May 26, 2015

Dear Village of Bluffton council members, Mayor Augusburger, and Mr. Mehaffie,

Thank you so much for listening to my concerns about pedestrian safety at the intersection of College and Main at your streets and alleys committee meeting on May 18.

Since that meeting, I have observed vehicle and pedestrian traffic before and after school. On Tuesday, May 19, I counted 200 cars in the intersection in the 15-minute span between 3 and 3:15 p.m. Only two drivers stopped to allow pedestrians to use the crosswalk.

In the morning, a mother stopped to talk with me and asked, “Are you going to do something about this situation!?” She was obviously frustrated after carefully waiting for a driver to acknowledge her and her two small children, allowing them to cross College Street. She gave me her name and offered her support.

I have also followed up on inquiries about traffic controls with the Village of Yellow Springs, Ohio and the Ohio Department of Transportation. I spoke with Chief Skilliter about traffic incidents and was happy to learn that the number of crashes at this location has been below the threshold of 5 per year to warrant a signal.

On May 21, I spoke with David Hale, chief of police in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He was happy with their experience using an in-street sign alerting drivers that state law requires drivers to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk.

These signs are attached to a heavy rubber base that allows them to be moved when large vehicles are turning in the intersection. Hale said that the signs had only needed repairs a couple of times and were well worth the cost. He provided me with web links for the base and sign:
http://www.plasticade.com/traffic_safety/bases/
http://www.impactrecovery.com/products/category/pedestrian_safety_traffic

These links don’t provide prices, so I looked for similar items online. I found a kit at http://www.safetysign.com/products/p33768/stop-crossing-panel-portable-kit, which retails for $384.45.

On May 26, I spoke with Matthew Rosebrock, District 1 Safety Review Team Chairman, who said that the last traffic count was done in January of 2008. He felt that sufficient time had passed to conduct another count. He indicated that it is the village’s responsibility to initiate a new study and fund new controls.

I asked him about a new type of signal, the HAWK (High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk), which has been introduced in Ohio in the last few years. The HAWK crossing signal is activated by the pedestrian and has yellow and red phases to indicate when individuals will be using the crosswalk. A good illustration of this signal can be seen here and in my attachment: http://www.cmtran.com/hawk-signal.

A news story about HAWK installation can be seen here:
http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index.ssf/2015/04/lakewood_hopes_newly...

The story reports that the cost of the HAWK system is about $65,000 for the signals and $10,000 for engineering costs.

I regret that the village must consider these expenses when an Ohio state law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. However, the community does not seem aware of this law.

According to Ohio Revised Code 4511.46, Pedestrian on Crosswalk has Right of Way:

When traffic controls are not in place or not in operation, a driver shall yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway in a crosswalk when the pedestrian is upon the same half of the roadway as the driver, or so close as to be in danger. No pedestrian shall step off the curb and walk or run into the path of vehicles so close as to be an immediate hazard.

This information can be found at: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4511.46.

I look forward to discussing this topic with you further and would like to be included in the agenda of the next meeting of the street and alleys committee. I hope that we can increase the number of drivers who yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and prevent any injuries from happening.

Best regards,

Paula Scott
365 S. Jackson St.
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419) 348-5329

Attachments:

HAWK signal illustration
Hand-delivered letter from Paula Scott on May 18