The general traffic flow around campus is good. Most roads that are close to where a lot of students would walk directly around campus are one lane, two way streets. Woodruff has a lot of areas to cross making it quite safe for students, but it maintains traffic flow by allowing many cars to go once the light turns green. Usually there is not a buildup of cars at all after the light is green, everyone gets their chance. The one thing that stops drivers are the campus buses as they dont have a separate pull in area on some streets, backing traffic up. Drivers seem to follow all traffic laws and are extra careful knowing the number of students around. If there was something to improve, it would definitely have to be adding some extra spaces for the buses to pull into their stops. That way, normal traffic flow can still be maintained, and students can safely use their campus transportation. While it wouldn’t be ideal for more construction in an area used as often as this, using the extra wide portion of sidewalk before the light and some of the grass area before that and turning it into more road for a bus to pull aside could be a nice addition to campus increasing traffic flow. It is not necessary as the area is already quite good, but something to keep in mind if improvements are ever to be made.

The sidewalks on Tuttle Park Pl. are in good condition, and are a good width to allow more than one person walking each way to fit. The larger width allows for increased pedestrian traffic and feels much more comfortable in comparison to the narrow sidewalks of the surrounding area, such as the sidewalks on Norwich Ave. pictured below.

In addition to being much wider, the sidewalks on Tuttle Park Pl. and Woodruff Ave. are in much better condition with few large gaps. The sidewalks on Norwich Ave. and many of the surrounding areas are in poor condition with many gaps, and large cracks that can be potentially dangerous. Continuing the walk from Norwich Ave. to High St. the sidewalk conditions improve, but could still use work. The sidewalks are chipped, cracked, and although the conditions are better than on Norwich Ave. they could be improved. The Ohio State University side of High St. has much wider sidewalks, and the sidewalks are in better condition than the non-OSU side of High St. continuing down Woodruff Ave. from High St. the sidewalks are wide to accommodate the high levels of pedestrian traffic and are kept in good condition.

The street safety on Tuttle Park Pl. is adequate with ramps for increased accessibility, and large crosswalks. The crosswalk timing is properly timed, due to the lower pedestrian traffic in this area of campus. On Norwich Ave. there are very few crosswalks and designated areas to cross the street. There are crosswalks at either end of the street at the corner of Lane Ave. and Norwich Ave. and at the corner of High St. and Norwich Ave. but these are the only crosswalks available to pedestrians. To improve safety, adding an additional crosswalk towards the middle of the street may improve safety, because it can be hard to see crossing pedestrians at night due to the lack of crosswalks. The Norwich Ave. crosswalks could also be improved by adding the white lines on the street that indicate a crosswalk, and by possibly adding a light that indicates that pedestrians are attempting to cross. 

Streets around campus are generally only one lane each way, but high street does extend that at some points to make traffic flow easier for when cars need to slow down to turn. This also makes it easier for pedestrians to know what cars are about to do and where they are trying to go. Then pedestrians can use the many different cross walk areas at the proper time. The street safety down High St. is generally good, with many places for pedestrians to cross although many of the crosswalks could be improved by adding a crosswalk light to indicate pedestrians are crossing. It would be a nice addition and keep students safe when they go out at night, even though there are already a lot of good crossing options overall.

In terms of accessibility for those with disabilities, there are quite a few ramps, and the on campus crossing areas are all leveled and ramped to the street so that anyone in a wheelchair or using crutches doesn’t have to struggle or overexert themselves to just to get around. Even the buildings for campus have ramp entrances meaning that anyone can access them. Admittedly, it would be hard to accommodate for everyone and everything for disabilities, but campus and the surrounding area do it pretty well. The best way to improve their current situation would just be to make the crossways safer for everyone as already described.

Brendan Barry, Hayden Murphy, Garrison Glover, Sean Deeter

Traffic Flow

-Near campus, namely on Woodruff Avenue, Neil Avenue and High Street are two-way roads. This makes sense as all of these roads are major thoroughfares that round out the northern edge of campus. Norwich Avenue is a one-way road, running from High Street to Neil Ave on the route. This also makes sense as it is a secondary road passing through the neighborhood north of campus, where traffic is not as dense. The speed limit on Woodruff Avenue is 20 miles per hour. This reduced speed makes sense considering the number of pedestrians on campus. The speed limit on Neil Avenue is 25 miles per hour. The speed limit on High Street is 25 miles per hour, despite being the largest street near campus. This does make sense however considering how busy much of High Street is. Drivers, however, do not typically seem to pay much attention to speed limits along any of these roads, especially along High Street. This may be due in part to the relative lack of speed limit signs along these roads. In fact, along Norwich Avenue, there are no speed limit signs from High until Neil.

