Along Highland Blvd, near Vilet Street, construction crews are laying down the concrete foundation for a new bus boarding island. This is one of seven that this city is working on installing. Last year, the city completed these first-of-their-kind bus boarding islands along Walnut Street.
Rider Betty saus the design leaves her with concerns. “It’s hard to cross. When the buses stop, they’ve got to hold the traffic up,” she said.
But according to city officials, the design is meant to do just that — slow down traffic. When asking city engineer Kevin Muhs about the design and how this island improves roadway safety, we could hear tires screeching as a vehicle sped off onto Martin Luther King Jr Drive. That’s exactly what Muhs says the City is trying to prevent.
“It does slow down traffic a little bit; that’s part of our goal. We know that slower traffic is safer and in particular, this stretch of Highland sees a lot of speeding,” said Muhs.
Kristina Zalewski, a bus rider, said her concern is drivers not slowing down or stopping for pedestrians crossing the street. “The car will come just around the corner and won’t stop,” she says. “I’m only 53, and I started using a walker sometimes because drivers actually watch out better for me when I’m using the walker than when I’m walking by myself.”
Muhs said these new islands also have multiple purposes. They prevent buses from having to weave in and out of traffic when picking up riders and they create a protective barrier for cyclists.
Maya Porter, another bus rider, believes that no matter your mode of transportation, people shouldn’t have to be scared getting around town. “I think that’s great because I have friends and coworkers who bike to work, so I think having something safer for them is always encouraging,” said Maya.
With about 50 traffic calming measures planned for this year and more protected bike lanes being installed, expect to see more of these islands across the city. Plans for the design on Highland extend further east later this year or early next year.
