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Residents press Salisbury council for traffic study and speed controls on Sales Road, Eagle Heights
Summary
Multiple residents urged the council to expand traffic analyses and install calming measures on Sales Road and in Eagle Heights as new housing developments increase cut-through traffic; staff said a traffic calming policy is out for public comment and NCDOT has jurisdiction over parts of the road network.
Several Salisbury residents told the City Council on March 4 they are worried about speeding, cut-through traffic and safety in Eagle Heights and along Sales Road as nearby housing development increases traffic volume.
Speakers at the public-comment portion described repeated speeding, pets and near-misses and urged the city to conduct a traffic study and install speed humps similar to nearby neighborhoods. Kristen Stauffer said her neighborhood has tried signs and informal speed checks without lasting results. Jane Smith Steinberg, who said she has lived at 411 Knollwood Avenue for 55 years, said growth on Hawkenstown Road and nearby subdivisions have worsened congestion and made getting out of neighborhood streets more difficult.
Other speakers asked the city to broaden a pending traffic study to include adjacent neighborhoods and roads and asked council to examine the city’s land-use map and Ford 2040 plan when reviewing future subdivisions. Tim Norris and Leanne Norris asked that the study account for traffic from adjoining developments and for the city to consider lowering the trip threshold that triggers a TIA (traffic impact analysis). Tim Norris said he missed the February 4 annexation notice for a nearby development and urged more transparent notices for adjacent-property owners.
City Manager Jim Green responded at the meeting that Police Chief Smith and city staff are aware of neighborhood concerns and are working with residents. Green said Transportation Director Wendy Bridal recently presented a traffic-calming policy to council that is out for public review; the policy would let staff work with neighborhoods and consider measures beyond speed humps, such as signage and different street patterns. Green also noted that parts of the affected roads are North Carolina Department of Transportation routes and that NCDOT would need to require a formal traffic study for state-controlled segments.
Speakers emphasized specific recommendations from the Ford 2040 plan, including evaluating cumulative development impacts on the transportation network and balancing traffic volume with pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Several said that the parcel currently proposed for annexation near Sales Road is surrounded by rural-residential zoning and argued the city should consider rezonings or site configuration that reduces cut-through traffic until infrastructure is improved.
The council did not take a vote on any ordinance or traffic measure at the meeting; staff encouraged residents to submit formal comments on the draft traffic-calming policy and said transportation staff would follow up with NCDOT about project-specific reviews.