Sidewalks

-Sidewalks on campus along Woodruff and Neil are very well maintained. They are wide and there are no gaps. In addition to this, there is very nice landscaping near sidewalks. This also applies to the sidewalks along High Street, although they are not as well maintained and are noticeably dirtier. As one goes further from campus into the neighborhoods, the sidewalks are in worse shape. I noticed many cracks in not only the sidewalks but also in crosswalks on the street. In addition to this, in multiple places along Norwich, there were large gaps in the sidewalk in which there was no sidewalk at all. In these areas, the city could improve sidewalk conditions greatly by repaving them or replacing them entirely.

Street Width

-Neil Avenue and Woodruff Avenue are two-lane roads, with one lane going in each direction. This is appropriate for a non-major road going through campus. It is not necessary to either of these roads due to Lane Avenue running East-West and High Street running North-South nearby which are larger thoroughfares and much busier roads. Expanding Neil and Woodruff road would make them less safe roads for the campus as it would likely cause people to drive on campus in a faster and less safe mode. Norwich Avenue is a one-lane, one-way road with ample room for parking on either side. As it is running through a neighborhood, this makes sense. Expanding this road would change the character of the neighborhood. Currently, it is quiet and quaint. Should the road be expanded it would again cause people to drive faster and more dangerously through the neighborhood. High Street is one of the roads near that could use expansion. It is very busy and often has traffic backups. It is, however, already an intimidating road to cross as a pedestrian and expanding the road would only enhance the danger that comes with crossing such a busy road, one on which very few drivers obey speed laws, no less.

Street Safety

-Woodruff, Neil, and Norwich are all very pedestrian safe and have many safe crosswalks. They all feature plenty of marked and lit crosswalks, speed limits are low and typically obeyed, and traffic is relatively light, all of which makes crossing safer. High Street can be more intimidating to cross, especially since some of the most convenient nearby crosswalks are unlit and have no signals, such as the crossing along High near Frambes. This is likely one of the most dangerous crossings near campus and could greatly benefit from the addition of lighting that could be activated upon wishing to cross the road.

Accessibility

-The city seems to have done well making sure that people with physical disabilities are able to get around easily. Every corner has curb ramps to cross the road, meaning that there are little to no accessibility issues. However, sidewalk conditions in the neighborhoods could possibly make getting around harder for those with disabilities. The area is very pedestrian-friendly and safe for individuals to get around.

Traffic flow:

~ Traffic flow patterns on campus streets tend to be simple two, and three lane roads with stoplights being the main form of intersection crossings. On Lane Ave. the street widens. This is because Lane is a major road marking the upper limits of central campus. It also contains commercial property, and access to sports arenas. Traffic speed is safe at 20-25 mph on campus. This gives cars enough time to stop if someone walks out on the street. Drivers do not always follow this, but most of the time they get stuck behind drivers following the speed limit. One thing that could be improved is the light by the west side of Knowlton. This could be improved by adding a traffic circle to ease congestion during peak times. It would also help with the ability for pedestrians to cross the street quickly. 

Sidewalks:

~ The sidewalks that are on campus are nice for the most part. There is very limited cracks or chunks missing. There are many pathways that make foot traffic more movable and easier to move from point A to point B in an efficient manor. Neil across lane reveals a very different set of side walks. The sidewalks are less tended to in the residential areas. The tress that have grown underneath the sidewalks create cracks, bumps, and uneven surfaces for pedestrians. The growth of shrubbery also creates a barrier for foot traffic. The sidewalks are not as tended to because they aren’t seen by everyone as much as the lane and high street sidewalks are seen. The money is instead used for the public space, which makes sense to a degree, but the residential areas should have accessible sidewalks throughout the neighborhoods and streets as well. 

Street width:

~Street widths around campus is adequate for the amount of traffic. At the intersection of Tuttle Park Pl and Woodruff all streets are one lane going each way with a buffer/turn lane in the center. There is plenty of room on campus streets for one to comfortably drive their car without fear of hitting another vehicle in the oncoming lane. The street width near north campus allows easy access for driving through while still being narrow enough to allow for pedestrian traffic to stay the prominent mode on campus The narrow streets make it easier for students to cross when walking to classes, and allows for closer buildings. The streets directly off of campus in the residential area are adequate as well. Parking on the street is possible in the residential area but on campus there is no parking unless it is in the designated lots and garages. 

Street safety:

~There are lined larger crosswalks on campus that feel safe for pedestrian use.  However, when you leave campus, the crosswalks seem less safe, and are not lined unless they are at major intersections. Once again, there are a lot of places on campus and High Street for pedestrians to cross. However, there aren’t really options for safe crossing in the neighborhoods. The signal time seems appropriately timed for the different areas. However, pedestrians spend a long time waiting to safely cross roads such as North High Street and West Lane Ave. This is due to the increased automobile traffic on both roads. We believe that more crosswalks can be implemented in the neighborhood areas, and painted crosswalks could be beneficial to the overall safety of the streets.  

