Information Related to Closure of Jackson Street between Atwood and St. Paul Avenues
Comments and questions welcome: JacksonStreet [a*t] ohioavenue.c o m
To provide feedback to and ask questions of city staff and other officials (best to send to all four):
- Traffic engineering: Mark Winter, mwinter@cityofmadison.com, 266-6543
- Planning unit: Rebecca Cnare, rcnare@cityofmadison.com, 263-3881
- Mayor's office: mayor@cityofmadison.com
- District 6 alder: Marsha Rummel, district6@cityofmadison.com
- Copy JacksonStreet [a*t] ohioavenue.c o m if you wish -- summaries will be posted here.
Alder Marsha Rummel’s July 12 post to SASYNA email list (https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SASYNA-Discussions/conversations/topics/18564) also says to contact David Dryer of traffic engineering, so here is his contact info: ddryer@cityofmadison.com, 267-8750
A facebook page, Jackson St. Plaza, takes comments. Here is a PDF made September 1, 2014, at 5:05 p.m.
What we know
- The closure ended around September 5, according to an August 27 post to the Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association email list by alder Marsha Rummel. Four comments (click Show message history to read all four).
- "Traffic Engineering may temporarily limit parking on Ohio St.," according to an August 21, 2014, email alder Rummel copied to jacksonstreet@ohioavenue.com.
- The closure originally was for 90 days, which meant it should end by Tuesday, October 14.
- Fire and police departments know the block is barricaded and will adjust emergency response accordingly.
- Permanent closure requires more action than this temporary measure, District 6 alder Rummel said at the May 29 informational meeting where she unveiled her plan. However, others have said that if people do not contact elected officials and city staff, the closure is more likely to become permanent and year-round.
Concerns neighbors have
Unattributed quotes below are from emails copied to jacksonstreet@ohioavenue.com. The individuals included their names in the emails but permission has not be secured to quote by name.
- "As a resident of Ohio Ave, I felt the flow of traffic, both automobile and bicycle, was dangerously disrupted, resulting in near collisions involving my grand-daughter. Please reconsider the Jackson Street project!!"
- Loss of easy and safe way for people traveling east by car or by bike to get to homes on Jackson, Ohio, Talmadge, Bashford, Corry, St. Paul
- Phalanx of people standing on Jackson Street creates barrier.
- Increased motor vehicle and bicycle traffic, and thus sense of hazard, at Ohio Avenue and bike path from all four directions
- Increased traffic on Dunning Street, La Follette Avenue, Bashford, St. Paul
- Closed street causes confusion and traffic congestion. Inconvenience is least of the problem. Danger is the greatest. If coming from downtown, to access our homes from Atwood we must go blocks further away to turn or take Ohio Avenue by the Ohio Tavern, which is a very narrow street with parking on both sides. It is already very busy and when two cars approach each other from the opposite direction there is not enough room for both cars to pass. Given the congestion at this juncture on Ohio with heavy car and foot traffic on Atwood and the bike path less than a block away it has always been a very congested and dangerous route to take. Most neighbors have used Jackson Street because it has been quieter and safer. Now we cannot use it at all.
- Need safe access to turn on Ohio.
- Increasing number of “dead end” streets further cut off this neighborhood from Atwood Avenue
- The apparent favoritism to a particular business, especially a seasonal business that opens late in the day and closes early, and prevents residents from driving on Jackson street
- Reasons for closing the block have not been shared outside of May 29 meeting, notes from which were posted at the Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association web site.
- Technically illegal for vendors to set up so close to the bike path, according to city ordinance Sec. 9.13(1)(b)3. (To access another way, go to https://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=50000, select Chapter 9 Licenses and Permits, and scroll down to section 9.13(1)(b)3. on the bottom of page 9-52c.)
- Lack of clarity and transparency about who is advocating for the closure/community building and where they/s/he live. (See below about this group.)
