Deer Park Neighborhood

Deer Park Car Free Guide

Article in the Courier Journal

Deer Park man advocates break from the fast lane with guide to car-free life

By CHRISTOPHER HALL
Special to The Courier-Journal
Tim Darst of Deer Park waited for a bus on Bardstown Road. "One of the advantages of walking and taking the bus is you get to meet a lot of different people," he said. Tim Darst has created this brochure to advocate walking, taking the bus or riding a bike instead of driving a car.

When Tim Darst was growing up in the Deer Park neighborhood, he walked or rode the bus to most places. He walked to his grade school, nearby St. Francis of Assisi; he rode the bus to St. Xavier High School on Poplar Level Road; and he walked to nearby Bellarmine College.
As he got older, though, Darst began relying more and more on an automobile to get around town — until recently, that is.
Darst, who not long ago went back to using the bus, his feet or his bike to get most places, has shared what he sees as the benefits of less automotive dependence. He recently produced and distributed 2,000 copies of a brochure called "A Car Free Guide to the Deer Park Neighborhood."
"One of the advantages of walking and taking the bus is you get to meet a lot of different people," he said. "It helps build more community. ... When you're in your car, you're pretty much sheltered from everybody else, in your own little cocoon. When you're on the bus you have chances to meet, talk to people, get to know people."
THE BROCHURE, a full-color, 12-page glossy work, includes a map of the bus routes in the area, tips on how best to use the bus service, and advice on good and safe bicycle routes in the Highlands. Donations from the Deer Park Neighborhood Association, local businesses, the Transit Authority of River City and Metro Council member Tom Owen helped cover the cost of producing the brochure, Darst said. He distributed the brochures throughout the East End neighborhood.
Darst said he hopes the guide encourages people to consider healthy alternatives to driving.
He also hopes to produce car-free guides to the Belknap and Bonnycastle neighborhoods next year, and possibly follow those with guides to the Clifton and Crescent Hill areas.
Going back to walking, cycling and traveling by bus simplified his life when he needed a change, Darst said.
"I used to feel like I was always rushing, always trying to get places quickly in my car, and it seemed like more stress," he said. "Taking the bus makes you slow down. You have to go by the bus schedule."
The big advantages of slowing down, Darst said, have been finding a different pace to life and increasing his sense of community. He also has found himself in better physical shape than he has been in for a while, he said.
Walking more and driving less also has increased his interaction with his neighbors, Darst said. He frequently stops and talks to them on his way to or from the bus stop or walking home from church on Sundays.
"It binds the community together more," he said.
Darst, an accountant who lives on Quadrant Avenue, usually takes TARC's No.29 Eastern Parkway bus to and from his office in St. Matthews.
If he has a business meeting downtown, he has several bus options, including coming home first and taking the No.17 Bardstown Road bus into the business district.
"It's really convenient," he said.
DARST DOES have a car, and he drives occasionally, so he is not advocating the abolition of the auto. He just thinks people would be better off stretching their legs a little more, and he wants to help show how.
His wife, Angela Lincoln, has begun riding her bike to work. And his daughters, Victoria Darst and Stephanie Ruth, usually take the bus to their schools, Presentation Academy and the University of Louisville.
Tammy Markert, a member of the Deer Park Neighborhood Association Board, said response to the guide has been positive, and the organization is adding the brochure to its welcome packets for new neighbors.
Markert said she hopes the guide helps make people more aware of the readily available public transportation.
"It's a great idea. Everybody loves it," she said. "Now that they know about those things ... I think it will get more people out there."

CART presents: A Car Fee Guide to the Deer Park Neighborhood

WHY BE CAR FREE?

A car-free life can be a carefree life. Life without searching for parking spots, pumping the gas, waiting in traffic, getting speeding/parking tickets, and avoiding car repair/breakdowns can be less stressful and healthier. You don't have to be totally car-free to enjoy the benefits either. Being car-free for just one day can still make a difference. Imagine if everyone was car-free for just one day each week. That would be a 14% reduction in the pollution we create.

Environmental issues
Two-thirds of the driving we do comes from running errands and recreational activities. It detracts greatly from our air quality, deposits bits of rubber and rusted metal across our landscape and encourages our government officials to cover more of the earth with asphalt and concrete. Kentuckians, on average, put more miles on their cars per year (17,963) than residents of any other state.

Health benefits
There are people who drive miles to a health club where they pay a lot of money in order to ride a stationary bike or walk on a treadmill. We all know the benefits of exercise, such as lowering cholesterol, increasing blood flow. Better air quality on top of exercise means a longer, healthier car-free life.

