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Draft pedestrian master plan targets 34 site-specific improvements, urges short-term safety fixes
Summary
Wilson & Company project manager Noah Burke presented the county's draft pedestrian master plan, which sets a vision of "a walkable community where residents and visitors can walk with confidence, safety and accessibility," and recommends location-specific countermeasures, funding approaches and an implementation framework.
Wilson & Company project manager Noah Burke presented the county's draft pedestrian master plan, which sets a vision of "a walkable community where residents and visitors can walk with confidence, safety and accessibility," and recommends location-specific countermeasures, funding approaches and an implementation framework.
The draft identifies three priority geographies — downtown Los Alamos (including Diamond Drive), the Trinity/Trinity Drive corridor, and the White Rock town center — and proposes 34 site-specific recommendations. Short-term actions include repainted crosswalks, updated signage, speed‑feedback signs and priority curb‑ramp upgrades. Longer-range projects include curb, gutter and sidewalk reconstructions and corridor-level complete‑streets redesigns.
Why it matters: The plan is intended to focus limited funds on high-safety value, low-cost measures first, then phase in larger capital work. The draft also recommends using county funds to bundle projects locally and to pursue federal and state grants for larger projects.
Highlights
- Inventory and data: The team reported more than 102 miles of sidewalks and 152 miles of trails in the county, with 11 signalized intersections and 164 marked crosswalks. About 85% of sidewalks are under 5 feet wide, creating accessibility concerns.
- Crash data and priorities: From 2018 through February 2022 the county recorded 770 crashes (about 154 per year) and eight pedestrian-involved crashes in that period; the plan identifies locations with concentrated pedestrian activity and higher risk.
- Prioritization and scoring: The plan uses a 100-point scoring rubric for site prioritization (safety, connectivity, equity, accessibility and visibility) and maps projects into short (0–2 years), mid and long-term (5+ years) implementation plans. The draft also includes a proposed public feedback form and a process for regular updates so the plan can be a living document.
Council feedback
Council members asked about grade and ADA constraints for pedestrian overpasses and underpasses (for example, in White Rock), the timing and budget for short-term safety projects, and how staff will incorporate Transportation Board input before final council review. Staff said they expect the Transportation Board to review the draft on August 7 and to return a final plan to council for consideration later in the month; staff asked for council feedback on a short timespan so the plan can be sent to the board with any final changes.
Ending
Staff and consultants requested written council feedback on a short schedule to allow the Transportation Board to consider final edits; the presentation places near-term emphasis on cost-effective safety improvements while establishing priorities for larger, CIP-level projects.
