Livable Streets Community News: Accessible Grocery Stores & More

How can ped access to grocery stores like Kroger be improved? Image via Wikipedia.

Our New York readers who’ve been keeping close tabs on the stalled MTA rescue will want to check out the South Bronx Livable Streets group this week, where Susan Donovan has been blogging about the saga, including yesterday’s protest at Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr.’s office. The group is also a great place to join up with others working on issues such as waterfront access in the Lower Concourse rezoning.

Elsewhere, Maura McCormick in Dayton, Ohio shares this success story about improving pedestrian access to her local grocery store:

Many months ago I submitted a comment to Kroger via their website
asking them to make a safer, more accessible path between their store and the Route 12 bus stop to
the east. Currently, one must walk either through a drainage ditch,
behind some bushes in the entrance for cars or climb over a mound.
There is no way to get to or from this stop safely and easily walking,
let alone pushing a cart or in a wheelchair.

The store manager has been working to address her request, and she’s just received word that a new sidewalk between the bus stop and the store is probably on the way. Maura’s fired up for more…

I am very encouraged by this victory and would like to ask for more changes from more grocery stores, grade them on the availability and quality of car-free access they offer after they’ve had some time to respond to our requests and send out a press release with all of their grades and an explanation.

She’s asking people to respond to her through her discussion topic, What are your grocery store car-free access problems?

Wrapping up this week, a group of University of Chicago undergrads have started Chicago Open Space Study to post field notes, photos, and observations of Millennium Park. They’ve chosen this space because “it is the newest and most acclaimed public space in Chicago [and] has a history of criticism for its cost and — as some claim — pervasive security measures.” They welcome others to comment on their experience of the park as well.