Financial savings
Every year the average person spends $6000 to maintain an automobile. This includes the gas, oil, repairs, and insurance. Gas prices in the U.S. have increased 35.5% from 1991 to 2001.

Promotes community
When most people drive a car, the things they often say to other drivers aren't exactly pleasantries. However, when we ride the bus, we usually strike up conversations and get to know some of the other riders, especially those who get on or off the bus in our immediate neighborhood. When we walk or bike, we usually see and say hello to many people. The better we get to know our neighbors, the more of a community we become; a community where we look out for neighbors' houses when they're not home or for their kids when they are out playing.

Shop locally and think globally.
By trying to restrict your errands to those places that are within walking or biking distance, your are supporting local jobs and businesses and helping the environment as well. If you don't currently bank, get your hair cut, eat out, or go to church in the neighborhood, you may consider doing so.

Reduces stress
Sitting in traffic, getting stuck behind slow drivers, watching for those last cars that speed through the intersection after the light turns yellow-- these events don't get us to our destinations in a relaxed condition. They can leave us stressed and on the verge of road rage. Riding on the bus forces us to slow down. Biking and walking are relaxing. Since studies have shown a connection between our health and the amount of stress in our lives, a car-free life can be a longer life.

CAR-FREE ALTERNATIVES

Most people will not be able to do all of the car-free things mentioned here. It is our hope that the reader chooses one or two ideas and sets those as his or her goal. Maybe you could start out with a goal to be car free on Saturdays. You may pick another day of the week, or you may try being car free during the week and only use your car on weekends.

WALKING

From the tree-lined streets with their landscaped yards to Bardstown Road with its many sights, sounds and smells, the Deer Park neighborhood is a wonderful place to experience on foot. Walking to church, the bank, the beauty shop or barbershop, the farmer's market can be easy and enjoyable. Many of our neighbors already walk the neighborhood for exercise. Combining that exercise with a few errands can be a first step in reducing your dependence on your car. Make a list of the errands you need to run and then plan on taking a walk in your neighborhood on a regular basis. Review the list before you go, to see which errands you can do while on your walk. You may want to bring a backpack if any of the errands require you to carry things. Just remember to start slowly. If you're not used to walking don't over do it.

Set some goals or guidelines for yourself. Maybe you could walk on certain days. Maybe you could walk to all places within five or ten blocks of your house.

Grocery shopping can be difficult if you're used to shopping once a week for the entire week. You may have to shop more often and buy fewer items per trip. Save the heavy items for when you're driving that way anyway, e.g. the forty-pound bag of dog food, or the twenty-five pound bag of kitty litter. You may just find yourself buying less and saving some money. Do you really need that jumbo box of cookies? The ever popular two-wheeled carts work very well.

Some of the best experiences in walking include strolling along Bardstown Road Aglow, doing the Bambi Walk, and gawking at the Barnstable-Brown Derby Party.

BICYCLING

Bicycling through the Deer Park neighborhood provides the sensory experience of walking but also the speed and distance required for many of our errands. A warm summer night spent coasting down Rosedale Avenue with the constant breeze in your face and the smell of someone grilling out while the honeysuckle is in bloom is an experience to remember.

Bardstown Road is, of course, the center of activity that draws us to it whenever we go out for a walk. When riding a bike, it may not be the best route to take. A current Metro Louisville ordinance prohibits adults from riding bikes on sidewalks. Besides, the many dog walkers, shoppers, and skateboarders make it difficult and even dangerous at times to navigate the sidewalks. The street can be just as dangerous as cars speed by and parked cars line the strip. There are several parallel routes through the neighborhood that work very well and are much safer. To get from west to east, or vice-versa, you can take Fernwood Avenue, Rosedale Avenue, Hartman Avenue, Sewanee Avenue, and Boulevard Napoleon. Let's call this the east-west route. In addition to Bardstown Road, you should also avoid Norris Place and Douglass Boulevard because of the car traffic.

Biking to the grocery is easier than walking because you can use baskets, saddlebags and other attachments to help you carry home your purchases. Take a friend or significant other and share the load. Here are some suggested routes to area grocery stores:

To get to Kroger
Take the east-west route listed above as well as Yale Drive. Then go to Bardstown Road and take the sidewalk in front of the Bell South building. There's a bike rack in the front of the store to secure your bike.
To get to Winn-Dixie
Take the east-west route to Eastern Parkway; then it gets a little tricky. You have to decide between Bardstown Road or Baxter Avenue. There's also a circuitous route you can take from the light at Norris Place, right on Edenside Avenue to Day's Coffee parking lot and crossing Bardstown Road at the car wash. Follow the series of alleys on the north side that start at Edgeland Avenue. If you don't like the bumpy alleys, use Cherokee Road. There are bike racks in the front and back of Mid City Mall to secure your bike.
To get to Amazing Grace
Take the Winn-Dixie route and keep going. Be sure to take the alley, as opposed to Cherokee Parkway, once you get to Patterson Avenue. From the alley behind the store you can see the name on the building. Cut through the laundry parking lot and you're there. There's a bike rack in the front of the store to secure your bike.

