I live in the St. Cloud area by the zoo. I love running every morning, and I often run on the trails. South Mountain is super convenient to get to.
But it is frustratingly hard to get up to Eagle Rock Reservation on foot from my house.
To prove that point, I ran the route yesterday morning during rush hour. It’s only three miles, but the majority of the route has no sidewalks and the stretch of Prospect with access to I-280 is particularly sketchy.
Areas of Concern Along the Route
I started on Northfield near my house. I proceeded east, turned onto Prospect, and followed that all the way up to Eagle Rock. The map below highlights the areas that are problematic.
From the get go, there’s a short stretch of Northfield that is an issue. If you head east from Rock Spring Ave, the sidewalk disappears at the driveway to the water company. Once you get to Walker Road, there’s nothing but grass on the side of the road.
After that turn, the rest of Northfield is fine. But shortly after you turn onto Prospect, the sidewalk disappears. It’s only there in the first block between Northfield and Benvenue. The first section of Prospect isn’t that busy, and it’s wide enough to not feel unsafe. But that changes once you pass Old Indian Road.
Between Old Indian Road and Route 10, there are no sidewalks and the road is narrow. There’s a very thin shoulder – not big enough for a bike – and you’re going to have cars whizzing by you at a steady clip. Once you get to the intersection of Route 10, there’s a traffic light, but there are no walk signs to let you know when you have the right of way.
The next stretch past Essex Green is fine, although there is a small section south of Essex Green where the sidewalk disappears. But once you get past the shopping center, things get dicey.
That interchange between Prospect and I-280 was not designed with pedestrians in mind at all. It’s not just that there are no sidewalks. The whole traffic pattern is very confusing between all of the criss-crossing streets. And bizarrely enough, when you get to the north end there is a sidewalk that just terminates. If you were walking south towards the area, the sidewalk just goes nowhere.
The last stretch of Prospect is fine, although the area is very busy during rush hour. I waited for quite some time to cross Prospect in front of OSPAC, and I waited again to cross Eagle Rock to get to the entrance to the Reservation.
Why This Matters to West Orange
On a personal note, it’s annoying that I can’t simply run to Eagle Rock Reservation from my house. But there’s a broader issue here that impacts West Orange.
Both of these roads – Northfield Ave and Prospect Ave – are busy county roads. They cut through the heart of West Orange, and it’s hard to get around without traveling along one of them.
Northfield isn’t as bad, but Prospect Ave is very unfriendly towards both pedestrians and cyclists. This street not only connects the southern half of West Orange to Eagle Rock. It is also the main frontage of Essex Green – which includes our library.
It might be a long walk, but it’s not a far bike ride. Kids should be able to get to Essex Green and the library on their bikes. But as it is, I doubt many parents would be comfortable with their kids riding up there.
I often spend time in Florida visiting my wife’s family. And it seems wild to me that Florida – a state where no one wants to walk anywhere because of the heat – has more pedestrian friendly interchanges with the interstate. Anywhere I-95 intersects a major road, there are sidewalks, lights, and crosswalks.
This is just one example of a major county road that needs improvements for West Orange to be accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. Along with Pleasant Valley Way, these three roads were rated the least walkable when our Complete Streets concept plan was put together back in 2015.
In the last decade, little if any progress has been made on the improvements proposed in that plan. But that plan and our Vision Zero Action Plan provide guidance on how to improve things. I would make it a priority to work with the county to see those plans come to life.
If you have thoughts about how to make our streets safer, get in touch and let me know.