City To Install Stoplight

SIGNAL ADDRESSES CONCERNS AT STREET, TRAIL INTERSECTION

A Fayetteville police officer prepares to stop a cyclist Wednesday after the cyclist failed to stop before crossing North Street at a pedestrian crossing.

A Fayetteville police officer prepares to stop a cyclist Wednesday after the cyclist failed to stop before crossing North Street at a pedestrian crossing.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

— The city’s busiest trail crossing is about to get a full traffic signal.

Drivers have complained since 2009 about cyclists darting into traffic where North Street meets the Scull Creek Trail. Pedestrians say they’ve seen cars barreling down North Street with no regard for their safety.

BY THE NUMBERS

Results of a city traffic study conducted Monday, March 12, Tuesday, March 13, and Wednesday, March 14, identified the following number of walkers, runners and cyclists on the Scull Creek Trail where it crosses North Street. Guidelines from the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices require 107 trail users per hour for a sustained four-hour period to warrant a fully signalized trail crossing. All numbers are three-day averages.

Midnight to 1 a.m. — 5.3

1 to 2 a.m. — 2.3

2 to 3 a.m. — 1.3

3 to 4 a.m. — 1.3

4 to 5 a.m. — 3

5 to 6 a.m. — 13.3

6 to 7 a.m. — 23.7

7 to 8 a.m. — 32.7

8 to 9 a.m. — 36

9 to 10 a.m. — 41

10 to 11 a.m. — 52

11 a.m. to noon — 60.7

Noon to 1 p.m. — 68

1 to 2 p.m. — 87

2 to 3 p.m. — 98

3 to 4 p.m. — 121.3

4 to 5 p.m. — 163.7

5 to 6 p.m. — 170.7

6 to 7 p.m. — 114.3

7 to 8 p.m. — 46

8 to 9 p.m. — 31.7

9 to 10 p.m. - 30

10 to 11 p.m. — 25

11 p.m. to midnight — 14.7

Source: City Of Fayetteville

To address ongoing concerns, members of the City Council’s Street Committee unanimously signed off Tuesday on installation of a stoplight at the intersection.

The light will be timed with existing signals at Leverett and Gregg avenues to prevent traffic backups, Chris Brown, city engineer, said. The light will remain green until a trail user pushes a button. It will then turn red and a “walk” symbol will indicate to pedestrians it’s safe to cross the intersection — just like a typical crosswalk.

The Street Committee’s decision came after reviewing traffic counts at the trail crossing and hearing about a collision earlier this year involving a cyclist and an SUV.

According to traffic studies conducted by city workers in March, roughly 2,300 motorists and 171 people on bike and on foot use the intersection each day between 5 and 6 p.m.

“You’ve got three trail users and 30 vehicles per minute,” Ward 3 Alderman Matthew Petty said. “That’s just a potential for conflict, and something had to be done.”

Guidelines from the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices require 1,100 vehicles and 107 trail users per hour for a sustained four-hour period to warrant a fully signalized trail crossing, Matt Mihalevich, city trails coordinator, said. The North Street intersection meets both of those requirements.

Stacy Wood, a Fayetteville resident who was recently struck by a motorist while crossing North Street, said she usually rides her bike to work twice every week.

Wood remembered traveling north on the Scull Creek Trail on Feb. 20. She said she slowed down at the intersection, and a driver in the southernmost lane signaled for her to cross the road.

According to her, a second vehicle one lane over appeared to slow down but continued through the intersection, clipping her back tire and causing her to topple to the pavement.

Wood said she suffered a concussion, a herniated disc in her neck and scrapes and bruises. According to her, the driver, an out-of-towner, told police she saw yellow flashing lights but did not realize there was someone in the crosswalk because of sunlight in her eyes.

Technically, Wood was at fault for the collision. Under Arkansas state law, a bicycle is treated like any other vehicle. Mounted cyclists must yield to traffic at all trail crossings; however, someone who dismounts his or her bike or is otherwise on foot has the right of way.

Despite city signs clearly stating a cyclist must stop and yield to street traffic, motorists and trail users frequently say they’re unclear about who has the right of way.

“When the first vehicle that stops acts as a traffic control officer,” Petty said, “the trail user has to take it on faith that other vehicles are going to take the first driver’s cue.”

Mihalevich estimated the overall cost of installing the traffic signal at $21,500. By using poles and traffic lights leftover from other projects, the city’s immediate budget impact will be roughly $2,500, Brown said.

Mayor Lioneld Jordan can administratively approve most city purchases less than $20,000. Jordan said Wednesday he’d like to get the project, which is expected to take four weeks to complete, started as quickly as possible.

Brown said the stoplight will initially feature flashing lights while drivers get accustomed to the new signal.

Mihalevich said volunteer “trail trekkers” will likely be out informing trail users about their responsibilities when they approach a street crossing.

“If we see non-compliance, there’s going to be tickets,” Mihalevich added.

Petty called the new traffic signal “a good trial run” that city officials should consider as Fayetteville’s trail system continues to grow.