The people have spoken!
Community Engagement Summary Report Prepared by 8 80 Cities
Report prepared by 8 80 Cities In support of Macon Connects July 2016
Macon Connects Lead: Josh Rogers President & CEO at Newtown Macon
Community Engagement Lead: Rossana Tudo Project Manager at 8 80 Cities
E: josh@newtownmacon.com T: (478) 722-9909
E: rtudo@880cities.org T: (416) 591-7404 ext. 6 192 Spadina Ave. Suite 510 Toronto, Ontario M5T 2C2, Canada
555 Poplar St. Macon, Georgia 31201, USA
Table of Contents What is Macon Connects?
1
Engagement results at a glance
3
How did residents participate?
5
Demographic data of participants
7
Transportation behavior and attitudes
8
Ideas for a more connected Macon
12
Analysis of what we heard
16
Next steps
20
What is Macon Connects? Macon Connects is an exciting initiative that aims to transform the way that Macon residents get around—for the better. Macon Connects builds on the data and directives of the 2015 Macon Action Plan (MAP). MAP set out four overarching goals for Macon’s Urban Core, one of which is to Cultivate Connectivity. Macon Connects digs deeper into what it means for Macon residents to cultivate connectivity, particularly as it pertains to improving mobility options for all residents. Our project is divided into two main phases:
Who is Macon Connects? The Macon Connects team is led by Newtown Macon and Macon-Bibb County (Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority, Main Street Macon, and Department of Parks and Beautification), with support from Bike Macon.
Phase 1: Macon Connects Ideas Festival (June 14-16, 2016) The Ideas Festival was a three-day, citywide event designed to excite and engage residents about the possibilities for mobility in Macon. Residents were invited to learn more about mobility and provide ideas on how to improve connectivity in Macon. We engaged a total of 1144 people in our programming, of which 430 contributed ideas to the Macon Connects initiative. This community engagement report marks the end of Phase 1.
Community engagement and rapid urban prototyping services are being provided by 8 80 Cities and Better Block, respectively.
Phase 2: Macon Connects Street Makeover (September 16-17, 2016) We will prototype residents’ ideas and solutions at the Street Makeover event. The Macon Connects team will install a pop-up minimum bike grid* as well as other temporary public space improvements. We invite all of Macon to come see and experience what it would be like to have safer and more vibrant streets for walking and biking. A final report containing an evaluation of the Street Makeover event and recommendations for next steps will mark the conclusion of Phase 2. *A minimum bike grid refers to a basic network of protected bike lanes that connect people to key destinations across the city.
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Macon Connects is made possible with the generous support of the Knight Foundation.
Engagement Results at a Glance
1133
people engaged with Macon Connects
430
of whom actively contributed
3421
ideas about improving connectivity in Macon
Macon residents want mobility options.
Even though 68% of respondents drive as their main mode of transportation, and 84% rate their commute as being “average” to “very good”...
84%
support spending more on walking and biking infrastructure even if it means spending less on driving infrastructure
75%
are interested in shifting to different modes of transportation
the # 1
commuting challenge was “lack of walking and biking infrastructure”, with 30% of all responses. “Traffic” came in second, with 20% of responses.
Macon residents are concerned about safety.
47%
would walk and bike more if sidewalks and bike lanes were improved. 25% would do so if their neighborhood was safer.
59%
preferred bike lanes that use planters as barriers vehicular traffic Page 3
“isolation”
according to respondents, is directly linked to lack of access to mobility options.
Improve connections to the core.
70%
74%
of Macon residents’ favorite places are located in the urban core.
of streets that residents want to see bike lanes on run through the urban core
Make it easy for people to use public transit.
better wayfinding and signage on buses and at bus stops
shade and seating at bus stops
sunday service
to accommodate workers
Increase passive and active recreational opportunities in small-scale urban parks.
