AGENDA #5a
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Response to Petition Requesting Pedestrian Amenities at the Intersection of Fordham Boulevard and Manning Drive
DATE: March 6, 2006
PURPOSE
The following report is in response to a petition from Ms. Maeda Galinsky requesting installation of pedestrian amenities at the intersection of Fordham Boulevard and Manning Drive.
The State has agreed to investigate this matter and provide a response by the end of March. We will report back to Council once we have received the State’s findings and recommendations regarding the subject intersection. No Council action is necessary at this time.
We will report separately on the petition of Council Member Greene regarding long-term actions to improve pedestrian safety in the area.
At its February 13, 2006 meeting, the Council received an oral petition from Ms. Maeda Galinsky, requesting installation of pedestrian amenities at the intersection of Fordham Boulevard and Manning Drive. Ms. Betsy Malpass provided the attached (Attachment 1) written petition to the Town Council at the same time.
On February 20, 2006, the State and Town staff met and discussed the recent pedestrian accidents at the following locations, including the intersection referred to by the petitioner:
Town staff performed preliminary investigations at the above locations immediately after the accidents occurred. Because all of the accidents occurred on State roads, the detailed investigations are being carried out by State staff. At a meeting on February 20, Town staff presented the preliminary findings and provided recommendations for improving the pedestrian and bicycle safety at and in the vicinity of the accident locations.
Town Engineering Department staff is currently collecting and compiling data which will be provided to State investigators to assist them in analyzing the accident locations and identifying improvement opportunities. The State has agreed to complete the investigations and provide its findings and recommendations to the Town by the end of March. We will report to the Council once we have received the State’s findings and recommendations regarding the accident locations.
Additionally, we recently requested proposals for consulting services to develop an implementation plan for the NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Study prepared by the Highway Safety Research Center. The scope of work will include evaluation, design, engineering, and cost estimates for the pedestrian and bicycle improvements identified in the study.
If funding allows, we hope to have the selected consultant also analyze several other locations around Town as shown on the attached map (Attachment 2). We think that the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard implementation plan will be ready by the end of June this year, at which time we will provide a report with recommendations for the Council’s consideration regarding pedestrian and bicycle improvements on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
CONCLUSION
Town and State staff are investigating recent pedestrian and bicycle accident locations, including the intersection of Manning Drive and Fordham Boulevard as requested by the petitioner. We expect to report to the Council in April 2006 with the results of those investigations.
ATTACHMENTS