Accessibility: 

~Accessibility in the campus area and the main streets is well included. There are ramps at every cross walk and they have audible chirping for the blind to tell them when to cross. The sidewalks are in good shape for easy access for wheel chairs. In the residential areas, the sidewalks become more torn up and narrower. Residential areas need to be disability accessible so tenants with disabilities can easily live and access their homes. As mentioned above, the trees also get in the way of the sidewalk, and since they are narrow, its hard to navigate around them which makes these streets less accessible for many with disabilities.  If the shrubbery was cut back and the sidewalks repaved a little wider, the neighborhood would become much more accessible to those who need it.  

The first location on the path that we stopped and observed was the intersection of W Lane Ave and Neil Ave. Both Lane and Neil are two-way roads, and have similar designs. Lane has two lanes on either side to help move the traffic that comes from High Street and off the freeway along at a steady rate. At the light the road opens up into three lanes with one left turn only lane on both sides of the intersection. A Neil heading towards campus there are two lanes one right lane only turn and a straight or left turn lane. In my opinion the design on Neil could be improved by having a designated left turn lane. This would help with congestion of cars wanting to turn east onto Lane and head to High Street. Overall the traffic flow at this intersection is good and only needs small improvements. An improvement I would make at this intersection would be to the sidewalks and the time they give you to cross the street. Since this crosswalk is the only cross walk on W Lane until you get to High St many students are forced to use it on a daily basis. A problem that occurs is that large groups of students cross the street blocking cars from making either turns onto Lane. A solution to this would be to give cars green lights and not give pedestrians the walk signs at the same time. Adding another crosswalk on W Lane could also fix this problem.

The second area we looked at was the intersection of High and Lane. High Street is by far the most traveled street in the university district. Traffic on High tends to move very slowly due to the amount of lights and pedestrian crosswalks. This can frustrate commuters who only need to travel a short distance but their travel time is doubled because of red lights and pedestrians. While observing the traffic move in and about the intersection we discovered several problems, one being the lane that cars take to turn onto Lane from High. This lane became backed up several times because the cars did not get the arrow symbol from the stop light meaning they were stuck there waiting for an opening in traffic and pedestrians. This makes crossing the street as a pedestrian feel very unsafe since turning cars are rushing to make their turns and sometimes do not look for pedestrians. An idea we had for High Street was to make a bus only lane so cars would not have to continuously switch lanes in order to avoid a stopped COTA. Like the intersection of Neil and Lane the time pedestrians have to cross the streets is very short and wait times are very long meaning pedestrians try to cross the street on their own which causes more unnecessary problems.

The last area we stopped and observed was Woodruff Ave. Woodruff is a two way one lane road running through the heart of north campus. The listed speed limit on Woodruff is 20 MPH which cars tend to follow due to the crosswalks. From the start of Woodruff to Knowlton we counted eight crosswalk some with stoplights and others which allow pedestrians to walk freely across the street at any time. The sidewalks on Woodruff were the safest crosswalks on the path, this was due to the speed of the vehicles and their awareness of the area they were driving through. One sidewalk that caused a large disruption to the traffic flow was the sidewalk next to the Mendoza dorm complex. This sidewalk is not operated by walk sign so many pedestrians walk straight across the road freely. When classes are getting let out groups of students will cross the street until a car slowly inched forward. This can cause a back up on Woodruff that may delay the campus buses. Another observation we made was the amount of bikes, scooter, skateboard, etc that use Woodruff. Woodruff would definitely benefit if it were to have a separate lane for these modes of transportation. The signal timing on the street is perfect for the amount of traffic and pedestrian flow that is seen in this area of campus. Overall Woodruff Ave is very well planned out.

Henry, Mac, Taylor, Sam

Traffic Flow: 

    For almost half of the walk, we were on Norwich, which is a one way street. This helps to direct traffic off of High Street, which is much busier. For the area, this street is relatively quiet. There is parking on both sides since it is a one way street, but it is only one lane of traffic. More than one lane of traffic is not needed here because the street is so quiet. There were not a lot of traffic signs in terms of speed limit markings along the route. Overall, we only counted 2. In Ohio, streets that are unmarked and within a municipality usually have a speed limit of 35 miles per hour. This seems to be a little high given that this is an area close to campus where a lot of students walk to and from class. The drivers we noticed appeared to be driving at a safe speed but again, there were few cars that passed us on this relatively quiet street. Having a lower speed limit or including more speed limit signs could be beneficial to this area. Not all drivers understand what speed they should be going or sometimes don’t notice how fast they are going if they don’t have a speed limit sign to base their speed off of. Other than that this road works well as a single lane, one way street. There is not enough traffic to recommend changing it to a two way street or even a two-lane one way street. 

