City staff will rework intersection plan

The plan will make it safer for pedestrians to cross Forum and Stadium boulevards.

By Kyle Daly, Staff Writer
Nov. 6, 2007

At the Columbia City Council meeting on Monday, a public hearing was held to discuss pedestrian walkway improvements at the intersection of Forum and Stadium boulevards.

The plan, which was proposed by the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program, PedNet Project, was to build a safer walkway for pedestrians crossing one of the city's largest intersections.

PedNet is a federally funded project designed to promote nonmotorized transportation in the community of Columbia.

As part of the plan, the median separating traffic on Stadium Boulevard would include a "safe haven" for pedestrians who try to cross the street.

A dispute between pedestrian safety and the maneuverability of large cargo trucks around the median was discussed at the public

hearing.

The first problem was that certain kinds of large trucks would experience a delay while waiting for pedestrians to cross the intersection. The second problem was that the trucks might run into the proposed median while trying to make a left turn onto Forum Boulevard.

One proposed compromise was to pull back the median from the intersection so trucks would be able to make the left turn without hitting the

median.

But some citizens raised concerns that this would remove the safe haven for

pedestrians.

Another solution was to pull back the median, but still include the safe haven by placing the crosswalk at an angle to allow large trucks the space to make a left turn.

That design would lead to a longer delay for traffic at the intersection due to the fact that pedestrians would need to walk a greater distance to cross the street.

Many Columbia residents came to the public hearing to voice their opinions. Although each citizen had a different complaint, all agreed with the original proposal to have a median in place to provide safety.

"The median needs to stay in some manner," said Robert Johnson, a Columbia resident and PedNet Coalition volunteer coordinator. "The median can be a refuge for people who cannot make it across in the time permitted. I am sure I can make it across ninety or a hundred feet of concrete in a short amount of time, but can a grandmother

or someone in a wheelchair or a family with small

children?"

Activist John Clark said the left-turn problem with large trucks should not be an issue. He said truckers are very capable of finding out, within the trucking community, how to take on the left turn at the intersection in the safest way possible.

"Truckers these days are amazingly technologically sophisticated," he said. "Within six months, you could have 99 percent

compliance with these particular lands."

The fact that a delay would be caused for trucks was quickly dismissed by the city staff.

"As far as a delay, any time you try and accommodate pedestrians over vehicles, there's always going to be some type of delay," Columbia Public Works director John Glascock said. "That's just the nature of the beast."

At the end of the hearing, the council reacted to the public comment and unanimously decided to return the plan to the city staff to be amended. The amended plan would pull back the median

and place the crosswalk at an angle.

The new plan will be voted on by the council before being implemented.

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