Pedestrian Safety Improvements to be Implemented in the Village

After a series of pedestrian accidents, seniors pressed the Village to make changes to the crosswalks and signals at the intersection of Popham, Chase and Overhill Roads in the Village. The work began when Jane Veron was Mayor when the Village retained consultants from FHI who made a series of recommendations to improve traffic patterns, pedestrian safety, bike lanes, signage and more.

Though those changes were never implemented, at the July 9 meeting of the Village Board Acting Village Manager Alex Marshall announced that the Village Manager’s office has commissioned another study from DTS Provident who prepared a Pedestrian Improvements Concept Sketch for proposed pedestrian improvements to the signalized intersection of Popham Road and Chase Road/Overhill Road in the Village. The goal of the intersection improvements is to improve pedestrian safety through the provision of modified crosswalks, additional pedestrian signals, new ADA ramps, signage and other modifications.

The study of the intersection of Popham Road and Chase Road/Overhill Road found that three of the existing crosswalks at the intersection are generally standard crosswalks. However, the location of the eastern crosswalk is not typical. Because of the previous relocation of the eastern crosswalk across Popham Road, the crosswalk is currently approximately 70 feet from the southeast corner of the intersection and a driver traveling northbound on Overhill Road turning right onto eastbound Popham Road cannot always see the crosswalk until they are already into their turn and starting to accelerate as it is offset further to the east. Thus, some non- standard wide crosswalks were recommended by the consultant as part of the Study and the Village was in favor of them.

The aerial photo above illustrates the existing conditions at the intersection of Chase Road and Overhill Road, that are at different widths and intersect Popham Road at angles, the streets are offset and therefore the intersection is not the standard four-way intersection.

DTS recommends providing wide crosswalks with non-parallel outside lines.

Other improvements will include:

• New ADA pedestrian ramps in the northwest and southeast corners

• Truncated dome detectable warning surfaces at all existing and future pedestrian ramps

• New signage to alert drivers that pedestrians may be present

• Relocated stop bar on the eastbound approach

• A new bollard system on the northeast corner so that the bollards are more spread out (to allow pedestrians to cross) and do not have the elongated base plates, but significant enough to direct vehicles

•A new bollard system on the northeast corner so that the bollards are more spread out (to allow pedestrians to cross) and do not have the elongated base plates, but significant enough to direct vehicles

• New pedestrian signals and/or signal poles on the northeast and southeast signal poles.

See below for a diagram of the improvements that will be made Marshall announced that the work would begin later this month. See more on the study here.