Sidewalks:

Photo #1: Campus sidewalks            Photo #2: W Norwich

Photo #3: Gap                    Photo #4: Slope

Photo #5: Uneven                Photo #6: High Street

    Throughout our walk, the sidewalks drastically changed in both feel and condition. On campus, for instance, the sidewalks are very wide and many extend to the curb (photo 1). The sidewalks on campus are also well maintained with no evident cracks or gaps. These sidewalks make it feel like pedestrians are a main priority in the area, which makes sense given the volume of students at the university that use walking as their main form of transportation. As we turned on to W Norwich the sidewalks got narrower (approximately three feet across), barely fitting two people (photo 2). The sidewalks in the residential areas of our walk were also in poor condition. On Norwich the sidewalks have large cracks, gaps, and are uneven in places (photos 3, 4, and 5). The gaps and uneven sidewalks are hazardous for pedestrians, skateboarders, and bikes especially in dark and icy conditions. There are a variety of options for improving sidewalks on this portion of the walk. One option would be to remove the damaged blocks and repour the concrete, which would be fairly expensive. A cheaper alternative could be to fill in the cracks and shave down some of the concrete to make it more level and prevent potential pedestrian injury.

Street Width:

    Street width can be a determining factor in the overall feel of a neighborhood. With each aspect discussed, the width of the streets in question play a deciding role. Traffic flow can be over or under controlled, sidewalks can be allowed space to breathe and can require varying amounts of maintenance, and safety and accessibility for pedestrians can vary, all to some extent through the width of the street involved.                Beginning with our walk up Tuttle Park Place we were struck by the width of the street being much more than the traffic required. The road likely sees little pedestrian traffic crossing it because of its proximity to the edge of campus. Tuttle Park Place may see more foot traffic during sporting events, but the width of the road plays a small roll because of the expectation that the road will be closed for these events. Along our section of Neil Avenue the width of the road is serving the service needs of campus buildings and needs little to no adjustment. Moving into the neighborhood north of Campus, Norwich is (as previously stated) a one way which allows the street’s width to be focused on street parking for the mainly student population. Norwich seems wide enough for the traffic it handles (photo 2); the one way nature of the avenue creates the atmosphere of a residential neighborhood. Turning onto High Street the roadway widens dramatically (photo 6) because High Street serves as one of the two major thoroughfares for Columbus. Although High Street is frequently congested widening it would probably do more harm than good because of the university and businesses immediately flanking it. Overall the street widths on our walk served the purposes they were meant for.

Street Safety:

 The campus area had very reasonable street safety. There were ample opportunities to cross the street, although many people still jaywalked and created a potentially dangerous environment. The usual crossing time was 10-15 seconds, which is generally enough but could be tight for slower walkers or large groups. Around campus, the sidewalk was usually very well maintained and had only minor cracks that were not overly dangerous. The sidewalks were large enough to accommodate several people and allow people space to walk around any potential hazards. Off campus, the safety was much more varied. While many areas were fine, there were some obviously unsafe areas. The sidewalks felt much narrower, making it difficult to navigate and avoid collisions, as well as forcing people to walk on the street or through hazards. In some sections, especially at a parking lot near Lane, the sidewalk seemed to blend into the surrounding area. Large areas of the sidewalk would be cracked or uneven, creating a serious tripping hazard. On one section of Norwich, it appeared that several sidewalk tiles were missing and slanted, creating a serious hazard. While we felt that campus would quickly deal with any accumulated snow or ice, we did not feel the same about off campus areas. There was still some snow left over from the weekend, and it is easy to imagine the sidewalks getting icy and slick. There were also few opportunities to cross the street. While there was not much traffic when we went, this could pose a serious issue during more congested periods. Creating more visible crossing areas, clearing and maintaining the sidewalks, and trying to clearly label and expand pedestrian areas would greatly improve the safety of the off campus area. 

Accessibility: 

The campus area walk signs provides audible walk cues, a great asset to the vision impaired. Expanding this to the surrounding area would be a big step in increasing accessibility. Almost all curbs we encountered had ramps, although some seemed steep or poorly maintained. Some of the poor maintenance discussed in the safety section is especially dangerous for people with disabilities. The uneven sidewalks could be a major obstacle for people in wheelchairs, as well as the vision impaired who may not be able to detect the uneven ground. We also felt that many of the sidewalks were too narrow for wheelchairs or walkers, especially if people are walking in both directions. This makes it difficult for wheelchair users to navigate, and possibly  contributing to feelings that they are being a burden or holding people back by blocking the flow of traffic. This is less noticeable on the wide campus sidewalks, and expanding the off campus sidewalks as much as possible would be a major improvement. 

Norwich Ave

Traffic Flow: The traffic flows only one way on Norwich Avenue. It makes it really difficult to navigate. The construction constricts to road even more making it even more difficult to navigate. The design of the road fits the mold that the rest of the campus has created but still not ideal considering the amount of traffic this area sees. The speed on this road is not posted but probably mimics the rest of the area and is slow around 20 mph. The traffic moves slower than the speed limit however due to the tightness and construction restrictions. Once construction is complete road conditions will somewhat improve but due to the maturity of the area not much can be done to relieve the stress.

