1CDOT Visual Opinion Survey Results

Section 3, Commercial Planting Strips- Comments

I preferred the wider planting strip. I gives the pedestrian a greater sense of safety and allows the trees more room to grow without damaging the street or sidewalk.

I don't care for planting strips in urban areas. It should be confined to the suburbs. I do like trees bordering the road, but they could be contained in planters like on Tryon Street pedestrian mall downtown.

Planting strips are great in suburban locations where they can be wide enough to make a visual impact. The are silly and are a maintenance problem elsewhere. It makes no sense to have a foot-wide swath of grass/weeds. Likewise, the planting of trees in a planting strip with utility lines above is just plain stupid.

Unless you have a pretty substantial width with nice greenery, these planting strip samples seemed pretty pointless. Most are so slim they don't even provide more protection for pedestrians.

Planting strips are essential to most parts of Charlotte, but it really depends on where you are. For example, Freedom drive I like those planting strips, but the sidewalks could be wider in areas of high foot traffic other than uptown. East Charlotte needs better planting strips. North Tryon is inexcusable after you leave uptown. As one of the major thoroughfares into downtown and to university city it should alot better.

Right turn lane looked way too wide in one picture. Seemed to sacrafice some of the planting strip. Sidewalks should be as far from the edge of road as possible, even to edge of right-of-way or within easement if necessary. I would say at least 10-15 feet between back of curb and edge of sidewalk. Make sure trees get planted in the planting strip.

No trees, poles, signs, etc. should be placed in the "Clear Zone". AASHTO defines this as 18" MINIMUM behind the curb in urban conditions, preferably wider where practicable, citing the inability of curbing to redirect traffic when monted by a vehicle.

I liked manny of the planting strips that did not have trees in them. A tree is a nice thing to have and can provide shade to the road but it can also make a small intersection dangerous becasue cars can not see around some of the larger trees if they are not placed far enough back. Even a small planting stip is nice. Also, if a planting strip is too far removed from the road then it kills the whole point of it. That usually means that the development is in some form that does not front the road at all which is killer to the effort to build a community.

I like planting strips with very mature trees. these planting strips did not appeal to me.

2

Planting strips should only be used if trees are planted between road and sidewalk. My thoughts ...... Charlotte does a Horrible JOB of enforcing residents from parking on sidewalks. Many neighborhoods you can't walk on sidewalks for cars parked on them. And NO it does no good to complain to police (NOT important)! Also if you put planting strips without trees you are taking peoples front Yards in residential neighborhoods and People don't like that. Also Charlotte does a Horrible Job maintaining the few Sidewalks we do have in our city. Example Tyvola Road. Overgrowth over sidewalks. Also The City doesn't keep the grass from growing over the sidewalks and residents for the most part don't edge public sidewalk even in front of their property. So if you have a grass strip on both sides of the sidewalk you are only doubling that problem with grass overgrowing the sidewalk. Also speaking on sidewalks it makes NO Sense to go into mature neighborhoods and build sidewalks until Roads such as South Blvd and Park Road are predestrian friendly (sidewalks down both sides). It is crazy a city as large as Charlotte and one can't walk down from even say Tyvola to the City 4 miles without constantly running out of sidewalk or having to walk on various conditions of sidewalks as well as sizes.

planting strips should be wide enough to allow pedestrians to feel like they aren't walking on the road.

I really only see a clear advantage in having a planting strip if it is substantially wide, with room for trees. In some of the pictures, the planting strip is so narrow, that it really doesn't serve much purpose. The space would be better used by making the sidewalk wider.

If a planting strip exists, but doesn't have trees in it appears less appealing. Trees seem to be a major factor in making a planting strip attractive.

Large, maturing trees are nice in a planting strip - they provide a "buffer" between the speeding traffic and the pedestrian.

Large trees helpful, create buffer between peds and autos.

I liked the wider pedestrian strip. The further away from traffic the better.

I like wide planting stips with trees in them. Even a narrow planting strip is better than none at all since it does provide a little "buffer" from the adjacent traffic.

A larger planting strip with more room between pedestrians and traffic is preferred.

Wider is better. Trees on Curbside makes for shade and a visual buffer.

I like the idea of planting strips with trees where-ever possible. However, many of those shown in the photos don't appear to be wide enough for the trees once they reach mature growth. In addition, the planting strips that were very narrow, with just a strip of grass, seem to be unneccessary. A wider planting strip, creating a larger barrier between pedestrians and traffic is more appealing to the eye.

3

Planting strips are essential for neighborhood delevopment. I believe they're most effective when wide and incoporate trees.

The wider the strip, the better. Also prefer actual planted planting strips.

Liked the wider strips with large shade trees. Disliked lack of a substancial border between the street and sidewalk.

Question the maintenance for planting strip, could block view for (all) cars, people,etc. if not maintenance, also root based plants could be a problem. I prefer planting strips with trees and ones that are wider.

I liked the larger planting strips with trees planted in them. Why not plant flowers or taller grass varieties/ivy/kudzu in planting strips if trees are not an option? Some kind of tree/plant makes such a difference in appearance and really seems to increase the perceived value of an area.

Putting trees in the planting strips,will only be more expensive later when storm drains clog up with tree roots and tree roots begin to push up sidewalks.

Obviously, wider planting strips help shield pedestrians from traffic. I like trees on the outside of the sidewalk for looks but am concerned about the safety of drivers when trees are too close to the curb.

Some planting strip is better than no planting strip. A wider planting strip with street trees (and as large as you can get when they mature) is best. Planting strips with sizeable trees won't work where you have overhead utilities, so this ups the cost. However, sizeable planting strip/tree/underground utilities should be built into ALL significant redevelopment projects as a requirement, and into all new development.

