Placemaking 101: Straight Outta Compton

Roswell Parks & Rec.. we love you.. but do you love us??  Your fence tells me you don't.

The fence at Roswell Area Park Pool is definitely meant to keep people out.

Could our parks and rec department, the best in the state, do a better job of placemaking?  I've written before about their obsession with the Security Alert signs.  

Makes me feel so welcome and safe.

On the topic of fences, I truly think we could do better evidenced by the Sunnyside Gus Ryder Pool fence in Toronto.

The fence still exists and a person who climbs this and enters the pool is not the responsibility of the city at that point.Seriously, you would think our parks were straight outta compton with the barbed wire and the Security Alert signs.  

NO MOTOR VEHICLES

I noticed this sign heading west from Riverside Park along the walking and biking trail.  We must have a massive problem with motorized vehicles on the mixed-use path because this is a pretty big sign.  It's 2' by 2' and you can't miss it.  Does it really need to be that big?

The problem I have with it is twofold.. first, is it really necesary?  I'm not sure there's a motorized vehicle problem on the riverside trail and I doubt the problem is absent because of the signs.  It's absent because people inherently know that motorized vehicles don't belong on a riverside trail.  

If the sign is necessary, why not make it the same size as the truly unnecessary 'CAUTION BOARDWALK AHEAD' sign that's about 100 yards up the path.  This one is one quarter the size of the NO MOTOR VEHICLES sign and fits better into a park setting.

We really need to stop polluting our city with pointless signs, and if we must scar the scenery with metal signage, we should make an effort to reduce the impact on the visual landscape.  Oh yeah, I almost forgot.  Proceed with caution, there's a boardwalk ahead and this park closes at dark for YOUR safety. 

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Stop the Madness: No Right, One Way, Do Not Enter

Why do we feel the need to over sign our built enviroment?  Drivers.. we would like for you to know the following...

1. This street is a one way street.
2. If you are unsure of what that means, it means that you cannot make a right turn here.
3. If you have somehow missed that, you may also see the DO NOT ENTER sign on the right side of the road.
4. If you have missed the DO NOT ENTER sign, you are now driving down a narrow street with very little traffic that is perfectly suited to be a two way street.

Redundant Signs in front of home in the historic Mill Village. So picturesque.Triple stamping the double stamp. Even more sign redundancy in the historic Mill Village.

Stop the Madness: Bicycle Riding Dogs?

Fear not ATLiens.  The Piedmont Park Conservancy has rid the jogging loop of one of the most perilous of park nuisances.  There will be NO Bicycle Riding Dogs henceforth on the jogging loop.

Norman the Bicycle Riding Dog.. you are no longer welcome here.

Hat tip to my brother in law, Krish Dhokia, for the pic.

And the Award for Least Imaginative Building Goes to...

It's hard to imagine a building that is less imaginative than this one which is proposed for 1275 Alpharetta Hwy.  I think the last picture pretty much sums it up.  I guess it's hard putting lipstick on a pig.  Do we need another used car dealer on Alpharetta Hwy?

images: roswellgov.com

Stop the Madness: Anxiously Awating...

I'm excited to announce that we soon be unveiling a brand new road sign at the Canton Street, Magnolia, Atlanta Street intersection.  I can't imagine one additional sign that is necessary at this intersection.  However,  the ceremonial removal of that black garbage bag will undoubtedly usher in a new era of safety at this intersection.  As an aside.. do we really need two sign posts here for GA 9 North and GA 120 East?  Stop the insanity.. seriously!

 

Stop the Madness: Stop 4 Pedestrians x3

On Windward Parkway, they really love their pedestrians.  At least at the Marconi Dr entrance to the Ryder building they do..  First, we have a crosswalk which should be the first indication to anyone driving that a pedestrian has the right of way.  However, drivers obviously don't know the rules of the road any longer so we had to invent the little stand up signs to remind the drivers.  Then

Windward and Marconi Triple Pedestrian Reminder

I'm guessing there was an accident at this spot that influenced the decision to put three signs withn 15 feet of eachother.  It's my opinion that one well placed sign could probably do the trick and the other two could be better used at other parts of the intersection or neighboring intersections.  

Stop the Madness: Mowed Down

This is an update from our previous 4 of a Kind post.  Apparently, East Cobb drivers hate these signs as much as I do and they've been taking matters into their own hands to clean up our oversigned streets.  Seriously, these two signs were within a half mile of each other near the Avenue East Cobb.  Median Signs Beware!  Drivers in East Cobb don't like you.

This one didn't even have a chance.An up close look at the carnage.

I wonder how this one felt as the driver rolled over him.

Just in Case You Were Curious about Trout Streams

Seriously..  Is this sign really necessary?  It's right along the path along Azalea Dr.  I highly doubt we will have anyone just dropping some development right there.  This belongs in a zoning code and not in the public realm in the middle of one of Roswell's most used amenities.

Stop the Madness: Stay Off the Chimney

If you have visited Overlook Park in Sandy Springs, you may have noticed that there is an old chimney that is a relic from a long gone house that was once part of the property.  It's actually quite decorative.  However, for the longest time, I felt something just wasn't right.  It was odd to look at it just sitting there as it had for decades without a sign in front of it.  Thankfully, someone has fixed that problem.