Getting to the post office can be difficult because of the hills associated with Trevillian Way and the volume of car traffic at Doup's Point. Try crossing Bardstown Road at Wrocklage Avenue and going to Wallace Avenue before crossing Taylorsville Road. Better yet, get your stamps on the Internet at www.usps.com.
There is a learning curve when it comes to anything new. You will eventually become an expert when it comes to street names and where they lead. For instance, deciding which north-south street takes you to what store or restaurant on Bardstown Road.

Make sure you secure your bike when you leave it. There are only four bike racks available in the Deer Park neighborhood (Twig & Leaf, Qdoba, Sweet and Savory, and Better Days Records), so you will most probably need to improvise using a railing or pole. Jessie Weakley at the Loop Barbershop lets you take your bike inside when you get your hair cut. Many banks will let you use their drive-through window and avoid having to leave your bike at all.

Biking to work can be a great way to get your mental juices flowing and arrive at your job ready to go. We again recommend staying off the main car routes. Try the Beargrass Creek Bicycle Trail to take you to the waterfront from Cherokee Park. To get there, take the east-west route (see above) to Bonnycastle Avenue and take Barney Avenue to Cherokee Park. There are bike and pedestrian paths that take you around Cochran Hill. The park roads also have a bike and pedestrian lane that you can take to Lexington Road. The Beargrass Creek Trail starts at Lexington Road and Grinstead Drive near Jim Porter's.

Even if you don't work downtown you can still bike to work. Try it on a Saturday as a dry run. Every year one day in May is designated as "Ride Your Bike to Work Day" - there's your chance!

Follow these tips for safe bicycling:
? Follow the same rules you would if you were driving a car, e.g. stop signs, traffic lights, etc.
? Ride as far as possible to the right, but not too close to parked cars or the curb.
? Wear bright colored clothing, or reflectors and lights at night.
? Always wear a helmet.
? Always use turn signals. (Left hand out straight for left turn; left hand up with elbow out at a right angle for right turns.)
? Announce to someone before you pass him or her, such as "On your left" or "Hello."
Maintaining your bike is important, and often cheaper than maintaining your car. Learn to do as much as you can on your own, while using a professional for the more complex stuff. Highland Cycle at 1737 Bardstown Road in the Bonnycastle neighborhood can provide whatever your need in bicycle repair and maintenance. They even rent bicycles.

Metro Louisville Planning and Development Services has designated several bike routes through the city and they are marked by the green signs as shown here. The route that passes through the Deer Park neighborhood includes Norris Place, Rosedale Avenue, Princeton Drive and Douglass Boulevard. To see the bike route maps go to www.co.jefferson.ky.us/plandev/bikeped.htm.

Virtually all TARC buses now have bike racks so that you can expand your bicycling to include further destinations. The racks are easy to use and hold two bikes at a time. You are not permitted to take your bike inside a TARC bus.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

Riding an air-conditioned TARC bus down Bardstown Road in the heat of summer at the peak of the rush hour is more than relaxing. It's entertaining watching the sights along the strip. Meanwhile others get frustrated as they jockey their cars through the gridlock. It's reassuring to know that the National Safety Council estimates that riding the bus is over 170 times safer than automobile travel. It's economical when parking rates and gas prices are on the rise.

Bardstown Road Trolleys
On Friday evenings from 6 p.m. until midnight, and on Saturdays from noon to midnight, you can ride the Bardstown Road Trolley for FREE. The Trolley goes from the Douglass Loop to Highland Avenue and runs every fifteen minutes, more or less. It's a great way to run a lot of errands and never touch your car. You can even ride the other TARC buses (#17 Bardstown Road and #23 Broadway) for free along the route with passes provided by local merchants. The passes are good only on those two lines and only during the times the trolley runs. They can come in handy those times the trolley is running late. The trolley is great to take to Wick's Pizza, Lynn's Paradise Cafe, Fat Jimmy's, and The Twig & Leaf just to name a few.