Planting strips are important for pedestrian safety. Planting trees between the road and the sidewalk adds visual appeal also. As long as they are maintained properly they are a major benefit. If no one takes care of them though then no point in City spending money on them. liked adequately planted strips disliked unplanted or too narrow strips

Planting strips themselves are good to give separation between pedestrians and motorist. Alternatively when trees or large bushes are located in the planting strip they can limit sight. Trees also cause maintenance problems to occur with curb and sidewalk.

4

Planting strips are primarily for aesthetics but can be functional as a means to provide shaded for pedestrians and traffic alike. It adds to the surrounding however, must be maintained to serve the main intent - looks. Too narrow and they are difficult to maintain - sprinkler systems need to be monitored properly which they are seldom done. No sprinkler system should be allowed within 3 feet of the back of sidewalk in the case of a planting strip. Planting strips should be primarily in neighborhoods and no high traffic volume which causes the grass to be trodden down and killed in many cases. Planters can be better used in business scapes to avoid people randomly walking through them and killing the tax money used to build them and the people's effort it takes to maintain them.

wide plating stips with trees in them are much better than smaller ones with trees behind the sidewalk

It appears that the wider the better. Trees within the planting strip offer a visually nicer touch as well.

Planting strips need to beat least 3' wide, with trees is better.

The wider the better so the trees grow tall and healthy, like in Myers Park.

The larger planting strip with trees was the most attractive.

I like planting strips that have healthy (rather than mostly dead)grass. There should be an attempt to plant older, more mature trees that provide shade.

The tree selection in most of the plantings strips was poor. The use of Bradford Pears is awful. Otherwise, planting strips in general are prefered but not always desired.

On wide, major streets, the wider the planting strip the better. Plenty of trees are good too.

The Planting strips looked great. They seemed to make the sidewalk safer to walk on.

Larger planting strip is better. Best is wide planting strip with trees between sidewalk and street. We need on-street parking!!!

I gave all the planting strips a positive number, but some appear to me to be too wide, so I gave them a smaller positive number.

5

I liked when the planning strips included trees, when used properly they can be an effective traffic calming tool. These strips also offer excellent space for future bus stops or shelters, allowing for places for pedestrians to safely wait for the bus,etc.

Nothing again for the cyclist

no or small parking strips make for bad walking..and we should be encouraging people to walk more.

There is a delicate balance between strips that are too narrow or too wide. 2' should be a minimum width and the planting strips are much more affective when they include trees. They are even better when there are trees on both sides og the planting strip.

Liked the planting strips the provide my buffer from vehicle traffic.

Planting strips should be at least 6-8' wide and allow for tree plantings. Trees between the pedestrian and street allow for a physical barrier to prevent cars from running up onto the sidewalk. The strips should be wide enough to allow for mature growth of the trees without limiting their growth.

I like the planting strips, sidewalks, and trees along the planting strips. All sidewalks are the minimum width to allow limited traffic. most planting strips shown are not very welcoming to pedestrians either.

The more buffer you provide, the more safety there will be for pedestrians, children playing, walking animals, etc. Planting trees in the inner portion is nice to allow the planting strip to have clearly visible signage and lighting.

There were no large mature trees on the planting strip. There was no real landscaping or anything to provide any interest. There is really no point in having one foot of grass in between the sidewalk and road. Planting strips are only useful if you make them a feature, otherwise why bother. very narrow strips do nothing. A strip too wide is not good either. A 3-6 foot strip, with some small trees in it is best.

planting strips are key to separate pedestrian and car, which necessitates an appropriate minimum width. They are best when trees are in the strip.

Liked trees in planting strip as well as the well defined separation of the walkway from the road. Having at least 2-3 feet, if not more, of planting strip is very attractive both as a pedestrian and and a driver or passenger in a vehicle.

The planting strips seem a little unsafe on the major roads in your example. Lower reduction of speed and the inclusion of onstreet parking would make a lesser planting strip feel better. I clearly like street scape elements suck as trees anf light posts in the planting strip.

6

Planting strips should have a minimum width of 8 feet especially for planting of trees. Planting strips of 4 feet of less are a waste of space.

I like a full planting strip

I like the wider planting strips with the trees due to giving a little extra protection for pedestrians who are walking.

liked trees in the planting strip, although trees in grates for urban situation are equally desired. did not like very narrow strips that looked approx. 2-3 feet.

The larger planting strips look the best.

Larger the better

The wider the strip, the better. Tree plantings are better than grass. Create a true buffer. Twelve inch strips are scarcely better than no strips.

Some of the planting strips were quite narrow, but I guess the motive was not to plant a tree in that location.

grass is grass. And should I rate it worse if it was browned by bad weather?

Make WIDE planting strips or do not use planting strips at all. Visually, the small ones are unappealing and raise concerns about the value of paying for the labor of keeping them tidy. Wide planting strips provide a safety zone for pedestrians, balance the roadways (so that there's not concrete in every direction), and keep a city looking tidy.

The wider the planting strip, the nicer the sidewalk seemed. Safer from traffic, more pleasant for both pedestrian and for driver. Scenic.

7

liked-wide strips with trees and feeling of safety disliked-no planting of trees, narrow strips

More trees, shrubs, and low-maintenance perennials would make the planting strips much more attractive. Plain grass is boring.

Planting strip is a planting strip. Maintenance is everything. Green well kept grass is good. trees are even better. The more mature the better it gets. Without them (planting strips) it really is not bad... as long as it is clean.

