Hostile vehicles and crowded places

Since the recent terrorist attacks where vehicles have been used to attack crowds many cities have been installing temporary concrete bollards around locations vulnerable to terrorist attack using a vehicle. Unfortunately these are generally rather ugly and in many cases they significantly impact on the pedestrian capacity through the area.

Sometimes the temporary barriers have been installed despite existing bollards being in place. This is probably because the existing bollards are not strong enough to stop a determined driver in a heavy hostile vehicle.

In mid-September I was in Melbourne for the AITPM conference and noticed this example in the Bourke Street Mall. The temporary bollards are completely ineffective since a vehicle can quite easily access the mall using the tram tracks.

The Australian Government recently launched their Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism. As well as the strategy, the website includes some valuable tools that active transport and public space planners and engineers need to make themselves aware of when planning and designing crowded places. Crowded places could include outdoor dining areas, commercial hubs and CBDs, shopping centres, hotels, stadiums or special events. Relevant tools include:

• a self-assessment tool that provides an indication of the need for intervention to improve safety
• Hostile Vehicle Guidelines for Crowded Places

The Hostile Vehicle Guideline for Crowded Places has some valuable guidance for planners and engineers. Some of the things that stand out for me are:

• Early intervention during planning provides the greatest opportunity for success and the cost of including security interventions increases as the project progresses through design to completed infrastructure
• Security should be proportionate to the threat and appropriate for the space
• Sculptures, bicycle parking, fountains and stairs can be effective security measures that add to the amenity of a crowded place. This blog post provides a nice discussion on some design ideas for beautiful bollards.
• To be effective, the maximum clearance between barriers cannot be wider than 1.2m
• The angle of the vehicle entry to the space can significantly impact on the cost of barriers
• Speed bumps and the like are ineffective in deterring or slowing down a hostile vehicle.

The guideline was prepared by the Designing Out Crime Research Centre who have done some interesting work in the use of design innovation to resolve complex crime issues and social problems.

So, does this mean the death of the 'naked streets' concept? I don't believe so, it just makes it an inappropriate design solution in areas where there are crowds that gather.

BMW Guggenheim Lab

Rachel Smith was telling me about an exciting project she has the privaledge of being involved in - the BMW Guggenheim Lab. They have a web site, blog and twitter feed.  Here is what it is all about in her own words:

"Rachel was nominated by Enrique Penalosa the former Mayor of Bogota and international urbanist and selected by the advisory committee and curators of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in New York. 

The BMW Guggenheim Lab is a mobile laboratory travelling to 9 cities over 6 years led by international, interdisciplinary teams of emerging talents in urbanism, architecture, technology and sustainability. The Lab addresses issues of contemporary urban life through programs and public discourse. Its goal is the exploration of new ideas, experimentation, and ultimately the creation of forward-thinking solutions for city life. 

The Lab, designed by Tokyo-based architects Atelier Bow-Wow, is a combination think tank, public forum, and community centre. The theme for Cycle 1: Berlin, New York and Mumbai is ‘Confronting comfort’ aiming to make urban places more responsive to inhabitants needs. Cycle 1 will conclude with an exhibition presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2013. 

Rachel’s theme for Lab is ‘Dynamic Connections’ which explores many topics including urban transformation, e-mobility and car sharing, open source crowd sourced transport cartography, place making and collaborative consumption. In addition to developing 11 themes of urban public programming Rachel is working with her three lab team members on an ‘urban installation’ to be launched in Berlin on 23 May 2012. 

The BMW Guggenheim Lab Berlin Team comprises of

• José Gómez-Márquez, program director for the Innovations in International Health Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
• Professor Carlo Ratti, architect and engineer who practices in Italy and directs the SENSEable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
• Dr Corinne Rose a Berlin-based artist who works with photography and video and teaches at the Bern University of the Arts
• Rachel Smith, principal transport planner with AECOM, based in Brisbane, Australia

Pedestrian malls

I was tidying up me email archive and stumbled on this old article from 2009 on New York's plans (at that time) to close parts of Broadway to traffic. This was to implement the transport aspects of the plaNYC strategy to enhance the livability and sustainability of living in New York. I have posted on this topic several times but I thought this article was well worth resurrecting because it discussed the question of why many pedestrian malls in the USA failed in the 1970's and 80's giving them a bad name.

Well Times Square now has chairs and tables, yoga classes and impromptu forests in the middle of what used to be a road and it is definitely not in a state of decline - as can be seen on the Times Square web site. As well as the community benefits of this open space, there are other benefits - in April NYC launched a report on how air quality in the square has been massively improved by removing cars.
The annual report on NYC transport trends also shows several positive impacts of these and other initiatives, like huge safety improvements, reduced travel time for deliveries, increasing mode share for buses and massive increases in cycling.