Sidewalks: The sidewalks are average for the area not too nice but not overly dated or broken. Where the construction is taking place the sidewalk is hard to access. Again conditions will be improved with the completion of the construction but could also just be repaired or replaced to be further improved however that is not entirely necessary. 

Street Width: The street is overly narrow. Parking on either side of the street and the construction further down Norwich make it even more narrow than designed. The conditions can not really be improved because the parking is necessary for residents and the only way to widen the road at all would be to get rid of parking. Widening of the street in any other nature would not be possible due to the maturity of the area. 

Street Safety: The streets feel pretty safegoing up and down them. However no crossing opportunities are truly obvious at all on the road making crossing at night or in weather conditions pretty dangerous in comparison.  Crosswalks could be added at many points or at least at street corners.

Accessibility: At street intersections the sidewalks have curb ramps as well as the detectable paving which is utilized by the visually impaired. 

Tuttle Park Place/ Neil Ave:

Traffic Flow: Traffic flows both ways on both of these streets. Traffic lights are also present making traffic movement pretty easy and flowing. The design for the area seems just and the lights really help with high volumes moving through the area. The speed limit in the area is 25 mph which keeps traffic from moving to slow or fast and its moves steady through the area. Not much could be improved in this area of the route because it does a good job of moving high volumes through a mature and congested area. 

Sidewalks: The sidewalks are very nice and wide allowing plenty of room for passing pedestrians. Not much is invading their purpose and not much is needed to improve them. They are good how they currently are. 

Street Width: The streets are plenty wide enough and not much of anything is invasive on the road like parking or construction. Traffic is all that bad for the area and the street being wider would not serve much purpose. 

Street Safety: Many crosswalks are present throughout this area mostly because of the campus area. They are located mid street and at street ends with pedestrian walk lights. The signal times are plenty long enough for entire crossing of the street and for the volume of pedestrians that embody this area. 

Accessibility: At street intersections the sidewalks have curb ramps as well as the detectable paving which is utilized by the visually impaired. 

West Woodruff Avenue:

Traffic Flow: Traffic on this road flows both ways. This design is necessary for this area because of the high volume traveling through campus to both high streets and outlying areas. The road speed limit is 20 mph which is comparable to the rest of the area and makes sense when looking at the surrounding purpose and high level of pedestrians in the area. The high level of traffic keeps traffic flowing pretty close to the speed limit if not slower.

Sidewalks: The sidewalks are pretty wide allowing for all the student volume and traffic walking to and from class. They are in very good condition and nothing really needs to be done to improve them. 

Street Width: Streets are plenty wide considering the speed limit and the surrounding buildings and purpose. Nothing much could be done about that anyways. Nothing would change with increasing the street width in the area. 

Street Safety: The streets feel very safe for pedestrian use, probably the safest on the whole path we navigated. There are plenty of opportunities along the road for crossing and the signals allow ample amount of time for crossing.    

Accessibility: At street intersections the sidewalks have curb ramps as well as the detectable paving which is utilized by the visually impaired. 

High Street: 

Traffic Flow: Traffic on this road also travels both ways. Traffic density on this road is also very high. The speed limit on the road 25 mph which with the traffic and construction does not often get reached. Constant starting and stopping and traffic changes and diversions are frequent. Traffic flow will be slightly improved once construction along the high street area is complete. However, the sheer number of people traveling through the area and around the area traffic will always be of concern. 

Sidewalks: The sidewalks on this road are a little more in need of attention than the rest of the areas. They are uneven in spots and are inaccessible in other spots due to construction. Again when construction is done the area will be much improved but the sidewalks could use renovations in spots. You can definitely tell the locations were construction has been done versus areas that have not. 

Street Width:  The street is narrow considering the traffic density however cannot be altered to the maturity and growth that has happened around high street.

Street Safety: Streets do feel mildly safe however sometimes crossing high street seems slightly hazardous especially at night when traffic is lower and vehicles may not be adhering to traffic regulations. More pedestrian crosses as well as signals specifying crosses would help the safety of the area very much.  

Accessibility: At street intersections the sidewalks have curb ramps as well as the detectable paving which is utilized by the visually impaired. 

The streets in between High St and Neil Ave are mostly one-way streets. One street in particular is West Norwich Avenue. This street is a one-way going towards Neil, away from High. It consists of lots of housing that doesn’t have driveways for parking, so street parking is required. Sometimes it’s a pain having to access this street from High St and not being able to go towards High St, but it would be even more difficult having two- way traffic on top of the street parking making it feel congested. Because of the housing and the street parking, there’s not much to do to the change the streets and make them better. There’s ample sidewalk access because of all of the housing, but it’s really only wide enough for two people, which isn’t ideal for wheelchairs. However, widening the sidewalks would either take away street width or lot size for housing. They’re a little broken up and run-down, so some re-paving of the street would be a good change. The only ramps onto the sidewalks are at the ends but putting them in the middle takes away from parking. There’s also not a lot that we can change about the street width for the same reason as the sidewalks. One thing we could do would be to allow access to some of the street parking, but then the people who live there wouldn’t have anywhere to park, so that would most likely just create more problems. There’s not usually a ton of traffic flow through this street making it fairly safe for someone to cross, it’s just smart for pedestrians and drivers to be aware of one another.