- Worrisome process
- Alder publiciized May 29 meeting to announce closure to wider public in a May 25 post to the Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association email list at https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SASYNA-Discussions/info . That timing did not give many people time to plan to attend the meeting: May 25 was the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Many others do not know about the neighborhood association list and so do not know about the meeting. Alder also announced meeting in May 22 blog.
- At the May 29 meeting, the concept of “placemaking” was introduced with little context until the end of the meeting when someone from the mayor’s office finally explained the concept.
- The meeting invited all comments, but the summary of comments at the end of the meeting downplayed concerns that had been expressed.
- No one has shared summary of reasons for closing street or concerns stated at May 29 meeting on Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association email list.
- Alder dismissed the block of Jackson Street between Atwood and St. Paul avenues as a "cut-through," but for many of the hundreds of people who live north of Atwood Avenue, it is the primary entry point to our neighborhood, to our homes.
- Jackson Street "placemaking" occurs only when the food carts are open. Without the carts, space in street goes unused; people sit on grass and patio behind ice cream shop.
- Increase in children playing in bike path
- More people tramping through gardens and picking raspberries and other produce that does not belong to them
- Loss of connection to neighbors on St. Paul and block of Ohio between St. Paul and Bashford because of having to reroute to Dunning Street. Intersection of Ohio Avenue and bike path has poor visibility and not visually appealing (compared to the formerly verdant stretch of grass on triangle at Jackson Street), so Dunning Street, with its traffic light, is safer point of access. Feeling safe is just as important as being safe.
- "'low-cost' aspect" and "lack of actual investment from the city. Would prefer "a lovely spot with grass instead of concrete, and flowers ... and sculpture."
- "Due to the closure, Ohio street has become the new throughway for my neighborhood. It’s a street I avoided before due to the Ohio Tavern traffic, double sided street parking, and bike path convergence. The only acceptable way for Ohio Street to become a safe and reasonably useable throughway would be to re-assess the parking usage on this street. My suggestion as a homeowner and neighbor would be to eliminate parking on the block between Atwood and the bike path entirely. The tight conditions (and proximity to bar traffic, both pedestrian and motorized) already make it a difficult street to drive and bike on."
- Dog feces in metal trash cans at Jackson Street and St. Paul Avenue smell.
- People park illegally on south side of St. Paul Avenue and in its cul-de-sac.
- Noise from car doors slamming and brakes screeching at 10 p.m.
- "People are constantly speeding down St Paul avenue, not realizing that it ends on my block, when they suddenly screech to a halt. If people are going to be barreling down the road looking for a way out or for parking, there should be better signage to indicate that this is a dead end. Right now there is one sign on the south side of St Paul that is often obscured by trees and is really easy to miss. Also, there are children living in the house on the St Paul/Jackson St corner, so there should also be a sign to indicate their presence."
- From Chris Verdico, Talmadge Street: "I don't like that they closed the street and I hope they don't spend time or money to do it. It has been frustrating to be backed up at Ohio St trying to make a left turn when cars are all trying to enter and exit the neighborhood just by that street. I feel that if people want to congregate in the street and green space around The Chocolate Shoppe it's a beautiful thing. If they want to have the food carts come, there is a cul-de-sac right at the end of St Paul that rarely is used."
- "I am greatly opposed to this closure and feel it is unsafe and unnecessary. How do I perceive this as unsafe?
- Blocking this section of Jackson Street routes traffic from busy Atwood St. onto Ohio St. Ohio is narrow, allows parking on both sides at the same time (that block of Jackson Street does not) and therefore makes it impossible for cars to move in both directions on Ohio when there are parked cars on both sides – this is a frequent occurrence especially during afternoon rush hour. I have had to, in the last month, back up twelve times near rush hour traffic on Atwood to allow cars moving South on Ohio to get past me and the parked cars. Cars have had to stop for me as well. This creates unnecessary and potentially dangerous back up.
