Walking Towards the GreenShaping New Jersey Camden Waterfront South Walking Audit May 2015

Tri-State Transportation Campaign | New Jersey Conservation Foundation | YMCA of Burlington and Camden County

Local residents, community leaders and Shaping New Jersey partner organizations took to the streets on May 15 and 16 to assess conditions for walking and bicycling in the Waterfront South neighborhood of Camden, New Jersey. The health impact and livability assessment focused on ways to make active transportation connections between local parks, schools, community gardens and businesses. During the first half of each day, assessment participants met at the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA) auditorium and learned about complete streets principles, the benefits of walking and bicycling and discussed opportunities to connect local parks, community gardens and neighborhood centers with sidewalks, trails and bicycle lanes. Following this discussion, participants broke into groups and conducted walking audits in various sections of Camdens Waterfront South neighborhood, and were encouraged to document obstacles to pedestrian and bicyclist safety, with a specific focus on how routes between local green spaces could be improved. Participants returned to the CCMUA and each group reported on its findings. Participants flagged such issues as lack of bike lanes, fading or missing crosswalks, the need for pedestrian walk signals and the need to reduce and/or reroute truck traffic away from local streets. With 38% of households in the 08104 zip code, where the Waterfront South neighborhood is located, lacking access to a motor vehicle, it is essential that walking and biking be made as safe as possible throughout the area to allow them to get to their destinations safely.

Assessment participants stand in front of a sign stating No Big Trucks. How best to calm truck traffic was one of

the major issues identified during the assessment.

Waterfront South at-a-Glance

Population*

08104 zip

code area**

City of

Camden

United States

Total

Population

24,364 77,356 311,536,594

Commute Mode***

Cardrove alone

60.3% 59.8% 76.3%

Public

Transportation

16.5% 14.5% 5.0%

Walk or

Bicycle

10.2% 7.6% 2.8%

*Source: United States Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates 2009-2013

**08104 zip code area encompasses Waterfront South neighborhood ***Source: United States Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates 2009-2013

Means of Transportation to Work

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Graphic: Tri-State Transportation Campaign

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Findings

The major concerns documented during the assessment can be placed into

four categories, as follows:

Pedestrian Infrastructure The assessment found several issues on sidewalks and streets throughout Waterfront South that can hinder walkability. These

problems can make it unsafe and inconvenient to walk in the area and should

be addressed to allow roadway users to reach their destinations with greater

ease.

1. Unmarked or poorly marked crosswalks;

2. Lack of, or deficient pedestrian crossing signals;

3. Sidewalks in need of repair;

4. High speed limits and speeding;

5. Poor lighting;

5. Wide roadways without pedestrian median islands; and

6. Large trucks utilizing local roads.

The intersection of Ferry Avenue, 4th Street and Carl Miller Boulevard. This intersection displays many of the

roadway safety deficiencies in Waterfront South that can make pedestrian travel unsafe. Ferry Avenue

has a 35 MPH speed limit leading into the intersection, which is too fast for a roadway leading into a

residential area. The streets here are wide and the intersection lacks a pedestrian median island which

can help slow down traffic and give walkers a safe place to stop if they do not make it all the way across.

New sidewalks are also needed. Image: Dumitru Tomsa

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Bicycle Infrastructure The assessment also uncovered examples of the lack of bicycle infrastructure. No dedicated bike lanes were found and off-

road trails were limited. The assessment revealed other issues that contribute to

a poor environment for bicyclists, namely:

1. Lack of dedicated bike lanes;

2. Limited off-road trails to connect neighborhoods and local parks;

3. Poor roadway pavement condition; and

4. Truck traffic on local roadways.

Ferry Avenue between Webster and Carl Miller Blvd. This section of Ferry Avenue has sidewalks in good

condition, but lacks bicycle facilities and is home to a high speed limit and commercial truck traffic.

Broadway and Carl Miller Blvd. Recent upgrades on Broadway, such as new sidewalks, crosswalks and

pedestrian ramps have greatly improved the safety of walking on the roadway; however, the road lacks

facilities for the many bicyclists that use it.

