The South Blackstone Mobility Strategy is vision for a better Fresno | Opinion

The City of Fresno is putting forth a vision for a better South Blackstone Avenue. The South Blackstone Smart Mobility Strategy calls for improvements for the area between Dakota and the 180, which will make traffic safer for everyone — not just drivers, but also pedestrians and cyclists.

Some have questioned this plan, raising concerns about the impacts on traffic flows and whether it is smart to focus on improving Blackstone while homelessness and crime remain a concern. As someone who lives a few streets from Blackstone and regularly shops, bikes, walks and drives on this avenue, I believe it is a necessary plan.

The South Blackstone Mobility Plan calls for a number of changes. The most criticized facet of the plan calls for the removal of one travel lane in each direction, changing Blackstone from a six-lane road to a four-lane road. If your experience of Blackstone is being stuck in traffic around River Park or waiting to turn onto Herndon to get the 41, this may seem like a terrible idea. But South Blackstone is a very different place.

Few people know that this road was the original Highway 41, built to accommodate large numbers of vehicles to get people from one side of the town to the other. With the construction of the adjacent Highway 41, this has left South Blackstone overbuilt. Wide lanes with few cars encourages reckless speeding, resulting in Blackstone being one of the most dangerous corridors in the city.

Removing lanes serves two purposes: It calms traffic, and it allows the city to put in a protected bike lane. Other improvements include safer crossings, the removal of excessive and redundant parking lot entrances and better signals and infrastructure to calm traffic and increase safety for everyone.

Blackstone is as close as Fresno has to a main street. But what lines South Blackstone are used car lots, car washes, gas stations and vacant buildings. These are necessary amenities and successful businesses, but this is not what a main street should be.

The city of Fresno is continuing to invest in affordable housing on Blackstone, with the latest project under construction at Blackstone and Dakota. Low-cost apartments have already been built at both McKinley and Clinton; Fresno’s First Senior Center will be built north of Ashlan; and much of Manchester Mall will be converted to apartments.

Creating a tree-lined Blackstone that’s walkable, bikeable and lined with housing is truly a forward-looking vision.

Conversely, our current Blackstone — a place people occasionally drive their car to a shop and then leave, or use when the freeway is backed up — is an outdated and dying vision.

Safety for pedestrians and cyclists

Even without bike lanes and wider sidewalks, people are still walking and biking on Blackstone every day. Critics sometimes recognize how dangerous this area is for bicyclists and pedestrians, but, strangely, they use that as an argument against making any improvements.

I recently attended the World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims, an annual event where we memorialize our neighbors who were killed on roadways this year. Thirty-three names of pedestrians and cyclists who were struck and killed by cars were read aloud this year. We cannot accept these preventable deaths.

Fresno City College, health centers, residential homes, workplaces and shops are all on or adjacent to Blackstone Ave. We owe it to ourselves and our neighbors to create a safe way to get to and from our destinations — particularly for cyclists and pedestrians, who are disproportionately seniors, children and some of our most disadvantaged neighbors.

Tower District sets an example

I live in the Tower District. Many people thought it would be catastrophic when we removed some lanes from Wishon Ave., Van Ness Ave. and Belmont Ave. Yes, there have been challenges, but we have also seen slower, calmer traffic and a more comfortable and livable neighborhood. I regularly see students riding to school, young people headed to yoga classes or the coffee shop and seniors out for a nice ride in the evening.

The Tower District is one of the most pleasant and desirable places to live in Fresno, in large part because of its walkability and bikeability. A city completely dominated by cars is not a particularly pleasant place to live. Sure, it’s nice to quickly drive and find parking directly in front of your destination. But there’s a reason people want to live and vacation in San Francisco, New York and Paris, but not San Bernardino or Bakersfield.

We are presented with two visions of Blackstone: One where the car gets such priority that we are one of the most dangerous cities in the nation for biking and walking; with vacant buildings and struggling businesses. The other vision is still car-centric, but it also makes space for everyone.

Sometimes your commute may take a little longer, but in exchange we get trees, walkability, bikeability, benches and vibrance. That’s a street and city we can be proud of.

Sean Zweifler is a botanist and activist who lives in the tower district with his partner, Kate, and cat, Shaggy.