I was a little distracted by the other variables in some of the photos, couldn't get the urban blight of a Mcdonald's out of my vision long enough to objectively rate those! In general, the medium width strips or no strips seemed to work best. Unless pedestrian safety is a consideration, most of these appear to be land wasters. Are you sacrificing space that could go to bike lanes or bus lanes? And again, old growth saplings as opposed to Bradford pear, maple type plantings would be more attractive in the long run. Also, are you taking away from remaining single family landowners' yards to create these strips?

If the planting strips are well maintained, they add to the streetscape, however that requires the expense of either City maintenance or City enforcement. Large planting strips (over 10') could probably handle trees but that much ROW is unusual and a lot to maintain. The advantage of the planting strip is the seperation it provides between the pedestrian and the vehicles; the disadvantage is the additional maintenance cost required. Make the planting strips 10 ft +............

Narrow strips are better than none but still inadequate. Lack of street trees in the planting strip limits the seperation quality of pedestrians and cars.

large planting strips with trees looked better than barely there strips with no trees. I would also feel most comfortable walking on the streets that had the larger strips liked wider planting strips

Planting strips are nice and allow some nature to be part of the scenery. I like the moderately sized ones; the very narrow ones look cheap and dinky.

Planting strips very boring. Would like to see flowers orsome color. Liked wider strips with trees better.

Trees should not be planted in strips that are too narrow to contain the mature growth of the tree along the street. Branches create obstacles for trucks and can fall over, blocking the street.

8

Wder strips to set off the sidewalk without visual obstructions.

Planting strips along busy thoroughfares need to be wide enough to provide a real buffer between fast-moving cars and pedestrians and should also include trees. Walking along a 45-mph thoroughfare with a sidewalk immediately next to the street is a disservice to pedestrians. I prefer the wide ones as opposed to the narrow.

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Planting strip is OK if somebody takes care of it, but they can get trashy otherwise. or they become parking.

Love planting strips. Even more when they look their best. They add a pleasant and warm look to community.

need more trees to protect houses and pedestrians,some were none existing,sidewalk on some were ok,some too small

The wider the better, with the trees between the road and sidewalk look the best

There should be some planting strip with every sidewalk

The wider the planting strip the better. I like when there are trees planted next to the sidewalk on the OPPOSITE side of the planting strip. If the planting strip grass is not maintained, it severely detracts from the attractiveness of the planting strip.

looks more inviting

I prefer wide, continuous planting strips, which both give plenty of room for trees, shrubs, and flowers, as well as a larger buffer zone between pedestrians and moving traffic.

I like a planting strip to be wide and I like the idea of the trees as an additional barrier. This is especially true with more traffic or traffic travelling at higher speeds.

I did not like narrow planting strips or planting strips with dead grass.

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IN PREVIOUS SECTION ON INTERSECTIONS DID NOT LIKE AREAS WHERE CARS WERE PARKED IN SIDEWALK AREA NEAR INTERSECTION

"Wider is better" for planting strips. More separation from auto traffic.

Planting strips that are continously broken with driveways become unsightly and pointless. Wider planting strips with maintained trees on both sides are very nice. However, a very thin planting strip w/ an ugly light pole should be thought about. wide-with trees is a plus

I liked the larger planting strips provided there was something actually planted in them.

A small planting strip is better than no planting strip... but the speeds on many of our roadways should require larger buffer areas form the road. When I first moved to Charlotte, I lived on Central Ave. and I was frighten to walk anywhere!

Likes: More barrier to street the better. Dislikes: Narrow barriers

Like WIDE planting strips, like I like wide sidewalks. Room for People.

I think that buildings should be built out to sidewalks in all retail areas, regardless of whether they are in the urban core or at a suburban retial hub. Trees should be planted where ever possible Parking should be located in the rear of buildings whenever possible

The wider the better.

Most looked like there were just put there so someone could say there was a planting strip. It had no function.

10

I liked the ones where the strip was at least as wide as the sidewalk (both at least 5 feet), with well maintained grass and trees, and without utility wires. Strips with no trees, but are well maintained and have trees on the far side of the sidewalk looked better than ones with trees but were poorly maintained. Larger shading trees looked better than small ones. If it is just a parking lot, larger planting strips, and green on both sides of the side walk (with trees AND bushes) looked the best. I disliked corners and streets that had no planting strip (they seemed dangerous) and cases where everything seems dead or the design looked like just an afterthought. The 1 foot grass planting strip looked better than no strip, but trees still help make pedestrians feel safer, especially on higher speed road.

Planting strips should be wide to SEPARATE pedestrians from traffic (safety). Poles and objects should be set far back (vehicle safety as well as turning room for 18-wheelers). Should be well maintained (edged as well as mowed). They should contain trees and plants that are native and have appropriate root systems and drought tolerance unless you will start installing irrigation systems as yet another utility in the right-of-way. I liked them best with some small trees. Too wide and it takes away from the integration of pedestrians and the streetscape to me.

I likle planting strips that are wide with trees that will not interfere later on.

Having a narrow sidewalk without a planting strip is worhtless. The rule should be, if you can trip and have a good likelyhood of falling into traffic, it is bad. Large buffers also create friendlier pedestrian atmosphere. Not like walking on Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Planting strips that are too thin might as well not be there at all.

Strips need trees between roadway and sidewalk for pedestrian protection and mental security from cars. Strips which are too narrow offer only minimal improvement over no strip.

I liked the thin grass for the planting strips.