High Street is a different story though. There’s lots of traffic going through this street on a daily basis at almost any hour of the day. It’s a 4-lane, 2-way road, however, the two lanes on the end are usually occupied by street parking. There is one crosswalk outside of stoplight crosswalks, which is convenient for pedestrians, but not so much for drivers. There’s nothing to signal whether someone is crossing or not. This could be a good implementation. The sidewalks are in good condition and they’re wide enough for roughly four people, give or take. The streets on the other hand are kind of narrow, especially when small turn lanes (which I find very important and useful) are added in. There’s also some construction going on, which occasionally bleeds out into other lanes, causing even more congestion.

The transportation system on Tuttle Park Place was working very efficiently when our group walked the route on Friday afternoon. The street seems wide enough for daily traffic, with two lanes going in each direction and a turn lane at the stoplights. However, the street tends to get very congested on Saturdays, when thousands of people are in town for the football games. Tuttle Park Place is usually barricaded with security vehicles because the football players stay at the Blackwell hotel. I do not think any size street would be sufficient to hold the amount of traffic that game day brings. On Friday, the traffic seemed to be driving at a reasonable speed, unlike the cars on High Street. The flow of traffic could be slightly improved around the hotel, where visitors pull into a circular drive to access the front door. The drive successfully gets traffic off the road, but if many cars are lined up they could block the crosswalks. The hotel might be better off having a larger entrance in the back of the building, where visitors and their cars would be out of the main traffic of Tuttle Park.

The sidewalks in the area were well maintained and free of hazards. They do not get as much foot traffic as sidewalks further in campus, but the university still does a good job maintaining them. There were ramps at every crosswalk for wheelchairs. However, there were not many benches to sit on throughout the space in case someone needs to take a break or does not feel good. While the path may be meant for moving circulation, students and parents might enjoy having a nice place to sit down in warmer months. As a pedestrian, I felt very safe walking along Tuttle Park. In one section, a row of trees lines both sides of the sidewalk and a wide strip of grass separates pedestrians from vehicular traffic. Closer to Lane Avenue, there is even a building that hangs over the sidewalk and shields pedestrians from the elements. Overall, the stretch of Tuttle Park Place between Knowlton and Lane Avenue is well planned and effectively used.

One of the areas we chose to focus our observations on was the campus area along Woodruff Avenue. In terms of vehicular-traffic flow, it is an area that tends to get quite a bit of traffic. However, the only time traffic flows seem to present much of an issue are either early in the morning when people are arriving to campus, around lunch time when people are coming and going, and later on in the afternoon, usually around 5-6pm when there is an influx of people leaving campus all at once. Woodruff is a two -way street, so there is traffic flowing both ways, which helps to alleviate some of the build-up during times when traffic is heavy. However, from the intersection of Woodruff and Tuttle to the intersection of Woodruff and College Rd, the street does seem to be a bit narrow, with there only being one lane in either direction (excluding turning lanes), whereas when you go past the intersection of Woodruff at Tuttle and College Rd, the street turns into a wider width, two-lane road.

Because the portion of Woodruff we focused on lies directly on the academic campus, just as the area gets a lot of vehicular traffic, it also gets a lot of foot traffic from students and professors travelling to and from their courses as well as others be they workers or visitors travelling throughout campus. It would make sense with that in mind that there be an adequate amount of sidewalk walking space, walkways, crosswalk signs, curb ramps and so on to accommodate for the needs of pedestrians, which is true of the campus area along Woodruff as well as much of the campus area all together. The sidewalks are fairly wide, which is great, especially during times when classes are beginning or letting out. There seems to be curb ramps provided for every walk space. There is an area in front of the North Campus Recreation Center and Traditions dining hall where there are diagonal sidewalks. Being that that area in particular receives a lot of foot traffic the design really alleviates the potential for congestion in the area. You don’t get the feeling that you are walking on top of someone else trying to get to your destination. In terms of street safety, for the most part vehicles travelling throughout the area make sure to abide by the posted speed limit. There is also a crosswalk sign at nearly every crosswalk, or some kind of sign to signal to vehicles that the area is a pedestrian walkway. The one improvement/ addition I would suggest  is that there be a bike lane added to the street just to provide a little more safety to those travelling on bikes.

Along the given path, the traffic flow is considerably low due to the lack of cars that drive on campus. However, the traffic flow is significantly higher on High street because it is a main road that runs along campus. The traffic flow in this area is two way with the exception of Norwich Ave which is one way. One-way streets are common on and near campus and they help control the flow and speed of traffic. This is very helpful considering the amount of pedestrian traffic that occurs on campus, especially during class hours. Although many of the campus streets are one-way, it makes sense that Woodruff would not be because it acts as a main road that leads across the Olentangy to West Campus. Most drivers on campus appear to adhere to the speed limits. This is most likely because of the frequent stop lights and crosswalks that force them to make frequent stops and does not allow them to gain much speed in between these stops. On High Street however, the speed limit appears to be followed less, most likely because it is a main road that facilitates more traffic.

