My Journey

On April 10th, I walked along the B-Line, starting at the intersection of N Rogers St and 10th St and making my way all the way down to the Kroger on S College Ave. The weather was perfect for a walk, and I felt fortunate to be able to enjoy the outdoors in such pleasant conditions.

As I set out on my journey, I was struck by the vibrant energy of Bloomington’s community. The B-Line was alive with activity, as locals and visitors alike went about their day, enjoying the various shops, cafes, and restaurants that lined the path. I took my time, soaking in the sights and sounds around me, stopping frequently to take pictures and appreciate the scenery. The walk took me around 20 minutes, though it felt much shorter due to the enjoyable nature of the experience.

Places that I Visited

Monroe Convention Center – I have visited the Monroe Convention Center on several occasions and have had wonderful experiences each time. One of the highlights for me has been attending an artistic market, where local vendors set up booths to showcase and sell their unique creations, including paintings, clothing, and decorations. Another time, I was able to enter the Convention Center for a blood donation event. The building itself is new and immaculate, and I was impressed by the cleanliness and modern amenities. The staff members I encountered were friendly, welcoming, and eager to assist with any questions or needs.

Le Petit Cafe – it is one of my favorite spots in Bloomington. Owned and operated by a charming elderly couple from France, the restaurant offers a truly authentic and unique dining experience. One feature that I particularly enjoy is the window that faces directly onto the B-Line. Here, customers can order coffee or food and bask in the delightful aroma of fresh brews and dishes. In addition, the vibrant paintings on the walls of the restaurant contribute to the lively and dynamic atmosphere, adding an extra layer of diversity to the B-Line.

The downtown section of the B-Line Trail serves as the artistic hub of the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District. A focal point of this area is the growing collection of murals and sculptures that can be found along the trail. One such example is Animal Island, a stunning collaborative sculpture created by clients and staff of Stone Belt Arc, a local nonprofit organization that provides education and support to individuals with disabilities. This incredible work of art can be found along the Trail between 5th and 6th Streets, adding to the area’s vibrant and diverse artistic offerings.

People that I met

During my walk along the B-Line trail, I observed several distinct groups of people. The first group consisted of individuals in exercise gear who were jogging and cycling. Presumably to get some outdoor exercise in while enjoying the beautiful weather. The second group were the socializers, who were out and about using the trail to visit shops, grab a bite to eat, or simply socialize with friends, family, or pets. The demographics of the trail users were quite diverse, ranging from children accompanied by their parents, to college students and older individuals. Despite their differences, however, all of these individuals appeared to be enjoying the lovely weather.

Transportation

As previously mentioned, there were both walkers and cyclists utilizing the B-Line trail during my visit. Overall, I found the transportation options to be quite enjoyable and relaxing, with little to no crowding or congestion to contend with. The traffic flow was smooth and unobtrusive, allowing me to fully appreciate the natural beauty and scenic surroundings of the trail.

Connection

B-line intersects with numerous sidewalks, many of which were linked to roads leading to a variety of destinations, including stores, residential areas, and other land areas. The trail provides highly accessible to those traveling by foot or bike. Therefore, due to the ease of mobility and the variety of nearby destinations, the overall experience is highly enjoyable.

Different land uses

I noticed a diverse array of buildings and land areas, including apartment complexes, small houses, townhomes, businesses, and industrial/construction zones. Many of the structures I observed were commercial buildings, such as the Bloomingtonfoods Market,  Hilton Garden Inn, and the WonderLab Science Museum. Larger chains like Kroger and Wendy’s were also visible from the trail, providing easy access to these stores and businesses without the need for a bus or car. This close proximity to a variety of destinations makes the B-Line trail a highly convenient and accessible mode of transportation for residents and visitors alike.

Smart city strategies

Using smart benches in the B-Line trail could be a great smart city strategy. Smart benches typically have features such as wireless charging for phones, environmental sensors, and Wi-Fi capabilities, which can provide convenient and useful services to trail users. They can also be equipped with solar panels for sustainable energy use. In addition, smart benches can provide valuable data for trail management and maintenance, such as the number of people using the trail, popular times for usage, and weather conditions. This information can help the city optimize the trail’s usage and maintenance.

Using smart trash cans in the B-Line trail could also be an effective smart city strategy. Smart trash cans are equipped with sensors that can detect when the can is full and alert city officials when it’s time for the trash to be collected. This can help reduce overflow and littering, making the trail cleaner and more pleasant for users.

Conclusion

Overall, my experience walking along the B-Line in Bloomington was enjoyable and fulfilling. The trail provided a convenient and accessible way to explore the city and its surrounding areas, with a diverse array of shops, restaurants, and other points of interest within easy reach. Additionally, the incorporation of smart city strategies such as smart benches and smart trash cans has the potential to enhance the trail even further, providing additional amenities and promoting sustainability.