34%
would like to see more pocket parks for quiet recreation
more programming at existing neighborhood parks and public spaces
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How did residents participate? Ideas Festival
The Ideas Festival (June 14-16, 2016) included 20 events over three days to educate, engage, and excite residents about the future of walking, biking, and public transit in Macon. Over 950 residents came out to events ranging from inspiring talks to community cookouts, outdoor movies, and roving pop-up engagement labs. The goal of the Ideas Festival was to attract a broad spectrum of participants representing different ages, races, ideologies, neighborhoods, etc. We hosted a wide range of events in different areas of the city, including: 9 keynote addresses (8 by Gil Penalosa of 8 80 Cities, 1 by Jason Roberts of Better Block) 1 parks-themed panel discussion 1 bike tour of Macon’s secret parks and public spaces 1 meeting with the Mayor and City Commissioners 1 community cookout at the Family Investment Center 2 outdoor movies (Rosa Parks Square, Oak Haven Park) 6 pop-up engagement labs (Terminal Station, Rosa Parks Square, Washington Memorial Library, Mulberry Market at Tattnall Square Park, Family Investment Center, Oak Haven Park) Macon Connects Ideas Festival was made possible thanks to support from our local programming partners: Macon-Bibb AARP, Macon Housing Authority, Navicent Health Foundation, Macon-Bibb Chamber of Commerce, Macon Roving Listeners, Macon-Bibb Rotary Club, Mulberry and PEDS.
Online Survey
Those who couldn’t attend the Ideas Festival were invited to fill out the online Macon Connects Survey for a chance to win an iPad Air. We received a total of 146 online responses.
The Listening Post
Macon’s The Listening Post collects and listens to personal concerns and ideas through unique recording devices placed in public spaces and SMS (mobile phone texting). We partnered with The Listening Post to collect stories about how Macon residents currently connect to other people and places in the city. These stories provided additional context to the mobility-focused data we collected. Page 5
How many actively participated? 1133 people engaged with Macon Connects programming. Of those, 430 people actively participated by contributing ideas to the project.
247
provided
offline
A total of
430 people
145
ideas
provided
online
38
1203
2066 ideas
provided
SMS
152 ideas
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A total of
3421 ideas
Demographic Data of Participants What is your race/ethnicity? (N=457)
How old are you? (N=403) Age
Race
According to the 2010 US Census, the racial makeup of the County is 52.1% black or African American, 43.2% white, and 4.7% other. Whites are overrepresented in our participant pool by 11 percentage points whereas blacks/African-Americans are under-represented by 17 percentage points.
Participants were fairly evenly distributed across different age groups, with the exception of the “75+� category which made up less than 1% of our respondents. Over half of the respondents are 34 years old or younger.
What is your ZIP Code? (N=180) An additional 13% of respondents live in zip codes outside of the Macon-Bibb County boundaries.
7% 16% 13% 23%
3%
26%
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Transportation Behavior & Attitudes Q1. What is your primary mode of transportation? (N=236) Multiple choice question.
OTHER
68%
15%
10%
5%
2%
Our data is skewed towards those who already use active transportation because we hosted some engagements in places like Terminal Station and community centers where there is a high proportion of low-income and young people who cannot drive.
Q2. One a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your typical commute? (N=236) Multiple choice question.
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
6%
11%
25%
34%
very poor
9 - 10
very good
23%
82% of respondents rate their commutes as average to very good. Q3. Would you consider switching transportation modes? (N=75) Yes/no question.
75%
Yes
25%
No
Q4. Would you support spending more on walking and cycling infrastructure if it meant spending less on driving infrastructure? (N=75) Yes/no question.
84%
Yes
16%
No
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Q5. What are the main challenges with your commute? Open ended question. (N=140)
Top 5 answers: 1. Poor walking and biking infrastructure (30%)
Even though most respondents drive on a regular basis, nearly one third of them felt that lack of safe walking and biking infrastructure posed the biggest challenge to their commute. Respondents were frustrated with “the lack of ability to get around without driving”. They expressed a desire to walk, bike, or take transit but felt that it was neither safe nor convenient.
2. Traffic (20%)
Respondents found traffic levels in Macon challenging, especially during rush hour along major connector routes and in downtown during lunch time.
3. Unsynchronized traffic lights (11%)
Drivers expressed frustration with “unnecessary” waiting at red lights. Aside from synchronizing the traffic lights, some respondents suggested using roundabouts as another way to solve this issue.
