Community Conversations

Crosswalks, Traffic Lights, and Pedestrian Rights

A Position Paper by Dr. Deland S. Anderson regarding Community Conversations held at the Pratt Museum on 18 September 2003.

Some twenty people came to the Pratt Museum to discuss the topic of walking in and around Homer. The group included public officials (State Representative Paul Seaton, City Council members Fenske, Ladd, and Stark, and Mayor Cushing via phone), concerned citizen activists, and folks of all ages and walks of life. Anderson, as facilitator, kicked things off with some reflections on walking in this area. It was noted that walking has long been a key activity in the community. Because of the relatively gentle topography of the north side of Kachemak Bay, residents of the Homer area have long enjoyed a freedom largely denied to those who live on the south side. If a person is of a mind to and keeps an eye on the tides, he or she can walk from The Fox River Flats at the head of the bay to Kenai on level ground, a distance of over 100 miles. Though one doesn’t often hear of folks walking the whole nine yards, shorter portions of this route have been the thoroughfares of past generations. Homesteaders used trails before there were roads—some still do. People commuted on foot from Anchor Point to Homer for the mail and supplies. In the other direction, they came to town from as far away as the head of the bay. Likewise, many early visitors and settlers were surprised upon arriving in Homer by boat to find that they had no less than a seven-mile walk to town along the Spit. Major trails allowed access to the backcountry via West Hill, Woodard Canyon, East Hill, and East End. Pioneers and their children alike frequented these byways. Today a surprising number of people still use these routes to get around. Others use them for recreation. The beaches serve as our city’s promenade. Backcountry trails are our playground. School groups walk each year from Homer to Anchor Point along the strand just because they can.

Anderson listed some of the area’s more obvious assets to walkers (and bikers). The sidewalk up Baycrest Hill leads from town three-and-a-half miles to the sweeping views of Overlook Park. Alternatively, one can fork off to the seven-mile long Homestead Trail on Diamond Ridge, creating a marathon-length roundtrip from town. The Spit Trail stretches several miles, and is one of the community’s favorite spots to relax and exercise. It also makes it much safer to commute by bike or foot out to jobs or fun on the Spit. A system of trails in the heart of Homer bisects the entire community. Beginning on the Calhoun Trail, connecting to the Poopdeck Trail, and ending with the Beluga Slough Trail, residents can walk from the neighborhood hills to the beach on quiet, isolated trails. The Fairview trail begins in the center of town, and follows an easy grade to the High School where one can branch off either toward the Spit via Lake Street or follow the sidewalk past Paul Banks Elementary on East End Road to connect to the Calvin Coyle Nature Trail and wind up at Beluga Lake. Once the state DOT builds the much-anticipated bike and pedestrian route out East End Road to Kachemak Drive, folks will have additional miles of safe, enjoyable pathways. Furthermore, this extensive trail system connects to more remote backcountry trails on the Homer Bench and beyond, opening a wide region to walkers. And because the State of Alaska recognizes the right to use historically established trails, the privilege to ramble cannot legally be blocked.

That, as they say, is the good news. Whether to get from here to there, or to stay in shape, or to achieve that most pleasurable sensation of having one’s thoughts and pace in synch while walking, we are extremely fortunate to have such good trails, pathways, sidewalks, and promenades. But there’s always a rub. And most of the conversation was devoted to listing the problems of walking in the town of Homer and suggesting means to solve those problems. Before passing on to that litany of complaints and list of proposals, consider for the moment two other major factors impacting the freedom of pedestrians. First, landowners often impede the movements of walkers. Sometimes this is done deliberately, when access is denied. Occasionally this is done illegally, as when a property owner denies residents the right to travel along established easements. Most often, however, this is a result of legal and legitimate development: a vacant lot that once had a footpath cutting through it becomes someone’s home site or business or a busy road. Measures are being taken by the city government (sponsored by Mayor Cushing) to require developers within the city limits to provide for pedestrian corridors, but they have not yet been established as ordinances. Naturally, some land developers are more favorable to this concept than others, and so some enforcement will be required to make it a reality. Pedestrians must know their rights and they must exercise them with reasonable intent and caution, or they will lose them. Second, there is the matter of the weather. Conditions vary greatly within the micro-climate of the Homer area, but generally speaking, walking from May through October is relatively unproblematic from the beach to the bench and beyond. But once freeze up comes, things change dramatically. Once the ice is on the ground, or wet snow, or rain atop ice and wet snow, walking takes a whole new commitment. Add to that the long hours of darkness and reduced visibility, and walking approaches an “extreme sport” in this area. Consequently, those who walk for peace of mind become fewer and fewer as winter advances. Also the numbers of people who walk for exercise fall of sharply. And this leaves only a few hard cores and of course those who must walk for transportation. Generally speaking the beaches are the easiest walking in the winters, as they only occasionally ice up or get buried in deep snow. Normally the backcountry presents no insurmountable problems, so long as there is adequate snow for snowshoes or skis. But getting to and from town and around town can be a nightmare. Often the only place to walk is in the roadway, sidewalks being iced over or buried under berms. So long as drivers are courteous and alert, the only problems that arise stem from exhaust fumes, noise, wind chill from passing rigs, and reduced visibility due to blaring headlights or security lights. But woe to the pedestrian who meets with a driver who enforces the rule of might over right, douching him or her with standing water in the roadway, forces them to take refuge in the slushy or icy berm, or harasses them by honking or revving the engine.