Walking the B-Line

I walked the B-Line on the morning of Saturday, April 8th. I began my trail at Rey Ernest D Butler Park, which is located at the intersection of 9th and Fairview Street. I then ended my trail right at the entrance of Switchyard Park, which is located at the intersection of Morton Street and Grimes Lane. I was also accompanied by fellow classmate, Scott Wagner, on my walk along the B-Line. Below is the map of the B-Line, with the start and end points of my portion of the trail that I walked.

Overall Experience

This was my first ever time walking the B-Line, so I was excited when I was approaching the parking lot to get ready to start my walk. I have always heard of the B-Line and knew it was a walking path through Bloomington, I only ever saw it when I crossed 2nd street as there is an intersection for pedestrians to cross it. As I walked the trail on a sunny morning with slight winds, I did not assume that there was going to be a balance of going through both urban and natural areas during the trail, as I assumed most of it was going to be walking through more natural parts. I was pleasantly surprised with this, as while it was more natural towards the beginning of the walk, I got a full taste of walking through downtown Bloomington for the rest of my journey. Throughout the trail, most of my attention was focused on things that I was seeing in comparison to my surroundings that I could smell or hear. While walking past the farmer’s market, I noticed the smells occurring there and decided to peel off the B-Line to walk around the farmer’s market to see what they had to offer. I stopped often while strolling along the trail to look at interesting buildings, works of art, or other things, and while I was doing that I also made sure to soak in the weather and the environment to get as full of an experience as I could possibly get.

Stops Along the Way

Shortly after beginning the walk, I stopped to notice the hidden construction and the overgrown shrubbery in the area. It was quite honestly an unpleasant sight, as this was within the first few minutes of the walk and I was worried that this was going to be the appearance for the majority of the walk. After walking the rest it proved to me that the B-Line is quite an extensive trail, and there are going to be sections more developed than others.

Another stop further along in the trail was a much more lively one, where I walked past a row of houses all with bright colors and different architectural layouts. I am not sure how I would enjoy living in a house right next to a busy walking path, but these houses seemed to be more seclusive compared to the other sections of the trail that I encountered.

This was a great representation of not only the differences within the trail but within the city of Bloomington as well. There are clearly areas with higher and lower income in the city and this was put on display in the trail. In the higher income areas you have new houses where the environment is taken care of better, and in comparison you have more ran down areas of Bloomington.

People Along the B-Line

I knew going into my journey that around 10-11am on a Saturday morning, that there was not going to be too many students walking the B-Line, and I was proven correct. Most of the people who were on the trail were families and older couples going on a morning walk, or people who were middle aged going on a run. Most of the diversity I witnessed was when I stopped for the farmer’s market. While I was there I encountered people of a wide range of ethnicities either running their stand of local foods, or people wanting to buy their products.

This was by far the most lively part of my walk. I am assuming that part of it is due to the fact that Bloomington did not fully wake up yet, but the weather was very nice and it was at a time that I thought would not have been too early for people to be up on the trail, but I was expecting more people on the B-Line.

Transportation

I encountered many forms of transportation while walking the B-Line, which included bicycles, electric scooters, and even someone on roller blades. The trail is a great opportunity to travel to different parts of the city with alternative modes of transportation, as the large walking path makes it easier and safer for people to go from point A to point B. I did notice on my walk an electric scooter laying down in the grass next to the trail, and it reminded me of the city council meeting in Blog Post 2. They talked about scooters not being parked legally, and it was interesting to see a perfect example of this during my walk on the B-Line, as it shows that this issue is not present just around the IU campus and its surrounding areas, but in further parts of Bloomington too.

Connectivity

Overall I believe that the B-Line has great connectivity to the surrounding areas of Bloomington if you are traveling on foot or bike. There are many points that you can enter/exit on, some are by parks and there are others where a street runs through it so you could get off. While I was on the trail I got off at Kirkwood to go to the Irish Lion to have lunch halfway through the walk, and it was incredibly easy to walk from the trail to the restaurant and back. If you were using a car to get the B-Line that is going to be more difficult. I had to find a parking lot close to the trail where I could then shortly walk over to get on the path. It was not much of an inconvenience, but it is definitely easier to access the trail while on foot.

Different Land Uses

Along the B-Line there were many different types of buildings and lands that I noticed. The majority of the buildings seemed to be used for housing, such as houses, townhouses, and apartment complexes, while there was also many commercial buildings present. While it is understandable, the number of commercial buildings and construction areas present along the trail hinders the overall environment and feel of the B-Line. I found myself enjoying the nicer areas and the spots with more greenery as it gave more life to the city.