But back to pedestrian malls. What makes pedestrian malls like Queen Street Mall (Australia's biggest grossing retail area) successful but meant the end of many high streets in America and England. I would say there are three keys:

Access - people need to be able to, and want to get there. The bus station at Queen Street is a big generator of pedestrian traffic through the mall, but there is also a lot of parking. It would be interesting to know the mode of access for retail customers in Queen Street mall.

Activity - retail cannot be the only draw-card. Unless people are employed or live and shop in the area there is not much attraction to go there to shop if it is not all that easy to access.

Attraction - this is as much about what is there as it is about what is elsewhere. The extent of retail offering and ease of access of the suburban shopping mall can be a killer for the CBD mall.

It is all a fine balancing act. Brisbane got it right in Queen Street. But can we create the same product at our Principle Activity Centres of Chermside, Indooroopilly and Mt Gravatt? These are built around shopping malls - a type of pedestrian mall. But can the vibrancy within the mall overflow into the surrounding area to create a PAC? And with so many cars accessing parking at the mall, how do you create a pleasant and safe environment for pedestrians around it?

City bikeway network supported

The Daily Telegraph reports that 84% of inner city and 75% of all Sydney residents support the development of a comprehensive cycleway network in the city - according to a survey of 500 residents of inner Sydney suburbs. Half of Sydney residents believe cycling can help ease congestion and 73% of those between 18 and 35 would consider riding a bike if there was a safe and convenient network of cycle routes.

The web site Sydney Cycleways, developed by the City of Sydney provides five reasons why cycleways are good for the city and gives some policy and strategy on these. The five reasons are:

• to ease congestion
• for improved health
• to create a liveable city
• to support the economy
• to improve safety
  

Swanston Street redevelopment

I posted previously about how the Melbourne public supports a car free Swanston Street. The plans remove car parking and give cyclists a 2 meter wide bike lane next to the trams in both directions. The redevelopment will be completed by 2013 costing $25.6 million according to an article in The Age. The Council's media release says that the redevelopment of Swanston Street will have:

• A 24-hour ban on all cars (excluding taxis and authorised vehicles) to be implemented during 2010
• Taxis to be banned from mid-2012
• Four new public spaces with disability-compliant tram stops
• Tram tracks lowered and the bluestone and granite paving extended to the platform edge
• Two metre wide bike lanes – road rules will apply, cyclists must give way to tram passengers
• Service and delivery vehicles at restricted times in limited sections of the street
• New and consistent lighting, additional trees, florals, artworks and public seating installed along the street
• Additional pavement-based activity including outdoor cafes and innovative retail encouraged
• It remain Melbourne’s premier civic parade street.

This is a big win for pedestrians and cyclists although the shared space for cyclists and tram passengers at the stops is likely to be a major conflict point and will need to be watched. Pedestrians are already used to keeping an eye out for cars but once they are removed from the street will they remember to look out for cyclists before crossing?

The proposal was to be presented to Council on 2 February but no news yet as to decisions. What is interesting about this is the Lord Mayor's admission that his original views on returning cars to Swanston Street were wrong. He calls it his 'road to Damascus' where he 'saw the light'. Part of his conversion could be thanks to meeting New York's Mayor Bloomberg and seeing how he has given some of the busiest intersections in New York to pedestrians and cyclists and in doing so reduced congestion. Paul Steely White commented that New York's example can convince other cities to look after pedestrians and cyclists. This proves him right.

From a visit in 2008 I would say that cyclists and pedestrians on St Kilda Road around Flinders Street Station would welcome a bit more space at the expense of cars. Bicycle Victoria confirms that this is one of the most popular routes and dangerous spots for cyclists in the city.

Cyclovia, Bogota Columbia

The city of Bogota in Columbia gives over some of the cities roads to cyclists every weekend. This film by Streetfilms gives a fantastic overview of the program. Wouldn't it be great to have a weekly event like this in an Australian city? Streetfilms have a fantastic number of videos on livable streets worldwide.

Public backs car-free Swanston Street

The Age reports that Melbourne has the opportunity to take the plunge and commit Swanston Street to pedestrians, bicycles and public transport. The general public has supported banning cars and trucks from Swanston Street, will the City's political and business leaders have the courage to implement the option preferred by the public?

You can look at the options here. Option 6 (shown below) was the preferred option.

Bicycle Victoria's web site had some comment on the options from the Road User Collaborative on the options put forward. They felt that although the preferred option (option 6) was the best of the seven options, it was far from ideal. Improved separation for cyclists and fully accessible tram stops were seen as essential. Enhanced urban design, streetscapes and improvement in the local businesses would be needed to make Swanston Street work as an integral part of the Central City Mall Precinct.

