St. Paul, MN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: Territorial Road in St. Paul is a busy arterial, with dozens of heavy trucks passing through every hour. High vehicle speeds pose a hazard for residents, many of whom are older adults and people with disabilities. This project set out to improve safety and beautify two intersections near the local light rail station. To do this, the St. Anthony Community Council installed artistic benches with planters, as well as a wall mural depicting an owl. Additionally, a local artist painted a Dakota-inspired design on a crosswalk, making it more visible to passing drivers.

Lansing, MI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: To protect pedestrians and cyclists from passing traffic, the City of Lansing installed delineators at a busy roundabout. Additionally, the City painted a sidewalk at along the roundabout's perimeter to make it more visible to drivers. To give cyclists a place to park, they also installed bike racks nearby.

Boise, ID

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: The Idaho Bike Walk Alliance wanted to make walking and biking safer for elementary school students. To do this, they deployed lightweight traffic items around N. 8th Street to reduce driving speeds. The traffic calming equipment included cones -- used to shorten the distance needed to cross the street -- as well as reusable neon signs and plenty of chalk. The Alliance papered the neighborhood with flyers, created a social media campaigns on the project, and met with stakeholders to gain buy-in. They then demonstrated the traffic calming tools over five days in November. An online survey showed community interest in making such features permanent. As a driver, the curb extensions provided greater visibility of pedestrians, one respondent said.