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Mark Tree Road design survey shows majority support for single‑side sidewalk; residents call for traffic calming
Summary
A DPW survey for Mark Tree Road found 64% of respondents favored a single sidewalk on the south side rather than sidewalks on both sides of the road. Residents identified speeding, visibility on curves and tree preservation as priorities; DPW said constructing sidewalks on both sides would require significant tree removals and possibly blasting.
DPW staff told the Mobility Planning & Coordination Committee that a stakeholder-focused survey for the Mark Tree Road project produced feedback emphasizing pedestrian safety and traffic calming, and that a majority of respondents supported installing a single sidewalk on the south side of the road.
According to the survey results presented to the committee, 64% of respondents preferred one sidewalk (the south side) rather than sidewalks on both sides. Staff said a majority of respondents also lived on the north side of the road—where elevation and ledge make construction more complex—and that dual-side sidewalk construction would require more tree removals and more invasive construction (potentially blasting) than a single-side approach.
The top concerns cited by respondents were pedestrian access and safety, traffic calming measures, and tree preservation. Speeding and poor visibility on curves were commonly raised; staff reported previous spot speed counts that did not show a significant speed exceedance but noted that residents’ perception of speeding was strong. Truck traffic was noted as a local concern; staff said measured truck percentages were below common thresholds (about 4.7% in the study period) that would trigger automatic changes.
DPW said design revisions will aim to create more uniform geometry, add traffic-calming features where appropriate and colocate pedestrian crossings with calming measures. The design team will meet this week to translate survey comments into specific design elements and identify potential locations for raised intersections, crosswalks and other calming features.
What’s next: staff will meet with the designer to incorporate the survey priorities and schedule a public engagement step to show revised designs. Committee members asked staff to reach out to residents who identified themselves on the survey for follow-up input.
