AGENDA #3a(2)

Pat M. Livingston, Vice President, Village West Board of Directors
307 Oakland Lane
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516

May 22, 2007

The Honorable Kevin Foy
306 North Columbia Street
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516

Dear Mayor Foy:

I am writing this letter on the behalf of the Village West Homeowners’ Association Board.

Board members, acting on the behalf of the residents of the Village West community, request your assistance in our efforts to prevent a potentially tragic accident from occurring on Village Drive.

Since the addition of the Jay Street apartments, the amount of traffic on Village Drive has increased, and the speed at which it moves has greatly increased.  We are extremely concerned about the repeated pattern of accidents at one particular site that could result in injury or death to innocent pedestrians.  As drivers enter Village Drive from either Umstead Drive or Jay Street and travel north to enter onto Estes Drive Extension, it appears that they gain speed as they ascend the hill that crests at the area of Village Drive which is flanked on the west/left side by the Chapel Hill West Cemetery and flanked on the east/right by the northern entrance of Ridge Trail.  Once the crest is reached, the street slightly descends, makes a sharp curve to the right before straightening in the final stretch to connect to Estes Drive Extension.  We are aware of at least four different incidents which appear to follow a pattern in which the driver gathers speed, crests the hill, and then loses control of the vehicle.

Incident one occurred on an afternoon; the driver must apparently lost control of the vehicle, resulting in the vehicle hitting a parked car and sideswiping a number of other cars that were parked along the side of Village Drive while guests attended a wedding party.  This accident is surely documented since it probably resulted in a large number of insurance claims being filed.

Incident two occurred at night; the vehicle apparently careened off the right side of Village Drive, just to the left of the Oakland Lane entrance.  Shrubs, mud, and small trees prevented it from going down a ravine into one of the run-off water streams feeding into Bolin Creek.

Incident three also occurred at night; it appeared that the driver lost control, and the vehicle careened off the left side of Village Drive causing damage to trees and shrubs.

The latest accident occurred in late January or early February, and again, at night.  The vehicle careened off the left side of Village Drive, knocking over the N city bus sign, and hitting more trees and shrubs.  The bus sign has since been placed upright.

Each time these accidents occurred, residents walked down to offer assistance, but each time, the driver had backed out and left.  We have always been glad to see that apparently no one was hurt, but as you can see, the accidents do follow a pattern, and the next one, or the one after that, may result in the driver being seriously injured or worse.   

Of even greater concern to us is the danger to innocent citizens. In addition to the residents of Village West, residents from neighboring streets use the N bus and frequently use the sidewalk bordering Village Drive. Joggers, parents walking and pushing their baby in a stroller, parents walking with their children and/or their dogs, and people simply enjoying a stroll are seen on a daily basis; we are very concerned about their safety.  If those relying on bus transportation had been standing at the N bus sign site waiting for the bus to arrive when the most recent accident occurred, the results would have been tragic.

We are asking that you request the city to protect its citizens by erect a warning device alerting drivers of their excessive speed.  Speed tables or a warning sign are suggestions.  Even better, due to similarity of the danger, would be a device similar to the one located on the right side of Hillsborough Street as it connects Franklin Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard, the former historic Airport Road.  The sign flashes the speed of the moving vehicle, thus alerting the driver of the need to lower his/her speed.

Those of us residing at Village West at the time the controversy over the construction of the Jay Street apartments remember your willingness to listen to our concerns and fears about the effect the apartments would have on our community.  Unfortunately, these fears have come to fruition, and, again, we asking for your help.  We appreciate your time in this matter.

Sincerely,

Patricia M. Livingston
(Vice-President, Village West Board of Directors)