Times Square

A visit to New York is not complete without a visit to Times Square. Well, that would appear to be what every tourist to the Big Apple thinks. The crowds of people thronging to Times Square was quite amazing to behold, and this was Easter, well before the tourist season even started.
When I visited New York in 1994 I remember Times Square as a massive intersection with some advertising billboards and some rather dodgy looking characters. In 1994 Times Square was at the cusp of a redevelopment. The Times Square Alliance (a not for profit organisation started in 1992 to improve the neighbourhood) was starting the process of cleaning up the area. Stores were boarded up, tourists were few and far between, and traffic was king.
In 2009 it was very different. The redevelopment brought people and raised the tone of the area. The Times Square Alliance has succeeded in creating a very desirable product. They promote local business and economic development, coordinate major events and - most noticeably - provide a 24 hour presence of public safety officers.
Although these men and women ensure criminals are not active, crowd control is probably one of their most important jobs. In 2008 the south-west corner of 7th Ave and 44th Street saw 134,711 people between 8:30 am and midnight on a Wednesday. By 2008 the area was suffering from ped-lock, too many pedestrians competing for too little space. Something had to be done. This article summarises the problems they identified and solutions arrived at.
One of the solutions was the redevelopment of Duffy Square which I saw and was greatly impressed with. All those people need to go somewhere and Duffy Square was a large open area that needed to be used better. Chairs and tables in Duffy Square are great for soaking up the atmosphere (and waiting for your partner to buy Broadway tickets at the TKTS booth).
But what is really impressive is the bank of seating built on top of the TKTS booth. It gives a great view of the lights and creates a sense of place, it also keeps the crowds separated from the cars. This article gives a little bit of the history. The photo is not my own - there were too many people in the way when I was there.
There is not much room for all the pedestrians and some space has been taken from cars by using bollards. The area between the bollards and the kerb was a bit of a no-mans-land. Despite the crowds on the footpath very few people stepped off the kerb. I would be interested to see how it operates in peak season.
On Broadway south of 42nd Street the city has removed a parking lane and wide stopping lane and built a public space similar to the one at the Flatiron building.
The bicycle lane along the kerb looks great and looks far better than being next to traffic just north of 42nd Street.
But I have my doubts as to how usable the cycle lane is. Pedestrians tended to wander along oblivious to the fact that they were walking in a bicycle lane. A preferable solution may have been to put the cycle lane on the inside of the pot plants. Safe from the parked cars' doors but also less likely to run into pedestrians.
What is really incredible is that I saw Times Square just before it was closed to traffic in a major pilot project to improve pedestrian safety and traffic congestion. Broadway from 42nd to 47th streets and from 33rd to 35th streets will be transformed into pedestrian plazas until at least the end of 2009 in the pilot project. Local reaction to the project is mixed. It will be interesting seeing what the results of this brave experiment will be. I predict the people will win. What will be interesting will be to see how cyclists are impacted. This will significantly reduce traffic on broadway through mid-town, but how difficult will it be to navigate through the tourists in the pedestrianised areas? I will be keeping an eye on this one.

Flatiron District

New York has done fantastic work in giving streets back to the people. I visited the Flatiron District to see the pedestrian square that the city made by taking away road space from cars. These before and after shots (courtesy of the NYDOT web site) give an idea of what they did.
What was a complex skewed intersection with the longest crossing in New York, has been transformed into a piazza that just hums with activity on a sunny day.
I took these photos on a recent visit to New York City where I was really impressed by what they are doing to increase public space, greening neighbourhoods and putting pedestrian safety first (their strategy)
The large pot plants create a pleasant environment while protecting people from stray vehicles. The tables, chairs, bins and umbrellas are provided by the city - not an eatery - and they are very busy.
The massive rocks make very attractive traffic bollards and double as benches when all the seats are taken. They also help tourists get an elevated viewpoint of the Flatiron building which is one of New York's major architectural attractions. Previously you had to take your life in your hands to get a good shot of the building.
The cost of the conversion was minimised by leaving the kerbs where they were. The conversion could be done in no time at all by just using a surface treatment similar to that used for the bike lanes. Most people don't even realise that they are sitting in the middle of what used to be a busy road. It feels just like a park.
The conversion of the intersection was used to improve the provision for bicycles by separating them from traffic. The highly visible bicycle lanes are great but I wonder how effective this bicycle lane is when pedestrian traffic picks up. More on that on my next post on the Times Square area.
Passing through the square on a rainy day was interesting. Someone is responsible for securing the chairs and tables at night and on rainy days they stay chained together. I don't know who has the responsibility in this case, but it could be a partnership between the city and local businesses.
You can see more detail on some websites linked to my last post on New York.

New York

I recently visited New York on holiday. Before leaving I did some research on what the city is doing for pedestrians and cyclists and found some excellent resources. The New York City DOT website lists several projects in NYC to give space to pedestrians and cyclists and create livable streets. The Livable Streets initiative has some fantastic resources and their video - A Conversation with Janette Sadik-Kahn - gives fantastic examples of how the Department of Transport have been making the streets of NYC more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.

In the next few blogs I will look at some of the things I saw. For now, here is something I saw on a bus stop in New York.