AGENDA #3a(4)

MEMORANDUM

TO:	Mayor Foy and Members of the Chapel Hill Town Council
FROM:	Kristina Peterson and Truls Ostbye on behalf of the Timberlyne Residents
DATE:	March 26, 2007
SUBJECT:	Timberlyne Improvement Recommendations for a Safer, More Active Community

After working with the Town’s Go! Chapel Hill Active Living by Design Staff Timberlyne Residents are recommending capitol improvements to enhance the opportunity for a healthier more active lifestyle those living and working in the Timberlyne community.  Please consider these recommendations in the 2007/08 Town Budget.

Immediate Safety Recommendations

• Striped Bike Lanes - Both sides of Kingston Drive between Weaver Dairy Road and Silver Cedar. This will contribute to an actual and perceived narrowing of drive lanes, which will encourage slower driving.
• Speed Limit Sign - Kingston Drive closer to Weaver Dairy Road.
• Sidewalk Completion - Kingston Drive between Silver Cedar and the daycare center to provide a continuous walking surface. We note that some of this area may be on private property and could be the responsibility of the developer.
• Informal Paths Improvements - Path between the Kingston Drive/Weaver Dairy Road intersection and Chapel Hill North as well as other major connectivity paths. We recommend continued collaboration with the neighborhood on selecting the paths and the specific improvements.

Priority #1

• Kingston Drive and Silver Cedar, Timberlyne Road, and Butternut Intersections - Raised crosswalks/intersections to reduce speed, encourage motorists to stop at the stop signs, and promote public safety: 
• Additional Lighting - to improve pedestrian safety, while minimizing light pollution and preserving the quality of life (preferably with 10’ to 12’ poles).
  • Butternut, between Kingston and the end of the road after Pitch Pine
  • Timberlyne Road between Kingston and Weaver Dairy Road (particularly at the school bus stop at the intersection with Timberlyne Court)
  • Westminster Drive

Priority #2

• Timberlyne Road-Timberlyne Court - Traffic calming near the school bus stops at the intersection and the Butternut-Kingston intersection
• Additional Lighting - On Kingston Drive at the curve near Partin

Priority #3

• Butternut Drive, Banks Drive, and Timberlyne Road -Crosswalks and traffic calming (e.g., speed tables)  

State Maintained Road Recommendations

On the basis of this comprehensive process, we recommend the following:

To connect Timberlyne to adjacent commercial establishments, recreational facilities, and public transit (bus stops), we request signalized pedestrian crossings at the following intersections

• Weaver Dairy Road and Banks (or Perkins)
• Weaver Dairy Road and Timberlyne Road (to link to the bus stop)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and Westminster
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and Blossom

We recognize that these two arteries are state maintained roads.  We also recognize that the Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. improvements are the subject of the NC86 Corridor Study and that the Weaver Dairy Road improvements may be part of the Northwest Chapel Hill Development task force review.  We encourage the Town to include these requests for crosswalks in its considerations under those separate auspices.  78% of survey respondents said they would walk or bike more to Chapel Hill North if there were better pedestrian/bicycle facilities.

Goals of Project

The goals of these improvements are consistent with the Town’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan

• Increase bicycle and pedestrian use
• Identify a potential network of bicycle and pedestrian facilities

The general public interest purpose is to improve residents’ health and well being by

• Encouraging residents to walk and bike more in the community improving pedestrian safety.

Action Steps

The specific requests are based on a series of steps we took in connection with the Active Living by Design initiative. These included

• Walkable Community Workshop – Consultants from the National Center for Bicycling and Walking conducted a workshop in Timberlyne.  Results were presented to Town Staff as a result of the workshop on improvements that would provide opportunity for a more walkable/bikeable community.
• Neighborhood Assessment - Using a standard assessment tool, residents examined all pedestrian pathways throughout the Timberlyne subdivision, including both formal and informal paths.
• Neighborhood Assessment Meetings - The neighbors collectively reviewed the results of the assessment and developed consensus recommendations for improvements.
• Activity Survey - Residents and businesses were surveyed by mail to determine how often they walk and bike to nearby destinations and to identify perceived barriers to mobility.
• Community Forum - The results of the assessments and survey were presented to residents and recommendations were identified and prioritized. Residents and the businesses were specifically invited to attend.
• An email canvass of affected residents. - The residents who live along the streets most affected by the recommendations were given an opportunity to comment to the Timberlyne Coordinator.

Activity Survey Results

68% of survey respondents said they would walk or bike more in the neighborhood if there were better pedestrian/bicycle facilities.