting this as a guest essay to that site, or reaching out to Roger Rudick (he's a local) to link over to this essay.
Great article, Sam. Since I started running I have been much more aware of the interaction between vehicles and pedestrians.
I am fortunate to live in Erin, about 90 minutes northwest of Toronto, Ontario. There is an intersection I need to cross to walk into the Village of Erin itself. It can be dicey due to truck traffic (there has been talk of a bypass for over 30 years) and the commuters who are always in a hurry, but nothing like the monstrosity you describe.
I attended art college in Toronto and went to the city frequently before we moved to Erin over 30 years ago. Now I hardly ever visit the city. I started working from home in 2021 and now rarely travel even to Mississauga where I commuted to work for many years. I find cities and all their traffic a bit too much these days.
I did not start running until we had been living in Erin for a while and now I cannot conceive of running in an urban environment.
10 minutes south of me are unpaved side-roads where I usually run. There is some traffic but it is significantly lighter than on the main roads and I have found *most* drivers to be considerate.
A 20 minute jog north is the Elora Cataract Trailway, a repurposed CP railway line, that stretches for 45 km. The eastern trailhead connects to the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park which has free access for pedestrians, less than an hour of running time from my house.
All this by just stepping out my front door. As I said, I am very fortunate.
I think, anecdotally, on the whole, my running in a city is probably marginally less deadly than the exurban area I grew up. The reason is just that automobile speeds in denser areas are lower: 25-35 mph as opposed to 44-70 miles per hour on country lanes that now service sprawling housing subdivisions. But the experience in the city is certainly far from safe and far from enjoyable (really for everyone: walkers, runners, drivers).
I had not considered the difference in automobile speeds - a very sobering thought! I try to be smart when selecting where and when I run to avoid traffic but it doesn’t always work out. And in the absence of sidewalks, I am always aware that I am in “their” domain. As they say: have fun, don’t die ;-)
This article resonates deeply with me. Here in Queens we have the "boulevard of death," which is one of the most fatal thoroughfares in the nation. It's made being a pedestrian and biker in car friendly Queens a real scary situation.
NYC has a truly great transit system, but it's not without its major flaws. I believe that it could have been the best in the world if Robert Moses hadn't prioritized the parkway system. Many scholars and historians have pointed out how exclusionary it has been. Racial bias and classism have led to so many devastating policies and infrastructure. His legacy infrastructure has had more negatives than benefits including poor air quality, divided communities, traffic incidents and tragedies and visual blight.
In addition to upholding the "separate and not equal" ideology, these projects have clearly accelerated the polluting of our natural resources. Living under the BQE in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is an unfortunate example of the health toll that these intersections have on a community.
Adam, thanks so much for this. Tell me more about Queens. Which boulevard is it?
I know embarrassingly little about the NY metro area, but this year I’ve been slowly reading Caro’s the Powerbroker for the first time. That very much inspired this piece (and even influenced some of my sentence choices as an homage of sorts). I’ll be referencing it more in the second half of this essay that I’m working on. I’d love to know more about how Queens feels like on foot and bike from your perspective.
Queens Boulevard. We also have another thoroughfare that runs parallel and eventually intersects with Queen Boulevard called Woodhaven Boulevard. Both are not pedestrian friendly. They're very wide and with bus lanes, bike lanes and multiple car lanes it feels like the odds are stacked especially high against those of us on foot.
Bartholomew and his ilk were doing to the Midwest and Pacific Coast cities what Robert Moses was doing in New York City around the same time- changing the layout of cities to benefit a privileged few at the expense of many underprivileged others.
Bravo on your research and the historical photos. I miss running Lake Merritt but not the intersections at Grand or Lakeshore to get there.
Thanks so much, Sarah. I really appreciate it!
...amazing deep dive bud...great work and research...what a clustercorner!...
Ah, thanks so much, Cansafis! Really appreciate it!
