This Plan contains recommended actions to improve pedestrian safety in the City of Morgantown (“the City”). These actions have been generated, prioritized, and organized for incremental implementation by the Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board (“the Board”), whose mission, guidelines, and membership are detailed in Appendices A, B, and C, respectively. Some recommendations involve public education, media promotion, marking and signage modifications and additions which can be addressed by the Traffic Commission, City Public Works Department or the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH). Others involve financial planning, collaboration, and consultant engineering services based on change in public policy.
The purposes addressed by the Board are as follows:
The Board’s recommendations, discussed in detail throughout this report, are as follows:
1) Adopt Sidewalk and Crosswalk Standards City-wide - Consistent standards for sidewalk and crosswalk widths need to be adopted, all gaps in existing sidewalks should be completed, older sidewalks should be repaired or replaced, all sidewalks should meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, and all sidewalks should be adequately lit for pedestrians to feel safe at all times of day.
2) Designate Connective Network Sidewalks and Other Pedestrian Infrastructure - The establishment of complete and maintained connective sidewalk routes throughout the City can significantly improve the walkability of Morgantown and create access to key destinations for diverse populations throughout the City.
3) Improve Intersection Safety – This plan identifies intersections that accident information and local residents identify as hazardous. Some can be improved by action of the City government and others will need effective advocacy on the part of the City Administration with the WVDOH.
4) Expand Use of Trails – The existing riverfront and Decker’s Creek trail system should be expanded to serve additional connective uses and residential areas. Additional trails, or greenways, would provide important improvements in North-South travel and inter-campus travel within the City and reduce reliance on carbon fuel modes of transportation.
5) Improve Lighting and Security for Streets and Trails – As pedestrian travel increases for commuting and for overall year-around activity, it is important that dark areas on trails be well-lit – especially until 10 p.m. – and that security patrol support and safety phone installation be considered to address unsafe conditions and to promote alternative transportation. It is also important that lighting for streets and sidewalks throughout the City be updated and improved to pedestrian-scale lighting with high efficiency bulbs with sensitivity to the night sky.
6) Support and Implement Safer City Initiatives - The Board recommends that the context for plan implementation include:
7) Make ADA Pedestrian Accessibility a High Priority – The Board recommends that the Traffic Commission sponsor a City-wide ADA compliance audit to identify and prioritize problem sites which are out of compliance.
8) Establish a Financial Foundation for On-going Sidewalk Improvement, Replacement and Maintenance – On October 21, 2005, the City Manager provided four options for supporting sidewalk policies and programs. The Board recommends that an on-going annual Annual Walkway, Lighting, Traffic Calming Service Fee be established based on per linear foot of road frontage on all property within City limits The Board also recommends that fee receipts be placed each year in a dedicated fund specified for exclusive support creating a network system of connected sidewalks through pedestrian infrastructure projects (construction and maintenance) and traffic calming projects identified by the Traffic Commission and its sub-committees.
9) Establish, Implement and Enforce a Sidewalk Maintenance Policy – Present City sidewalk codes are unenforced and need to be revisited. Public maintenance of sidewalks – including litter and snow removal - on connector streets needs to be adopted by the City. Many blocks of sidewalks need to be repaired and/or replaced.
Each of the above recommendations is defined and applied more fully to specific situations in the body of this document. This plan is a collaborative effort with neighborhood associations and the input of many interested individuals. The Board is indebted to numerous resources for supporting its 100% volunteer effort and to the City of Hyattsville, MD, for the organizational format of this document.