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TO: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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FROM: |
Gregg Jarvies, Police Chief |
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SUBJECT: |
Petition to Conduct Road Races |
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DATE: |
February 12, 2007 |
The purpose of this memorandum is to respond to a petition from Steve Lackey requesting authorization to host two road races in Chapel Hill on March 24, 2007.
On January 8, 2006, the Council received a petition from Steve Lackey, representing Endurance Magazine, in which he requested authorization to host a 5K and a half-marathon race in Chapel Hill on the morning of March 24. The petition requested staff support and authorization to control and, if necessary, re-route traffic to allow a portion of the event to take place in the downtown area of Chapel Hill. In the petition Mr. Lackey estimated that the event would attract 1,000 participants and 1,500 spectators. The 5K race would take place entirely in Chapel Hill. The half-marathon (13.1 miles) would take place on streets controlled by the Town of Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina, the Town of Carrboro, Orange County and the NC Department of Transportation.
We have met with Mr. Lackey on two occasions and have been in regular communication with him in an effort to develop a schedule and route for both races that would have minimal negative impact on traffic flow and on access to the downtown area and adjacent residential neighborhoods. The two meetings have included representatives of most of the other jurisdictions affected by the half-marathon.
The date originally established for the races, March 24, is a day on which all Chapel Hill police officers and many Public Works employees have been placed on stand-by should the UNC basketball team reach the final round of eight teams in the NCAA championship. Mr. Lackey selected March 17 as an alternate date for the event.
It is Mr. Lackey’s desire to focus a prominent part of both races in the downtown area. He also desires to keep the race affiliated with “March Madness” and the NCAA basketball tournament.
Unfortunately, having hundreds of runners on downtown roadways on a Saturday morning, especially during a month in which police officers’ schedules are already altered by other special events –including NCAA basketball – will have a major impact on both staffing and traffic flow. Despite our best efforts to work with Mr. Lackey on alternative times and routes, Endurance Magazine still wishes to host the races on March 17 with a significant portion of both races on Franklin and Rosemary Streets.
Though the race routes have been altered several times by the petitioner and his representatives, their desired route would require a total stoppage of eastbound traffic on Cameron Avenue, West Franklin Street and West Rosemary Street for approximately twenty minutes on the morning of the race. The course would also require a re-routing of traffic on Estes Drive between Umstead and Seawell School Road for approximately twenty minutes. Also, eastbound traffic along Homestead Road, including sections within the Town limits, would have to be re-routed for up to one hour – though traffic would be allowed to move when gaps between runners allow.
The course would require a minimum of 25 Chapel Hill police officers for up to three hours for traffic control. At least a dozen Public Works employees would also be needed to provide traffic control devices along the route. Other agencies would have to provide employees to cover portions of the half-marathon outside of Chapel Hill town limits.
It is our belief that more time is needed to develop a schedule and route that would minimize the negative impact on traffic and access to neighborhoods and be safe for participants. For example, the latest route suggested by the petitioner has several dozen access points that would not be staffed by volunteers or police officers, leading to the possibility that vehicles could enter the course and pose a threat to runners. Also, because the race organizers have yet to receive formal authorization from the other affected jurisdictions to host the race on their streets it is likely that further alterations to the course will be necessary. These alterations would affect the level of Chapel Hill staffing needed to secure the race course.
We support activities that bring visitors to our community and are excited about the possibility of hosting events such as that proposed by Endurance Magazine. However, the impact of the half-marathon on Town staff, merchants, and residents is such that more than one month of planning is necessary before we feel comfortable giving our support.
We recommend that the Town support the petitioner’s request to host a 5K race in Chapel Hill on Saturday, March 17. However, we recommend that the Council take no action on the petitioner’s request to host a half-marathon in Chapel Hill until additional study of the proposal, including further communications with other affected jurisdictions, have been finalized.