I almost hit three people with my car last week.
Despite what my husband may say, that’s not a commentary on my driving skill. It’s a dangerous reality for anyone driving through the area of Campbell Avenue and Grand Street.
Part of my everyday commute, the two-block area surrounding Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market at 444 W. Grand St. can be like a real-life version “Mario Kart” – just substitute humans for banana peels.
That’s scary.
The problem is, like water, people walking with armloads of groceries take the path of least resistance. During the area’s recent flooding, that often means over the road. In the walker’s case, it means jaywalking across the middle of Grand.
Honestly, I don’t blame them because carrying groceries stinks. We’ve all played the “how many bags of groceries can I carry so I don’t have to make a second trip to the car” game. But when I’m swerving in 5 o’clock traffic to avoid the dude crossing the street with a full shopping cart, something has to change. That’s not good for either of us.
Open just over a year now, it hasn’t always been this way outside the grocery store. In the early days, people used the crosswalk. I suspect time and laziness are major factors in the somewhat recent change.
What can be done? I called city of Springfield traffic engineer Eric Claussen to chat. The short answer is it’s complicated.
“The situation is unique. There has to be a balance between cost and utilization that just isn’t there,” he says.
To his knowledge, there have been no other complaints besides mine.
In summary: Crosswalks cost money and there is little evidence of a problem or that people would actually use a new crosswalk.
The challenges are numerous. Classuen says an additional crosswalk must be at least 300 feet from the nearest signal. He measured it and the entrance to Wal-Mart is about 350 feet. Check that off the list, however, it’s still painfully close. There also are multiple driveways and utility conflicts on the north side of Grand to contend with.
Lastly, there’s the cost. A median signal island-style crosswalk – similar to the one on Sunset Street west of National Avenue – could run the city $80,000-$100,000, Claussen says.
“That’s a lot of money for a crosswalk when people don’t even use the one 50 feet away,” he says.
Touche Claussen.
Before we hang up, Claussen says he’ll look into setting out cameras to get a good count of just how many pedestrians run across Grand each day. This makes me feel a bit better, but it leaves me questioning how I’m the only person to ask this question.
Searching the Springfield Business Journal archives, much has been written about that Wal-Mart site in particular. There are 28 articles in our archives to be exact. Much of it surrounds the rezoning, lawsuit and subsequent referendum petition that sought to prevent the store’s construction in the first place. Much emphasis was put on traffic control – including adding a “suicide lane” down Grand and a concrete barrier on West Normal Street – but not a single mention was made about pedestrians.
They must have assumed people would use the crosswalk as intended. Springfield doesn’t have a good history with crosswalks – just ask Missouri State University.
Back in the late 1980s, a student was hit crossing National near campus leading to the familiar wall situation we all know today.
University Architect and Director of Planning, Design and Construction Doug Sampson wasn’t there when the wall went up, but he tells me it was a cost share between the school and the city.
Do I think the city and Wal-Mart should put a wall down the middle of Grand? It’s not a bad idea and could be the only way to make people use the crosswalk.
I don’t know what that would cost, but it has to be less than the cost of a human life.
Springfield Business Journal Features Editor Emily Letterman can be reached at eletterman@sbj.net.