4. Reckless drivers (9%)
Reckless and fast driving on the roads negatively affected both drivers’ and non-drivers’ experiences of getting around in the city.
5. Lack of parking (9%)
Respondents said they have a hard time finding adequate parking, especially in the downtown area during peak hours.
“The only way to reach downtown by foot from here (North Macon) is to walk on a large area of Rivoli with no sidewalk or walk on a large area of Riverside with no sidewalk. I have walked both of these routes just to do it, but it surprises me how limited we are in walking from point A to B in the same town.”
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Q6. I would walk and bike more if... Multiple choice question. (N=120) Sidewalks and bike lanes improved
There were more places to go nearby
My neighborhood was safer
I had more time
OTHER
47%
16%
25%
6%
7%
Q7. Which of the following bike lanes would you feel most comfortable biking on? Multiple choice question. (N=263) Bike lane with planter barrier
59%
Bike lane with parked car barrier
10%
Bike lane with elevated grade
9%
Brightly painted bike lane
18%
Striped bike lane
3%
Residents prefer the option of a planter barrier, which offers the highest level of separation from cars. The second most preferred option is a brightly painted bike lane with a wide buffer zone.
“I would love it if Vineville, which is one of the streets I travel most on by car, were bike friendly. There is no shoulder at all. Bike lanes on Vineville would open up a huge section of the city to me and I would absolutely bike more.�
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Q8. What streets in Macon should be the first to get bike lanes? Open ended question. (N=107)
Top 5 answers: 1. Cherry Street (14%) 2. Vineville/Forsyth Avenue (10%) 3. College Street (9%) 4. Poplar Street (8%) 5. Martin Luther King Boulevard (7%)
In total, 74% of suggested streets were located in the urban core.
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Ideas for a More Connected Macon Q9. What are your favorite places to visit in Macon? Open ended question. (N=591)
Top 5 overall answers: 1. Tattnall Square Park (10%) 2. Amerson Waterworks Park (9%) 3. Downtown (8%) 4. Cherry Street (5%) 5. Ocmulgee Heritage Trail (4%) MAP 1.1. Urban core with favorite places indicated.
70% of participants’ favorite places are located within the urban core. Prominent ‘favorite places’ that are located outside of the core and do not appear in the above map include Amerson Waterworks Park (9% of all votes), Ingleside Village (3%), and Macon Mall (2%). Page 12
Q10. What do you like the most about your neighborhood? Open ended question. (N=170)
Top 5 answers: 1. Walkability and accessibility to amenities (26%) 2. Friendly people (15%) 3. It’s quiet and quaint (12%) 4. Lots of trees and shade (10%) 5. Historic architecture (10%) Q11. What other public space improvements can better connect residents and/ or neighborhoods in Macon? Open-ended question. (N=266)
Top 5 answers: 1. Sidewalks (15%) 2. Parks and play areas (14%) 3. Bike lanes (11%) 4. More food and retail businesses (6%) 5. Traffic calming measures e.g. roundabouts, lower speed limits, etc. (5%) Q12. Which of these small scale parks would you like to see in Macon? Multiple-choice question. (N=466) Pop up sports facilities
22%
Parklets
18%
Pocket park for quiet recreation
35%
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Painted pedestrian Public BBQ areas plaza
18%
7%
Q12. What makes you feel connected in Macon? Open-ended question via Listening Post. (N=23)
Through the Listening Post’s texting service, we reached a smaller pool of 23 people who were asked more broadly about what makes them feel connected. None of the answers touch on mobility, but they all refer to community events or places in the city where people can come together. These answers help supplement the more pointed questions about mobility in Macon by painting a picture of how Maconites’ form connections and a sense of community.
“I feel connected when there are events where streets are closed off, yoga in parks, music in parks, movies outside downtown.”
“I feel connected anytime I’m on Cherry Street.”
“Walkable events help me to feel connected with my community. When walking around the city center (in Macon’s case: downtown) the layout feels more cohesive and I’m more engaged with my fellow community members.”
“I feel connected to Macon when I am in a space like downtown where so many diverse parts of Macon come together...or when at an event like Bragg Jam or Cherry Blossom which brings people out and onto the streets and shows off our pride in our city and southern culture.”
