Neighborhood Assessment - AARP Livability Facts

This week I am assessing my own neighborhood based on the AARP livability facts. Here is the link if you would like to check it out. It was created in partnership by AARP Livable Communities and the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute. The two organizations shared a goal of helping towns, cities and communities nationwide to become safer, healthier, more walkable and overall livable for people of all ages.

I can't complain too much about my neighborhood as it is close to everything we need in life. We are less than a mile from my daughter's school and walk quite often. We are also within walking distance from a great park but it is a 30 minute trek at 1.3 miles away. See map below for Carley Road, Chapman Ave. and the 40th Street 3-way stop.

While I do live in a "subdivision" per se, it is an old neighborhood and doesn't feel like other subdivisions one may be used to. One drawback to our home is that we live on the corner of two busy streets. This has caused me great anxiety over the last few years due to the safety of my child and animals. For that reason, that's where I'll start with my suggested strategies for improvement. 

Carley Road intersects two of the major thoroughfares in Springdale, 412/Sunset Ave and Don Tyson Pkwy. This leads people to engage in high rates of speed as they pass by my house. My child is not allowed to be in our beautiful front yard area unless being supervised by an adult. She can't ride her bike along the wonderful long and straight sidewalks either due to my fear of a rogue car or distracted driver. 

I am proposing traffic calming, street trees and/or road diet measures to reduce speeds and add trees to portions of the center lane not necessary for turning. (Left and Top Right: examples of traffic calming/road dieting/street trees, Bottom right: Carley Road)

Next, is the walkability of the neighborhood. While most inner streets within the area have sidewalks, some of the outer areas do not. I propose a simple fix of adding sidewalks to increase safety and walkability. (Left and Bottom Right: examples of sidewalks encouraging safety, Top right: Chapman Ave, portion with no sidewalks)

Lastly, while I said we are fairly close to my daughter's school as well as another at the end of 40th Street. There is a 3 way stop in the middle of these two school zones that create headaches for parents dropping off in the morning or picking up in the afternoon, commuters who are unlucky enough to get caught in the traffic and can impeded the safety of children walking to school. I propose adding a mini roundabout to encourage more fluid traffic flow, reduce the risk of pedestrian collisions and add a more beautiful area. (Left and Bottom Right: examples of mini roundabouts encouraging safety and traffic flow, Top right: 40th St 3-way stop)