One thing I do appreciate was the use of graffiti I noticed while walking the B-Line. Some of the commercial buildings are not aesthetically pleasing, but seeing the artwork done through the use of graffiti does an excellent job at bringing life to a part of the trail that would not have it without it. I do wish I took more pictures of the graffiti as there were some great displays of art that I saw on the trail, but this was the only one that I documented. It may seem like a small difference to add graffiti, but in my opinion it makes the area much more vibrant.

Smart City Strategies

Green Infrastructure

Green infrastructure is a great way to create a better public space for the B-Line because it would be getting rid of some of the more unpleasant sights and eye sores that could be seen along the path. The bright colors from the greenery will attract the attention to that instead of things the city of Bloomington does not want you to see, and it could also be used as a way to completely block the view to look at the commercial buildings and construction sites.

Public Art

Public Art within a city is a great implementation to add more life and to promote creativity, and this would be great if there was more of it along the B-Line. While there is currently graffiti and some architectural works of art, there should be more visual things that people can look forward to seeing. I personally think a great idea would be to create a giant mural along the B-Line that shows the history of IU basketball. It incorporates the city, and it would mean a lot for the players and coaches to be permanently there in Bloomington long after they would have played or coached for the team. Art is a great thing that attracts people to go see it, so having more art would make the B-Line that much better.

Other Pictures Taken:

Mapping My Journey

I started the B-Line around 10th Street and ended at Switchyard Park. This walk took about 45 minutes and was approximately 2 miles long as I headed south on my journey accompanied by my friend Nathan Kolesar. Some of the highlights of this walk were walking through downtown as well as some of the commercial and residential areas that occupy just south of Kirkwood, which I will talk about later on.

I walked the trail on Saturday April 8th around 11:30am to around 12:25pm. The weather was around 60 degrees and sunny out with a slight breeze. The perfect weather for a nice day outside. I was wearing shorts, tennis shoes, and a quarter zip sweater as it was a bit chilly towards the beginning of the walk.

My Experience

At the start of the walk there was a lot of art and graffiti on different walls and fences surrounding closed off areas. Pictured on the right are the letters ACAB painted on a fence. There was also some other stuff painted on these fences.

As we walked I heard the sounds of birds and the conversations of the people we passed. This atmosphere made for a very serene and relaxing environment.

There were many more interesting art pieces and graffiti along the trail that added visual interest and an interactive aspect to the walk. Pictured below are some of the sculptures, paintings, and other pieces that were seen along the trail.

Places Visited

We were fortunate during our walk that the Bloomington Farmers Market was occurring at the same time. We arrived at the farmers market location just near city hall around noon. The market appeared as if it was getting ready to close for the day, but we walked around and got to observe some of the vendors and take in the sights and the smells of the market.

This was my first time visiting the Bloomington Farmers Market, and I’d been wanting to go for the past four years but just haven’t been able to get around to it. The enticing smell of fresh caramel corn and breakfast sandwiches almost convinced me to buy something, but I was saving my appetite and wallet for our lunch later on.

Some of the other memorable places that we passed were the Bloomington Community Bike Project which stands out to me as a place I volunteered with freshman year of college in Spring 2020. Hopscotch Coffee Roastery which had a fairly long line for their to-go window also tempted me with smells of fresh pastries and coffee which would’ve accompanied the afternoon walk well.

The overall atmosphere of all these places of interest reflects the culture and ideals of Bloomington which features a tight-knit community focused on small businesses and local products at the heart and epicenter of what makes Bloomington such a strong community.

People of the B-Line

There were a few main groups of people seen walking along the B-Line trail. First was the exercisers these were people seen either walking, running, biking, etc., on the trail in what appeared to be exercise gear that were most likely out enjoying the beautiful weather to get some outdoor exercise in. The other main group were the social people these were people who were out and about using the B-Line to shop, get food, or enjoy the social aspects of the trail and were often walking with friends, spouses, pets, etc.

The demographics of the people seen walking the trail was very diverse. The age ranged from kids out and about with parents to college students as well as older individuals enjoying the nice weather as well as a variety of genders and ethnic backgrounds, although most people were predominantly white-passing. One commonality among all people seen using the trail was that they appeared to be enjoying the beautiful weather and taking in the early spring atmosphere.

One group most notably absent from the B-Line and around the trail were people experiencing homelessness. This could be due to a number of reasons such as higher police patrol due to it being a very busy area or potential loitering laws associated with the various business, residences, and other buildings surrounding the trail.

Pictured below is an example of anti-homeless architecture that was seen on almost all benches along the trail. These benches have dividers in order to stop people from laying on or sleeping on them. These benches serve as a great reminder of Bloomington’s complex relationships with people experiencing homelessness and remind us of the reality that the smallest things such as anti-homeless benches can add to the dehumanization of an already stigmatized group in society.

Transportation

The main modes of transportation I saw on the trail were pedestrians, bicycles, and scooters on the side of the trail although I didn’t see anyone using a scooter on the trail.