The sidewalks in the area are in relatively good condition. Most of the sidewalks are wide in order to facilitate a large amount of pedestrian traffic. They also have many crosswalk areas that allow for easy crossings. One possible issue with the sidewalks is the limited space between the edge of the sidewalk and the curb lane of the street. When there is a lot of traffic on high street and a lot of pedestrian traffic along the sidewalk, it can sometimes be nerve racking to watch people walk so close to the edge when there is high speed on coming traffic. This could potentially be solved with the widening of High street. If High street was wider, the traffic congestion during rush hours would also be eliminated, allowing for easier and safer transportation. The width of the streets on campus, however, are in good condition and widening them would potentially cause more traffic flow in the area to occur. This could then pose a problem by affecting the safety of the pedestrian traffic that occurs on campus.

Overall, I think the streets are safe for pedestrian use. There are frequent and well identified street crossing areas across the campus streets and High Street. The signal timing for cross walks is well timed in order to accommodate for both the vehicular and pedestrian traffic, even along High Street. I have never had to wait for an extended period of time when waiting for the sign to change and there are many pedestrian crosswalks on campus that give the pedestrian right of way. This is very useful on campus during class hours when there are large sums of people trying to cross the street in order to get to class on time and they don’t have to wait for traffic signals to change. Most of the areas are accessible for those with disabilities. All crosswalks have sufficient curb ramps and the CODA bus system is wheel chair accessible and the driver make it a very easy process.  The safety of the areas could possibly be further improved with the decrease in construction along High Street. With all of the construction, some crosswalks are hard to see to vehicles until they are at the cross walk. This poses a threat to pedestrians crossing the street, especially at night, when visibility is difficult to vehicles.

Around the campus area, the traffic flow is light due to how many pedestrians are walking. Drivers tend to avoid areas like Woodruff Avenue and Neil Avenue because of the crossing students. All the roads were two way roads with the exception of Norwich Avenue which was a one way. The speed of traffic is twenty miles per hour on campus roads like Neil and Woodruff. High Street ranges from twenty-five miles per hour to thirty miles per hour. Lane Avenue’s speed limit is thirty-five miles per hour. These speed limits stay relatively low due to the amount of pedestrians that cross these roads. It does not seem that many drivers follow these speed limits. This could be due to how little the speed limit is displayed on the road or how little it is enforced. Columbus could put speedometers on roads like High Street and Lane Avenue to ensure the safety of the people walking.

The sidewalks within the surrounding neighborhoods look old and dirty. Their colors are brown and grey. The sidewalks are quite narrow and irregular, with many cracks and dirt on them, making it unsafe for children, elderly people and disability people to walk on it. Plus, trees in different sizes are also randomly planted in the middle of or somewhere on the sidewalks; the sidewalks are filled with blocks-which are in different sizes, making the sidewalks look not uniform and out of management. It also causes the difference of sizes of private gardens along the sidewalk; and during fall time, leaves fall on the sidewalks and then decay, making the sidewalk look unclean and gloomy. Comparatively bad sidewalks can also be a “minus” on property values in the neighborhood.  

The streets with a higher volume of cars like High Street and Lane Avenue have four lanes to accommodate the traffic. Smaller roads like Norwich have only one lane that could be made wider. The road is tight to drive down due to the cars parked on both sides of the street. This could make a driver nervous and make them drive slower down the road. A wider road on Norwich would improve the neighborhood. The roads within campus like Woodruff and Neil remain two lane roads which keep the campus quiet. The campus would seem too busy with four lane roads cutting through them. 

The streets in the surrounding area are varied when it comes to safety. The closer you are to OSU campus, the more kept, clean, and easily accessible the streets become. However, in the neighborhoods, the roads are very hit and miss. On Neil Avenue, many crosswalks have no lines on the road indicating the presence of a crosswalk. There appeared to be some construction in the area, making some curbside crosswalk slopes inaccessible. While there are multiple street crossing areas, their safety is questionable. Crossing the street in a residential area tends to be safer than cross roads in busy areas of the city, there could be improvements to ensure that drivers are aware of pedestrians. Thankfully, the street crossing areas closer to campus are appropriately marked and in good condition. The timing for the signal was good, giving us enough time to leisurely cross. The only road crossing signals we encountered were in the areas closest to the campus. I believe highly visible crosswalk painting needs to occur in the residential section. The upkeep on the curbs is paramount for those differently abled, and can present many hazards for those attempting to cross the road.