One participant in the conversation brought our attention to perhaps the most common problem of walking in any community: the psychology of drivers. He observed that generally drivers undergo a change when they turn that ignition key. They forget the rights of others, and proceed under the assumption that whatever they can get away with in their car or truck is acceptable. And, while an inherent fear of harm might restrain a driver from darting out in front of a log truck, it does not come into play with pedestrians (except perhaps when those pedestrians are moose.) Instead of exercising due caution with regard to pedestrians, many drivers stubbornly and recklessly assert the authority of gross vehicle weight over state statutes providing for pedestrian rights-of-way. This seems to be characteristic of American culture, where driving fast is considered a right rather than a crime, and where municipalities engineer in favor of cars rather than pedestrians. But, remarked one participant, that is not good enough. People have the right to walk, and it is the responsibility of government to insure that right. At this juncture individuals began to offer testimonials. Anecdotes recounting avoidable tragedies or near tragedies were thrown out. A belly-dump gravel truck with a pup trailer passed a school bus while children were loading! A car darted around another that had stopped for a kid to cross the street! A kid on a bike was hit by a trailer that passed too close! Etc. Said one participant, she had had enough, so she went down to a problem area for pedestrians, and painted her own damned crosswalk. That got the attention of the State DOT and the City Council!

The matter of responsibility became the most complex element of the conversation. Like pulling a loose thread on a sweater, the seemingly simple topic of crosswalks threatened to unravel the fabric of the community. Broad ranging issues came into play. Someone suggested that if crosswalks were installed on Pioneer Avenue in the main business district, commercial truck traffic would have to be re-routed (on the assumption that trucks under heavy loads would be unable to stop for pedestrians.) But someone else pointed out that those trucks would have to take the Sterling Highway Bypass that bisects town, which is already nearly impossible to cross with the current load of heavy truck traffic. Then another person suggested that truck traffic could be controlled by allowing it only during certain hours. But someone then wondered how we were going to do business and develop the community. And so it went. Numerous other matters also came up in connection to crosswalks. Who was responsible for them, the city or the state? Who would maintain them? What about when they are obscured by snow and ice? Wouldn’t it create a liability for the government body involved? Etc. Crosswalks weren’t the only problem by any means, one participant noted. There is a clear need for construction of more walkways—what kind of town has no sidewalks on Main Street? And what about plowing and sanding the ones we do have? How about lighting them? Etc. Then the group began to sort through the related issue of bicycle traffic—did it belong on the road, as the law states, or on the sidewalks where it is safer, especially for children. The coup de grace came when one person brought up the growing number of motorized wheel chairs operating on city streets—where did these people belong? Etc.

Sprinkled throughout the evening’s conversation were suggestions drawn from different models, whether they were towns in other parts of the country or different cultures entirely. Rotaries were proposed instead of right-angle intersections. Blinking lights might be used to slow traffic in areas of heavy pedestrian use. Pedestrian-activated stoplights could be installed. Islands might be built as safe zones for pedestrians who make it half way across a thoroughfare. The paramount need seems to be education: educate drivers, police, city officials, pedestrians of all ages -especially school age children- the state DOT, and local business owners. A considerable debate about right-of-way amongst members of the group underscored the fact that most people don’t even know the law (Representative Seaton subsequently sent a fax to the museum outlining the legislation pertaining to pedestrians, which in essence declares that pedestrians have the right of way, within the rules of common sense.) City and state officials must also know that the community wants this matter dealt with promptly and thoroughly (Councilman Ladd read a proposed ordinance to the group, and with its approval carried the matter forward to the full council for a first reading at the very next meeting.) Police must be encouraged to enforce the law with regard to drivers as well as pedestrians. The state needs to know that certain of its actions have adversely affected pedestrian traffic, especially as regards building roadways that enable automobile traffic to travel much faster while doing little to provide for pedestrian safety. Schools must teach students the laws and proper practices of walking (and biking) in mixed traffic. Finally, there is a need to raise the awareness of business owners, especially along the Sterling Highway Bypass and Lake Street, as to how their driveways and parking lots can create very dangerous zones for walkers. Perhaps the most direct means to getting the message across to the public was proposed by Councilman Fenske: put up a sign coming into Homer declaring the area a Pedestrian-Friendly Community.