The trail itself is wide enough that four people could fit comfortably across the entire trail and bikers and scooters can have enough space to pass pedestrians safely. One thing I noticed on the trail was the absence of speed limit signs for bikers, which is one aspect present along the Monon Trail in Carmel, IN and the Minnehaha Trail in Minneapolis, MN (the two trails I’ve traversed the most).

Overall the different modes of transportation add not only to the usefulness of the trail but also to the overall atmosphere. It creates a more enriching and dynamic environment having these different modes coexist on one path and gives people the flexibility to experiment with different modes of transportation as well.

Connectivity

In considering the connectivity of the B-Line trail I found that most of the trail intersected with sidewalks. These sidewalks were mostly connected to roads that led to various places such as stores, residential areas, or other land areas.

The B-Line trail had very accessible points especially by foot or bike/scooter. But not as necessarily car friendly. For the starting point of my walk I had to park at a nearby neighborhood park and walk on a sidewalk that connected to the trail.

Public transit is also easily accessible from the trail as it intersects many roads as well as passes by the bus station downtown so people can easily switch modes of transit if they wanted to.

Land Uses

Surrounding the B-Line trail there were many different types of buildings and areas of land I observed. There were many apartment complexes, small houses and townhomes as well as businesses and industrial/construction zones.

Most of the buildings I observed were commercial buildings. Places such as Irish Lion Restaurant and WonderLab Science Museum are just steps away from the trail, along with bigger chains like Kroger or Wendy’s that could also be seen from the trail. These places give people a way to get to those stores or businesses without having to use a bus or car and make it easily accessible.

There were also a good amount of residential areas mostly in the form of apartments or townhomes as most of the actual neighborhoods were slightly farther away from the trail and used a sidewalk to connect to the trail. These residences being right next to the trail add an extra amenities to the homes as it makes walking to shops, stores, or downtown right in your back yard and provides a place for leisurely activities.

The abandoned buildings and industrial zones along the trail did take away from the beauty of the walk a bit with dark and dilapidated buildings that give you a sense of uneasiness when walking by them. Most of these buildings were south around 2nd  Street, which is a shame that the trail could not encompass the magic of the downtown area throughout the entire span.

Then we got to the end of my walk on the trail where you’re greeted by a gorgeous recreational facility and greenspace in Switchyard park that features basketball courts, a skate park, greenspace, shelter areas, multi-purpose venues, etc. This space was one of the highlights for me on the trail as it creates this more active and uplifting vibe compared to the industrial areas along the park. I would’ve liked to see more green/recreation areas along the trail as it would make the trail experience even more engaging and beautiful.

Smart City Strategies

Smart Restrooms

One possible Smart City strategy that could be implemented are smart restrooms that deter non-customers from using businesses and provide means for hygienic waste practices. These could be placed along the trail at various points and would be very beneficial for people using the trail.

Green Infrastructure

Another possible strategy is implementing green infrastructure to block out eyesores. Put up rows of bushes or trees to make the experience more pleasurable during stretches of the trail that go through less appealing parts of town.

My Journey

A Unique Sensory Experience

As I set out on my walk along the Bloomington B-Line trail, I could not help but be swept away by the exciting energy that this 3.1

mile urban trail brought to its users. In the heart of Bloomington, Indiana, this trail brought a diverse variety of sights, sounds, smells, and textures that made the B-Line feel like a living entity (even though it is simply a well-placed slab of concrete). I luckily caught the B-Line just as Spring was starting that allowed me to experience all of these senses. I was surrounded by the sweet

 scent of newly blossoming spring flowers, the rustling of leaves in windy trees, the laughter of children playing in the nearby park, the distinct sounds of pickleball paddles volleying back and forth, the ringing of bicycle bells, and the low rumbles of rolling skateboards. Given the weather and the general atmosphere the trail provided, it was a real “reset” for me mentally. It was quite peaceful, and the experience was very relaxing. I did not realize how necessary a walk like this was for me but given the semester coming to a close and burnout at an all-time high, it was very helpful to my mental health and overall mood.

Landmarks Along the Way

There were several places that caught my attention along the portion of the trail I walked, such as the WonderLab Museum, a Kroger, a few different breweries/bars, and switchyard park with many different activity offerings. I stopped to enjoy switchyard park as there were many others there and it provided a place to sit. If it had not been the middle of the afternoon too, I would have popped in one of the bars/breweries I saw for a drink too. The trail’s connectivity to different parts of the city of Bloomington, like these, might be one of its greatest assets. Access points to neighborhoods, restaurants, shops, parks, and more are abundant and well-marked along the trail.

A Diverse Crowd of Users and Transportation Modes

As I was walking through the B-Line, I encountered a diverse set of people also enjoying the trail. I passed children, teens, adults that were experiencing the trail as leisurely pedestrians, runners, joggers, bikers, skaters, and rollerbladers. It really showed how

 the B-Line is a testament to the inclusive and community spirit of Bloomington. People from all walks of life were present and active on the trail.

