lockmat Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 The Chron talks about it in a blog here: http://blogs.chron.com/centralhouston/2007...m.html#commentsA grassroots effort could change the look of one major thoroughfare in central Houston.The Montrose Boulevard Conservancy was formed in the summer of 2006 with the goal of creating a walkable corridor on the 2.7-mile stretch of Montrose Boulevard from Buffalo Bayou to Hermann Park.White Oak Studio Landscape Architecture is currently drawing plans for the street, which will include landscaping, wider sidewalks and more crosswalks.The project should take about three years to complete and will be paid for through Conservancy fund raising.What's the feel of this street anyway?I think it's great the public is taking initiative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sowanome Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 Overall The street is Nice, But it really has "character issues" between Fairview and westheimer, as noted by most conservatives. However, this is a very unique area and the landscaping improvements will only add to the value of the area. this area is fairly pedestrian friendly and is growing rapidly in the areas north of west gray. B/c of the memorial heights area, where montrose turns into studemont, and all of its activity this plan sounds awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 Too bad they can't replace the esplanades with trees that originally ran down the middle of Montrose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 What did it used to look like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 What did it used to look like?here is a stretch by the museums, at the Plaza (c. 1946):http://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/image_lg....iable=e_bb_1403 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 Wow looks pretty empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted September 13, 2007 Author Share Posted September 13, 2007 Jax, I just saw it's on google street view. I'm gonna go take a look at it now.What is that big building on the left at about at the 4868 block? Looks residential.I like the 4370 block on the east side too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 What is that big building on the left at about at the 4868 block? Looks residential.has to be Museum Tower - luxury apartmentshttp://www.themuseumtower.com/home.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted September 13, 2007 Author Share Posted September 13, 2007 has to be Museum Tower - luxury apartmentshttp://www.themuseumtower.com/home.htmlThat's it. Thanks.Looks like the first three floors or so are the parking garage.You know what the good part about havinng the first couple of floors of a residential being a parking garage? That means nobody has to just live on the second floor. The third and fourth floors bring a much better view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 The 4370 block has some nice sidewalk cafes/restaurants on one side, and a huge CVS on the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 The 4370 block has some nice sidewalk cafes/restaurants on one side, and a huge CVS on the other.those "sidewalk cafe's" include thai stix, zimm's martini lounge and across the street is nippon sushi. i've missed one or two, but i've listed my three favorite places to be in that area.making montrose walkable will be a boon to the area. i've wished for this for quite awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 I think Montrose is one of the more walkable streets in the city, but making it even more walkable is great. I'm sure people will want to walk from the new university line station to Westheimer in a few years.One of the things I don't like about the walk between Richmond and Westheimer is the abandoned gas station and abandoned cafe on the east side. I hope something happens with that soon!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 The 4370 block has some nice sidewalk cafes/restaurants on one side, and a huge CVS on the other.CVS. Shudder.I think Montrose is one of the more walkable streets in the city, but making it even more walkable is great. I'm sure people will want to walk from the new university line station to Westheimer in a few years.One of the things I don't like about the walk between Richmond and Westheimer is the abandoned gas station and abandoned cafe on the east side. I hope something happens with that soon!!The Riparian project for that site was abandoned. Are there any other plans afoot for it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgr Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 The conservancy has put its master plan on line. They mention wanting to do something special for the Montrose/Westheimer intersection. Check it out at http://montroseblvd.org/doc/080122_Montrose_Report.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmariar Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Overall The street is Nice, But it really has "character issues" between Fairview and westheimer, as noted by most conservatives.I was actually thinking that, if a group were going to undertake to increase the walkability/pedestrian-friendly aspects of the street, that the short Westheimer-Fairview stretch might be the most promising stretch with which to start. The esplanades are still in place there - including some trees. There are already a number of neighborhood-type restaurants right there (or very close by) - Aladdin, Ming's, Niko Niko, BB's, Hollywood Vietnamese, La Mexicana, Baba Yega - many (all?) of which already have outdoor seating. And then there is a cluster of bars/clubs just to the east, and a few others not too far to the west, meaning a lot of pedestrian activity close by even at night. Plus, you have the spillover of activity from Westheimer.True, in the area of the Montrose/Westheimer intersection there are sometimes people hanging around who might ask you for gas money or whatever - but it doesn't seem to be as big of an issue there as in certain parts of midtown and downtown. Some of that just comes with living in a big city. I've never personally felt particularly unsafe in the area at night because of the density of restaurants and clubs and general activity. If Montrose (the street) were a little more pedestrian-friendly there, I could see the restaurants tying together a few now separate areas of daytime and nighttime activity close by. The ideas in the conservancy plan - like the improved lighting, sidewalks, and pedestrian crosswalks - do seem like they would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgr Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 At the meeting Thursday night, it was mentioned that construction would start in 2009 (no dates given) and end in 2010. It was also mentioned that it would cost roughly half to do the entire street at once, rather than segment by segment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 The Chronicle had an article on this here Maybe I'm missing it with but I was hoping to see small pedestrian traffic islands with guard rails installed at the major intersections to knit together more closely the opposite sides of the street for pedestrians. I