By Age-Friendly Carbondale
For the past three weeks we’ve examined places where non-motorized users have created dangerous “social trails” across Highway 133. This week, we’ll begin examining signalized crossings, starting with Cowen Drive and working our way south.
Cowen is a significant intersection. TheCowen Center gas station with a market, animal hospital, offices, shops and restaurants in and near it, two motels (and alot zoned for a third motel) constitute the north entrance to commercial Carbondale. A mobile home park on the west side feeds motorized and non-motorized traffic into and across 133.
The crosswalk on the south side of Cowen has a useractivated signal, but crossing time is too short for mobility-limited users. Thankfully, a refuge island slated for installation in 2024 will remediate that issue. The signal, like all user-operated crossing signals in Carbondale, lacks but needs visible and auditory indicators to reassure pedestrians that it is flashing and inform them when it stops.
Cowen Drive is a designated priority corridor leading to the town core via Eighth Street, meaning we encourage people to walk that way. Of great concern is 80 feet of missing sidewalk on Cowen’s south side, forcing cyclists and pedestrians coming to and from the crosswalk into the street precisely where cars and trucks make right turns from 133 onto Cowen without having to stop. Completing the sidewalk would eliminate this very dangerous situation.
The path on 133’s east side provides access for cyclists and pedestrians to and from the popular Red Hill Recreation Area. At Cowen, they cross four lanes of traffic, with northbound cars making right turns without stopping and southbound cars making left turns. A signalized crossing on Cowen Drive would eliminate the danger.
Northbound 133 changes from a single to a two-lane highway at the Village Road light, enticing drivers heading for Highway 133 to increase their speed along that stretch of road. Many are looking to the distant Highway 82 traffic signal; when it is green, increased speeds become even more likely. With their focus on the more distant objective, the yellow crosswalk signal could easily be missed or ignored. Lowering the 133 speed limit and installing traffic calming features would significantly reduce this danger. With cars being permitted to make right and left turns from Cowen and from both directions on 133, the non-signaled intersection can be confusing. It has a history of producing automobile accidents that could easily ensnare pedestrians. Lowering vehicle speeds on 133 would reduce these risks as well.
To our knowledge, there have been no fatalities or major injuries at the Cowen/133 intersection yet, but much needs to be done to maximize pedestrian and cyclist safety there.