| Contextual Infrastructure Planning and Design |
| Dome Events Should Not Mean Doomed Community |
| By Ernie Boughman, Buffalo, New York 1-716-853-1220, boughman@pbworld.com
|
| The University Hill District
in Syracuse, New York, wanted to mitigate transportation issues related
to special events at the Carrier Dome and enhance its community's
cohesiveness. Our suggested solution encompasses public transportation,
private transportation, parking, signage, pedestrian ways and neighborhood
streetscapes. |
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Large-scale venues including arenas, domes and stadiums are considered
harbingers of economic success for their communities. The anticipated
monetary outfall is attributed not only to the venue itself but, even
more important, to the spin-off development and business they inspire.
In many cases, however, special-event transportation issues may be
caused by a facility's location, lack of transportation planning in
and around the site, or unforeseen transportation challenges.
These issues can become the accepted trade-off for the economic prosperity
offered by the facility, but often they threaten the cohesiveness
of the surrounding community. Although many of the transportation
impacts do have to be accepted, they can be minimized so as to preserve
the community through proper policy, planning and engineering techniques.
Concerns of the City and its Public
In 1999, PB was hired by the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation
Council (SMTC) to conduct a Special Events Transportation Study for
the University Hill District. The study was initiated to update the
City's 1980 special events traffic management plan that addressed
transportation issues during special events at the Carrier Dome. This
facility is a 50,000 seat multi-purpose stadium/arena located in the
heart of the Syracuse University (SU) campus (Figure 1). Since 1980,
a variety of actions occurred to change the dynamics within the district,
including:
- New university facilities
- New hotel and entertainment establishments
- Changes in road segment classification
- New off-site parking facilities
- The initiation of OnTrack, a passenger rail
system that provides excursion service between the university,
downtown Syracuse, and the city's northern suburbs.
Enhancing and/or maintaining community cohesion was a chief concern
to SMTC.
A public involvement program was established to determine what special
event issues were affecting the university's neighbors and to facilitate
communication between the project team and the public. Four main categories
of special event transportation issues were identified: neighborhood,
pedestrian, parking, and wayfinding/signage. Although not every issue
discussed would contribute to the breakdown of the district by itself,
the mitigation of these impacts could lead to a more cohesive community.
Figure 1: The Carrier Dome is located in the heart
of the Syracuse University campus, Syracuse, New York in the
area knows as University Hill.
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Neighborhood Issues
During the public participation process, we received several comments
regarding perceived nuisance impacts associated with tailgating and
neighborhood residents' inability to access homes and businesses during
dome events. An on-site review of dome events did not indicate that
this was a significant problem, so we recommended further monitoring
before policy measures to eliminate such nuisances were implemented.
The residents of surrounding neighborhoods also asked that streetscape
improvements be implemented to beautify the gateways of their neighborhoods.
While streetscape/gateway improvements do not contribute in and of
themselves to enhanced event mobility, they are a valid transportation
enhancement measure when contributing to improved pedestrian mobility.
As a result, we recommended a series of streetscape improvement programs.
Pedestrian Issues
Two pedestrian routes within the study area were found to be effected
by special event impacts.
Raynor Avenue. This route,
located to the west of the dome, involves OnTrack service to and from
events. OnTrack travels on a former industrial freight line right-of-way
that had been abandoned for some time. Its surrounding environment
is not always attractive and is not conducive to pedestrian travel
once passengers have disembarked, especially at University Platform
at the west end of Raynor Avenue, just three blocks west of the Carrier
Dome.
The sidewalks that do exist are broken and heaved up by tree roots,
and they do not have the capacity to accommodate the number of pedestrians
who use this route for special events. Consequently, pedestrians spill
out onto the street, creating a risk to their safety and traffic problems
for vehicles.
Compounding this problem, the surface of the street has deteriorated
greatly over the years, leaving potholes and only little painted striping.
Travel lanes and parallel parking spaces are undistinguishable from
one another, and no crosswalks are present within the corridor.
Figure 2: We recommenced transforming Raynor Avenue
into a gateway corridor.
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We recommended two alternatives for providing both a link that would
enhance the corridor's new gateway function and a better pedestrian
and vehicular connection. These were
- The medium alternative, which suggested sidewalk
replacement in areas where disrepair exists, painted crosswalks
at intersections and new striping on the existing roadway to better
define pedestrian and vehicular zones
- The high alternative (also the preferred
alternative), which included new sculptural gateway elements,
sidewalk and curbing replacement, installation of decorative light
fixtures, textured crosswalks at all intersections, planting of
street trees and resurfacing of Raynor Avenue with new striping
to fully define travel lanes and parallel parking spaces (Figure
2).
Irving Avenue. Irving Avenue, which runs north and south on
the dome's west side, becomes a major thoroughfare for pedestrians
and vehicles on event days. Our recommendation was for development
of an alternate pedestrian route along Almond Street, which runs parallel
to Irving Avenue but several blocks to the west, and along Van Buren
Street, an east/west street that would connect Almond Street to the
dome.
