TITLE: Title
Report on pedestrian safety outreach and activities in 2015.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this item is to receive a presentation from the Transportation Advisory Board regarding the TAB’s outreach and activities related to pedestrian safety.
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DEPARTMENT: Planning
CONTACT INFORMATION: Transportation Advisory Board; Bergen Watterson - 919-918-7329
INFORMATION: At the October 7th, 2014 Board of Aldermen meeting a resident of Orange County, Terri Buckner, asked that the Board appoint a short-term taskforce to research pedestrian safety in Town. She also asked that the taskforce look at previous recommendations and begin implementation. In response to the request, Ms. Buckner was invited to attend the TAB meeting on December 4th, 2014 to participate in the group’s discussion of potential pedestrian safety actions.
Four steps were identified:
1) Review, by TAB members, Town staff, and other invited residents, of recommendations related to walkability in the 2001 Downtown Carrboro New Vision document.
2) Organization of a public forum, with a tentative April 2015 date, on the Vision recommendations, safety issues, and walkability, focusing on downtown but also including low-safety areas where transit users frequently walk. Features of the forum could include identification, by participants, of problem areas and potential solutions via call-outs and maps. An outdoor location for the forum could encourage participant discussion of walking experiences.
3) Summarization and presentation to the Board of Aldermen of the forum findings and, possibly, the results of an audit by NCDOT engineers and/or other experts to help identify solutions.
4) Other potential outcomes might include pursuit of Pedestrian Friendly City status, creation of a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, and/or integration of the identified problems and solutions in the existing Slow Zone proposal.
The TAB held a Pedestrian Safety Forum at the Open Streets event on April 12, 2015 where they gathered over 100 individual comments on pedestrian issues around Carrboro. Members organized the comments into geographic areas and categories and created a ‘hot spot’ map with accompanying recommendations.
The TAB seeks feedback and further direction from the Board of Aldermen on their pedestrian safety initiative.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact associated with receiving the presentation. However, there may be future implementation costs depending on the Board’s directives toward addressing the pedestrian safety issues identified. Staff time may also be needed for this project.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends that the Board of Aldermen consider the resolution provided as Attachment A receiving the TAB presentation, and provide further direction on the pedestrian safety initiative.