- It is difficult to see bicycles coming in both directions on the bike trail when traveling north on Ohio due to the buildings on both sides of the street. This has caused a number of bicyclists and motorists to have to stop suddenly once seen. The bike trail is much more visible from Jackson Street (you can already see a good part of it while still on Atwood moving East) so motorists and bicyclists have a safe amount of time to react to oncoming traffic. The traffic is especially bad on Ohio because left turns off Atwood onto Dunning street, an alternative, are not allowed during afternoon rush hours.
- There is no stop sign on the bike trail at the Ohio crossing which would allow bicyclists and motorists more reaction time.
- This is a very busy section of the bike trail and I have witnessed a number of instances where children walking in the ‘placemaking’ area are not aware that bikers are coming through the trail. There have been close calls and collisions. The little orange cones near the trail don’t mean much to a toddler focusing on a delicious ice cream cone, or a parent who isn’t or can’t be attentive 100% of the time. I noticed adults not paying attention either, so it’s not just the kids!
- People traveling to the ice cream shop on bicycle stop right in the middle of the bike trail to dismount. I saw a man crash into a young boy who stopped with no warning because he was headed for the Chocolate Shoppe and was getting off his bike.
- This has increased traffic on Dunning, Bashford and Ohio streets – residents are not used to the increased traffic and there have been close calls (car-car and car-person).
"The danger of this blockage far outweighs any community gathering effort in my mind, especially when the Chocolate Shoppe has made a patio area behind its store…off the street…and there is a large open grass area right across the street! This worked well for many people prior to blocking the area off. People were much more attentive of traffic on Jackson St and the bike trail. It was a much safer place before this experiment was initiated.
"On another note, people who rent garden space from the Goodman Center have had to request (or put up themselves) signs to remind people to stay out of the gardens and not trample the gardens.
"In addition, I, along with other neighbors, did not know this was proposed or approved. One morning Jackson Street was open and that afternoon it was closed. There should have been more resident involvement and communication prior to initiation, similar to the effort someone recently took to put up a flyer on my door soliciting these comments. It would have been appropriate, and shown that the planners truly cared for community input, to have this grassroots effort of flyers on the door before deciding to move forward with this idea."
- The potential risk has been mentioned "of the 'place' becoming somewhere that individuals gather at night, possibly in a way that decreases safety in the area. With Jackson St. closed there is less traffic there to serve as “eyes” on behaviors. I don’t know whether this is a potential concern or reflects actual changes in how this corner is being used. Presumably law enforcement can be checking on this to determine how the area is, or is not, being used at night."
- "I am as concerned about process as I am about end result. The recent city flier is a perfect example of that. It's written as if the street has yet to close as if this closing is upcoming in July and here we [the Jackson Street Information Group] are distributing it in late August. This information should've been going out to neighbors before the street was ever closed."
- "At the beginning of the summer, when I heard that Jackson St. would be closed for a placemaking space I was open to trying the idea. I thought that it might be an interesting neighborhood experiment. This summer, my family and I have gone to the 'place' at the end of Jackson St. several times. We have gone once for food carts on Thursday nights, enjoyed the free bike repair (fix it) night, and had ice cream on a few occasions. Each time, we have run into neighbors and had a good time.
"While we have had the opportunity to enjoy this space, we have also noticed a sizable increase in the amount of traffic on Dunning and Bashford Streets. Oftentimes, people are driving too fast down our street. I have talked with several people who live on Ohio, Talmadge, and Jackson Streets who have changed their traffic patterns to include Dunning and Bashford. People are reluctant to turn down Ohio Street off of Atwood because the road is narrow and there is parking on both sides, therefore Dunning is the best street for neighborhood access. I worry that with a construction project slated for the corner of Dunning and Atwood, the traffic on our street will increase even more. This concerns me because our street is full of children. Children who cross by themselves, who occasionally run out into the road after a ball, and who bike in the street.