Prefer wider planting strips -- as a pedestrian, I feel safer having more space between me and the road. And it's just a tiny bit quieter being set a little farther back from the street. Some narrow planting strips with trees look like the trees will likely outgrow the space and cause the sidewalk (and possibly edge of the road) to buckle as the trunk and roots grow.

some of the planting strips were bare and they weren't pleasing to the eye. I like lots of trees in the planting strips.

11

Some type of planting strip is definitely better than none at all. I liked the wider ones better than the ones that were only a couple of feet or less. I liked the ones that had trees. I liked the ones with trees/plants on both sides of sidewalk.

Planting strips one foot wide are insufficient.

Wider planting strips are more aesthetically pleasing. With narrow strips, please NO trees.

None

I liked the presence of trees between the pedestrian walk and the vehicular traffic. It provides a needed sense of security for pedestrians, especially near large volume streets.

wider the better.

trees in the strip, please. in urban settings, dispense with the strip of grass (or weeds, which is what you get in charlotte) and widen the pavement, with wells for the trees.

The wider the road, the wider the planting strip should be. The strips with the trees were more appealing than strips without trees. Where are the BIKE LANES? Liked: - Wider planting strip with treese between cars and sidewalk was ideal. - Too wide planting strip detaches sidewalk from street which is not good. - "Sliver" planting strips are meaningless. I think planting strips are attractive, if there maintained properly.

Prefer planting strip, but depends on area. Some times planting strip is not necessary. Use of strip makes it easier to keep kids and dogs out of street. However, I do see people using planting strips as extra turn lanes, especially when in SUVs or trucks.

The problem with planting trees in the planting strip is that it is very difficult to see around the mature trees. An example is the houses along Kings Drive were it is very difficult to see both directions due to the planting strip being about 4' and having 36" Oak trees within the planting strip. Trees should be behind sidewalk.

The wider the planting strip the better. Also, the bigger the planting (tree) in the planting strip the better.

12

the smaller strip seem to have a greater appeal to me.

strips large enough for large mature trees are better

Maintained planting strips that are wide enough to protect pedestrians from traffic are the most appealing. Maintained planting strips are just generally preferred.

I think planting strips are a great idea, whenever possible. As a pedestrian, I would feel more at ease when walking in an area that has one.

Planting strips should be wide enough that they buffer pedestrians from car traffic in the street. I also like trees in the picture, but whether they're on the inside or the outside of the sidewalk doesn't seem to make a huge difference. Planting strips (or lack thereof) is not a major concern to me. Wide sidewalks with no planting strip would probably be my preference.

I like the widest planting strips, especially the ones with trees. My next favorite are the thin ones with nicel manicured grass.

I like seeing trees on both sides of the sidewalks...also pedrestrains would feel safer. If R/W allows it, I prefer wide Planting Strips with street trees behind the sidewalk. This keeps the planting strip clear of obstacles.

for sidewalks next to two lane streets it is much safer having a larger planing strip with trees between street and sidewalk, plus it looks better in my opinion.

I didn't like the very small planning strips and the very wide strips seemed to large. The mid size was justright to make a walker feel like there is some seperation from them and the cars on the road

Wider is better. Presence of trees can compensate for lack of width somewhat. Larger trees better than small trees.

Planting strips need to have plants in them other than just grass. Planting strips with the buildings set back are pretty much useless. No need for a sidewalk if the density is not there and the buildings are set way back off the street.

13

Some kind of planting strip is better than no planting strip. The size and whether or not trees are included depends of the surrounding area (residential or commercial). The whole idea of the planting strip is totally wasted if it contains wooden utility poles with wires criss-crossing the street.

The planting strip should be as wide as possible to increase the safety of pedestrians using the sidewalk.

The wider the strip (within reason), the better.

planting strips are great.....as long as they have PLANTS in them and GREEN grass...not brown/dead grass.

The most appealing visually is the wide grass planting strip, sidewalk, then trees planted on the property side of the sidewalk.

the greener the grass and the more trees planted the more i liked the planting strip

Of course, the wider and greener the planting strip, the better, but that isn't always possible. I am just grateful for sidewalks at all!

Liked he planting strips with green grass and trees on the planting strip. Disliked the planting strips with poles and poorly kept grass and that were too wide (too far from street).

Strips on both sides of the sidewalk were best. Trees or other plants in addition to grass were preferred.

The planting strips with trees in them (on the street side of the sidewalk) are much better than strips with grass only. Trees provide a nice buffer for pedestrians.

well maintained, wider planting strips with trees were the most attractive. narrow planting strips w/o trees are useful from a safety perspective (for people on sidwalks), but my preference is to see trees on the planting strip.

A wider planting strip is better than a narrow one. One that has additional plants on it, or on the other side of the sidewalk from it (shrubs, trees, or flowers) is much nicer than one that simply has grass. Obviously, they are also nicer when the grass and plants are healthy and green, and not brown and dried out, or full of weeds.

14

planting strips that fade with the seasons might as well not be there. planting strips are extra safety for pedestrians

i like the idea of planting the trees away from the planting strip.

The wider, the better. The more trees, the better. Bring back the color GREEN to Charlotte.

Definitely like planting strips with or without the trees.

Planting strips are OK, but over time, they cause dangers. Try making a turn out of a driveway between two large oaks on Laurel or Queens or others where you cannot see oncoming traffic due to the trees. The narrow stips or no strip provides better sightlines for drivers. The trees also grow to a size that prohibits road widening and destroys both sidewalk and pavement as they mature. Get rid of the planting strips.

To have large maturing trees in a planting strip that won't eventually break up the sidewalk you need really big planting strips - 10 feet plus.

Wider planting strips are better. Especially on busy roads, narrow (or no) strips feel unsafe for pedestrians.

The planting strips that I liked were wider and well maintained, the grass looked lush and green and there were wide sidewalks.

