Before City Gets to Work on Complete Streets Manual, the 'West Davis Community Walk'

Before City Gets to Work on Complete Streets Manual, the "West Davis Community Walk"

By Robert Wilonsky Tue., Nov. 29 2011 at 9:48 AM

The city's spent the last month or so piloting some Complete Streets projects all 'round town, among them the Grand Avenue Better Block-ing that transformed the four lanes and land in front of R.L. Griffin's Blues Palace near Fair Park the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Sustainable Development and Construction is this close to wrapping up its research, in the hopes of spending the rest of the winter writing the manual it expects to debut at an open house some time in the spring.

But before the deed's done, the city will return Saturday to the street where it all began, more or less: W. Davis, not far from the site of the very first Better Block event in the spring of 2010. The timing's certainly good: Thursday marks the kick-off of the 16th Annual Jingle Bells on Bishop, on top of which the city is adding what it's calling the West Davis Street Community Walk during which "the public is invited to walk a three-block stretch of West Davis Street with us and share design ideas that can help shape plans for future improvements on this and other parts of West Davis Street." From the city's note this morning:

The West Davis Street Community Walk will take place on Saturday, December 3 between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Group walks will be facilitated every 15 minutes along West Davis between N. Bishop and Cedar Hill, starting at the parking lot of Café Brazil. The walks will feature on-site demonstration/comment stations along the street designed to seek input on such issues as reverse angled parking, sidewalk widths, pedestrian amenities, crosswalks and bus stops.

To which Theresa O'Donnell, head of sustainable development, adds: "We need folks who know and visit the area to show us how to make West Davis Street work better." In other words: Jason Roberts.

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gabbahey

You want to make Bishop Arts and N. Oak Cliff more appealing to visitors?

You know those DPD cameras flown atop the street lights at certain intersections?

Bishop Arts could use one or more of them, as this place is ripe for robberies.

I'm surprised it hasn't happened more. As reported in the Dallas Crime Report a little over a month ago, an Uptown visitor to the area was shot in the ass when someone tried to mug him, (on the 400 block of Madison). When the victim decided to run and not fork over his wallet, he took one in the shorts from the robber, or so I've been led to believe.

A camera probably won't stop a robbery, but it could well deter it from happening in the first place.

AskTheMexican

I think tenants jumped on that and hired additional patrol until 11pm. Now I can walk with my Gucci underwear and De La Renta Dress accross N. Oak Cliff.

Oak Cliff Townie

Why do they have to hire additional patrol ? The city should assign officers because of the people who are there.....

AskTheMexican

.. and I just stuttered on that post, so I think its time for coffee. Yawn

AskTheMexican

I have no idea. I'm sure has something to do with the amount of staff vs. statistics DPD has on file. The world may never know.

Oak Cliff Townie

Sorry but the Bishop Arts is rapidly becoming a victim of its own success. It is to crowded for comfort and no flipping place to park . Even in a bike and walking wonderland there are still too many places for folks who don't wish others well to congregate and pick off the stragglers as the approached or leave the area.

We did take the bus down there last time. Enjoyable .How ever That many folks need to have an Active ON DUTY police presence not a store front that is closed in the evening.

Hey Folks lets go to Wynnewood where there is plenty of room to plan and develop ?

Anon

yea, but Wynnewood is just a really run down and crappy version of every other strip mall around. as long as I'm getting in my car and heading to the strip mall, I might as well go to one that's a lot nicer. that's why you already see the momentum heading to Jefferson instead. keep in mind that the high end places in Bishop Arts can't exist without patrons who live elsewhere in Dallas (North, mostly) and the park cities and suburbs. those people probably don't care to drive out of their way for something they can get closer to where they live.

AskTheMexican

"We need folks who know and visit the area to show us how to make West Davis Street work better." <-- For vehicles or walking? For vehicles, the streets are just too narrow for the amount of traffic there, and whoever decided to place a right of way right through Bishop, are crazy. Does not make sense to have vehicles squeeze in to turn into Bishop St. with a median lane being that short. Walking, well I would say with the amount of activity on the streets, maybe adding some pedestrian crosswalks with lights on the pavement. (See: http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/program... Would be interesting to see how these all turns out. Hopefully it turns into something beneficial for all traffic. See ya there.

Rangers100

The room for vehicles is just fine. Dallas already does way too much to accomodate cars.

Oakcliffooo

ATM nailed it on the head. BAD needs a lighted pedestrian crosswalk across Davis Street - similiar to the ones in downtown Grapevine. Bishop and Davis T-intersection is such an odd corner. A lit crossing would show where the safest corner to cross is.

Anon

The focus here is nice, but really they need to move further west down Davis with this walk. Try to navigate the blocks from Polk to Cedar Hill and get back to me. Cedar Hill to Bishop isn't perfect, but in the big picture of Oak Cliff streets (sidewalks, specifically), it's really not too bad.