Currently, sidewalks exist along Almond Street but because the street
traverses underneath the elevated I-81 highway, few pedestrians use
this route. With proper streetscape improvements similar to those
mentioned for Raynor Avenue and signage, Almond Street could likely
become a preferred pedestrian route to the dome. This route would
be no further in distance than the Irving Avenue connection and it
would address some of the public's wishes to beautify the edge of
the district adjoining the South Side neighborhood.
Parking
Issues
Illegally parked vehicles and illegal parking lots contribute to special
event transportation issues, but the largest contributor was found
to be the under-use of existing parking and transportation facilities.
Parking lots immediately adjacent to the dome are permit-only for
special events and, therefore, are fully used. Parking lots at Manley
Field House, about .8 km (one-half mile) from the dome, and Skytop
Housing Complex, on the University's South Campus about 1.6 km (1
mile) from the dome, are general admission lots. Combined, they provide
4,500 spaces. Most patrons do not use these lots because of their
distance from the Carrier Dome. A free shuttle is provided between
the lots and the dome, but public knowledge of this service seemed
to be limited.
In addition to these two parking lots, other services are underused,
including:
- The OnTrack excursion rail, with ample park-and-ride
lots at both the Carousel Center regional shopping mall and the
Intermodal Transportation Center.
- Park-and-ride lots offered by The Central New York Regional
Transportation Authority's Centro public transportation system.
These lots are located at several regional malls and within the
downtown area. Shuttle service to and from the dome is included
in the parking fee.
Much of the under use of these facilities can be attributed to lack
of public knowledge of these facilities and their ease of use. We
recommended that SU, Centro and OnTrack undertake a coordinated marketing
campaign to better publicize the availability of their services in
order to facilitate their use as alternatives to driving to major
dome events.
This effort could include printed brochures that outline available
facilities and services, including prices, and schedules. Brochures
could be made available at information kiosks in the dome and be supplied
with tickets purchased for a dome event. We also suggested possible
promotional efforts such as periodic group or family pricing for mall
shuttles to make them more attractive to greater numbers.
Wayfinding/Signage Issues
Often patrons who do not come to the dome regularly have no idea of
what parking/transportation options are available, where they are
located or how to get to them. These patrons tend to drive directly
to the dome, thereby exacerbating transportation issues unnecessarily
since all lots in and around the dome are permit-only. Compounding
this issue, signage and wayfinding elements are minimal in and around
the district and many of the signs that do exist include inaccurate
or outdated information.
With the combined intent of encouraging use of preferred routes to
dome parking facilities and improving public knowledge of available
transportation alternatives, we recommended that further study and
preliminary engineering be conducted to implement an integrated wayfinding
system in and around the district. An example of a conceptual wayfinding
system was presented based upon currently published recommended routes
to Carrier Dome parking facilities. This system included signs on
both the interstate system and on local surface streets.
The wayfinding system on the interstate system could include intermediate-level
signage located after each of the primary highway exit information
signs. These signs would provide specific information regarding parking
facilities that are directly accessible from the upcoming exit(s).
They would use both a generic name and the SU parking permit designation
code. Such signage would enable those with parking permits and those
seeking general admission parking to determine which exit would be
appropriate for their assigned parking areas, and it would route patrons
to these parking areas rather than to the dome.
Ideally, such a wayfinding system would include intelligent transportation
system (ITS) components such as variable message signs (VMS) that
would allow for the flexibility of altering messages. For example
VMSs could differentiate between the status of Manley and Skytop lots
during a football game as opposed to a basketball game. When patrons
arrive for a football game, the VMS on the Manley/Skytop sign would
read, "Permit Only." For a basketball event, however, the
same VMS would read, "Lots Open," or "General Admission."
We also recommended a system of roadside directional signs at critical
intersections to direct patrons coming from the highway onto local
streets. A typical roadside directional sign would be pole-mounted.
Its content would vary depending on its location, but its overall
intent would be to direct traffic toward the various parking facilities.
Postscript
In February 2000, all study recommendations were accepted and ratified
by SMTC. A number of them were earmarked for the Unified Planning
Work Program (UPWP) over the next several years. As is the case with
most studies, only the recommendations that gain active support by
the stakeholders in the district will be implemented or studied further.
Currently, those gaining the most support are recommendations that
espoused policy changes or transportation systems management techniques
rather than capital improvement projects.
The veracity and quality of the study was affirmed in September 2000
by the American Planning Association's New York Upstate Chapter. The
study won an award for the 2000 Current Topic: Making the Transportation
and Land Use Connection. SMTC and PB accepted the award jointly at
the chapter's annual conference in Buffalo, New York, on September
22, 2000. |
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| Ernie Boughman, a member of the American Institute
of Certified Planners, is an Associate Planner in PB's Buffalo area
office. He is currently assisting with the Inner Harbor Redevelopment
Project EIS, Williamsville Toll Barrier Relocation Study EIS, and
various assignments for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.
This article was adapted from a presentation Ernie gave at the Institute
of Transportation Engineers New York Upstate Section Annual Meeting
on October 20, 2000. |
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