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Residents and council raise pedestrian-safety concerns at Maple, McKeown and downtown crosswalks
Summary
A resident urged the Fruita City Council to address speeding on Maple Street and sight-line and parking issues at McKeown/Peach; councilors directed staff to ask the traffic committee to study the locations and report back, and discussed repainting or clarifying downtown crosswalks on Aspen Street.
A Fruita resident told the council he has repeatedly observed vehicles traveling well above posted limits near Reid Park and asked the city to consider traffic-calming changes at Maple Street and the nearby McKeown/McCune corridors.
"The traffic speed limit is 30 miles an hour on Maple Street... I know people are driving 50, especially in the morning and rush hour," resident David McKeand said, identifying his address on South Maple. He described heavy pedestrian use near Reid Park and children on skateboards and urged the council to consider measures such as a stop sign at Maple and McKeown or other traffic-calming improvements.
Councilors and staff discussed related intersections, including McKeown and Peach, where sight lines are obstructed by parked cars. Councilor Williams and other members said the city has added crosswalks that have helped in some locations but acknowledged the concerns persist. City staff and council members suggested referring the matter to the traffic committee for evaluation and recommended a future workshop or presentation explaining traffic-control standards, how warranting works for stop signs and speed management, and options for crosswalk marking on Aspen Street.
Public works staff also noted on-the-ground constraints such as parked vehicles and the geometry of intersections that affect sight lines, and council asked staff to add the McKeown/Peach and Maple/McKeown locations to the traffic committee’s agenda. Council also discussed whether the decorative/stamped paving on Aspen Street functions as an actual crosswalk in drivers’ perceptions and whether painting or signage should be added to clarify pedestrian right-of-way.
No formal action or ordinance was adopted; the council directed staff to initiate traffic-committee review and to schedule a workshop or presentation explaining traffic standards and candidate remedies for the identified locations.
