Downtown bump-out project, successful street event closure set stage for more walkability

The painted bump-outs that popped up across downtown late this summer are gone, and now the process of analyzing what was learned from them begins.

While you still might see colorful patches of asphalt around downtown, the stick-like installations that helped define the bump-outs proved not to have a very long shelf life.

Downtown Sioux Falls Inc. soon will be taking down the few remaining delineators, but most already were taken out by vehicles clipping them, said Brandon Hanson, vice president of Downtown Sioux Falls Inc.

“They’re beautiful, but they were a little hard to see and blended in with everything else,” he said.

The bigger purpose, though, is still being realized. The idea behind installing bump-outs, which was supported through a grant from AARP, was to show how the installations encouraged more pedestrian activity downtown.

People did take notice, the initial data shows.

“From DTSF’s perspective, they were being used, and according to our foot traffic reports, foot traffic is up, so we saw people use them to get across streets,” Hanson said. “I think it was overall a success. And I think we also learned where not to put them, which is also valuable information.”

The bump-outs included three on 10th Street, three on 11th Street, one on 12th Street and Second Avenue by the post office, one on Ninth Street and Phillips Avenue, one at Seventh Street and Phillips, and two on Eighth Street.

The city of Sioux Falls’ traffic division helped by putting out traffic and speed counters. Data on what that looked like before, during and after the bump-out project is still being finalized.

A final report will be shared with the city and related boards so that bump-outs can be considered in future projects, Hanson said.

“I think there’s high value in it,” he said. “I think there was initial confusion, concern maybe about whether we were taking away parking spaces, and we were careful not to do that at all. Walkability doesn’t mean anti-car. It means pro-car and pro-pedestrian. … We’re trying to help it be a space for everybody.”

Another walkability initiative last weekend also showed promising success, he said.

For the monthly First Friday event, DTSF worked with the city to close Phillips Avenue between Ninth and 10th streets to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment during the Art & Wine Walk.

“We had a huge turnout,” Hanson said. “We had a couple businesses specifically reach out and say they’d never been busier.”

With support from AARP, DTSF coordinated live performances in the area and retained shoppers for the business owners, he said.

“It was a short block with minimal impact on parking, so it was an easy way to start with it,” Hanson said. “They (AARP) collected a lot of data for us, and they will share that information with us as well.”