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Resident opposes North Main safety improvements, citing congestion and spillover to neighborhoods
Summary
A Ward 2 resident urged council to oppose the North Main Safety Improvements Project, saying changes have increased congestion on Talmadge Avenue and prompted drivers to use residential side streets to avoid backups.
Dale Harding, a Ward 2 resident, told Akron City Council he opposed the North Main Safety Improvements Project after attending city presentations and speaking with neighbors. Harding said the reconfigured roadway has created backups on Talmadge Avenue and caused drivers to speed on side streets to avoid congestion.
“I have seen traffic backed up from North Main Street all the way back to Route 8 at certain points of the day,” Harding said. He described incidents of drivers using the center turn lane to speed past congestion and then attempting to merge back in near Main Street, and neighbors reporting increased speeding on residential streets such as York Street, which Harding described as a “more residential area” with children.
Harding said the project, as designed, “creates more congestion, unsafe driving” and encouraged council to vote in opposition for the benefit of the city, not only Ward 2. He also warned the Route 8 bridge construction could increase diversion traffic onto Talmadge Avenue.
Why it matters: The comment raises concerns about local traffic patterns and pedestrian safety near the project area; it was presented as public comment and no formal council action on the project was recorded at the meeting.
