August 10, 2011. Rome, Georgia Public Works and Transit Committee with the Traffic Commission. Agenda Section VI, a – Request for Crosswalk on South Broad at Cherokee Street.
a pierce
[inaudible] 301 South Broad Street. My wife and I run a community outreach center called 301a community outreach. We do afterschool feedings, we hand out clothes and food to the people who live is these apartments here [points at map toward South Broad Apartments], there [points at yellow apartments], and also back here [points at gray house behind yellow house]. It is actually very densely populated in just that – I guess it would be a block, or less than a block. And there is not that many motorist; a lot of these people walk. [inaudible] So with all these people walking, all the services that they walk to are actually on the other side of the street. We have Super Latino Foods, which is here [points at map], a Guatemalan Restaurant, here [points at map], which is also catered towards them. Further down past McCall hospital [inaudible] is the SOW Day Shelter, laundromat, gas station, convenience store, and another restaurant. You can imagine the difficulty of – and my wife and I have seen this – of trying to cross here at Cherokee or Butler with a laundry basket on your head. It’s not small feat to get across the road. And you also have kids who are going over to get candy or whatever other assorted thing from the store running across the street – and it’s normally from [inaudible]. You see kids dodging cars and horns honking and slamming on the brakes. It is an issue. I feel like if a kid hasn’t been hit yet, it surely will happen at some point – the volume of cars, the increased volume of people in this area the possibility of getting hit [inaudible].
I do understand that you may not really be that set on putting one [a crosswalk] here because you say, “Well as part of the corridor plan, there are crosswalks in other places.” Which that is on the left of your visual aid - there is, I think I am correct in saying, one planned for Myrtle where the Mercy Housing Center will be, for those folks. But notice that is 176 yards away. So to not jay-walk or to not put their lives in danger, to cross in a city-specified area, they would have to walk all the way down and all the way back up. Or, if they choose the longer option, I think there is one planned for the fork at the end of South Broad Street. Is that correct? [affirming nods from committee] Which is an even larger 528 yards away. That is an awfully long way to walk then walk back up. It seems to me that – it seems strange that, in the plan, there was not an idea to put a crosswalk anywhere in between. Especially when you think about our community that my wife and I serve on this side of Broad Street [points toward east side] as well as all the folks here [points toward west side] who, most of them walk as well. It really is a walking community. The [new] trees, pavement, curb – that’s all great. The problem is, it is great until you have to actually have to cross the street anywhere between that half-a-mile or so space there. Either we need to put a crosswalk there at Cherokee or have a sign, so the motorist know, that says, “Citizens are allowed to break the law, and jaywalk here.” That way people know citizens are allowed to illegally cross the street here, so I should slow down.
l pierce
There is also the bus stop right across the street.
a pierce
That is true. [inaudible] The Rome Transit Department has a bus stop there [points toward bus stop by Super Latino Foods]. And then also the school – South East’s bus stop – drops off right here, at the drive way that goes up to the apartments. The bus includes those people in the apartments up there as well as kids on Cherokee. Granted there is an arm that goes out to allow kids to cross safely, but parents we’ve noticed [inaudible] like to walk across the street to meet them or walk across the street to let them get on the bus. [inaudible] Thank you very much. Or, open to questions or however you guys proceed.
committee member
Your wife’s name is?
l pierce
Lola.
a pierce
I wanted to mention one more thing: Lola and I were also passing around a petition for it. So we’ve had 29 citizens so far in the community and you guys are welcome to sign. Thank you very much.
committee member 2
I appreciate you observing this and caring about the people of your community enough to come up here and [inaudible].
committee member
[inaudible, directs toward Committee Member Milam]
committee member Milam
It is important to note that the project you mentioned on South Broad was [inaudible]. [inaudible] hasn’t escaped our observation. The project in its early stage actually had a traffic signal in that location. This was primarily planned early on because of the school [inaudible]. [inaudible] That is not to say that they’re aren’t pedestrians who cross there. [inaudible] The thing we need to recognize is people tend to cross where ever they want to. [inaudible] While we do like to have crosswalks where there is controlled intersections – a stop sign or traffic signs – we don’t recommend crosswalks in other places. That’s kind of the history [inaudible].