As mentioned before, the B-Line trail was accommodating a variety of different modes of transportation. The ones I saw on my journey were primarily skaters, bikers, and e-bikers. The trail seemed to be built exactly for this purpose. The width of the path was much larger than a typical path. Multiple bikers could ride side-by-side very comfortably and pedestrians could walk next to each other in large groups. The size of the path created a dynamic transportation atmosphere. The trail overall promoted sustainable transportation with its emphasis on eco-friendly modes of transportations. Additionally, the trail is connected to other transportation modes too. It runs along and across to many public roads and has bus stops along the trail connecting it to Bloomington public transportation.

Land Uses

As I was observing the B-Line, I noticed a great mix of land uses. I saw connections to residential areas, connections to commercial areas, and even public green spaces (a community garden was present in switchyard park). The residential areas along the trail featured charming aesthetics with tree-lined streets and a mix of historic and modern homes. The surrounding residential areas offered a unique sense of welcoming in a bustling commercial area. It really helped contribute to the inclusive and community aspect of the city of Bloomington and its neighborhood. It’s connection to all types of spaces shows it truly is a diverse area of Bloomington. This blend of urban and natural environments also helped contribute to the trail’s unique character. The trail also surprisingly had a few art installations to look at. It even seemed to have a legal, public graffiti wall for anyone to contribute to as they please.

New Smart City Strategies

In terms of implementing new smart city strategies, there are many opportunities to continue to enhance the B-Line trail. The city did a great job at implementing smart city strategies already when building it, but there is always room for improvement. I feel that interactive kiosks could provide a unique addition to the trail. While the trail was pretty self-explanatory with what it had to offer, I feel that interactive kiosks could help engage its users even more. The kiosks could provide interactives maps with different offerings and activities along the trail. It also could provide an event calendar that updates with upcoming events that they are hosting. Given its connection to other trails and other transportation, it is very easy for someone to end up on the trail who did not mean to find themselves on it. The interactive map could help make them more engaged to explore the other parts of it.

I also feel that the B-Line also is extremely lacking in smart furniture, specifically smart benches. Innovating seating options could not only provide a comfortable place to rest and take in the trail, but also could offer amenities like USB charging and built-in free Wi-Fi hotspots. Incorporating smart benches like these along the trail could help users take a rest, stay connected to the internet, and stay charged up while enjoying the outdoor environment.

By implementing these smart city strategies, the Bloomington B-Line trail can continue to serve as a model of sustainable urban design. It can continue to provide an enjoyable, accessible, and environmentally friendly space for all to enjoy. The trail has obviously become an integral part of the Bloomington community and with enhancements like these, it has the opportunity to grow and evolve to meet the changing needs of the area.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Bloomington B-Line trail offers a unique sensory experience that highlights the best of what Bloomington has to offer. The B-Line is a shimmering example of urban planning and development done correctly. The trail serves as an essential part of the city’s fabric and a renowned destination for residents and visitors alike. With continued, thoughtful implementation of smart city strategies, the B-Line can continue to flourish as an energetic and sustainable urban oasis for the generations to come.

March 22nd Bloomington Traffic Commission Meeting

By Young Na

Location: City Hall Room 115 & Virtual Zoom Meeting

Attendance Size: 19

Main Attendees

1. Council Chambers
2. Benjamin Burns, Bloomington PD
3. Daniela Moloci, IU Student Government Director of Academic Affairs

Overall Point of the Meeting

1. Election of Chair and Vice Chair
2. Reevaluation of the 7-Line Project and reinstalling all-way stop signs on 7th street and Dunn

Handout: Packet (March 23 Packet, Date is mislabeled since the meeting took on March 22nd)

Meeting Overview

March 22nd’s Traffic Commission meeting began with reelecting the Chair and Vice Chair of the commission, followed by expressing the disappointment of Bloomington city engineering department’s approval of miss designing a park bike pathway next to powerline which now resulted in having several electricity poles in the middle of the path as the figure 1 shows.

Figure 1: Utility poles blocking the pathway

Then the traffic commission members began focusing on addressing the concern related to the rising crash rate on 7th street after the completion of the “7-line project,” in which Bloomington city installed a two-way protective bike lane on 7th street. As figure 2 shows, when the city engineering department designed the 7-line project, part of the project included removing all the all-way stop signs on 7th street, which turned all the south and northbound roads that intersect the 7th street into 2-way stop signs (Cars on 7th street do not stop, only cars crossing 7th street have a stop sign).

