AGENDA # 3a(1)

TO:  Mayor Foy and Members of the Town Council

RE:  Petition from T-Board

DATE:  February 14, 2005

Dear Mayor Foy and Members of the Town Council:

On Tuesday, February 1, 2005 the Chapel Hill Transportation Board voted unanimously (7 to 0) to request that the Town Council ask the Town Manager and staff to evaluate the feasibility of installing a “No Right on Red” sign at the intersection of Caswell Rd. and Estes Drive heading south.  As one drives by Estes Hills Elementary to Estes, there is a major blindspot that drivers encounter when looking left in order to make a right turn on red.  The blindspot is created by the combination of heavy trees/vegetation(evergreen) and the location of the stop line at which drivers must wait as it is currently striped.  The area also has limited site distance looking left due to a hill, over which cars appear quickly.

The gravity of the safety situation is evident when considering the adjacent busy school and its pedestrians in addition to the usual heavy traffic along Estes Drive.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Laurin Easthom

for the Chapel Hill Transportation Board