A plan you say? Preposterous!

I'm incredibly syndical about the Baton Rouge "loop" project which emerged a few years ago. No American city builds loops anymore (bypasses, beltways, etc); and when they are discussed they get rejected by the community fast. Most are shot down because of NIMY’ism. Heck, one could say that Jane Jacobs was a NIMBY at the time.

But the difference between Jane Jacobs and NIMBY's are solution based. Just opposing something gets a city nowhere. Obviously Baton Rouge has a traffic problem. We lack citywide connectivity with little to no interstate alternatives through town. Solutions are needed (plural "solutions"). We need interstate improvements; we need surface street improvements; we need transit improvements. We need an overall plan.

(Caution: sarcasm ahead.)

Baton Rouge insist on paying more than less, and mostly because of an “us” vs. “them”. Transit users are either poor, can’t drive, or get some kind of high using “free services from the government”. Obviously these are the only reasons anyone would use transit. Thus "transportation planners" (um, engineers) argue for a one solution (a loop), instead of a comprehensive fix to the Baton Rouge traffic.

The funny thing is, transit is cheaper, fee based, and can transport more people. So I cringe when newspaper comment sections blow up when the transit system wants $18 million dollars, yet no one opposes an additional three mile lane on the interstate for the same amount (see the above articles). Because of course, one solution is the best. We continue to throw millions and millions of dollars at one solution without any results being produced. A city the size of Baton Rouge needs a plan with options. When I fly home I have several options (my parents live in the middle of nowhere, btw). I could take the commuter rail, Amtrak, MegaBus, or Greyhound… or my family could come pick me up and take interstates, toll roads, highways, etc. I’m not stuck. When I fly into New Orleans I have two options to get home. I park, or someone picks me up. Both options are not ideal. The sad thing is, New Orleans was once on a tier of Chicago or New York... and their infrastructure still reflects that tier to an extent.

So the Baton Rouge's transit system sucks. But our traffic infrastructure is almost worse. Heck, I-10 goes to one lane after exiting the Mississippi River Bridge. Then the interstate expands to three lanes, and finally five lanes in the suburbs. Since Baton Rouge already has a dysfunctional urban interstate, I don't even know why we are arguing a new bypass. We need to improve existing conditions. So when the state proposes an upgrade, we shouldn't just shoot down the idea. This is the time to fix and improve what's wrong. Millions of dollars will be thrown at an interstate project (because a highway will never be rejected by the 'fiscally responsible'), so take a bad situation and make it better for the surrounding communities. I find it funny when people say a wider interstate will “ruin” an area that initially gained its character because it’s under an interstate (Perkins Road underpass). 

Of course, other arguments need to be made. Many cities are tearing down urban highway. Baton Rouge's "plan" should have this scenario. Rerouting I-10 around Airline Highway might be feasible; or around Baton Rouge all together. Even if a complete reroute of I-10 wasn't feasible, upgrading Airline Highway and Florida Boulevard would be much smarter than building an entirely new loop. Airline Highway was "the loop". Why can't it still be the loop? I would assume the cost of upgrading the Airline Highway would be far less than a loop. (But I have to assume because not one study was done).

When someone wakes up one day and decides a loop will fix all the traffic problems, it doesn't make sense. I don't consider myself a genius, but I can come up with all sorts of scenarios that should be studied before dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into just one project. But I guess that's the "planner" coming out in me.

Megabus to launch express bus service in Atlanta | ajc.com

Megabus to launch express bus service in Atlanta | ajc.com:

'via Blog this'

MegaBus is expanding. Awesome. I haven't ridden MegaBus (even in Europe), but friends on the East Coast and Chicago love the option.

One has to assume that there is a nationwide build-out plan. So either New Orleans itself will become a hub... or (like all other transportation carriers) they will base their hub in Houston (or Dallas). Which is sad.

The lack of a central hub creates a struggle for the whole state. New Orleans lost all of its flight hubs; New Orleans Amtrak trains aren't priority; and Louisiana has built so many interstates just to bypass New Orleans, that we can't keep maintenance.