Figure 2: Removal of all-way stop signs on 7th street

The biggest reason behind converting all-way stop signs into two-way stop signs is so the cyclists on 7th street can maintain their momentum to ride through the intersection on 7th street, enhancing the overall rideability of bikes on 7th street. While 7 line project successfully raised the annual average bike traffic count on 7th street by 25 percent compared to before the project initiation, the project also negatively affected to rise in reported corridor total crashes due to the removal of all-way stop signs. Unfortunately, the vehicle accident rate was not the only number that was negatively affected by the removal of the all-way stop signs. The two-way stop signs also impacted pedestrians who tried to cross 7th street, making it more challenging to cross the road due to cars not stopping at each intersection. 

Currently, two significant factors impact the increase in reported corridor total crashes on 7th street. The removal of five all-way stop signs and drivers going over 25 miles per hour speed limit is believed to be the leading cause of the rising crash rate on 7th street. Therefore, one member of the traffic commission recommended lowering the speed limit from 25 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour. However, both the engineer of the city and the Bloomington police officer who is part of the traffic commission disagreed that reducing the seep limit is not the key to lowering the crash rate on the 7th. It is true that crashes occurring on 7th street are because of drivers failing to yield but lowering the speed limit would not force drivers to yield or slow down on the street.

Therefore, the traffic commission’s first motion was whether to reinstate five all-way stop signs back to 7th street. The result was two to four, and the first motion was denied. Then the comity moved on to the second motion, which was reinstalling the all-way stop sign only on the 7th and Dunn. The result was “Yes,” and the meeting was adjourned for the night. 

How Smart City Technology can Help us?

Smart Stop Sign

The “Smart Stop Sign” is a multi-pixel passive infrared sensor that detects an oncoming car and illuminates the stop sign, which gives better sign visibility to drivers approaching the intersection (Mohn, 2019). One of the biggest issues on 7th street with cars not yielding to cross traffic car is missing the “Cross traffic does not stop” sign. By installing a highly viable sign that illuminates whenever there is an oncoming car gives a higher chance for a driver to yield to cross traffic.

Speed Reduction Mechanisms

The best way to reduce accidents is to slow down. Speed Reduction Mechanisms such as installing Pinchpoint (Figure 3) or Chicane (Figure 4)  psychologically slow drivers down on the road (NACTO, n.d). Even the speed reduction mechanisms are not technically smart city technology, it impacts diver’s psychology, which is an efficient tool to slow drivers down on the street.

Figure 3: Pinchpoint (Retrieved from NACTO.org)

Figure 4: Chicane (Retrieved from NACTO.org)

My Thoughts

Ever since Bloomington installed a two-way protective bike lane and removed five all-way stop signs, I have been encountering many incidents that almost resulted in a car accident, mainly due to cars crossing the 7th street intersection thinking that it was an all-way stop. As I spent many years in Bloomington, I rarely use a map to drive around the city, and anyone who spent a few years in town would also know that 7th street has always been all-way stops. Therefore, I can imagine that for drivers who have lived long enough here, it is easy to pay less attention to the text underneath the stop sign, where it indicates “Cross traffic does not stop.” The current rise in accidents rate on 7th street shows how putting more text on the street is not a key solution to address the safety issue. I wish that the city engineers anticipated this common flaw when they first planned for the “7-Line Project.” From my perspective, the key takeaway of their decision to bring back the all-way stop signs on the 7th and Dunn is how spreading awareness of the new road condition and changes is essential. Unfortunately, after seeing Bloomington’s development for almost ten years, I have noticed more text-oriented street signs being used on Bloomington roads, which shows how streets are poorly developing. I believe that if the streets are designed and maintained thoughtfully, we would not need this much text on the street of Bloomington explaining all kinds of traffic laws and warnings.

So, how can Bloomington implement new technology to become a safer, more efficient city for all of us?

Figure 5: Proof of Zoom meeting attendance (Young Na on top row)

References

Mohn, T. (2019, April 11). Solar Powered ‘Smart Stop Sign’ Developed To Curb Rural Traffic Crashes. Forbes. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2019/03/30/solar-powered-smart-stop-sign-developed-to-curb-rural-traffic-crashes/?sh=13e0ec171dfc

National Association of City Transportation Officials. (n.d.). Urban Street Design Guide. National Association of City Transportation Officials. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/design-controls/design-speed/speed-reduction-mechanisms/

Distribution :

I attended the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Commission meeting on 03/20, and I am glad to join this meeting to learn many new things. It talks more about how to improve the greenways and traffic issues and gives more advice to protect the traffic condition for people and the city. Then, let more people know how important it is to care for and protect our traffic conditions in a city because it will affect our overall effectiveness in that area for a long time. And, these people also provided their suggestions to improve the city roads condition to make these roads great. But, there are some issues that they still need to consider because some suggestions are not very fit for their project, and they need more details to think about how to provide a great plan to fix this project and provide a comfortable environment for people driving in their living.