"I cannot support the permanent, or even temporary, closure of Jackson St. because of the increased traffic on our street. It is possible that this could be remedied by eliminating parking on Ohio St. or putting in traffic calming circles on Dunning. Our neighborhood is fortunate to have many green spaces already. Hawthorne Park is only a short walk away from Jackson St. and would be an excellent placemaking space. Another idea would be to add benches in the green space along the bike path between Jackson St. and Dunning."
Praise and observations neighbors have
Unattributed quotes below are from emails copied to jacksonstreet@ohioavenue.com. The individuals included their names in the emails but permission has not be secured to quote by name.
- "[W]e LOVE the new plaza. It has created a sense of connection and community in the neighborhood and has helped revitalize our interest in buying a home on the East Side. We went several times this summer and especially loved the food cart days."
- addition of ice cream shop to business community
- bench on curb is a place for person to sit in the morning
- a gathering place at the intersection "could be pretty cool"
- "Though I don’t personally use it, I’ve witnessed my neighborhood enjoying the space. Should a permanent or semi-permenant place making effort be considered, please plan to re-assess the traffic safety concerns regarding access to this neighborhood."
- "I live on Dunning St., just north of Atwood Ave. I want to express my support for the continued creation of a Placemaking Plaza at Jackson St. It has been a wonderful tool for building relationships between neighbors, and for widening the base of support for local groups (such as the Tool Library and Sustainable Atwood). I know that some of these groups weren't on the radar of residents until they discovered them at the Plaza. It has been a wonderfully positive experience, and I and my family definitely consider it (yet another!) asset of living in this neighborhood! We hope to see the Plaza continue into the future (a permanent plaza would be great!)!"
- "I live on Dunning Street north of St. Paul Avenue. I am in favor of a longer term project for the Jackson Street closure, This summer it blended well with the bike path, the community gardens, the Chocolate Shoppe to create the beginnings of the intended effect--a gathering place that is "lighter, quicker, cheaper," and, especially in the summer, is a nice resting spot between other activities on foot/bike/stroller/ skateboard, etc."
- Street closure addresses initial safety problem caused by ice cream shop customers standing in the street.
- "Initial concerns over lines at chocolate shop ice cream shop were alleviated as soon as that went to being open every day, long before the street was closed."
- The proposed redesign of Atwood Avenue "will assess traffic patterns and other issues, slated for sometime in the next 5 to 6 years. It seems to me any future plans should be folded into that process, so that the big picture can be evaluated--including new developments [including multistory building at Dunning Street and Atwood Avenue]--before making a decision that impacts all of us living between Atwood and Milwaukee Street in that part of the neighborhood."
- "I am writing to ask you to please make the closure of Jackson Street between Atwood and St. Paul Avenues permanent. With no nearby parks or public spaces for neighborhood residents to gather, I have really enjoyed using this space. It brings me down to Atwood by foot more frequently, and I spend more time visiting businesses (especially The Chocolate Shoppe!). I've met a number of neighbors there, and I see people enjoying the space on a regular basis. The Thursday night food carts seem very popular and family-friendly. Given that the space encourages physical activity, builds a sense of community, helps local businesses, and hasn't resulted in a significant increase in noise, I encourage you to make the closure permanent. Thank you to the group of neighborhood residents who put a flyer in my mailbox alerting me to inform you of my opinion."
- "As a homeowner living north of St. Paul, the closure has affected my car and bike commute daily. Though this has been an inconvenience, I can support the place-making effort with a few considerations.
- Due to the closure, Ohio street has become the new throughway for my neighborhood. It’s a street I avoided before due to the Ohio Tavern traffic, double sided street parking, and bike path convergence. The only acceptable way for Ohio Street to become a safe and reasonably useable throughway would be to re-assess the parking usage on this street. My suggestion as a homeowner and neighbor would be to eliminate parking on the block between Atwood and the bike path entirely. The tight conditions (and proximity to bar traffic, both pedestrian and motorized) already make it a difficult street to drive and bike on.