Now the private sector is choosing Texas and Georgia over New Orleans. Airlines have left; MegaBus has put us on hold; and the Greyhound Express service will seemingly hub in Texas and Atlanta as well.

Our nations infrastructure has natural hubs, and New Orleans is one of those hubs. But unfortunately we live in a bubble and our own state policy doesn't support this hub. We have an internal fight between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Baton Rouge tries to 'steal' this from New Orleans every chance it gets. We argue about relocating the New Orleans airport closer to Baton Rouge; we built Interstate 12 to completely bypass New Orleans; and we support regional rail through Baton Rouge (even though it involves several new basin crossings and has no realistic connection past Baton Rouge). All of these things makes infrastructure investment more expensive. Thus, nothing gets done.

I'm a Baton Rouge citizen. I support Baton Rouge. Which is exactly why I support New Orleans. Ever since 1718, water, air, and land transportation have centered in New Orleans. Trying to change that will only hurt Southern Louisiana. If we strengthen New Orleans as our regional city, we all benefit. Transportation hubs are one of the main factors this state needs to reevaluate.

Is LSU a commuter school?

I often accuse Baton Rouge of being a bad college town. My accusation comes down to  my consideration of LSU as a commuter campus, and people often scoff at this idea. My graduate thesis included the demographic study of college towns and their makeup. Specifically, I was looking at the commercial areas around the college campus, but commercial makeup is directly related to the demographics supporting the market. So much of my research pertained to the demographics of a campus area, as much as the commercial area itself. So I consider myself well read on the subject.

*Disclaimer 1: This analysis is purely a personal project and not professional... so I don't have access to any sort of design software. Keep that in mind with the sketches.
*Disclaimer 2: This analysis by no way undermines the integrity of the LSU Football team.

Quick analysis of the campus area showing the surrounding residential and commercial areas, with access to  the city. The school itself is secluded within the transportation network, and has limited connectivity to the rest of the city. (We all know this because we go to football games).

Let’s step back, because my judgment of the LSU campus is purely observational at this point. Here's why. The campus itself is landlocked, with the lakes to the east and the river to the west. That leaves the North and South Gates for housing and commercial development, which is where the typical college town falls apart. The North Gates are the older urban neighborhoods, and should be extremely dense. Surrounding student housing should support a thriving, bohemia commercial district. Campuses across the country (both the same size or smaller) support an amazing array of services from bookstores, coffee shops, bars, artistic establishments, etc.  While the North Gates does indeed have some of these , the number isn’t anything near what would be expected. My alma mater of half the size had a more thriving district. Obviously my first assumption is lack of density. There’s a small neighborhood to the east, and several apartment complexes (er, condos) adjacent as well. But these neighborhoods lack any sort of pedestrian appeal, especially the apartment complexes, which are mostly gated and lack sidewalk access. That’s not saying this area does not support the North Gates, because it obviously does. But the area isn’t conducive to a walkable urban area.

Looking quickly on how the campus area relates to the transportation system, along with the cluster of housing and commercial areas.

A closer look at the North Gate area shows the defined edges of the campus, along with  the relationship between the commercial areas and housing. (Note that I tried to stick with APA's LBCS, but used used orange as high density housing, with yellow as single family).

So it has to boil down to demographics. Below is a map of the city showing 2010 census districts with a median ages below 32. (Again, a rough analysis for my purpose of the 'study').

I first looked at the entire city as it related to median age. The red census tracks have median ages under 26; the blue census tracts have a median age between 26 and 30; and the orange census tracks have a median age between 30 and 32.

Breaking down the Census Tracks north of LSU, the median age only stays at 32 or below in Census Tracks 24 and Census Tracks 25; and looking even more deep, ages are only at 30 below Roosevelt Street. The most peculiar thing about the area, is how student population transitions so quickly. Student housing practically disappears a block or two from the campus gates.Of which, this population is only 2,657.

Census Tracts 24 and 25. The dark green area have median ages 30 and above.