“Basketball makes me feel connected. This city needs to open gyms back up to the public for more than just two hours a day”
“I feel connected through worship and faith.”
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Q13. What makes you feel isolated in Macon? Open-ended question via Listening Post. (N=23)
While no one made mention of transportation in Q12, when we asked residents what makes them feel isolated, many of the responses touched on the lack of transportation options in Macon.
“I feel disconnected from Macon when I wait for a bus for an hour, unmarked bus stops, inability to get a cab b4 6am, walking in the street because there’s no sidewalk, no bus service on Sunday or holidays. If u r improverished there is definitely a disconnect and an added hardship.”
“Unnecessary violence and poor public transportation makes me feel isolated.”
“I feel isolated when I feel decisions are being made by a small group of people without the input of the majority of the community.
“In North Macon without a car, I’m pretty isolated.”
“I feel isolated because Macon is still one of the Southern attitude cities that sees blacks as something scary and also inferior.”
“Public transportation still has a reputation of being just for some...not for all.”
“I feel isolated when I see that foot traffic is mainly centered around events and is not a community norm.”
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Analysis of What We Heard 1. When it comes to mobility, Macon residents want options. 1.1. Residents are not driving because they want to but because they have to. 68% of our respondents drive as their main mode of transportation, most of whom rated their daily commutes positively. Despite the overall positive attitudes residents have towards their commutes, 75% of respondents are interested in switching transportation modes. It’s clear that Macon residents want options aside from driving. Given the absence of sidewalks in many neighborhoods and lack of on-street bike lanes throughout the county, walking and biking currently are not viable options for most people.
“Even if I wanted to bike to work, I would never feel safe because of the roads I would have to take to get from my home in North Macon to my office in Downtown Macon.”
1.4. 84% of Macon residents support spending more on walking and biking infrastructure, even if it means spending less on driving infrastructure.
1.2. There is a direct link between feeling ‘isolated’ and lack of mobility options. When we asked (via The Listening Post) what makes people feel most connected in Macon, most of the answers referred to large-scale events (e.g. Cherry Blossom Festival, Bragg Jam) that bring people from across the region together. A lot of answers also mentioned feeling connected when they are in walkable areas (e.g. Downtown, Cherry Street) where there are lots of other people. However, when we asked those same people what makes them feel isolated, many of the answers directly touched on mobility challenges, e.g. living outside of the urban core without a car, long waiting times for public transportation, and the isolated feeling of walking along long stretches of roads without sidewalks.
1.3. The number one challenge for commuters in Macon is the lack of walking and biking infrastructure.
(68%) drive to work/school, 30% of all respondents cited lack of safe walking and biking infrastructure as their main commuting challenge. “Traffic” was the second most popular answer, with 20% of responses. Respondents expressed that improved pedestrian infrastructure, such as more visible crosswalks, would improve both the walking and driving experience, as it would discourage jaywalking among pedestrians and speeding among other drivers. Beyond that, respondents expressed frustration that driving is often the only option in Macon.
There is strong support for greater spending on walking and biking infrastructure due to the lack of existing walking and biking infrastructure in the city, especially outside of the urban core. When asked to explain why they would support this policy, participants referred to various health, environmental, and economic benefits of walkable and bikeable communities. Moreover, when asked about what it is that people like most about their current neighborhoods, the number one response (with 23% of votes) was walkability and accessibility to amenities. “It helps make the city more liveable and beautiful to walk and bike. Macon definitely has to do something about the crime so people will want to walk/cycle and also feel safe.”
Even though a large majority of participants Page 16
2. Macon residents are concerned with safety and accessibility
2.2. New bike lanes must be protected so that residents feel safe using them.
2.1. Build safe walking and biking infrastructure and they will come. We asked residents what would compel them to walk more. 47% of them responded “if sidewalks and bike lanes were improved”. In second place with 25% was “if my neighborhood was safer”. The desire for better infrastructure greatly outweighed fears of criminal activity, the desire for amenities within walking distance, and any other concern.