I remeber Charlotte as a green city while I was growing up here. There were trees and grass everywhere and I would like to see more of it return.

I liked the larger ones which offer more protection from traffic. Too much maintenance required for the benefit

The larger the better. I this grouping the best.

The larger the planting strip (with trees preferably) the better.

The bigger the planting strip the better

Trees were nicer than just grass. A narrow strip of grass really isn't much better than no strip at all.

15

Planting strips make the area look better and also provides protection for the pedestrian.

Planting strip should provide the pedestrian with a feeling of safety from the traffic, either by width or trees or a combination of the two. A tiny one-foot-wide patch of grass is worse than no strip at all, as it wastes resources in keeping it mowed but provides nothing for the pedestrian.

I like the planting strips that are of medium width and trees planted. As someone who has walked in the areas suc as those pictured, it would give me a greater sense of security. I'd be a little further traffic, and with trees, there would be some barrier between me and cars.

Generally, the wider the planting strip, the better.

Liked...wide planting strip to separate the road from pedestrians. I like the security of knowing I might not get run over. Also, trees planted in strip. Disliked...sidewalk that's very close to higher speed roads.

Narrow strips are unattractive, especially is the grass is unkempt.

I was not concern about the size of the planting strip as much as how well it was maintained.

Planting strips should be as wide as possible. Minimum of 8' wide.

If the planting strip is not large enough then no protection is provided from the traffic for the walker. Also if there is nothing to block the person from traffic such as trees, plants etc. than they may still be in danger of being hit.

Likes: planting strips wider than sidewalks, planting strips with trees, or even light poles, to give sense of pedestrian protection from vehicles, shaded sidewalks from trees in planting strips, planting strips litter-free and with well-maintained grass or ground-cover. Dislikes: no planting strip, or planting strip narrower than sidewalk; planting strips without trees or other vertical elements to give sense of pedestrian protection from vehicles; no shade trees on either side of sidewalk, littered or barren planting strips.

16

The wider planting strips are nice because they allow pedestrians to stay further away from traffic. I do like the any planting strip verses no planting strip. there were no good images of good planting strips....

wide planting strips with trees on both sides of the sidewalk are best. would like to see shrubs planted in areas where visibility allows.

Wider strips with trees and ornamental lights were preferred, trees on each side of the walk were best. Narrow/nonexistent strips with utility poles were least best.

None of the examples shown exhibit streets designed for PEOPLE. These were all typical suburban streets focused only towards the automobile, completely abandoning the concept of pedestrian-first design. Planting strips can be useful, but these all seemed to afterthoughts to a badly handled street design/zoning outlines.

We should be less concerned with planting strips and more concerned with the fact that only the inner half of the city even has sidewalks.

Narrow planting strips feel dangerous and leave no room to plant trees. There should be large shade trees in planting strips.

I think the wider the planting strip (within reason) the better. This allows for traffic to have the comfort of know that someone has some safety room between them and the pedestrian and vice versa.

Don't like the skinny planting strips growing nothing but power poles but they are better than NO planting strip. I like trees on both sides of the sidewalk. The overall planting strip idea is great for an extra saftey zone between the motorist and pedestrians but big trees or bushes planted on them could block ones line of sight and allow someone pulling off a side road to pull in front of another vehicle or even for the vehicle turning onto a side street a blind spot to a pedestrian or cyclist crossing and turn into them

Planting strips wide enough for tree plantings are good.

what will a planting strip do besides curtail the run-off from the fertilizer from surrounding area. It looks good, but does it serve a purpose, besides getting the mower guy killed by on coming traffic.

Anything less than a 6' planting strip is an economic and spatial waste. I would rather the sidewalk be at the back of curb than be less than 6' in width, barely enough to accomodate a tree.

17

planting strips can be a positive addition if the are samll enough to easily and cheaply maintained. Large strips obviously cost more and more to cut and maintain. The strips that have trees planted in them seem to be a waste of space, because they are larger and usually have trees that block the vision for pedestrian and car traffci.

I like the ones that featured more "green" and were attractive. Also liked the wider ones.

Liked wide strips with trees. They seemed safer.

just greener is good, because sometime tree get in the way of the driver.

Really liked the clean look of some of the landscaped areas that were with the manicured strips. Did not like the brown dead looking strips or the no strip zone even if it had a sidewalk. The trees in some of the strips looked a little like they would break in a good storm.

Like broad planting strips with trees included in planting strips. Trees close to but on non-street side of sidewalk can work as well. Don't like narrow or no planting strip, especially beside a busy or multi-lane road.

The planting strip is definitely better than no planting strip. But, i believe the larger deciding factor on the success or failure of a sidewalk to provide comfortable pedestrian traffic relies on the volume and speed of traffic. A wide planting strip seems appropriate for fast moving traffic; a wide planting strip with mature trees seems appropriate for fast high volume traffic; and vise versa

Wide enough so that cars don't splash you with water, visual differentiation from street with trees and wide strip

Not just pretty greenier, but a barrier to separate pedestrians from the traffic. Larger trees like the ones on Park Road provide a canopy, but more importantly provide character to the street.

Care should be taken to keep trees from being planted under power lines. In the long run, trimming trees beneath lines reduces the appeal of the trees.

Planting strips are good but the balance between creating a good urban space is complex. Too narrow and it's not safe for the pedestrian, too wide and the drivers feel like they can go faster

18

Better when wider to provide more buffer from traffic. Better with trees on either side of sidewalk. Best when trees in planting strip to shade road also (helps keep road temp. down that in turn keeps storm water run-off temp down, etc.) I like the wider planting strips.