- I’m curious if Jackson street could still accommodate bike access to the neighborhood. Currently the bike path cuts through the place-making effort on it’s way east. If there was a bike lane through the place-making space going north (applied to Jackson street just on that one block) bikes could continue to access the neighborhood through that street.
Though I don’t personally use it, I’ve witnessed my neighborhood enjoying the space. Should a permanent or semi-permenant place making effort be considered, please plan to re-assess the traffic safety concerns regarding access to this neighborhood."
- I "support the closure of Jackson Street at the bike path and hope that it can be made permanent. That short stretch of street has been a community gathering place this summer, and the road closure made the space safer and more comfortable. Also, as a bicyclist, the intersection with the bike path and Jackson has always been somewhat hazardous. Because the the bike path is at the bottom of a valley, sight lines are short; many cars are turning onto Jackson from Atwood, and both bicyclists and car drivers do not have good views of oncoming traffic. Also, I have not noticed an increase in traffic on my block of Dunning (between Bashford and LaFollette)."
- "The closure of Jackson Street at Atwood for a place making exercise has had not undue effect on our family or our quality of life - we are residents of the 100 block of Jackson Street. After having the summer to observe and experience the Jackson St Plaza we found the concerns of a few neighbors at the May 29th meeting thankfully never materialized. To my knowledge increased drug, drunkenness, and sexual activity never took place. The change in traffic patterns seemingly helped reduce traffic on the 100 block of Jackson. It did not cause our family any hardship to access the neighborhood by car."
- From Karen Bassler, Dixon Street: "I enjoyed having the food carts clustered in a visible and accessible location at Jackson, but every time I was there I saw small children running across the bike path, full-grown adults standing in the middle of the path, oblivious to the bikes and pedestrians. Would either of those things happen if the path were a street with gas-powered vehicles? Bikes and walkers certainly don't get the same respect as someone driving a one-ton car.
"Why not just make use of the existing greenspace between St. Paul and Atwood? Move the food carts to the circle at the end of St. Paul Ave. next summer. And leave Jackson open, but with street signs vividly warning traffic of the pedestrians in the area. There is enough room in the circle that it probably could be done without impeding access to the one driveway on the circle.
"Put in some benches under the trees, some landscaping to create a visual barrier between park space and bike path, and voila! Nice gathering space without closing Jackson or creating congestion on the bike path."
Questions and suggestions neighbors have
Unattributed quotes below are from emails copied to jacksonstreet@ohioavenue.com. The individuals included their names in the emails but permission has not be secured to quote by name.
- Can Jackson street could still accommodate bike access to the neighborhood if Jackson Street is closed to traffic between Atwood and St Paul avenues? The bike path cuts through the place-making effort on its way east. If there was a bike lane through the place-making space going north (applied to Jackson street just on that one block) bikes could continue to access the neighborhood through that street.
- Is parking cars in no-parking areas on south side of St. Paul Avenue and in its cul-de-sac legal if people sit in cars?
- "I haven't noticed an increase in traffic on Dunning Street but will be relying on the City Traffic Engineering, the placemaking group, and my alder to continue to monitor that. Are there any plans for speed bumps on Dunning? I think they are long overdue between Atwood and LaFollette Streets--lots of kids, lots of traffic."
- "We both are concerned about the safety of the bike path running through the plaza especially on the street. It's so easy to forget to watch out when you're in a festival atmosphere. We feel like somebody could get hit, especially a child. Is there a way to reroute the bike path or to end the plaza at the path?? We can't think of a great suggestion. Could you rope it off with crossing points? Or maybe put a stop sign for the bikers?"
- "One suggestion I would have for Jackson Street at Atwood is to create a no left turn on to Jackson St for east bound traffic from 4-6pm. Due to peak hour traffic pressures cars have to accelerate quickly from Atwood onto Jackson. This may help alleviate the potential bike/pedestrian accidents on Jackson St. Ohio Ave needs to be addressed as it is unsafe at the bike path crossing."
