It's worth going green on Snelling Avenue

Traffic-calming project would improve pedestrian safety.

Last update: January 19, 2008 - 4:26 PM

Studies show that when motorists see an expanse of concrete ahead, they often hit the gas. If the road looks like a freeway, drivers tend to treat it like one.

That's one reason a proposed ''green'' median on a St. Paul stretch of Snelling Avenue is a good idea. Breaking up four to six lanes of concrete with a strip of grass and trees would be more attractive and encourage drivers to slow down. A median would give walkers a place to stop if they cannot dash quickly enough across several lanes of traffic. "Calming'' traffic is a win-win because it improves safety for both drivers and pedestrians.

The 10-foot-wide median would be built on the six-block stretch of Snelling between Grand and St. Clair, along a border of the Macalester College campus. Two lanes of traffic on each side would remain, but most parking on those blocks would be eliminated, as would several left turns.

After Macalester officials raised safety concerns, the St. Paul Public Works Department tested traffic flow by simulating a median. The department asked neighbors and drivers about the change, and 161 of 204 approved. The Macalester-Groveland Community Council recently agreed to support city efforts to seek state funds for the project, though it also wants some design changes. And Transit for Livable Communities, a statewide nonprofit that encourages walking, biking and transit-friendly development, supports the Snelling median.

Depending on landscaping costs, the price tag for the project would be $600,000 to $750,000. City officials are asking the Minnesota Department of Transportation to fund a third to half of that amount. Because MnDOT has parts of Snelling on its resurfacing schedule in the next five years, the state should do the projects at the same time. The balance of the funding would come from the city and other sources.

With many multimillion- and billion-dollar transportation projects underway, this effort may seem like small potatoes. Yet, small changes like this can reap big benefits in neighborhood safety and livability.

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