In June I posted that Pine Island and Goodhue County were going to install temporary (paint and planters) bumpouts on Main Street to slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety. They're in! See the pictures below. They just got the plants in the planters and need to remove the barrels, but they're almost done.
Abraham Algadi, the city administrator, tells me the bumpouts are functioning as expected. Like most traffic calming devices, those motorists who want to go fast don't care for them. Time will tell if the bumpouts become a permanent fixture of Main Street. That's the beauty of the paint/planter approach – it gives the city time to evaluate them.
Thanks to Steve and Abraham from the city for getting me the following pictures!
They look great. I’m a really big fan of inexpensive tests like this.
Is there an education component included with the installation? Maybe a poster nearby to explain what’s going on and why there are planters in the middle of the street?
There was a lot of discussion at city council meetings and I believe there was an article in the local newspaper. Good idea about the signs.
Discussion over at Strong Towns network seems to indicate they are now gone. City Council decided they needed to be removed since drivers were hitting them.
Do you by chance have a copy of the Goodhue County Traffic Operations Study from 2005 that resulted in this horribly wide street design in 2007?