In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, how can we increase physical distance between pedestrians and maintain safe thoroughfares for cyclists?
Project Description: Between 2018-2019 Hamilton City Councillor Maureen Wilson (Ward 1) witnessed a community-led intersection transformation while visiting Rochester, New York. Upon returning to Hamilton, Councillor Wilson enlisted the help of Hamilton City staff to learn more about Rochester’s intersection transformation and about Complete Streets design. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, City staff have been unable to allocate resources to the Complete Streets Intersection Makeover project in Ward 1.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a greater need for physical distance between pedestrians and safe thoroughfares for cyclists, making safe and accessible intersections increasingly important. CityLAB SIR students will help to get this project “off the ground” by reaching out to stakeholders in Ward 1, identifying a potential candidate intersection, and engaging with stakeholders to determine specific Complete Streets design features that could be added to the intersection. The project will be undertaken with the assumption that pandemic restrictions will continue into any future project work during 2021.
Challenge Summary: We seek to address the following challenge: how can we engage Ward 1 residents and relevant community stakeholders in the design of a safer intersection in line with the development of the “Complete, Better, Livable Design Manual”, the current Transportation Master Plan (TMP) and other City of Hamilton policies.
City Staff: Rachel Johnson, Project Manager- Sustainable Mobility at the City of Hamilton & Peter Topalovic, Project and Program Manager - Sustainable Mobility at City Of Hamilton
Faculty, Course, and Students: Semester in Residence 2020, Julia Menezes, Tanisha Palmer, Foramben Patel & Sarnti Sornpaisarn
Deliverables:
Complete Streets Video: to inform Ward 1 stakeholders about the nature of our engagement work and to define Complete Streets intersection design.
Virtual Design Charrette: to engage with Ward 1 stakeholders and identify priority intersections and potential solutions informed by Complete Streets design.
Complete Streets Intersection Makeover Report: to summarize the findings of our background research and the recommendations from stakeholders in Ward 1.
Where will the work go? Our report will be used by City staff and the Ward 1 councilor to continue the Complete Streets Intersection Makeover project and to inform further work on Complete Streets intersection projects in other Wards and other Cities. There is an opportunity for the report to be published online to increase transparency and accessibility.