June Walk with Us around MCC Ft. Omaha Campus

Sharing observations from Clyde Anderson made during the June Walk with Us event hosted by the Walkability Team:

1. Compared to most of the other surveys I have participated in, I thought the sidewalks along the
   perimeter of the MCC Campus along Sorensen Blvd. and along 30th St. were good with widths
   ranging from 6 to 8 feet and setbacks from the curb of 3 to 6 feet or more. There was one
   segment, the west sidewalk along 30th St. between Sonic to just north of the bus stop at Fort
   St. that was a curb walk which could be hazardous or impassible during major snow events. This
   segment also showed areas of significant concrete deterioration, perhaps from salt.
2. The sidewalks on the opposite side of the streets from the campus were typically narrower
   (about 4 foot width) and not as well maintained. For example, the south sidewalk along
   Sorensen between 30th and 32nd.
3. There is no sidewalk on the east side of 30th St. from Sorensen Parkway north to just south of
   Fort St. This is an extremely hazardous area for pedestrians because that’s where the North
   Freeway merges into 30th St.
4. There were tactile plates on the sidewalk ramps at all of the intersections except the ones at
   30th & Fort were missing. However, many of the tactile plates were aimed incorrectly which
   would direct blind pedestrians into the center of the intersection instead of to the opposite
   sidewalk.
5. None of the intersections had marked crosswalks.

1. We observed three signalized intersections: 32nd & Sorensen, 30th & Sorensen, and 30th and
   Fort. All three signalized intersections had pedestrian signals. We checked the pedestrian signal
   ধming, and all gave pedestrians the white walk indication for about 10 seconds followed by the
   countdown timer which provided an additional 15 to 25 seconds depending on the width of the
   intersection. This timing seemed adequate.
2. I didn’t observe any of the signalized intersections having the Leading Pedestrian Interval
   feature.
3. There was a bus stop bench near the NW corner of 30th & Fort partially blocking the narrow
   sidewalk. This bench seems unnecessary since there is a bus shelter with a bench just a few
   feet away.
4. Since our survey was during late afernoon on a weekday, traffic volumes on Sorensen and 30th
   were heavy. Most traffic on Sorensen was observed not exceeding the 40 mph speed limit due
   to volume. The speed limit on 30th is 35 mph, and most vehicles did not appear to be exceeding
   that speed. However, we didn’t have the radar gun to check vehicle speeds.
   Recommendations:
5. Add painted crosswalks and stop lines at all intersections. This not only guides pedestrians, but
   also makes drivers more aware of the possible presence of pedestrians. Stop lines show where
   vehicles should stop so as not to block pedestrian traffic.
6. At the intersection of 30th & Sorensen, pedestrians shouldn’t cross Sorensen on the east side
   nor 30th on the north side. Although there are no pedestrian signals, signs should be installed
   directing pedestrians to cross on the west and south sides of the intersection. Having painted
   crosswalks on the west and south sides would encourage pedestrians to cross on these sides.
   Although crossing this busy intersection on the south and west sides is intuitive to many of us,
   others may make the mistake of crossing on the east and north sides, especially at nighষme.
7. I’ll recommend to Omaha Metro Transit that they remove that bus stop bench on the NW
   corner of 30th & Fort. [update: the bus bench has been removed after the issue was elevated by Clyde and others!]

Photos all courtesy of Clyde Anderson. You can view all of Clyde’s photos here in Google Drive including aerial shots from Google. More context from Clyde about the photos:

• The first two photos were taken near 72nd & Cass when I was waiting for the bus to the NOTC. It
  shows a roll of that plastic sod netting extending across the sidewalk presenting a tripping hazard. We have been complaining to Omaha Public Works about the use of this material at construction sites. When I was biking from MCC south to Highlander for the EPA meeting yesterday, I took a few photos of the restoration work in progress on the Paxton Blvd. Trail along John Creighton Blvd. near Sprague St. They are the last photos in the folder.