- "Be great to have the small grass area west of Jackson St given a little more effort by the City, or neighbors, to be a place for ice cream consumers to hang out. Maybe the food carts on the St Paul Ave cal-de-sac could happen in conjunction with Circle Park."
- The "idea of creating a place or area in the neighborhood to have increased activities over the summer is a grand idea. We should encourage and pursue place-making through the neighborhood association. In my opinion Jackson Street was not the best possible choice of location. The shape of the street is essentially a V with a busy bike path dissecting the space. The street shape, bike path location, and City not allowing temporary seating on the street did not help allow the plaza to transform into a place."
- What about having the food carts cluster in the circle at the end of St. Paul next summer? People heading for the grass with their meals would not have to cross the bike path at all, and it would shift traffic and activity away from the bike path in general.
- "My concerns about continuing the street closure are more focused on pedestrian safety. Last night, as my family tried to cross Atwood Avenue to Jackson, even when I stepped into the street, cars didn't stop for me to cross. In fact, many cars changed lanes to avoid me, even as I waved at cars.
I emailed Alder Rummel on February 17, 2014 and again on June 24, 2014, to see if we could get signs similar to those on Williamson Street - where there is a large sign above the street stating that people in the crosswalk have the right to cross - or have the walkways painted for zebra stripes. This is also needed at Atwood and Ohio. On February 18 David Dryer said that he would take a look. Has there been any movement on this?
Again, I express my appreciation for the street closure, and think even more critical is increasing the cross walk safety for pedestrians to enjoy the Jackson Street closure."
Goals of closure seem to be
- "to create a gathering space, especially on Food cart nights," according to an August 21, 2014, email alder Rummel copied to jacksonstreet@ohioavenue.com.
Who we are: The Jackson Street Information Group
The volunteers who wrote and distributed the flier with information about who to contact at the city to comment about the closure of Jackson Street live on Ohio Avenue, Dunning Street and Talmadage Street north of St. Paul Avenue. They have lived in the neighborhood for more than 10 years. As of August 22, 2014, they have distributed the flier to every household on Talmadge, Bashford and Jackson streets, and on Ohio, St. Paul and La Follette avenues, with plans to cover all or part of Corry Street as of August 30. The group continutes to contribute information to this web page, and encourages other neighbors to share their thoughts with us. We are:
Kathryn Ackley, Talmadge Street
Sandy Anton, Dunning Street
Karen Faster, Ohio Avenue -- her September 4, 2014, statement
Jenna Hansen, Talmadge Street
Jan Piper, Talmadge Street
Megan Schliesman, Ohio Avenue
Kim Wilson, Ohio Avenue
For the record
July 10 minutes from Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association meeting where closure was discussed. See item 6.g.
June 12 minutes from Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association meeting where closure was discussed. See item 5.b.
April 10 minutes from Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association meeting where closure was discussed. See item 8.
Edited "Jackson Street Placemaking FAQ's" {sic} Flier from city planning department in early August.
Here is a link to a facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/jacksonstplaza/
Here is a link alder Rummel posted to Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association email list on June 24 for people “to share and review ideas for Jackson St”: http://jackson.ideascale.com
Here is what alder Rummel posted on her city web page July 12:
http://www.cityofmadison.com/council/district6/blog/?Id=4857. (Note: Neighbors who attended the meeting in May have said it took place May 29, which is when alder Rummel’s May 25 post to the SASYNA email list said it would be: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SASYNA-Discussions/conversations/messages/18391)
Flier neighbors started distributing August 15 to make sure neighbors know who to contact about the street closure. Posted August 15, 2014.
Madison.com
Chocolate Shoppe, May 24, 2014
Chris Rickert: Too many places to go a nice problem to have on Madison's East Side, July 15, 2014
Updated September 15, 2014; first posted July 21, 2014