Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee

BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ACTION COMMITTEE MEETING WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017 SUMMERVILLE TOWN HALL, TRAINING ROOM 9:00 A.M. Attendees: Members: Mark Greenslit, Natalie Martin, John Pardee, Kelley Johnson, Sarah Bares, Rick Reif, Visitors: Bonnie Miley, Town of Summerville, John Mott, town resident, Vonnie Gilreath, DCBCOG, Sgt. Michael Gregory, Summerville Police Department, Lt. Tim Jones, Summerville Police Department. Mark Greenslit called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. 1. Public Comments - A visiting Summerville resident voiced concern about the dangerous intersection of Linwood/Sumter and West Carolina, and asked if a crosswalk was being recommended for this busy area of town. The committee discussed the need for improvements and extensions to the sidewalks on both sides of W. Carolina, particularly in this highly used section. Rick is to put in a request to the town to have the bushes trimmed back. Vonnie Gilreath gave an update on upcoming PRT funds which will come in next summer, and an- nounced that the DCBCOG will be hiring a safety coordinator.. II. Acceptance of Minutes - Minutes from the past September meeting were reviewed and approved. III. New Business - A - Sarah brought up the issue of the Volvo plant build and potential plans to increase the size of the train tracks that go through Summerville. The probability is that they will use the CRX tracks North of Summerville. B - Crosswalks - The committee discussed the need to comprise additional crosswalk needs and present them to the Town in a priority list. (As an addition to our previous top 3 recommended crosswalk priorities) Sarah noted that we also need to identify where to improve existing crossings, such as outside Spann El- ementary School and Rollings Middle School. Kelley asked about the speed limit increases as one travels through town - why it jumps to 35 mph from 30 between downtown and the school zone. This is a DOT matter. Discussion with the two visiting police officers ensued regarding various speed limit issues. Bonnie said that the crosswalk that we recommended for both Doty and Main and West 5th and Main are still being evaluated with counts, but that crosswalk installation at Main and Town Hall was imminent. C - Sawmill Branch Trail Funds. Sarah relayed that Leadership Dorchester has remaining funds to be used for improvements to the SMB Trail, and they are waiting for recommendations as to how these funds should be used. IV. Old Business A- Gahagan Loop Trail - Bonnie outlined the final steps for the completion of this loop, outlining that pe- destrian crossing lights will be installed at 6th Street and the Berlin G. Myers Parkway. Also, as per our committee recommendation, a pedestrian gate will be installed where the trail ends in Gahagan Fields at Butler Road, allowing for full connectivity to the SMB Trail. The committee discussed the need for public awareness about these improvements. While the information is available on the Town web site, it would be useful to have press releases. B- Safety and Police Enforcement Sarah and Natalie gave an overview of their research on this subject. They thanked the members of the SPD for all of their support and for attending the meeting. Natalie presented statistics on the very high level of fatalities and injuries that involved pedestrians and cyclists. Concerns over Summerville’s rapid growth and the increase in a retirement population give reason for further concern. Sarah pointed out that this impacts the economics of our Town as well - safer streets will only help our Town. Discussion continued regarding enforcement of the existing traffic laws, public awareness, and education of children and new residents. The police gave us a new awareness of just how extensive the problem is, and how hard it is to affect change. (For example, the SPD answers calls to an average of 255 traffic incidents each month in Summerville alone). There are only 5 officers in the traffic division. The fine for not stopping for a marked cross walk is $155.00, but these fines are often forgiven once they reach the courts. C- Maple Street Extension — Rick updated the committee on the design plans with our recommended changes to the multi-use paths. The committee agreed again that we need a shared-use path, at least on one side of the new parkway. Rick also will continue to monitor the plans for the Berlin G. Myers extension and its impact on the SMB trail. V. Other Business The committee reviewed the safety issues at East Richardson and Magnolia. Bonnie said the Town hopes to take out the “yields” when they repave East Richardson. Rick and Sarah will work on a letter to make sure our concerns are noted and presented to the Town Engineer. Kelley will invite a member of the DOT to attend our meetings, as so many of the issues on the Committee’s agenda are impacted by the DOT. Mark Greenslit announced that he will be retiring from the BPAC, both as Chairperson and as a member. He will upload all of his documents/files in to a Dropbox file for the committee to access. Next meeting will be on January 17, 2018. Adjournment At 10:50 a.m.,the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted by Kelley Johnson, Secretary