I like neatly trimmed, and grass that is dark green and has been taken care of..and trees

Planting strips should have enough room to plant large trees (at least 8 feet). Should provide a perceived barrier between pedestrian and traffic. A narrow grass strip is nothing but a maintenance problem. too wide no trees

I like planting strips as long as they are maintained. The wider strips w/ landscaping or streetlights provide a better buffer to the road.

Provide opportunities to meander planting strips and sidewalks around perimeter landscaping(when possible). This creates a more interesting visual appearance.

The planting strips (when present) in this series were somewhat uninspired, but were are sometimes spoiled in charlotte with all of our nice trees.

WAY too often, this city plants trees too close to the road. How much damage has been done to city vehicles (buses, DOT trucks) and private vehicles from this?

The wider the better and year-round green grass also does a lot for the look.

planting strips should be away from the street and have trees planted where it is appropriate

The wider, the better. If there are to be planting strips, they need to be well maintained. Some of these were not and that maight be a citywide problem.

the well taken care of planting strips rated higher. in these cases there was an eye toward maintaining the whole strip and the lawn beside the strip. the lower rated strips do not qualify to be called planting strips unless it was corn you had in mind. the one strip of pavement that was marked "no planting strip" had grass growing in the expansion cracks. had this been removed it would have improved the rating of the picture, though not much.

19

It's a waste of money to make very narrow planting strips. The areas can be better served with wider sidewalks and safer/more efficient curbs without the "humps" that hinder accessibility.

large planting strip are astheticly more appealing and provide more of a buffer between motorists and pedestrians

liked mature foliage, deep planting strips

This survey shows obviously more attractive choices, all things being equal. It should not be used to assume that the participants support the cost of such designs, be it financial or property right of way intrusions.

I prefer the wider planting strips that provide more of a buffer between the pedestrians and vehicles.

I like a larger planting strip as it provides more safety from traffic.

I like small strips without trees ans the large strip with trees

I like all planting strips. Not all need to be planted with trees - only where it fits with the surrounding plan.

the planting strips should be wide enough for a tree to be planted in them, but not too wide to totally visually disconnect the sidewalk from the roadway. the ones that are so thin that grass can hardly grow in are hardly worth having If the planting strip is not "significant enough" you might as well not have it at all.

Planting strips are nice if the grass & debris is kept off the sidewalks.

Wide planting strips, especially with trees, help you feel safer from the traffic driving past. None or too narrow strips are not pedestrian or aesthetically friendly. Trees planted either in the planting strip or inside the sidewalk looks better.

the wider strips are better protection for pedestrians

20

I really like the planting strips that include trees. If it is just a thin strip of grass, I think cement is usually equally attractive. Thicker strips of grass aren't too bad.

The planting strips are apealing to the eye and certainly safer. Again the power lines are very unattractive and are in way of trees.

The larger, the better.

having a planting strip, especially with trees between the sidewalk and the road makes a difference both to pedestrians and drivers

i dont like the really thin ones - it's better to have one edge of the sidewalk be a curb, rather than a 1-foot wide planting strip

There should be enough room to plant on the road side of the sidewalk. It makes the streets look nicer.

These planting strips all seem fine but under-utilised. I would like to see something interesting going on. Maybe something raised or something planted in there. I also like when there is no planting strip but just squares of dirt/grass every so many yards with a tree growing out of it. Maybe no real planting strip, but an implied planting strip by just making the concrete a different color or texture near the road.

I like planting strips, the bigger the better. I also prefer them with trees planted in them. i like wide planting strips as long as they are maintained.

I liked the planting strips that were wider & the sidewalks further away from traffic.

Wide planting strips (with perrenial flowers or plants, if possible)

I liked the Planting strips with trees in them. Also, I perferred the medium width planting strips.

The planting strips make pedistrians feel more safe from passing cars. Larger planting strips make the pedistrians feel more comfortable. However, if the strip is too wide, it can create a seperate space. This could also make the sidewalk not safe to walk on at night if it is a good distance from the road.

21

same It would be nice if sidewalks were wide enough for 2 baby strollers to be pushed side by side. Trees and plants or pine straw is attractive.

planting strips with trees or street lights give pedestrians a comfort zone between busy streets with cars....gives added degree of protection while beautifying the area - also well maintained planting strips that arent too wide or too narrow have a nice appeal and give the feel of a boundary between sidewalks and streets giving the pedestrian a certain degree of comfort against the busy streets.

Wider planting strips with trees look the best.

Trees are important and I like the space between the roadway and the pedistrian

More space between sidewalk and street is preferable. Trees are always helpful. A lot depends on also on how well grass/trees are maintained and if there is garbage on the strip etc.

Planting strip implies something growing on it. Dead grass does not count.

These planting strips for the most part were very sad. The whole idea of having a planting strip is to provide pedestrians with an astheticly pleasing buffer from traffic. Some of the strips were fairly wide which is good, but that leaves much to be desired. Why not fill the gaps between the trees with thick bushes that would block a lot of the sounds and unpleasant sights of traffic racing by you only feet away. This would help pedestrians feel comfortable, and like they were walking along a path instead of right down the side of a major road. Thick and tall shrubs would be great, with the trees every now and then to break it all up. Another possibility would be to have trees and inbetween have poles which perrinial vines could climb. But as far as planting strips go, the thicker and bigger the better. You can start with small plants too, in order to save money. It isn't necacary to buy mature plants. Get some fast growing hardy bushes, propagate them and plant them.

The foot wide planting strip is useless, the wider ones are much nicer and allow tree's roots to grow without cracking sidewalks or streets. What's going to be less maintenance and less costs for the city is the way you need to go!