was able to find an example here There's a huge pyschological advantage to having these islands in the middle of a crosswalk. If an elderly or wheelchair bound-person, or anyone else who doesn't walk so fast - gets caught halfway over in a green light, they have somewhere to wait out the light in safety, rather than raise the blood pressure of drivers as they make their way across. It's even more of an issue with extra wide six lane streets like Kirby at Westheimer & West Alabama. It does narrow the lanes somewhat at the intersection but cars shouldn't be going so fast through the intersection that they couldn't negotiate them safely. Cars enjoy conveniences that make wide intersections even more fraught (witness the right turn on red) so at best this would even things up a little. I can undertstand the objections of businesses to pedestrian esplanades the entire length of the street, but if the whole idea of this is to promote Montrose as a walkable environment, this would be a step in the right direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Oxford Circus has an island similar to that. It's still pretty sketch crossing it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 The Chronicle had an article on this hereMaybe I'm missing it with but I was hoping to see small pedestrian traffic islands with guard rails installed at the major intersections to knit together more closely the opposite sides of the street for pedestrians. I was able to find an example here There's a huge pyschological advantage to having these islands in the middle of a crosswalk. If an elderly or wheelchair bound-person, or anyone else who doesn't walk so fast - gets caught halfway over in a green light, they have somewhere to wait out the light in safety, rather than raise the blood pressure of drivers as they make their way across. It's even more of an issue with extra wide six lane streets like Kirby at Westheimer & West Alabama. It does narrow the lanes somewhat at the intersection but cars shouldn't be going so fast through the intersection that they couldn't negotiate them safely. Cars enjoy conveniences that make wide intersections even more fraught (witness the right turn on red) so at best this would even things up a little. I can undertstand the objections of businesses to pedestrian esplanades the entire length of the street, but if the whole idea of this is to promote Montrose as a walkable environment, this would be a step in the right direction. Good point. Even if the little fences aren't practical, pedestrian islands make a lot of sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Oxford Circus has an island similar to that. It's still pretty sketch crossing it though.yeah they are fairly common in Britain in Ireland. I agree they certainly don't eliminate the hairiness of negotiating an intersection, but do mitigate it to some extent.Why are the railings not practical subdude? They don't expand the footprint of the island and afford an additional level of security for pedestians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 yeah they are fairly common in Britain in Ireland. I agree they certainly don't eliminate the hairiness of negotiating an intersection, but do mitigate it to some extent.Why are the railings not practical subdude? They don't expand the footprint of the island and afford an additional level of security for pedestians.Good point. I have seen the islands both with and without the fences. It seems like only the larger islands have the fences, but I don't know the reason why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Good point. I have seen the islands both with and without the fences. It seems like only the larger islands have the fences, but I don't know the reason why.the ones i've seen have the fences to force pedestrians to cross at certain points to avoid a long uninterrupted time in the street i.e. multiple short paths vs the straight line path to get from A to B. safety-wise it is easier for a pedestrian as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 the ones i've seen have the fences to force pedestrians to cross at certain points to avoid a long uninterrupted time in the street i.e. multiple short paths vs the straight line path to get from A to B. safety-wise it is easier for a pedestrian as wellThey exist along the light rail line as natural extensions of the station platforms. They work pretty well - the pedestrian only needs to look in one direction each time before pausing in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 I suppose the issue with fenced pedestrian islands is that they would take away space that could be used for traffic lanes. In Houston, for the most part, roads are designed around vehicles, not pedestrians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 They exist along the light rail line as natural extensions of the station platforms. They work pretty well - the pedestrian only needs to look in one direction each time before pausing in the middle.whether the fences are there or not, it's the design of the rail that results in the pedestrian only having to look one way when crossing each side of the street.the fences are there to discourage crossings at areas where there aren't crosswalks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 whether the fences are there or not, it's the design of the rail that results in the pedestrian only having to look one way when crossing each side of the street.the fences are there to discourage crossings at areas where there aren't crosswalks.I meant the islands specifically, not the railings. I agree also that they would take away space from traffic lanes, but major arteries will only widen in the next few years in Houston so it's an opportunity to incorporate some pedestrian friendliness into the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 I have stumbled across this while reading Intown Magazine and was surprised no one else brought it up. Some of your lurkers and people from this committee need to post for this very reason, you slackers.I thought it was very interesting reading, but I kinda' hoped they would go a bit more into detail as to what they want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 this is in another thread on haif....somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 this is in another thread on haif....somewhere.I was thinking that after I hit the "save" button. But IF there is a topic like this, it's probably buried so deep and in an awkward title it probably take awhile to find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 I have stumbled across this while reading Intown Magazine and was surprised no one else brought it up. Some of your lurkers and people from this committee need to post for this very reason, you slackers. I thought it was very interesting reading, but I kinda' hoped they would go a bit more into detail as to what they want. Calling us slackers!! Clearly you are the slacker here. The original topic is only halfway down the page. Is your scroll finger injured? http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...showtopic=12958 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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