a pierce
It should be noted that – and I think a few of you guys may have been at that this Rome Board of Education meeting that was last week. The Anna K Davie situation is actually not over yet either. Which should be noted. The likely hood of it being built in another location is high but still a school of something may be put there that would still require the light and crosswalk that was initially included in the plan. And I do understand that people are just going to cross where they want to cross – however they want to go about getting across the street. We see that every day. But to not give them a place just because you suspect they’ll cross wherever they want – I don’t know if that is necessarily fair. It’s like not – I the sure the officer would not – he’s not going to not put up a speed limit sign just because he knows people may not follow it. You still put them up and then you police it. So we give them an option to walk and if they don’t walk there then they are outside the law.
committee member 2
Define crosswalk.
committee member Milam
A crosswalk is where you have lines painted on the pavement indicating where pediestrians have [inaudible]. [inaudible] The counter to that would be [inaudible] false sense of security. [inaudible]
a pierce
I do understand Broad Street being a central business area but also I have conversation with Melissa Jones of the South Broad Redevelopment Corporation. Her and a lot of other people think that South Broad could become an extension of Broad Street – that there would be businesses and lofts. [inaudible] People are talking about wanting to develop the area economically but there are actually a lot of businesses there right now that could help the community. There is a grocery store there, there’s multiple restaurants – basically what I am trying to say is that just because it is not on Broad Street doesn’t mean its not a commercial location. There’s a lot of business and public works like the park that could benefit from having a designated area. I don’t want kids to feel like, “Oh, there’s a crosswalk, I’ll just walk across it whenever I want.” But maybe if there was some sort of reflective markers, a sign like the ones on broad street, motorist driving by would know or Darlington students driving by way to fast for the road could notice that.
committee member 3
What is the cost of installing one of those push-button activated lights for people to cross?
committee member Milam
Like LEDs buried in the pavement?
committee member 3
No, I am talking about a traffic signal.
committee member Milam
Like any other traffic signal, it would be about 50,000 dollars. [inaudible] In this case [inaudible] we would need to do a study to determine what pedestrians, traffic counts there are – and how those stand up to other intersections and see if that is the best place [inaudible].
committee member 4
One thing you mentioned about crossing where there is not markings at all – I don’t think that is considered jay walking to cross the street. It’s not against the law to cross the street.
l pierce
Do they have any legal protection though if they get hit by a car.
committee member 4
If you get hit by a car you get hit by a car. It just depends. The police would have to decide whether the pedestrian had the right of way. [inaudible] I don’t think you can cite crossing the street.
rome city police officer
[inaudible]
a pierce
Sure, sure. So we have satisfied the legal issue, which is good. They are not breaking the law. But still, Rome City needs to satisfy the safety concern. We can all go out there and look one day during session. I am open to however you guys want to do that. We have a nice front porch, you guys can come hang out and [inaudible] see the necessity of having one there. In closing, I know you guys have other stuff on the agenda, it’s the South Broad Pedestrian Corridor Plan. I feel like when it was presented it seemed specifically designed for the people of South Rome. Because people in South Rome are walkers, so lets make something nice for them. But the crosswalks being spread out so far in the most densely populated area of South Rome – it makes it seem like the plan wasn’t actually designed for them. Do you understand what I am saying? And with all due respect to the plan – we love the trees in front of our house that you guys planted. But I see one crosswalk for Mercy Housing, and I get that because the city like them being there. And the other one down there where South Broad forks, I can understand the necessity of one there too because cars don’t even know what to do there. But to not have one in between when it is the South Broad Pedestrian Corridor does seems a bit odd. Maybe we can do some sort of studies or research that is more in depth to truly see how the plan is benefitting [inaudible].
[inaudible]
committee member
[toward Milum] Would you take a look at it [inaudible]. Then come back to us with a recommendation next month.
[inaudible]
committee member 4
One thing to think about: Cherokee Street is the only street that goes all the way to the school.
a pierce
[interrupting] And the park.
committee member 4
[resuming] If you are going to do something, that is the right place to do it. [inaudible] The signal at West Main and South Broad – that’s going to break up some traffic which might make crossing easier.
[inaudible]
committee member 2
So what you’re saying is: Do what is already in place, then reevaluate what Mr. Pierce has suggested. Does that seem fair? There are already things in place that might impact your request that you’re making.
[inaudible]
committee member
OK. Let’s keep it on the radar.
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