Meeting people:

There are some commission members, such as Zach, Rob Danceman, Mitch, and hing Duncan, etc. Also, have some residents and some other people to visit this meeting.

Meeting location:

This meeting location is City Hall-1-Cityhall Council Chambers. And, they are through Zoom to talk about their topic in this meeting.

Meeting record:

1.  This project is called 7-line to update this project condition to more deeply think about some issues in the future to prevent these problems from happening. They are considering increasing the public transit corridor use rate and making transportation high value to use these roads because they think it can give people more space to drive and not waste time waiting for other people to park their parking lots on the street. Then, they are trying to reduce the stop signs to let people stop because it could make traffic congestion, people need to spend lots of time waiting for the stop sign and it is not very highly effective to let people drive on the road. Also, they try to re-design the road shapes because some roads do not have good designs, which will make people not comfortable driving on the roads and some traffic congestion is the cause of this issue. This meeting tries to make roads have high-value effectively, and it also could increase other parts of a city, like this paper says, “Therefore, livability can be seen as an organizing principle for determining when and how to deploy integrated transportation and land use planning strategies. A practical handbook and a calculator for building livable transit corridors are introduced; both were designed to empower practitioners and members of the public to equitably achieve higher levels of livability at local and regional scales.” (Appleyard et al, 2017).
2. Also. another project talks about how the danger to the pedestrian crossing the roads and also it will be like a stop sign to affect the car driven. It makes people driven to spend time waiting for people to cross the streets, it is not good to help people fast driven through the street, and there are many factors will make the roads have block issue to stop people drive, like this paper say “most significant predictors which influenced the pedestrian’s waiting time and the frequency of attempts to cross the streets were gender, age, number of children in household, crossing frequency, number of people in the group attempting to cross, access to private vehicle, destination, home location in relation to pedestrian crossing, and pedestrian past involvement in traffic accidents. In addition to these predictors, maximum likelihood estimates revealed that the pedestrian expected waiting time seems to profoundly influence the number of attempts needed to successfully cross the street (divided or undivided). ” (Hamed, 2001). Therefore, providing a safe place to people cross is important, it will give both sides the benefit to safety of their time and life, “Furthermore, results relating to pedestrian crossings on divided streets indicate that the pedestrian’s expected waiting time when crossing from one side of the street to the central refuge island seem to increase the risk to end the waiting time when crossing from the refuge island to the other side of the street. Finally, results seem to suggest that pedestrians behave differently or have different waiting times as they cross from one side of the street to the refuge and from the refuge to the other side of the street.” (Hamed, 2001).

Solution:

I think according to their advice for the 7-line project, it is pretty helpful to solve this project’s issues. It really can help people solve their problems and also make the city roads have high value to use. However, I think they should consider time things, they could limit some cars, like trucks because they are big if we can limit their time, it could have some improvements on the condition of our roads. It also could improve a city’s overall condition, “. The findings of a multiyear study of the livability literature, theory, and practice are followed by an extensive quantitative and qualitative study of more than 350 transit corridors including thousands of stations throughout the United States. Although often dismissed as subjective, this research shows that livability can be understood in well-defined and measurable ways, which are validated through an innovative geospatial approach using detailed national data on travel, health, safety, and other quality-of-life outcomes. The findings in this paper show how more integrated and livable transit corridors can yield multiple benefits regarding travel, health, welfare, and sustainability. The findings show how livability goals and their measures can inform planning decisions to promote equitable access to opportunities locally and regionally and yield multiple benefits. ” (Appleyard et al, 2017).

I think to re-design the pedestrian crossing the street is the correct plan because they need to consider how to solve this issue to make pedestrian safety and also to increase the driver driving on their street to safety. Reduce the pedestrian maybe is the best choose or building a small budge to give the pedestrian to cross the street to protect their safety and let drivers fast through the street not consider these pedestrians things, “Lack of adherence to traffic regulations at pedestrian crossings particularly by drivers create a paradigm in which pedestrians may become bold and force approaching vehicles in the traffic stream to brake in order to gain priority at the pedestrian crossing. On the other hand, pedestrian crossings with heavy pedestrian flow is likely to cause unacceptable vehicular delay (increased driver’s frustration).” (Hamed, 2001).

Reference

Appleyard, B., Ferrell, C. E., & Taecker, M. (2017). Transit corridor livability: Realizing the potential of transportation and land use integration. Transportation research record, 2671(1), 20-30.

Hamed, M. M. (2001). Analysis of pedestrians’ behavior at pedestrian crossings. Safety science, 38(1), 63-82.

The Traffic Commission Meeting (03/22)

I attended the traffic commission meeting that occurred on Wednesday, March 22nd. The point of the meeting was to discuss the strides that Bloomington has made on bicycle lanes in the city as well as other things that could be done to increase the safety of cyclists.

