More to Share, More Ways to Love Getting Outdoors

Charlotte’s Shared Streets program has expanded to include 9 streets now, adding 3 new streets in August in the north, northwest, and northeast sides of the city. Stretches of Coker Avenue in Enderly Park, Holland Avenue and Isenhour Street in Druid Hills, and Ruth Drive in Shannon Park all have Shared Streets connecting their neighborhoods with limited car traffic. The 3 new Shared Streets join stretches of Marney Avenue, State Street, and Andrill Terrace/ Summit Avenue from Phase 2 in June; and Romany Road, McClintock Road, and Westfield Road from Phase 1 in May; as places that limit vehicle traffic to make way for bikes and pedestrians.

But what if you want to find your own route, off the well-traveled paths? That’s what Partners for Parks Board Member Emily Condon decided to do. Keeping with the same philosophy as Shared Streets, she looked for less-traveled roads and connections to parks and greenways, and came up with her own 9-mile loop that connects Plaza Midwood, NoDa, and Uptown Charlotte. “The idea was born on a Sunday when I wanted to go for a walk, but didn’t want to spend time planning a route or backtracking,” says Condon. She wanted something around the Central Avenue area, which is already known for being pedestrian- and bike-friendly. She also wanted it to be scenic and comfortable, away from fast cars, and a way to hook up and travel on greenways when possible. “I design outdoor spaces, and wanted to see a good place to walk,” says Condon. As a landscape architect by trade, she envisioned what a perfect route would look like. She also wanted to accommodate social distancing, while giving folks a good way to get to know their neighbors. She reached into her toolbox and designed a way to allow neighborhood groups to weigh in and make suggestions. “I set up interactive map online and encouraged our neighborhood committee to draw routes in quiet streets and residential neighborhoods,” she says. “We wanted to try to hit as much of the area as we could without backtracking.” Partners for Parks Board President Beth Poovey filled in some areas around NoDa with the help of neighbors, and in a couple of weeks the 9-mile loop was on the map — unofficially. After all, it’s a neighborhood concept Condon wants folks to try and share feedback about.

The Loop connects 8 neighborhoods and 6 parks, starting at Veterans Park and rolling east along the Shared Street of McClintock Road. From there, it turns north up The Plaza (or Thomas Street, which could be another potential Shared Street), then through the Belmont neighborhood before hooking up with Little Sugar Creek Greenway through Alexander Street Park and Cordelia Park. A longer extension of the route jogs south at Alexander Street Park and swings through Uptown along 10th Street to First Ward Park, then up Parkwood Avenue and Brevard Street to NoDa. Another potential Shared Street, East 35th Street, covers the north side of the loop before heading back south and zig-zagging its way back through Midwood Park and down to Veterans Park again. Now that she’s discovered this nifty route, she would love to see neighbors across the city find similar loops on the East, West, and South sides. The goal is to connect as many parks and greenways as possible on less-traveled neighborhood streets, without repeating sections. She’s eager to discover more of them for herself, too. “There are so many cool nooks and crannies across the city that I didn’t know about until someone shared a favorite ride,” she says. “I look forward to finding more.” Have a favorite route? Post them on social media with the hashtag #SharedStreets and tag Partners for Parks!