Field Trip Summary (Transportation Team)

The Commons and its surroundings have experienced growth that encourages business activity over the years. There are still a lot of areas where there could be improvement. Our overview started out walking down State Street to the next intersection. Stopping here, we could see 8 parking lots, all of which are in prime locations for commercial development. Not only could they be developed, but they also break the stream of shops and make the area seem less developed and enticing for shoppers. Visibility is therefore a key component of a plan to improve The Commons. There should be better signage for visitors and more openness in the inner area. Removing the large trees in the middle and replacing them with smaller side trees would help improve visibility.

What’s nice about the commons is that the central shopping area is closed off to cars. Our trip leader mentioned that an overhead rail system (PRT) could potentially bring more business to the city, but that it is ten years away. While some of us agreed with that view, others thought that the first phase of such a system should be put in place within the next 3 years. It was also brought up that perhaps The Commons could be extended into State Street in the south side, with bumps in Cayuga Street to slow down traffic. What makes this traffic flow even more prominent is if the buildings in shopping areas are mixed use, so that they house people in the top area. There are a lot of these multiuse dwellings on the commons already, but they could be extended to every building with incentives to build up to 6-8 stories high. Aurora Street essentially marks the end of the commons on the other side. The restaurants in this area could see more business activity if a circle was placed at that intersection to slow down traffic.

The businesses in The Commons could also use improvement in the facades. There should be a program to incentivize this. There should also be a plan to refurbish/redesign The Commons, as it hasn’t been done since the 1970’s. The Center Ithaca needs to be more visible and engaged that it is today. There should also be new development in the History Center area to connect it more to The Commons. On the mobility area of the surrounding area, there was discussion of improved bus service and the setup of bike lanes through the reduction of unused sidewalks and parking spaces. One idea was to reduce sidewalks between trees to allow for parking spaces, therefore opening up space for bike lanes. There was also discussion of better carpooling services, such as Zimride, and a bike program that provides bike access to residents (such as the Paris system). In the long-term, the PRT system would allow for the development of parking lots in the area.

Team Members: Andrew, Carlos, Gabriella, Greg, Leah, and Maya