On those times when the trolley isn't running, it is still very convenient to take the regular TARC buses. It's not free, but it's close. Using TARC Fare Saver tickets, it only costs 50¢ (10 for $5). That 50¢ gets you two hours of riding! You can get Fare Saver tickets in the neighborhood at the Bank One on Bardstown Road at Deerwood Avenue and Baxter Avenue at Highland Avenue, PNC Bank in Mid City Mall or on Bardstown Road at Sils Avenue, or at River City Bank across from Kroger.

Using a "Stop'n'Go" transfer available from the driver upon entering the bus, you can make multiple stops and reboard in any direction on any route up until the time shown on the transfer. Without the Fare Saver tickets, fares are 75¢ during normal hours and $1 during peak hours (weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.). There is an automated TARC phone line that gives schedule information 24 hours a day at 585-1234 or use the TARC web site at www.ridetarc.com.

This is an example of a "Stop'n'Go" transfer that is valid for any bus ride up until 1 p.m. on the day issued.


Here are the bus routes that serve the Deer Park neighborhood and where they can take you:

23 Broadway
This route connects Shawnee Park to Jeffersontown or Goldsmith Lane. It is one of two great routes to take you up and down the Bardstown Road/Baxter Avenue corridor because of its frequency. It runs about every 15 minutes during most of the day, on weekdays, and more frequently during peak hours. It can get you to the main branch of the library in less than 20 minutes. It's a great route for getting to area grocery stores (Amazing Grace, Kroger, Winn-Dixie), the Douglass Loop, Baxter Avenue Theaters, Cave Hill Cemetery, The Cherokee Triangle Art Fair, and the Broadway Cinemas. If you're taking it east of Doup's Point (Taylorsville Road and Bardstown Road) you should consult a schedule because the route alternates between the two roads.

17 Bardstown Road
This route is the other great route for traversing the Bardstown Road/Baxter Avenue corridor. This bus runs from Eighth and Main to Fern Creek or General Electric Appliance Park. It passes Douglass Boulevard about every 20 minutes and more frequently during peak hours. Just like the #23 Broadway, it connects you to the local grocery stores but also is good for getting to the Showcase Cinemas, Sullivan College, the Gardiner Lane Shopping Center, Commonwealth Convention Center and Thunder Over Louisville. If you plan on going past Bashford Manor Mall, consult a schedule to make sure you get on the right bus.

21 Chestnut Street
The Chestnut Street bus zigzags its way right through the Deer Park neighborhood. It passes 159 residences in the neighborhood. It goes from Shawnee Park and alternates between Bashford Manor Mall and DuPont Circle. The alternating routes split at Baxter Avenue and Shady Lane. As it shows in the map below, the DuPont route (F & G) continues on Baxter Avenue to Newburg Road then Trevillian Way while the Bashford Manor route (E, H & I) turns on Shady Lane and makes its way to the Douglass Loop.

The runs range from 25 minutes to an hour and forty minutes apart. The route can take you to Jewish Community Center, the Village 8 Theaters, Gardiner Lane Shopping Center, Lynn's Paradise Cafe and Bellarmine University.

29 Eastern Parkway
From Rockford Lane to the old Sears Building in St. Matthews, this route is a great way to get to the University of Louisville, Churchill Downs or Big Rock in Cherokee Park. It leaves Eastern Parkway and Bardstown Road about every 30 minutes almost on the half-hour, but be careful, half of the runs from 9 a.m. to noon don't go east of Bardstown Road.

44 St. Regis Park
If you work in the DuPont Circle area, Hikes Point, or near Bashford Manor Mall this could be a good way to commute. There are only five runs that service the Deer Park neighborhood and they all run around rush hour.

Light Rail
An exciting new rapid transit plan called T2, or Transportation Tomorrow, will link the downtown area with the Louisville International Airport and the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center. Deer Park residents could easily access the light rail station at the University of Louisville via the #29 Eastern Parkway route.

Remember that life is the journey and not just the destination.

(c) 2003 The Coalition for the Advancement of Regional Transportation, all rights reserved.

For further reading:
Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back, 1997, by Jane Holtz Kay, Random House, New York
Divorce Your Car !, 2000, By Katie Alvord, New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, B.C.
Car Free Cities, 2000, by J. W. Crawford, International Books, The Netherlands, www.carfree.com

Funding provided by:
Shenanigans Irish Grille via The Deer Park Neighborhood Association
The Lincoln-Darst Foundation, Inc.
Tom Owen, Louisville Metro Council
TARC, Transit Authority of River City
Housing Associates Realtors
Written by: Tim Darst
Graphic Design by: Amy Klimchak Pender
Printed by: Hamilton Printing