At the South Gates, the border itself is buffered by surface parking lots. So already the campus and the South Gates are physically separated, providing an almost quarter mile walk from the nearest academic building to the gates themselves. However, once outside campus there is an abundance of student housing, yet the area feels suburban in nature: sidewalks are more or less present, but the environment is brutal and all commercial areas are strip shopping centers with ample parking. The area just doesn't 'feel' walkable, thus making it more car oriented.

Looking quickly how the area south of campus interacts with the transportation system, along with commercial centers. 

A closer look at the south gates shows the areas of campus, and how it  separates itself  from the commercial centers and residential area. Take note that I used orange for high density housing, similar to the North Gate.

The odd thing is, this area is heavily populated with median ages of less than 30 well south of LSU. Nicholas Drive seems to be the center point of this lower median age, extending down five miles to Gardere Lane. The student housing quickly transition east of Burbank, and southwest of Brightside Lane/Ben Hur Road. To coincide, this area is full of student oriented businesses. But everything is spread out, and has no uniformity.

A break down of the South Gate area. The dark green has a median age of 30 and above. Everything else is below. One interesting thing to note are university adjacent neighborhoods that are obviously not student housing. Instead these area's probably cater to faculty and employees. A common thing found around all university campuses.

The area itself if fairly dense. Although it's hard to work up the density per square mile with the current census, a map showing each block's density tells a good story. The area with residents of a thirty of less median age is fairly dense. Yet, this area is grid-less with a brutal mile walk to the edge of campus. So even with the great bus system, most students probably own cars (these stats aren't available for the 2010 census yet). In total 17,192 people live in the census blocks that have a median age of 30 or below. 

Looking at pure population numbers.

Then there is on-campus housing. These numbers are much easier to come by given the university tracks these statistics. So last year 5,741 students lived on campus. The two census tracts covering this area include the campus, along with a few neighborhoods. For the most part, the entire area has a median age below 30, with the exception of three blocks. This total (median age below 30) comes to 7,505.

This area is mostly on campus housing. So the median age is well below thirty. Take note the two areas that have higher numbers, which are off campus neighborhoods that are more employee housing. In addition, part of the North Gates are included in these Census Tracts. 

I know this is all extremely rough. But the total number of people living in census blocks with a median age of 30 or less is 41,889. Which is well over the 26,000 lSU enrollement. So it can be easily assumed that a good majority of students live near the North Gates, South Gates, or on campus. The issue with LSU are the students that live south of campus, the car oriented portion of campus. These students are either commuting by car or bus to campus. The number of (presumed) students living in the North Gate area is about one-third of LSU's enrollment. This is a hard number to sustain services needed for a dense, college-oriented neighborhood. However, it's completely possible. Not only is it possible, it's important for LSU to strive for a more urban, walkable campus. Colleges across the country are discovering that this generation of students will select a university for Quality of Life purposes; and students want a walkable campus with choices (not just a good football team). So here are my suggestions for LSU.

• Work with the city to upkeep neighborhoods around campus. It's rediculous that most neighborhoods don't even have sidewalks around a university.
• The University should not expand their campus footprint. They already have a sprawling campus, mainly because of all the surface parking. Instead, they should strive for a fifteen minute walk anywhere on campus. Much larger universities have accomplished this, so LSU should also.
• Build up the North Gates. This area is right across the street from most the academic buildings. It should be thriving. 
• Work the South Gates so it's livable. It will never be an 'urban mecca'. But there has to be some mitigation because the majority of students live in this area. At the least, make the area feel cohesive.
• Finally. The lakes! The most popular pedestrian and bike place in the city... yet the area is horrible at best. Four foot sidewalks? Barley noticeable crosswalks? Common. It's, well, just horrible.

North Gates. Already has a good amount of retail, and location right off campus. Most the area has good streetside appeal, pedestrian safety, and good access. 

North Gates. Streetscapes don't have to be "pretty" to be successful. The activity level and location of the North Gates make the area functional.

North Gates. Buuuuut, the appeal doesn't last very long. While some of the parking lots of started to develop, there's a lot of parking left. Sadly the North Gates reflect LSU's dedication to parking and not people.

Main Campus. The main campus does not lack in design. Bell Tower. Parade Grounds. The Quad. Everything to make it accessible, yet collegiate.

