Attachment 1
PROPOSED WEAVER DAIRY ROAD WIDENING
Questions/Issues Raised at the September 9, 2002 Public Forum
Citizen Comments
1. Citizens who supported the three-lane plan noted that the Mayor’s Committee concept plan would improve the safety of pedestrian, bicycle and motorized vehicle traffic on Weaver Dairy Road.
Response: We agree and believe that the proposed three-lane plan would increase the capacity of the roadway and would improve safety conditions for pedestrian, bicycle, and motorized vehicle traffic on Weaver Dairy Road.
2. One Citizen who supported the three-lane plan noted that a bus pull-off is not needed on Weaver Dairy Road at the Carol Woods Retirement Community entrance. He believes that, because the existing transit route goes into the Carol Woods Community, there is no need for a bus pull-off on Weaver Dairy Road.
Response: The Mayor’s Committee plans are conceptual in nature. If the State agrees to proceed with the Committee’s proposed concept plan, a detailed analysis would be conducted in association with Town Transportation Department staff to identify appropriate and specific locations for bus pull-offs.
3. Concerns were expressed by two citizens that the center-turn lane in the proposed three-lane plan would be treated as a passing lane which could increase head-on collisions because of the restricted sight distances (both horizontal and vertical) caused by the topography of Weaver Dairy Road. Both citizens supported a two-lane road with modest improvements.
Response: If approved by the State, the center-turn lane would be built with striping and signing indicating that motorists can only make left turns from the lane. Passing in a center-turn lane is illegal and could result in citations being issued. We do not believe that the horizontal and vertical sight distances would be inadequate for the proposed three-lane road. Roadway designs by the Town and State are based on the guidelines specified in “A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets” published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
Council Comments
1. A Council Member requested consideration of deleting the following language from the proposed resolution:
“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Council that it understands that, if the State agrees to construct the more modest Weaver Dairy Road Improvement Project as outlined above, it would be unlikely that additional State funding would be available for additional improvements that the Town might desire in the future on Weaver Dairy Road.”
Response: It is our understanding that the State will consider the Council’s three-lane proposal with the understanding that no additional funds would be available in the future to widen the road from a three-lane road to a four-lane road, as originally planned by the State. The Council may remove this language from the resolution if it wishes to do so.
2. A Council Member suggested that the proposed signals and their proximity to the intersections may create traffic back up into the intersections. The Council Member also asked whether the traffic signals would be coordinated for the designated speed on Weaver Dairy Road.
Response: If the three-lane plan is approved, we believe that the State would conduct analyses to ensure that each traffic signal is warranted. If a traffic signal is warranted, it would be timed so that traffic would not backup into adjacent intersections. All traffic signals that are installed on Weaver Dairy Road would be interconnected with the Townwide signal system and would be coordinated based on the distance between intersections and the designated speed limit.
3. A Council Member asked about the proposed traffic circle at the intersection of the existing and the new segments of Weaver Dairy Road.
Response: The three-lane plan developed by the Mayor’s Committee includes a roundabout at the subject intersection. Roundabouts are small raised islands placed in the middle of an intersection. They are typically landscaped with ground cover and street trees. Roundabouts require drivers to slow to a speed that allows them to comfortably maneuver around them. Roundabouts are similar but not identical to traffic circles. Roundabouts are sometimes supplemented by adding pedestrian refuge islands as shown in the following illustration.
Typical Roundabout
Studies have shown that roundabouts provide the following benefits:
· Roundabouts reduce the overall delay at the intersection because traffic typically must only slow and yield (not come to a complete stop) before entering a roundabout intersection.
· Roundabouts have been shown to reduce fatal and injury accidents as much as 75% in Australia and 86% in Great Britain.
· Intersections with a high volume of left turns are more efficiently handled by roundabouts than by multi-phased traffic signals.
· Roundabouts increase pedestrian safety at the intersection.
· Roundabouts reduce the speed of vehicles in the intersection.
4. A Council Member asked about the possibility of a connector road in the undeveloped area located between the new segment of Weaver Dairy Road, existing Weaver Dairy Road and Erwin Road. The Council Member also asked whether sufficient right of way would be acquired to accommodate the left and right-turn lanes at the possible connector road with the new segment of Weaver Dairy Road.
Response: We are not aware of any current plans for development of the area noted above. If and when development occurs in the subject area, a possible connection between Sedgefield Road and Perry Creek Drive could be considered to improve access for area residents and to reduce delay and traffic congestion at nearby intersections. The proposed resolution, if approved by the Council, asks the State to construct right-turn and left-turn lanes as necessary. This would include acquisition of the right-of-way necessary to do so.