22

Well maintained, wide, green planting strips are very visually attractive

Although space is sometimes a restriction, I like wider planting strips with trees planting in the strips.

Wider planting strips with trees to separate peds from cars

too much room is a waste of space, makes things further apart too thin though, is also a waste of space since you've gained no real distance, and no real planting area

I liked neat, green grass. The wider the strip, the better

I like the trees and wide planting strips.

I liked the planting strips with plush grass planted in them. I especially liked the picture with the treeless planting strip and the trees on the other side of the sidewalk. This provides the beauty of the trees without the obstruction of view for traffic. Planting strips less than 6' in width are not worth the maintenance effort required to keep them looking good. Trees are prefferable within the planting strip and, if space allows it is prefferable to have street trees on both sides of the sidewalk.

Planting strips are preferable as opposed to no planting strips. The strips are very pleasing when maintained. Also, there is a sense of safety when you have a planting strip. Otherwise, pedestrians could be too close too traffic.

A planting strip should be wide enough to accommodate trees or bushes.

As seen in the last picture, if you can't maintain the planting strips you probably shouldn't have them. It is probably better to at least have something large enough for a riding mower to cut down on personnel needed to maintain. all the planting strips needed color...flowers, shrubs, something. However, the ones that were well cared for and mush lusher were more inviting. Color says alot about a place. Flowers have a sense of welcome/friendly/inviting

23

Bare planting strips are better than noting but adding trees and or shrubs makes them look much nicer. Do we absolutely need planting strips at all?

I like the planting strips with vertical elements - trees, streetlights, etc. Also, I prefer a wider planting strip, but not so wide that you feel disconnected from the street (unless it is a major thoroughfare).

Planting stips with trees are great. Planting strips that have 6 inches of grass are pointless, just make it all sidewalk.

I liked the planting strip as long as there is enough room for sufficient lanes in the street. I like the thinner planting strips

I gather it would be dependant first on land availability and then safety/ visibility concerns....a larger planting strip closer to the road gives a nicer buffer from traffic and noise.

I like having trees in the planting strips. It makes me feel more protected as a pedestrian. I'd much rather a car hit a tree than me. It also provides shade, which is a must for walkers. Flowers would be nice.

Along less traveled side and neighborhood streets I like a wide planting strip along with trees. In the case of busy corridors, the lack opf planting strip may be better as time goes by because of the lesser amount of maintenance required.

There's nothing particularly great or awful about any of the planting strips. As long as there's not garbage or hypodermic needles on them, grass appears to be grass.

Planting strips need to be renamed to seperation strips. The strips exist to keep the traffic and the sidewalk seperate, not to provide dirt for trees. Trees in strips invariably end up encroaching on the travel lanes, reduce visibility, or brek up pavement and concrete. Unless the strip is very wide, there is no reason for anything other than grass, or maybe a 1-2' high shrub to discourage foot traffic across the strip.

Like wide with trees best.

24

they get your shoes wet when it rains or snows and cost lots in time money and pollution from maintenance equip to mow water & edge - not worth the cost

There needs to be a balance between the addition of live items (trees, bushes, or plants/flowers) with which to enhance the view, and a limitation of such items so that they do not impair your view or become distracting to drivers. Being able to see a car attempting to pull out into traffic is more important than a “scenic view” in a commercial area.

the wider the strip, the better - trees really help.

I like the ones that were well maintained and green.

Like: large planting strips with trees Dislike: small or no planting strips

I like large planting strips

Most-liked: Wide planting strips with trees on either side Least-liked: Lack of planting strip, or planting strip of just maintained grass.

dislike narrow strips w/o plantings liked wide strips w/ trees

Interestingly, I never gave much thought to this area of environmental design. Most of the strips added a little extra feeling of beauty, but they must be maintained frequently to keep them nicely manicured. The one picture without the planting strips was OK, too, as the sidewalk seemed wider and easier to use by those with disabilities. I guess that's the challenge: maintaining beauty while attempting to adhere to ADA universal design standards.

I like at least an eight foot planting strip planted with street trees. I also prefer at least a 6 foot sidewalk. I dislike a plantingstrip any less than two feet. I would rather hav an 8 foot sidewalk at the back of the surb rather than a six foot sidewalk and a two foot planting strip.

The wider the planting strip, the better. Pedestrians have les chance of getting injured and there is room for landscaping, enhancing the appearance of the road.

25

wider the better & trees are great

go with the wider planting and tree lined planting strip

adequate planting strips are good for pedestrian safety, but planting trees in them obstructs the vision of drivers.

The planting strips that are very large between the street and sidewalk provide a safer environment for people to walk.

I like the existence of the planting strip not only from a landscaping point of view, but from a pedestrian safety perspective as well. Having people walk that close to major roads without some sort of buffer seems unsafe.

The ones with trees are much better. The wider the strip, the better.

I like planting strips with grass. I do not like planting strips with trees that restrict vision or that hang out over the road and get constantly clipped by trucks. I prefer trees to be on the other side of the sidewalk.

BAD: Not enough grass and ttrees to buffer the "man made affects" Good: Wide green scapes are ALWAYS a plus--the wider the better and add trees!

26

Some of the planting strips seemed too narrow and almost pointless,although I believe they add a little bit of visual improvement and the narrowness and lack or trees/shrubs allows for easier maintenance/mowing.

We should always consider how large trees will grow and their impact on streets and sidewalks along with limbs hitting trucks and busses.