Main Campus. The older academic buildings surround the Parade Grounds, with the remaining in the Quad.

Main Campus. The trees are what makes the campus. Especially the lining along Highland Road.

The best thing about confusion

On my way back from lunch I had to cross one the many Airline Highway intersections in Ascension Parish. These intersecting roads are only two lane. Meaning people turning right cannot do so on red because they have to wait for people going straight. People going straight have to wait for left hand turners to yield oncoming traffic. Thus a standstill.

I hail from the German-Midwest. I like rules. I was taught that society functions very efficiently when rule following takes place. This is why I hate traffic in Louisiana. No one likes the rules; they don’t follow the rules; and the rules are rarely enforced. This leaves traffic efficiency extremely poor. Well actually non-existent. Merging sucks. Passing lanes sucks. Left turns sucks. Heck, why does Louisiana even have the interstate highways. Rule following is a necessity. High speeds require trust in the other driver. Signalization, consistency, and awareness become a matter of death. Not a matter of rule following.

Honestly, the best traffic situation is the French Quarter. Every intersection functions in its own messed up confusion. Is a car running the stop sign? Are there pedestrians entering the crosswalk? Who has the right of way? Why can’t they replace the street name signs? Has anyone ever considered bending the stop sign back since the hurricane? All the sudden this mass of confusion makes sense. It forces you to pay attention. While you may have the right of way, you can never be too sure that everyone knows. It may take longer to go a mile or two, but everyone feels safer.

So this is also why I love the intersections at Airline Highway in Ascension Parish. If everyone followed the rules, no one would get across. But with strategic maneuvers, we can all transverse the intersection in the short signal duration.

These systems go in the face of my German roots.

But even Europe has begun to recognize why this pattern works. England began removing wayfinding and signage in their central cities, thinking that more confusion for the driver requires attention. A simple concept that no driver wants to face. Yet as a relocatee to Louisiana, I think this concept would function extremely well.  So my idea? Remove all interstate highway, signage, signalization, road lines, etc. I bet our insurance rates drop overnight. (Which, by the way, are coincidently three times higher than my Germany-Midwestern Indiana rates). 

CATS protests LSU competitor | Home | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA

CATS protests LSU competitor | Home | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA:

I've been one to support CATS... but this doesn't make any sense. CATS went through the bidding process with LSU and lost. So they are now competing with Tiger Trails. Maybe I don't understand how the Federal Transit Administration regulates transit. But still. This lawsuit doesn't seem right. CATS doesn't have enough funding to get through the year. How would they have provided a free route from LSU to downtown? Even if they could have added a route at regular fare, why haven't they done so? I figured it was because of funding limitations. This lawsuit makes me think they aren't providing these links because of a lack or foresight.

I think CATS should learn from this experience and decide to run more evening routs around entertainment (aka. until 3am). Maybe one from Mid City to downtown? Maybe Mid City to Campus? North BR to downtown? Southern routes? If funding is a problem, why can't they approach businesses in these areas (like they did downtown) and see what they can work out? Many smaller cities in which I have lived run routes similar because bars will subsidize the service.

Just sayin'.

Streetsblog Capitol Hill » Report: Get Out of the Highway-Obsessed Eisenhower Era

Streetsblog Capitol Hill » Report: Get Out of the Highway-Obsessed Eisenhower Era

The Federal tax to spend ratio for highways has always been disproportional. So there needs to be a solutions, especially since discretionary funding is being cut. However, if the Federal government gets out of highway spending, politicians on both sides of the isle will cry foul. Federal funding has always been critical for our nation's highway infrastructure.

The solutions suggested in the report are fair. Yet will never fly in the political atmosphere. It's amazing how many people don't realize their gas tax comes no where near to paying for the road infrastructure (as noted in the report). The highways system is way more costly than most people realize.

The sad thing is even if the highway problem got solved, other forms of transportation aren't anywhere near to a solution. The populous wouldn't support any tax raise for highways, let alone transit.

And our infrastructure crumbles, traffic becomes worse, and we become more and more dependent on one form of transportation.