When given the option of five types of bike lanes, 59% of respondents preferred the bike lane that uses planters as barriers because it provides the most physical separation from cars. The second most popular option, with 18% of votes, was a green-painted bike lane with a 4-foot painted buffer zone. Given residents’ real and perceived concerns about the dangers of biking on Macon’s streets, the more protected cyclists are from vehicular traffic, the more likely residents of all ages and abilities will feel secure using the bike infrastructure. A painted striped bike lane, which received just 3% of votes, is not recommended since it will only appeal to more advanced riders rather than the general population.
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2.3. New bike lanes must connect residents to where they want to go. One of the recommendations that came out of the Macon Action Plan was to create a bike network linking downtown to the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail. Through the Macon Connects engagements, we asked residents to identify priority streets for bike lanes. Interestingly, the top 5 corridors that residents chose largely correlated with the Macon Action Plan’s proposed downtown bike loop. These top five priority corridors also happen to connect Macon residents’ favorite places (70% of which are located in the urban core) to one another.
Macon residents’ favorite places overlayed with top 5 priority bike corridors
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3. Make it Easy for People to Use Public Transit 3.1. Implementing small-scale improvements to the public transit experience. We spoke to 35 people at the Terminal Station, most of whom rely on the MTA as their primary mode of transportation. Many of the participants recognized that significant improvements to Macon’s transit system would require more funding than what is likely available. However, we found that the majority of riders’ suggestions were relatively small in scale and achievable in the short-term. These improvements would not only help existing users, but would make riding the bus more intuitive and welcoming for new riders. 1. Improve signage and wayfinding at bus stops and Terminal Station. Many of the digital signs on Macon’s buses no longer work, making it difficult for transit users to identify their bus. A temporary but effective solution is to put up a poster with the name of the route on the side window of the bus, visible to those waiting at the bus stop. Bus stops should start displaying route maps and schedule information otherwise it will be difficult for those who are new to public transit to understand how to navigate the system. Additionally, the route maps that are distributed at Terminal Station are difficult to understand. By updating the design with friendly colors and a clear route map, any transit user, new or experienced, should be able to use it. 2. Provide shade and seating at bus stops. Many of the bus stops are marked just by an MTA pole, without a shade structure or place to rest. Waiting for the bus is especially difficult in summer when temperatures can exceed 100 degrees. In order to dignify the transit experience, especially for those with disabilities, children, and the elderly, bus stops must be designed with shade and comfort in mind.
3. Experiment with providing bus service on Sundays. Many of those who rely on the bus work low-wage, service jobs on the weekends. Without bus service on Sundays, they must walk long distances, find other ways to get to their job, or forgo certain job opportunities altogether. Transit riders who have Sundays off would like to use the bus to run errands but can’t. Testing out limited Sunday service on the most popular routes could greatly expand opportunities for those who rely on the MTA to get around Macon.
4. Provide residents with more small-scale active and passive recreation opportunities. 4.1. Leverage existing parks and public spaces with events and creative programming. Residents feel most connected when they gather in communal spaces. The outdoor movies we hosted as part of the Macon Connects Ideas Festival were very successful and proved that there is demand for these sorts of activations. There are already many existing small green spaces in Macon that can be programmed to invite either passive or active recreation. In fact, when presented with a choice of five different types of small-scale urban parks, the “pocket park” for quiet recreation received the highest proportion of votes (34%). Greater investment in programming these small green spaces can help build stronger connections within and between neighborhoods.
4.2. Move from talking to doing. Given all the work that’s been done in Macon in the past few years, it’s clear that people are excited and interested in public space issues. The SPLOST fund provides a unique opportunity to use this momentum, invest in public spaces, and demonstrate to people that they’ve been heard.
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Next Steps Building the Minimum Bike Grid and More The community engagement process demonstrated that residents are very supportive of investing in safer walking and biking infrastructure. Phase 2 (“Street Makeover”) of the Macon Connects initiative will prototype and bring to life many of the ideas that we heard at the community engagement events. The minimum bike grid will serve as the centerpiece of these on-street prototypes. After assessing respondents’ bike lane preferences and gaining a fuller understanding of residents’ favorite destinations, the Macon Connects team will build a pop-up minimum grid that will run along the streets depicted in the map below.
Cherry Street Forsyth Avenue College Street Poplar Street 5th Street Oglethorpe Street Riverside Drive
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