The City Livable Modest Proposals for a More Walkable
Downtown
In 2009, Jeff Speck, the City’s consultant
on walkability and other related planning issues, developed
the attached report based on the conviction that a successful
city is one in which people choose to walk. If people are
not fully comfortable using the City as a pedestrian, then
the City will never provide the high quality of life that
is now demanded in our communities.
Bethlehem recognizes the importance of walkability in the
core urban areas of the City and has been developing programs
and working with the public to address pedestrian issues for
years. The Citizen’s Traffic Advisory Committee (CTAC)
manages pedestrian safety and education programs such as the
ongoing education programs with students at Liberty High and
other schools, pedestrian stings and bike safety programs.
Through Elm Street and other programs the City has ongoing
programs to funds upgrades to crosswalks and installation
of shared lane markings for bicyclists where warranted. However,
since walkability is such an important issue, it is clear
that we can always do more. Therefore, Bethlehem contracted
with Jeff Speck in 2009 to visit Bethlehem and complete a
Walkability Study of the core downtown areas of the City.
Mr. Speck visited the City in May 2009. His report notes
that, unlike many American cities, Bethlehem is blessed with
a wide range of uses in its downtown. It contains a large
number and variety of housing units within walking distance
of retail and entertainment. He also notes that Bethlehem
is blessed with a tight network of many streets and is home
to some of the most beautiful tree-lines streets in America.
But, of course, we all recognize that there is always still
more work to be done. Mr. Speck’s report, The
City Livable: Modest Proposals for a More Walkable Downtown,
is attached to this website. In addition he compiled a list
of “Walkability Next Steps” or action items that
can be pursued to begin implementation of the recommendations
in the overall Walkability Plan. The action items are listed
below and are organized by those items that have already been
completed or are significantly underway since the completion
of the Plan, those items that are already ongoing programs
in the City, short term items and long term items.
Completed Items
1. Pursue improving the “plaza” at New and Broad.
2. Stripe parallel parking into the eastern span of the Broad
Street Bridge.
3. Redesign the south end of Main Street and its intersecting
roads to a less strictly automotive geometry, without widening
the roadway.
Items the City already does on an ongoing basis or
has already been initiated.
4. Survey all missing crosswalk markings in downtown and schedule
their painting.
5. Study all opportunities for the introduction of bike lanes
and sharrows into street striping.
6. Design the introduction of a median and bike lanes on Broad
west of 4th, and submit to a traffic engineer for review.
Short term items.
7. Reintroduce parallel parking to the south side of Elizabeth
Street.
8. Pursue a façade improvement grant for the Eyesore
on Adams Street.
9. Reconfigure the northern entrance to the Fahy Bridge, first
by proposing a right angle intersection to DOT, and in any
case introducing proper crosswalks and a Stop on right turns.
10. Reconfigure the southern entrance to the Fahy Bridge to
include a speed-hump crosswalk and a mandatory Stop in front
of it.
11. Study all left-hand-turn lanes in the downtown area for
possible elimination or shortening, and make a proposal that
can be reviewed by a traffic engineer for implementation.
12. Retime all lights that have dedicated walk cycles back
to a conventional timing regime (e.g. Main and Broad)*
13. Stripe one side of angle parking into several blocks of
New Street.
Long term items
14. Study the physical potential for stairs up to
City Hall Plaza, and investigate organizing and funding a
competition for their design.
15. Pursue land acquisition, trades, or eminent domain solutions
to acquiring the front 60’ only of the church parking
lots at 4th & Pierce and North & Garrison.
16. On over-wide streets serving multi-family housing, add
one side of angle parking to slow traffic. Survey property
owners on other over-wide streets with a carefully worded
questionnaire regarding their support for replacing excess
pavement with green open space and trees.
17. Study the delay of the parking structure at 3rd and Pierce,
and/or its replacement by a structure in the greenway west
of Polk, which allows for the elimination of surface parking
lots in the greenway.
18. Charrette with property owners the creation of an as-of-right
plan for properties on the north side of 3rd, taking advantage
of a new parking structure in the greenway
19. Relocate the front entrance of City Hall back to the Plaza.
The conclusion of the Walkability Plan notes that the report
contains many specific recommendations for action by the City,
business community, Public institutions and citizens of Bethlehem.
Some are easily achieved, some are harder. Some are cheap,
some expensive. Some, like improving access to the Fahy Bridge,
have a limited cost but require the will to negotiate with
a significant partner like Penn DOT. This Plan is not about
spending more money, but spending money in a prioritized way.
Bethlehem will continue to invest in pedestrian facilities,
street improvements, parking structures, and even in the development
of key private parcels. This report and these action items
help the City to direct these investments to make the City
more walkable, not less.
