Downtown Woodlawn’s 1st Avenue South has been transformed with the implementation of a street-calming pilot project called “The Road Diet.”
This initiative has redesigned the streetscape, reducing the roadway from four lanes to two and adding pedestrian crosswalks, stop signs, new signage, on-street parking and a dedicated two-way bike lane. Two traffic signals have also been converted into all-way stops to enhance safety and accessibility.
The project represents a comprehensive effort to improve the community along with enhancing safety and accessibility by redesigning 1st Avenue South to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and individuals with disabilities. By transforming the area with new crosswalks, bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly features, the initiative not only increases accessibility but also aims to make the neighborhood more attractive and marketable.
The Birmingham Department of Transportation, the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association, REV Birmingham and the Alabama Urbanists Coalition collaborated on the project in conjunction with the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama. ASF of Alabama fellows Faris Zaibaq, a second-year medical student at UAB School of Medicine, and Ethan Madison, a second-year periodontal resident through the UAB School of Dentistry, were project leaders and led the work recently with the assistance of 15 first-year UAB medical students who volunteered. Zaibaq and Madison also are vice chairman and treasurer, respectively, with AUC.
“The goal of this street-calming initiative is to transform 1st Avenue South in downtown Woodlawn into the neighborhood street it was always meant to be — a safe, quiet street for residents to get around the neighborhood which also invites commuters to and from the rest of Birmingham,” said Madison.
James Fowler, city traffic engineer and director of the Birmingham Department of Transportation, emphasized the project’s priorities. “The street redesign project focuses on encouraging walkability, public transportation and biking. The reason we’re doing this project now is that it has been requested by community leaders in the Woodlawn neighborhood. The idea is to test it out and if it works well, we can keep it long-term.”
Avondale resident Jovana Charles, 27, a remote project management professional who was working from the Woodlawn Market Place coffee shop last Friday, expressed excitement for safer travel for cyclists.
“I love that they are connecting different parts of the city. I like to walk around from place to place and I think it’s going to be nice to be able to move around more freely,” he said. “I’m a big fan of the bike lanes and look forward to biking more now that it’ll be safer.”
Alice Yeates, who volunteers at the 55th Place Thrift Store, said she thought the project was “wonderful.”
“Woodlawn needs the attention. Woodlawn needs to be noticed and brought to the forefront of all of Birmingham. People don’t even know we’re here,” she said. “It (Woodlawn) has had a bad reputation in the past but we’re getting a lot of great businesses around here and we’re trying to bring it back up to standards that people will feel safe to come over here and shop and participate in the activities we have in this area.
Broad Coalition Put Together
Zaibaq highlighted their collaboration with various urban planning organizations and community leaders. “We have found very eager and cooperative partners with the Birmingham Department of Transportation, and our project has taken better shape after many conversations with the director, James Fowler, and transportation manager Forrest Johnson.”
Costs for the project were shared, Fowler said. “The materials and city employee labor were provided by the city of Birmingham; however, there was a substantial amount of support provided by volunteers. In particular, Ethan Madison, Faris Zaibaq and Jason Avery (Woodlawn Neighborhood Association president) helped by leading most of the upfront community engagement and project planning.
“Additionally, there was further planning and technical support from the staff at REV Birmingham. … Volunteer students from UAB and from the Alabama Urbanists Coalition helped with roadway painting, traffic control and even trash pickup along the corridor,” he said
What Is a ‘Road Diet?’
Zaibaq explained the concept of the road being on a diet.
“The plan involves taking the four lanes of car traffic on the street and converting one into a bi-directional bike path and converting a second into a parking lane. This removes two lanes of vehicle traffic and places on-street parking between the moving cars and the cyclists, providing much-needed space for cyclists and protection from higher vehicle speeds,” he said.
First Avenue South is home to the Christ Health Center medical facility, the Christ Health-Live Oaks mental health clinic and a senior living apartment community. Madison noted, “Many of the residents go to Christ Health and have a hard time crossing the street because of speeding cars. Part of the plan is to make that crosswalk more visible and install a stop sign.”
Zaibaq and Madison chose to take on the street redesign for their year-long project as ASF fellows. ASF is a health care service-based fellowship program that aims to address social disparities and improve the health and quality of life for Alabama communities through free and mobile health clinics, food banks, high school educational programs and improved access and accessibility.
Kristin Boggs, ASF of Alabama executive director, said the group’s mission is to equip students who have an idea and a passion for seeing an unmet need in the community met with resources and change.
“This is one of 14 projects we have happening right now, not only in Birmingham but also in a couple of other cities around the state. Our work is about finding graduate students who see themselves as leaders not only in their clinical discipline but also in addressing social determinants of health. They are studying dentistry, medicine and other health-related fields, and while they’re in graduate school they agree to take on a service project over a year and that’s what (Zaibaq and Madison) have chosen to do because they see the impact related to what the environment and transportation can have on health,” Boggs said.
Enhancing Walkability and Commuter Friendliness
Madison emphasized the importance of increased walkability in the area. “The Birmingham Express and MAX transit stops are right behind us, Woodlawn High School is across the street, a pre-school sits on 1st Avenue South and 55th Place South, and REV Birmingham’s SocialVenture (a co-working/meeting space) is here, along with several other businesses on the avenue.”
Fowler said the changes the Road Diet will bring to the area “match up well with the major investment we’ve (BDOT) made with Bus Rapid Transit. Woodlawn has the east permanent station for the Bus Rapid Transit and we want to make that area as walkable as we can,” he said.
Avery sees the Road Diet pilot as a continuation of a previous safety initiative. “About six or so years ago, we participated in a ‘Complete Streets’ pilot with REV Birmingham and, interestingly, the plan for the street redesign mirrors our attempts back then. We see this installation as an extension and evolution of that pilot,” Avery said.
Stop and Stay Awhile
Slowing traffic through Woodlawn’s commercial core has many benefits, Avery said. “From increasing safety for all to allowing those driving through to have an opportunity to slow down and see all the excitement going on in Woodlawn… (the changes) will improve the quality of life for residents and visitors in Woodlawn.”
He continued, “The addition of dedicated bike lanes will allow those traveling through our commercial core to experience all that Woodlawn has to offer as safely as possible. The additional parking will allow more visitors to enjoy our business district as well.”
Jonathan Crain, a project manager at REV Birmingham, believes the Road Diet will increase Woodlawn’s accessibility and area attraction.
“First and foremost, I hope it’s going to improve safety,” Crain said. “There was a Woodlawn resident recently killed in a traffic collision. I ride my bike to work every day, so I’m excited to see the project come to fruition, but I also think it will increase the marketability as we bring more destinations to Woodlawn. Urban districts like this need to feel walkable and accessible so you can park your car once and do multiple things.”
In recent weeks, the D’Trespa Consignment Shop on 1st Avenue South was hit by a drunk driver, breaking several front windows and the supporting brick structure on the building.
Owner LaRoyce Marsh said getting reopened is a cumbersome task. “I’m temporarily closed until the repairs are completed. Although the building was heavily damaged, we were lucky that no inventory was damaged, it was all structural,” said Marsh.
Marsh is optimistic about reopening and thinks the Road Diet will benefit her business and others. “You have people hesitant to cross the street from 55th Place South because the traffic is so fast, so I think that this will help the businesses in the area get more walking traffic.”
Solomon Crenshaw Jr. contributed to this story.
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