This past Thursday IQC visited Altus, Oklahoma, a town of about 19,000 people and hour west of Lawton. We did a walkthrough circle of the roads from the Parks and Recreation Department by Missile Park, past Altus Primary School, down Inis Street, west along E. County Road 165, and back up Navajoe Street to the Parks and Rec building. Afterwards we had a meeting to discuss our findings. Right off the bat we noticed a couple of consistent issues. There was a severe lack of sidewalks down the major North/South road Navajoe Street. Asalee Street, the road that leads from Navajoe to the elementary school, also had a lack of sidewalks, or poorly maintained sidewalks. We recommend that the city prioritize the addition and maintenance of sidewalks along these primary walking routes for children to safely walk to school, and citizens to be able to walk to the downtown area. We noticed that at the railroad tracks there was a lack of crossing arm or signage, which seems unsafe. Another safety issue was that there were no streetlights. This poses a hazard for people walking at dawn or dusk, especially in the winter months where the sun sets early. The last safety problem we noticed was a few of the intersections along Navajoe Street lacked stop signs or other signage, and the speed limit along the street seemed a little high for a residential street. Lowering this limit and altering intersections with stop signs would improve vehicular safety.
Other non-safety related observations were that Missile Park seems like an under-appreciated asset to the town. Altus had recently opened a splash pad near the park that is free for people to use. Placing better signage at the surrounding roads and wayfinding signs would increase usage of this park and promote walking in the area south of the railroad tracks. I look forward to working with IQC on our formal proposal for the City of Altus.
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Over this summer, IQC did a walkability project in Wynnewood, OK. While I did not personally attend. However, I was able to work on part of the report using digital resources and photographs that my colleagues took. One of the key concerns in Wynnewood was an unofficial passageway that existed between the high school and the middle school. There was no safe way for students to cross the street so they would run across in breaks in traffic and walk through this alley where the grass has been trampled and now it is just dirt. This passage also bothered the residents of the four houses on either side of it because they felt that kids were walking through or too close to their property. IQC proposed making this alley into an official path. A crosswalk and curb extensions would be added for the kids to cross safely. The path would be "paved" with ADA gravel, decomposed granite, or concrete. Some pillars and a sign would create a sense of place and purpose to this new walkway.
Our other focus was the downtown area. It was anchored by a library, a restaurant, a restored retail shop, and most importantly, the historic Eskridge Hotel. The road around this area was paved with original brick that wasn't in great condition and where there were sidewalks, they were in need of repair. IQC recommended revitalizing the sidewalks and road on Robert S. Kerr Boulevard and adding sidewalks in key pedestrian areas to create walkable paths connecting downtown to the public schools. The addition of historic marker signs, such as the one by the hotel shown below, would add interest and valuable information to the town. Additional signage around town will be used to create a walking path that includes a greenbelt nearby to promote healthy activities. |
Amy HostetterCurrent student. Archives
January 2019
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