College Place safety plan highlights pedestrian crossings, signal and sidewalk fixes after public outreach

Spencer Montgomery, a traffic engineer with JUB Engineers, told College Place UTech committee members that public outreach and collision data point to pedestrian and intersection safety as top priorities in a draft safety action plan. Montgomery said the project team collected 415 comment-map submissions from Oct. 21 to Dec. 10 and combined that feedback with five years of collision data to identify candidate projects and policy recommendations.

Angela Singleton of the Langdon Group, the project’s public-involvement lead, said the outreach used social posts, flyers, a farmer’s-market table and in-person events to encourage survey participation. Singleton said the comment map shows concerns “all over the city,” with the most frequent topics being pedestrian safety, reducing collisions and an “other” category that included parking and site-distance concerns.

Montgomery summarized the collision data: about 440 collisions citywide over five years, roughly 202 at functionally classified intersections, and four serious injuries (each involving a pedestrian or bicyclist). He identified hotspots including Meadowbrook Boulevard at Highway 125 (16 collisions in five years); Whitman Drive at Larch; Twelfth Street; C Street at Myra; Rose Street at Myra; and multiple segments of College Avenue. Montgomery said many crashes were rear-end collisions, angle crashes or failures to yield; distracted driving and failure to yield together account for a substantial share of incidents.

Based on crash patterns and public comments, consultants recommended a mix of near-term and longer-term measures: install rectangular rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs) at uncontrolled crossings near schools, add advance flashing beacons on Highway 125 approaches, update signal heads with reflective backings, consider converting some stop-controlled intersections to all-way stops, add high-friction surface treatments on approaches with speeding/curve problems, evaluate protected left-turn signal phasing at several intersections, and study roundabouts as a longer-term solution at locations that meet guidance. Montgomery also proposed a lane‑narrowing/striping approach on wide Twelfth Street (for example, adding painted bike lanes) to slow traffic and improve gap judgment for drivers entering from side streets.

The team recommended filling sidewalk and ADA ramp gaps identified in the city’s earlier ADA transition plan and giving priority to sidewalks near schools, transit routes and neighborhoods with lower car ownership. Montgomery said the plan will incorporate the city’s existing transportation improvement and bike-plan projects so sidewalk infill can be paired with planned resurfacing or reconstruction work where feasible.

Next steps presented to the committee call for additional public outreach in late winter or March to present options and verify the project list, publication of a draft document in April, committee review in May and planned City Council consideration in May so the adopted plan would be eligible for federal implementation funding. Montgomery flagged an anticipated spring call for projects under the USDOT Safe Routes for All program, and said the team hopes an adopted plan will allow competitive applications for implementation funds.

Committee members weighed outreach timing and local concerns. Commissioner Williams suggested coordinating outreach with community events (she mentioned an early-year “egg drop” that draws families). Commissioner Gomez asked whether cost-sharing with local institutions (school district, university) could accelerate sidewalk work; staff said the city would follow up. Commissioners raised recurring local issues: parking obstructing sight lines on downtown streets, cycle-track continuity across College Avenue, and the need to evaluate collision trends before and after the installation of recent four-way stops.

The consultants emphasized context: while some intersections show relatively higher counts, overall collision volumes in College Place are low for a city of its size; the plan’s stated objective is to eliminate fatal and serious-injury crashes. The team also recommended adding a public education element to address distracted driving because crash reports often list “inattention” as a factor without specifying sources of distraction.

Ending: The committee asked staff and the consultant team to proceed with the proposed outreach and to return recommendations and a draft plan on the timeline presented so the city can seek grant funding if the plan is adopted.