Are you ready to do the pedestrian scramble?
If you’ve been downtown lately, you might have noticed several intersections where pedestrians can cross in all directions (including diagonally) at once, a la the famous Shibuya crossing in Tokyo. The City of San Antonio is installing these crossings, known colloquially as “pedestrian scrambles” or “Barnes Dances” (or more boringly by their technical name of “exclusive pedestrian phasing”), as an experiment to see if they improve both pedestrian and vehicular traffic downtown. During a recent jaunt downtown, I counted 14 intersections outfitted with the equipment for pedestrian scrambles (that being a third pedestrian crossing signal on each corner oriented diagonally across the intersection), with half of them actually in service.
The dirty lowdown on hotels
I’ve stayed in my share of seedy, cheap hotels, at least proud that I saved some bucks. But now I know, it really could have been worse.
For instance, there’s the dirtiest hotel in the United States, as rated by traveler reviews posted on TripAdvisor.
This is a place where, one guest said, “The bugs are nicer than the people.”
Another ranted, “No one should ever walk into a hotel only to find prostitutes walking around the inside.”
Where is this? Why, San Francisco. In fact, three of the 10 worst hotels in the country happen to be in California. I have no idea what that means.
I know you’re wondering. And no, San Antonio is not on the list. Neither is Texas.
On the contrary, Texas has two hotels ranked among the 10 best. The Grand Hyatt VFW in Dallas placed fifth while the Houstonian in Houston came in ninth.
The best of all? Inn New York City. Sorry Texas — but know this, New York State managed to grab only one top spot.
The lists:
Construction and closures: I-35
by Patrick
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I-35 closed Saturday
A daylong blanket of wetness (I can still hear a soothing patter outside) has pushed a scheduled nighttime closure of Interstate 35 to a more traffic-heavy Saturday morning.
Crews will close all main lanes in both directions between AT&T Parkway and New Braunfels Avenue from 4 a.m. to as late as 2 p.m. so they can do bridge work, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
Motorists should look for alternative routes such as Austin Highway and Broadway; or I-10 and Houston Street.
Also, watch out for the closure of three westbound Loop 410 lanes at San Pedro Avenue from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Could be rough. Work there includes culvert and bridge repairs.
The ultimate judge on whether the closures happen, of course, is the weather. The verdict for now, per the National Weather Service, forecasts a good chance for more showers Friday, followed by the sun coming out of hiding Saturday and Sunday.
Check out the latest:
100th anniversary of San Antonio’s first traffic laws
Lewis bzirdsong in a 1910 Franklin on College Street, San Antonio
It is, of course, one of the more minor centennial occasions. You probably won’t celebrate it but you will, without noticing, except for this little reminder, observe it. February 7, 2010 is the 100th anniversary of San Antonio’s first traffic ordinance. Nine years after the first gasoline powered horseless carriage, eight years after the city gained its first automobile agency, seven after the creation of the San Antonio Automobile Club, and six years after the city mandated that all vehicles be registered and display ID plates or numbers, the city introduced written rules for all road users. more »
Construction suppliers rally for new fed transpo bill
Congress has yet to approve a new, comprehensive surface transportation bill to replace the previous legislation (known as “SAFETEA-LU”) that expired last year, instead opting to keep it on life-support through a series of short-term extensions. The resulting lack of certainty over future funding– as well as limited funding in those extensions– is severely crippling the construction industry, that according to several speakers at a noontime rally outside San Antonio’s convention center yesterday that attracted about 100 people.
Kay’s transportation vision less than 20/20
For the past week or so, I’ve been watching the drama unfold as Kay Bailey Hutchison announced the transportation plank of her platform for governor and the ensuing television ad and Rick Perry’s counter-ad. The use of the DMS signs was clever, but her message shows a both continuing lack of understanding of the core issues on her part as well as a bit of a dichotomy.
2010 prospects for the Texas Transportation Museum
1925 Baldwin 0-4-0 steam locomotive
I thought I might take a moment to let y’all know about how things are going at the Texas Transportation Museum here in San Antonio. Founded on January 1, 1964, TTM is gearing up for its 50th Anniversary. There are a number of projects that have the potential to elevate the institution from a relatively small city concern to a statewide attraction. more »
Construction and closures Roads Toll roads: interchange Loop 1604 Terri Hall US 281
by Brian
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Terri’s at it again (part 2 of 2)
In yesterday’s post, I took aim at the alleged “egregious fiscal malfeasance” that local toll-opponent Terri Hall accused ARMA of with regards to their plans for a US 281/Loop 1604 interchange. Today, I’ll take her to task on her claims of “unequal application of the law” with regards to the environmental studies required for the interchange versus those for 281 north of 1604.
TxDOT’s $1 billion accounting gaffe explained
During last night’s Texas Republican primary debate, Debra Medina and Kay Bailey Hutchison both mentioned TxDOT’s 2008 accounting error, with both saying that TxDOT lost $1 billion. Sadly, these are people who are running for governor and even they just can’t get basic facts right. Now I realize that for folks running for office and/or wanting to besmirch TxDOT, saying they lost $1 billion is a great talking point. But the anticlimactic fact is this: no money was ever lost.
Commuting Safety: flooding weather
by Patrick
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Wet and woolly weekend
With storms expected into the weekend, experts are sounding the warnings about the many dangers that can sneak up on motorists.
Tires can suddenly slip on a sheet of water. Rain splattering a windshield can blind you at a critical moment.
But the leading cause of weather-related deaths in Texas is flash flooding, according to state officials. Drivers often can’t tell how deep water is in low spots, and as little as six inches can sweep vehicles away, even pickups and SUVs.
The National Weather Service, forecasting heavy rain through Friday, has issued a flash flood warning in San Antonio and throughout South Texas.
The Texas Department of Transportation tonight released this flood advisory:
- Never walk, swim or drive through swift water.
- If you don’t heed No. 1, and your vehicle stalls in deep water, ditch the car and head to higher ground if you can do so safely.
And for those who can’t remember that, here goes: “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”