Blaire Whitcomb and Lauren Devereaux were walking to the Starbucks at Armitage and Sheffield when a traffic-signal pole came down behind them. Neither woman was injured. Both had been close enough to hear the impact before they understood what had happened.
They had been discussing a man who had suggested drinks to Lauren without choosing a place. Blaire was about to recommend an answer when the conversation stopped.
“I thought someone had hit a car,” Blaire said. “Then I turned around and the traffic light was on the ground. The whole thing.”
Lauren took her arm and they moved inside. It took Lauren a few minutes to remember whether she had ordered ahead. She had: an iced nonfat latte with vanilla sweet cream cold foam. They waited together until she felt ready to go back outside.
The photographs show the fallen signal, exposed cables and a rust-covered break near its base. In another view, workers and orange cones surround the equipment. It is an unsettling sight on a corner where so much of the neighborhood is simply going about its day.
Blaire sent the photographs to the Society. Ashley Munroe called to check on both women, then asked the Society Journal to gather members’ concerns about the walking routes they use most often.
The result is Promenade, a new Society program for keeping those routes safe and accessible. Ashley has asked members to begin with the walks they make most often. The first submissions have covered coffee, boutiques and dinner quite thoroughly.
“Our members walk everywhere,” Ashley said. “Coffee, the train, shopping, dinner. You should be able to meet a girlfriend without having to worry about what’s standing over the sidewalk.”
The first reports will concentrate on Armitage and the surrounding Village streets. Members will send the location and photographs of damaged fixtures or obstructed crossings, taken from a safe distance. The Society will keep track of reports to the appropriate city service and follow up on unresolved concerns.
Lauren would particularly like the routes to the shops included. She had planned to look at a jacket after coffee, but went home instead.
“I still want to try it on,” she said. “I just didn’t feel like browsing after that.”
Access to Armitage Alehouse is also on Ashley’s list. Members put considerable effort into getting a table, and she wants them to arrive without an unexpected detour. An evening there often begins with a walk from home and a stop to collect a friend along the way.
“If there’s a problem on the way, I want us to know before we leave the house,” she said. “You can allow another ten minutes. You cannot simply get another reservation.”
Blaire and Lauren have agreed to help introduce Promenade at a small Society reception. The hospitality committee is arranging flowers and a brief explanation of how to submit a concern. Blaire has asked that the explanation come before the wine; several members have already sent their preferred walking routes with restaurant recommendations attached.
Both women intend to return to their usual Starbucks. Lauren likes that the barista remembers her order, and Blaire has no desire to rearrange a morning that usually works very well.
Ashley has asked them to let her know when they get there. Lauren has also promised to report back about the man. He has finally suggested a place, and Blaire would like to discuss it in person.