Most of the people that were observing the commission were on Zoom. However, due to security reasons, people that weren’t vital to the meeting could not turn on their webcams. I understand the policy, but it would have been nice to have a face that I could have associated with the various people that were talking during the meeting.

The environment was very interesting as they were able to mesh the virtual and physical participants that were observing the meeting. There wasn’t much conflict with trying to communicate with those that were in the courthouse, and vice versa with those joining the meeting on Zoom. Most of the council members were in the courthouse where they also hosted the zoom meeting. However, some of the other council members attended the meeting through their computers. It was very seamless to find the information to join the zoom meeting. Bloomington maintains a cohesive calendar with links that are appended to the appropriate meetings.

The Ups and Downs

Most of the meeting consisted of a council member talking about the results of the bicycle lanes that are a part of the “7-Line”, a stretch of protected two-way bike lanes that connect multiple areas of the Bloomington community. It was very interesting to learn how the trail has increased bicycle traffic throughout the area. With the bike lanes on the 7-Line being physically divided from other road traffic, it has been proven that people are more comfortable using them for transport.

With that being said, they also did note that there has been an increase in crashes after the project. Following this revelation, the members discussed the reasons why there might have been an increase in accidents. The biggest point of concern was about the two-way stops off of multiple intersections on the 7-Line. Much of the conversation was about drivers not knowing how to navigate the stop signs. They attributed this confusion to that most people are still used to the four-way stop that was there. This created some discourse about whether or not they wanted to reinstate the four-way stop that was there before the creation of the 7-Line.

Most of this information was portrayed through the usage of graphs on a PowerPoint presentation that the council member shared. A nice component of the meeting was that they also posted the agenda of the council notes, which also included concise notes of the PowerPoint that was being presented. It was very easy to discern what the main talking points were, and the different findings.

What the People Have to Say

Proponents of the four-way stop say that the stop is necessary for cyclists to be safer on the streets. Even though adding the stops would detract from the experiences of the bikers by having to stop, it would ensure that other drivers will come to a complete stop rather than driving quickly across the intersection. This is backed up by the research done by the city shows that the average amount of crashes would be reduced by this implementation.

Opponents of the four-way stop implementation say that cyclists and pedestrians shouldn’t be constrained due to drivers not knowing how to drive in a more conservative manner.

There was a decent amount of communication going back and forth on whether or not the reimplementation of stop signs would be good for the bicycle line. What I thought was really interesting was getting to hear the members of the public speak their own opinions on the ideas that the council put forth. I for one never really thought that I have much input in what goes into the inner workings of the cities I live in, but after attending this meeting, it really showed me that I can create a city that I would like to live in if I take an active role.

The Final Verdict

At the end of the meeting, the council members voted on whether or not they wanted to reinstall the 4-way stops. The first motion was to implement a 4-way stop at the intersection of Dunn and 7th, and it was voted as a yes. Before the meeting ended, however, one council member proposed a motion to reinstate 4-way stops at all current 2-way intersections on the 7th. Before they voted, they received public comment, and some people were adamantly opposed to this implementation. In response to this, the majority of the council members voted no to the proposition.

Personally, I think this was the right move as Dunn was shown that it would benefit the most from the 4-way stop. Of course, it is not very fair that cyclists have to put on the burden of drivers not driving very carefully, but if it ensures that they will be safer, I think the change will benefit them in the future. However, other intersections show that changes will be very marginal, therefore, I don’t think it is necessary to slow down cyclist traffic for the small returns.

Smart City Implementation

Instead, of implementing stop signs outright, I think there is plenty of room for technology to help with safety while also making the 7-Line a quick and efficient route for cyclists.

For example, I think it would be easy to implement sensors and connected signage to warn drivers if there are people crossing the streets. Since people will be more concerned with crossing car traffic, it would make sense to create a cohesive notification system that makes drivers acutely aware of any potential bicycle or foot traffic.

I think it would also be logical to add some type of road hump at either side of the intersection to promote people to slow down as they approach. In doing so, they will receive a greater reaction time if there are people crossing the road in front of them.

Handout from Meeting

Traffic_Commission-20230322-Packet

Image Citations

Abshier, Holden. (2021). [A rendering of the intersection of Walnut Street and 7th Street. The 7-Line is designed as an extension eastward expansion of the B-Line trail] [Photograph]. Indiana Public Media. https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/city-of-bloomington-begins-construction-on-two-way-protected-bike-lane.php

Gonzalez, Lucas. (2023). [Members of Bloomington City Council discuss the possible removal of Greg Alexander from the city traffic commission on Wednesday, March 1, 2023] [Photograph]. Indiana Public Media. https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/city-council-makes-no-decision-on-ouster-of-controversial-traffic-commissioner.php

(TreeTop Products). [Image of Superior Speed Hump] [Photograph]. TreeTop Products. https://www.treetopproducts.com/superior-speed-hump