…you’ll always hit my brain smile talking about old oakland history :)…and complaining about our assey ass streets lol…
When you said you were going to write about an intersection near you, I had a very strong inkling it was going to be this one! Every time I try to cross here, I see cars running the red light, so I just don't do it anymore. Streetsblog has covered it here: https://sf.streetsblog.org/2024/07/26/commentary-oakland-councilmember-bas-fails-to-fix-estuary-channel-path. This is such a well researched piece. You might also consider submitting this as a guest essay to that site, or reaching out to Roger Rudick (he's a local) to link over to this essay.
Thanks for sharing, Ryan!
Great article, Sam. Since I started running I have been much more aware of the interaction between vehicles and pedestrians.
I am fortunate to live in Erin, about 90 minutes northwest of Toronto, Ontario. There is an intersection I need to cross to walk into the Village of Erin itself. It can be dicey due to truck traffic (there has been talk of a bypass for over 30 years) and the commuters who are always in a hurry, but nothing like the monstrosity you describe.
I attended art college in Toronto and went to the city frequently before we moved to Erin over 30 years ago. Now I hardly ever visit the city. I started working from home in 2021 and now rarely travel even to Mississauga where I commuted to work for many years. I find cities and all their traffic a bit too much these days.
I did not start running until we had been living in Erin for a while and now I cannot conceive of running in an urban environment.
10 minutes south of me are unpaved side-roads where I usually run. There is some traffic but it is significantly lighter than on the main roads and I have found *most* drivers to be considerate.
A 20 minute jog north is the Elora Cataract Trailway, a repurposed CP railway line, that stretches for 45 km. The eastern trailhead connects to the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park which has free access for pedestrians, less than an hour of running time from my house.
All this by just stepping out my front door. As I said, I am very fortunate.
I think, anecdotally, on the whole, my running in a city is probably marginally less deadly than the exurban area I grew up. The reason is just that automobile speeds in denser areas are lower: 25-35 mph as opposed to 44-70 miles per hour on country lanes that now service sprawling housing subdivisions. But the experience in the city is certainly far from safe and far from enjoyable (really for everyone: walkers, runners, drivers).
I had not considered the difference in automobile speeds - a very sobering thought! I try to be smart when selecting where and when I run to avoid traffic but it doesn’t always work out. And in the absence of sidewalks, I am always aware that I am in “their” domain. As they say: have fun, don’t die ;-)
This article resonates deeply with me. Here in Queens we have the "boulevard of death," which is one of the most fatal thoroughfares in the nation. It's made being a pedestrian and biker in car friendly Queens a real scary situation.
NYC has a truly great transit system, but it's not without its major flaws. I believe that it could have been the best in the world if Robert Moses hadn't prioritized the parkway system. Many scholars and historians have pointed out how exclusionary it has been. Racial bias and classism have led to so many devastating policies and infrastructure. His legacy infrastructure has had more negatives than benefits including poor air quality, divided communities, traffic incidents and tragedies and visual blight.
In addition to upholding the "separate and not equal" ideology, these projects have clearly accelerated the polluting of our natural resources. Living under the BQE in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is an unfortunate example of the health toll that these intersections have on a community.
Adam, thanks so much for this. Tell me more about Queens. Which boulevard is it?
I know embarrassingly little about the NY metro area, but this year I’ve been slowly reading Caro’s the Powerbroker for the first time. That very much inspired this piece (and even influenced some of my sentence choices as an homage of sorts). I’ll be referencing it more in the second half of this essay that I’m working on. I’d love to know more about how Queens feels like on foot and bike from your perspective.
Queens Boulevard. We also have another thoroughfare that runs parallel and eventually intersects with Queen Boulevard called Woodhaven Boulevard. Both are not pedestrian friendly. They're very wide and with bus lanes, bike lanes and multiple car lanes it feels like the odds are stacked especially high against those of us on foot.
Bartholomew and his ilk were doing to the Midwest and Pacific Coast cities what Robert Moses was doing in New York City around the same time- changing the layout of cities to benefit a privileged few at the expense of many underprivileged others.