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Truck Traffic The assessment found that large commercial trucks can be found using multiple roadways throughout Waterfront South. While these trucks

contribute to the local economy, more needs to be done to ensure that they

are not utilizing local roadways and hindering travel by pedestrians and

bicyclists. Issues included:

1. Trucks using local roads;

2. Lack of sufficient truck route signage;

3. Wide roadways without traffic calming features that would help to reduce speeding.

Connecting Parks Waterfront South is home to wonderful parks and community gardens,

including the Father Michael Doyle Fishing Pier,

Liney Ditch Park and the brand new Phoenix

Park. Better connections should be made to

allow users to access these amenities with

greater ease. Issues include:

1. Lack of a complete trail connection

between the Father Michael Doyle Fishing

Pier, Liney Ditch Park and Phoenix Park; and

2. Limited and/or uninviting entrances to local

parks.

Large commercial trucks are found

throughout Waterfront South and can

occupy much of the road space.

Current temporary main entrance to brand new Phoenix

Park on the Delaware River waterfront. Current sidewalk leading to Father

Michael Doyle Fishing Pier.

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Potential Solutions

Pedestrian Infrastructure Recommendations:

1. Repaint faded crosswalks or paint new crosswalks where they do not exist;

2. Install high-visibility thermoplastic crosswalks to improve motorist awareness

of pedestrian activity;

3. Repair broken push-to-walk buttons and install where missing;

4. Repave sidewalks as needed to repair dangerous pavement conditions;

5. Install pedestrian median islands.

Dedicated bike lane with

buffer on Washington Street,

Newark, NJ.

Bicycle Infrastructure Recommendations:

1. Install dedicated bike lanes along Ferry Avenue and

Broadway;

2. Where appropriate, build buffered bike lanes that

include physical separation between bicyclists and

motor vehicles;

3. Utilize green paint in conflict areas to show where all road users should use extra caution, such as at

intersections or driveway crossings;

4. Repair and repave Ferry Avenue to ensure a

smoother ride for bicyclists.

Five-way intersection of 48th St., Baltimore Ave. and Florence Ave. in Philadelphia, PA. Similar to the

intersection of Ferry Ave., 4th St. and Carl Miller Blvd. in Waterfront South, this improved intersection offers

an example of how relatively inexpensive materials can be used to get a project implemented quickly.

Flower pots, granite blocks and paint were used to create a safer pedestrian realm, with new crosswalks

and slower automobile traffic. Image Source: University City District

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Connecting Parks:

1. Complete Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority plans for off-road

trail loop that connects the Michael Doyle Fishing Pier, Liney Ditch Park and

Phoenix Park;

2. Improve entrances to key local parks, such as Liney Ditch and Phoenix Park.

Truck Traffic:

1. Implement City of Camdens signage improvement plan on I-676 to direct

truck traffic to proper routes and reduce accidental truck traffic through

Waterfront South;

2. Consider measures to reduce speed and volume of truck traffic on Ferry

Avenue, such as narrowing the roadway south of Atlantic Avenue, reducing

the speed limit or installing bicycle lanes.

Ellis Street, Haddonfield, NJ. Adding pedestrian and bicyclist infrastructure and reducing the width of

vehicle lanes can slow and reduce local traffic, especially with commercial trucks. Treatments like this

mountable median allow for adequate space for trucks to make necessary maneuvers.

Current entrance to Liney Ditch Park from Jasper

Street. Image Source: Patrick Farley LeDroit Park, Washington D.C. Park

entrance offers example for Liney Ditch.

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For More Information

The May 2015 health and livability assessment was organized by Matthew Norris,

South Jersey Coordinator (TSTC), Sue Brennan, Senior Project Director (Coopers Ferry Partnership), Olivia Glenn (New Jersey Conservation Foundation) and Valeria

Galarza (NJ Partnership for Healthy Kids), with significant support from Shaping

New Jersey.

This toolkit was written by Matthew Norris.

For more information, contact Matthew Norris (TSTC) at matthew@tstc.org or

856.963.0236.

This assessment was completed with generous support for the New Jersey Department of

Healths Shaping New Jersey program. Shaping NJ is the state partnership for nutrition, physical activity and obesity prevention. The goal of this partnership is to prevent obesity and

improve the health of populations that are at risk for poor health outcomes in New Jersey.

Lead organizations included Tri-State Transportation Campaign, New Jersey Conservation

Foundation, Coopers Ferry Partnership and the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids/YMCA of Burlington and Camden County. Survey participants that collected data or provided

feedback for this report included:

The residents of Camdens Waterfront South community; Cross County Connection; The Heart of Camden/Sacred Heart Church; The Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority; Susquehanna Bank; The South Jersey Port Corporation; The District Council Collaborative Board, The Center for Environmental Transformation.