English town inspires idea for downtown street plan
SANDPOINT — The town of Poynton, England, could provide inspiration for the future of downtown Sandpoint transportation.
At a Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday, Sandpoint Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk detailed how the community, divided by an intersection of two very large, busy streets, was in decline as pedestrians and motorists struggled with the awkward design. The solution: Take away the traffic signal and allow pedestrians and drivers to share the space without significant control mechanisms.
Without a green light encouraging drivers to jet into the intersection, traffic slowed to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists. The process of transforming Poynton is detailed in a short YouTube documentary, “Poynton Regenerated.”
A similar approach is on the table for one of the more awkward intersections — Church Street, First Avenue and Bridge Street — in the proposed reconfiguration of downtown Sandpoint traffic flow.
While there are plenty of control mechanisms being considered for the intersection, Van Dyk said he’s leaning toward the Poynton-inspired method, saying the combination of slow, attentive drivers and alert pedestrians could be what Sandpoint needs for a calm, walkable downtown.
It’s just one of the new features proposed under the street reconfiguration the city is pursuing with Idaho Transportation Department. Approved by the council last month, the changes include implementing two-way traffic on Fifth Avenue with a center turn lane, installing a traffic signal at the Fifth and Church intersection, removing the signal at Pine and Fifth and implementing two-way traffic on Church, Cedar and Pine between First and Fifth. The plan prohibits left turns from Fifth onto Pine — a feature Van Dyk said they were hoping to secure but ITD wouldn’t allow due to a potential increase in delays.
According to Van Dyk, the ITD board could make a decision on the proposed street plan this Wednesday.
The conversion of Fifth to two-way traffic will allow ITD to return portions of Pine, First and Cedar to city control. This is essential to implementing the Downtown Streets Design Guide drafted by SERA Architects, which will introduce several downtown changes. These include wider sidewalks, narrower traffic lanes and improved stormwater management, with increased downtown parking from diagonal spaces. Downtown stores and restaurants could potentially also have space for wider, patio-style outdoor seating and dining areas.
Some chamber members were concerned about the new plan’s narrower streets, while others wondered about the ease of biking to City Beach. Still others were excited by the prospect of increased parking and more street amenities throughout downtown Sandpoint.
Either way, the plan will continue developing with more chances for community involvement if ITD approves the project next week.