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TO: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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FROM: |
J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director |
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David Bonk, Long Range Planning and Transportation Coordinator |
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SUBJECT: |
NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor/Town Wide Pedestrian Safety Evaluation Draft Study |
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DATE: |
December 4, 2006 |
The purpose of this report is to provide the Council with an update on the development of the NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor/Town Wide Pedestrian Safety Evaluation Study and propose a schedule for review and adoption. The attached resolution would refer the draft study to the Town Manager, Town Attorney and Town Advisory Boards and set a Public Forum for February 12, 2007.
In 2003, the Town received a $200,000, five-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to promote active living through programming and physical design. Part of the grant proposal included a study of pedestrian safety issues along the NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor.
In August 2004, the Highway Safety Research Center prepared a study of the NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd Corridor from I-40 to the intersection of North Street. The Study assessed pedestrian barriers and other factors that may limit walking and bicycling along NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd Corridor and suggested possible solutions. The Study included “existing pedestrian, bicycle, and transit patterns, identification of critical safety and access problems, and the development of potential countermeasures (treatments) for improving pedestrian and bicycle safety and access and encouraging more walking and bicycling along the corridor.”
On November 22, 2004, after reviewing the NC 86/Airport Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety and Mobility Study, the Town Council directed the Town Manager to begin an implementation study along the NC 86/MLK Jr. Boulevard Corridor based on the recommendations of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Study.
In May 2006, the Town contracted with Lappas and Havener, PA, Landscape Architects to prepare an implementation plan for the NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd corridor. In response to concerns about pedestrian safety, as a result of several fatal accidents in the community, the scope of the study was expanded to include 15 additional sites around Chapel Hill identified as having pedestrian safety issues.
On September 26, 2006, a Community Forum was held on the NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor Evaluation Draft Study to receive comments from citizens.
The draft study was also reviewed by Town Staff from Planning, Public Works and Engineering. Proposals for pedestrian improvements at 15 additional locations were also reviewed by staff. The revised NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor/Town Wide Pedestrian Safety Evaluation Study is expected to be submitted by January 1, 2007.
We expect the NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor/Town Wide Pedestrian Safety Evaluation Draft Study to be complete by January 1, 2007. We recommend that the draft study be referred to Town Advisory Boards and Committees for review comment. We also suggest that Town Council schedule a Forum for February 12, 2007 to receive public comment.
After final adoption by the Town Council, staff will begin implementation of the recommended pedestrian safety improvements. The Town has secured $250,000 from the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization for improvements to NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Staff Recommendation: We recommend that the Town Council refer the NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor Evaluation Draft Study to the Town Manager, Town Attorney and the Town Advisory Board for comment and schedule a Public Forum for February 12, 2007.