Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Traffic Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents, committee press Select Board to maintain Chocorua crosswalks; traffic committee proposes village parking re-striping
Summary
Chocorua Village residents and the Tamworth Village Traffic Committee urged the Select Board to repaint and maintain village crosswalks installed under earlier DOT-backed projects and proposed restriping parking and a crosswalk between the library and adjacent parking to improve pedestrian safety.
Chocorua Village residents and the Tamworth Village Traffic Committee urged Tamworth's Select Board on Aug. 26 to repaint and maintain crosswalks and consider restriping parking in Tamworth Village to create a continuous pedestrian walkway.
Judith Reardon and other community speakers said they have been told the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (DOT) will conduct a broader Route 16 corridor safety study that could take many months; in the interim, pavement markings have faded. Reardon and others noted a prior agreement tied to state-funded improvements obligates the town to maintain the improvements, though they said the agreement does not obligate upgrades beyond maintenance.
DOT representatives and the traffic committee were reported to have indicated that DOT might recommend higher-cost remedies — such as rectangular rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs) — in a later study. Residents said the crosswalks currently provide both a practical pedestrian crossing and a visual traffic-calming effect in the village; they urged the town not to let markings lapse while DOT proceeds with the longer-term study.
Separately, the Tamworth Village Traffic Committee presented a proposal to move granite parking stops back roughly 4 feet from building porches and to repaint parking stripes so a three- to four-foot pedestrian walkway would exist between parked cars and porches. The committee said the change would preserve a safe travel lane (roughly 27–30 feet between opposing parking rows) and would reduce the need for pedestrians to step into the roadway to pass parked cars, particularly in winter.
Select Board members acknowledged the grant-assurance obligations tied to earlier DOT-funded work and said they would consult the road agent and budget for any maintenance work. The board asked the traffic committee to prepare a small-scale visual plan and to coordinate with the road agent so the proposal, including costs and impacts to winter maintenance and snow shedding, could be reviewed at a future meeting.
