You undoubtedly have noticed downtown traffic is a mess. And we mean by foot, car or bike.

But it’s mess in the best possible sense, brought on by a boom unlike any of the several that came before. As downtown pushes with gusto across the East Village, into the Market District, Cityville and RiverPoint, and rings Western Gateway Park with new buildings, the inevitable growing pains have centered in the neck of those who live and work downtown or go there to play. 

The trouble is that sidewalks and skywalks in a number of locations are blocked or gone. The Grand Avenue bridge has disappeared in favor of a new model that will take something like a year to finish. Streets have lost lanes as cranes, construction vehicles and supply shipments vie for space and hotels, apartments, condos and downtown’s first modern era, full-scale grocery take shape. 

Shekinah Young is here to guide a new effort designed to make sense of it all. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the public relations rep for the city of Des Moines decided a committee was in order.

It’s called the Downtown Navigation Committee. It brings together the city government, the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority, the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, a downtown neighborhood group, the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, the brass from the East Village and others. The city is coordinating things. 

What’s the purpose?

“This is prompted because we want to give people a good idea of the different ways there are to be mobile in downtown Des Moines,” Young said. “Downtown is a bustling place with lots of attractions. 

“We are just trying to get together different constituent groups to keep everybody informed about how best we can get around downtown,” said Young, the city’s interim chief communications officer. “What are some of the best options for mobility?

“The goal is to be progressive knowing the number of cars that may come, for people who want to ride their bicycle, for people who want to ride mass transit,” Young said. “We want to hear from those people who are actually living, working and playing in downtown Des Moines as to what their concerns are, or what their priorities are. Then we all come together and discuss those things and push those out to our respective groups for information. We want to know what they would like to see more of, or what they have concerns about.”

The navigation committee started a few months ago. You can contact the staff at downtownNav@dmgov.org

The committee doesn’t have a specific timetable on the effort. It’s an ongoing learning experience. “I think there may be a lack of education or information out there,” Young said. 

Tiffany Tauscheck, the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s chief communications officer, said a city-backed walkability study and other downtown improvement efforts make it a good time to talk. “Part of what we have noticed is there has been great conversation about the here and now and what we can do almost in that window of opportunity when changes may be made due to recommendations made through the walkability study,” a separate effort involving Urban Land Institute Iowa, the city, the MPO and others. “We will look to the city to determine what ideas through the walkability study might funnel through this committee.

“We have noticed the committee educating people on options, on the B-cycle, encouraging them to walk to get around downtown,” Tauscheck said. “From our perspective through Downtown Community Alliance and the Partnership, it’s been exciting to see the city’s commitment to getting so many people around the table and talking about this opportunity to build on the vibrancy of downtown.”

Tauschek said a key is to encourage people to explore even combining different ways to travel, such as using the D-Line or a rental bike and a walk to reach a destination. 

Sophia Ahmad, the Partnership’s vice president of public relations, said the discussions have also included taking advantage of DART’s ad hoc special shuttles, such as the ones that operate during the Iowa State Fair.