Some of these streets had grass and plants that were upkept which was very obvious. I could tell that some if not all of the pictures were either taken in the late fall or winter. The trees hadn't bloomed and the grass was brown and gray. Maintaining the grass is key, adding plants and shrubbery alongside the sidewalks adds a little color to the drabiness of the streets. So your planting strips would be a good idea.

The plant strips are a nice idea to beautify the sidewalks, but it should be kept simple and to a minimum. Those streets at least with a planting strip (however small) are better than those with none! Streets with with wider widths are better, and those with trees between the sidewalk and the street are even better, but the best is the one with the very wide planting strip, with large trees, and tree lined behind the sidewalk also. I noticed the trees were planted well away from the sidewalk and curb which will prevent root damage to the infrastructure and allow the tree roots to grow and stabalize the larger trees. That is the ideal street scape in my opinion.

some areas would be a great planting strip where as others are not because of heavy traffic areas.

Planting strips can look great and make walking more pleasant because you are farther from the traffic. However, it takes a lot to maintain them and often they look horrible! I would rather spend extra money on wider sidewalks that need little maintainence.

yes no - no big deal

The larger, the better. I like the wider planting strips and all planting strips with trees.

I didn't like the really narrow strips. Wider with trees was generally better.

27

Do not prefer trees in planting strips as they impair visibility.

I guess everything surrounding made them good or not

Ok, not very high on my list of important factors.

The wider the better.

Liked grass and trees; disliked bareness or closeness to roadway.

wider planting strips with trees are best. We must keep them maintained or objective will be lost.

Liked trees in the strips.

NICE PLANTING STRIP WITH TREES OR OLD FASHION STREET LAMPS

they don't make enough of a difference when the scale is a 4 lane boulevard

It is nice to have a wider planting strip, especially on major roads, for beauty but most of all safety for pedestrians. If the sidewalks are farther from the roads and there is a nice planting strip buffer between the walkways and traffic, you will have more people walking and biking to work and shopping.

wider and trees better where it can be accommodated

I love the planting strip, especially if it were broad and green and well groomed. I also enjoyed those pictures that had beautiful tree lined planting strips. Lastly, I think the broad planting strips would be best accompanied with broad (maybe winding) sidewalks. Planting strips while nice can hinder visibility - the ones given for examples here were well done.

If planting strips are designed into a street (I think they should), they need to be at least three to four feet wide. The tiny one to two foot strips look ridiculous and do not allow adequate space for trees' and shrubs' root growth. A wide strip adjoined by a sidewalk and aligned with established trees gives a flowing and natural look.

I did not like too small, too busy or non-existent planting strips

WITH PLANTING STRIP LOOKS BETTER.

The sidewalks looked safer when trees were planted in the strips or when the strips were at their widest (greater than 4').

28

keep the sidewalks and the trees near them

wider planting strips where space is not at a premium. No planting strips for congested areas where cars are turning in and out every twenty or so feet.

After reviewing the strips, I have determined that they have the potential of becoming more of a nuisance/eye sore if not properly maintained. I like the fact they allow for sidewalks. I would prefer to see planting strips separate parking lots from streets, rather than in front of commercial buildings.

Liked the darker green grass, prefer the trees over the street lights & power lines but lights & lines do look better with grass underneath. Also liked wider strips versus narrow ones. One strip seemed to be present in one block but not the next which was not pleasing to the eye. Would like to see some color via either different types of shrubs sparsely scattered along the planting strips, occassional flower beds or pots.

Planting strips should be wide enough to allow for trees to mature without damaging sidewalk infrastructure...

I like the strips with trees; they give a good sense of separation of traffic and pedestrian

A larger planting strip is more appealing.

Dislikes: narrow (2ft or less) or nonexistent planting strips. Narrow planting strips seem like maintenance headaches and don't provide much of a feeling of safety for pedestrians. Likes: Planting strips wide enough to allow plantings and allow pedestrians a feeling of safety through the wider buffer between them and traffic.

the plant strip looks a lot better than it does without one.

It seemed ridiculous to have a planting strip that was 6 inches wide. I mean, why bother? It felt safer with a wider strip, and looked nicer with more greenery but I don't think that was absolutely necessary. A nice patch of healthy grass was good, although trees were a bonus.

Dislike trees being too close to street...danger of falling into street or cars hitting trees.

Liked having a significant (wide) buffer between traffic and the person using the sidewalk, mature trees in the planting strip.

I liked having planting strips, but not big ones. As a pedistrian it's hard to walk in heels across one if the crosswalk is on the other side. Rounded strips are the worst to walk on.

29I like the wide planting. It make me feel like there is a barrier between me and the traffic. I feel safer and it looks better.

The wider the planting strip (preferably with trees) the better. This is especially important on roads with higher traffic volumes. street tress are an excellent, long term investment in communities

none

definitely do not like the narrow planting strip. trees on the street side are okay if they are small, especially the dogwoods when in bloom in the spring! a strip of grass is not a visual enhancement. THe more mature trees helped but more could be done to improve appearance of area

Liked the idea of the planting strips....adds a sense of environment to the urban area. Wider plantning strips could be reduced to accomadate bike lanes during repaving.

I didn't like the strips that were very tiny and close to the streets. As a pedistration you feel safer with more room between you and the cars - and the trees and grass add a soft touch to so much concrete and power lines. I have a love/hate feeling regarding planting strips. The ugliest ones to me are the extremely skinny narrow ones with no trees.What purpose do they even serve other than a paid landscaper almost driving into ones car or putting grass, dust, dirt and rock on your vehicle as you wait at a light or even drive buy (this has happened to us) The more appealing ones are quite wide with trees and landscaping on or around it in a good design, with the side walks not slapped next to the traffic.