In general, the curbside ramps present to use for crossing roads are available close and further away from the campus. As previously stated in the Street Safety section above, we witnessed some construction which left some ramps hard to access, especially for people with certain disabilities. Thankfully every street crossing we encountered had curb ramps, so that was a pleasant surprise. Upkeep of the ramps is the major thing needed to happen to keep up inclusiveness. The connection between the curb and the road has a minimal ledge which should be easily navigated by those in wheeled devices or by foot, but the transition from the street to the ramp/sidewalk could be a little more even on some corners.

• Traffic  flow.What are the  traffic flow patterns?  Is it one-way or two-way?  Does this design seem appropriate for the area? Does the traffic speed seem safe? Do drivers appear to be adhering to traffic speed limits?  What are some ways traffic flow could be improved?

Traffic in these areas are highly congested. Whether it be in the University Area, North High Street, or just off of campus on Norwich, there is high traffic densities and constant pedestrian traffic that slows the natural flow of vehicle movement. North High Street is a two-way street, busy with retail, food, and apartment buildings. The street design is consistent to the feel of the area, being that it is busy and often crowded. The traffic speeds seem safe for vehicles; however, with the amount of pedestrian traffic, it would benefit pedestrians to slow the vehicle traffic down. North High Street at rush hours is a hectic area, and drivers may not always yield to pedestrians or follow traffic laws. This makes the area unsafe for nearly anyone in the area. It could be improved by implementing traffic calming measures, such as bright yellow pedestrian walkways or even speed bumps to slow down the area.  Woodruff and Neil Avenue are both two-way streets in the university. The road looks well-kept and drivers know not to drive the area too quickly with the copious amounts of pedestrian traffic and stop signs. These avenues are comfortable for pedestrians and drivers, and the design is appropriate for the area. W. Norwich is an off-campus residential street. With experience in the area, we feel that a lot of the traffic is local and the street is fitting for its use.

• Sidewalks.How do the sidewalks in the area feel? What sort of condition are the sidewalks in? Are there missing sidewalks or sidewalk gaps? What are some ways the sidewalks could be improved?

North High Street sidewalks in this area are comfortable as a pedestrian, although, sidewalks are very congested. We feel that because the North High Street area is so prominent for pedestrians, the sidewalk should be wider and in top-condition. The sidewalk is somewhat uneven in places and may not be the best option for anyone with physical barriers. This is somewhat similar to sidewalks throughout the area defined for the blog. Sidewalks in campus areas, such as Neil Avenue and W. Woodruff should be accessible and kept-up. This is not a huge problem we see in these areas, but it could always be improved to make people safer and make areas more inclusive to anyone with physical barriers.

• Street  width.Do streets appear  to be an appropriate width?  How does the street width affect  traffic flow? Would it be better if  the street were wider? How does the street  width impact the existing character of the street? 

The area we looked at does a good job of allowing for lots of space on the roadways. As seen in the pictures, there is more than enough room for cars to fit in their lanes without coming uncomfortably close to other vehicles. Street width affects traffic flow by allowing drivers to feel safer and allows traffic to flow more efficiently. Narrow streets will cause a driver more anxiety and make them more prone to getting in an accident. A wide street can allow for parking and in turn will make an area more accessible and popular. The only downside of a wide street means that it takes longer for pedestrians to cross and takes up more valuable space.

• Street  safety.Do  streets feel  safe for pedestrian  use? Are there sufficient,safe  street crossing opportunities? Is signal timing appropriate for pedestrian crossing phases? What are some ways street safety could be improved? 

 High street utilizes many crosswalks in order to keep pedestrians safe. There are some flaws (the crosswalk next to the Target is only marked by a sign and is not very visible) but for the most part crosswalks work in tune with the traffic lights in order to let people know when to walk. As long as pedestrians and drivers pay attention to lights and signals, then all will be safe. Street safety could be improved by marking crosswalks more clearly. In many cases, crosswalks are not visible until you are very close to it. Roads that are smaller could utilize signs that flash lights when a pedestrian walks across where there are no traffic lights. Dangerous driving is what makes many crosswalks more dangerous than they should be.

• Accessibility. How is the city designed in terms of accessibility for persons with disabilities? Are there sufficient curb ramps? Can you identify ways that the area can be more inclusive of diverse needs?

The city is really great with accessibility and provides many safety features to help out the people with disabilities of Columbus and the university area. First of all, most of the sidewalks are really smooth and well kept, only one of the sidewalks has issues and that is the W. Norwich Ave. Some of the sidewalk on that road is all cracked, uneven and has weeds and grass growing out of the cracks. However, most of that sidewalk is great and looks like it is in the process of being fixed. Columbus has a number of curbside ramps at all the crosswalks, and even have a system where some of the crosswalk signs make sounds to help people that are blind to know when the walk symbol on the sign will end. However, the crosswalk sounds are not at every crosswalk and when they do they are very difficult to hear over all of the cars and traffic and all the other sounds that a city makes, so to improve this issue the city should implement more crosswalk signs with sounds and make them louder, so it will be easier to hear.