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Council reviews multi-pronged Main Street safety plan; staff to prioritize short-term measures
Summary
City staff and a consultant presented short-, medium- and long-term improvements aimed at lowering speeds and improving pedestrian comfort on Main Street. Council asked staff to prioritize short-term, low-cost measures and to return with implementation steps and monitoring metrics.
City staff and a transportation consultant presented a package of short-, medium- and long-term measures Monday intended to improve pedestrian safety and lower vehicle speeds on Main Street in advance of the University of Delaware fall term.
Public works Director Tim Filaski and consultant Brad Herb (JMT) outlined a mix of engineering, enforcement and education steps. Short-term proposals (deployable within weeks to months) include reboundable crosswalk signs, targeted all-way stop conversions at identified intersections, transverse rumble strips with pavement markings, high-visibility pedestrian warning signs, temporary buffer striping to reduce travel width and portable speed radar signs. Medium- and long-term ideas include rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, raised crosswalks/vertical measures, pedestrian-scale lighting, bollards, reduced posted speed limits within a defined “community safety zone,” and geometric intersection changes such as roundabouts.
Filaski said DelDOT has accepted the analysis for two proposed stop-sign conversions (Tyre Avenue and Haines Street) and staff is preparing signing and striping plans. “We already started on preparing a signing and striping plan for this conversion,” he said. He emphasized that many short-term measures could be temporary and converted to permanent installations if monitoring shows they are effective.
Council members broadly supported a measured approach that would prioritize quick, reversible measures while testing effectiveness. Councilman Lawhorn described the Tyre Avenue conversion as “the best idea out of all these” and urged prioritized implementation. Councilwoman Ford opposed removing the traffic signal at Tyre Avenue because of nearby senior housing and mobility needs, saying, “If you think that someone's going to stop for an old lady on a walker at a stop sign, you have another thing coming.” Filaski explained DelDOT’s requirement that a signal be put on flash and an all-way stop be monitored for one year before any signal removal.
Stakeholders — including Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder and the Newark Partnership — participated in meetings to vet options. Aetna representatives asked staff to avoid measures that could impede emergency response; staff said measures such as spaced speed cushions can be designed to allow fire apparatus to pass in the channelized gap.
Council directed staff to take next steps: prioritize short-term measures for implementation before the fall semester, coordinate with DelDOT on required analysis and permitting, expand education and outreach (including working with UD and Main Street businesses), and set a monitoring plan with timelines and metrics. Filaski said staff will meet again with the stakeholder group the next day and return to council with a prioritized list and implementation schedule.
