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Residents urge Collierville to address sidewalk gaps near Bailey Station and Winchester
Summary
Residents from multiple subdivisions urged the Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen to prioritize sidewalks and short-term traffic treatments on sections of Bailey Station Parkway and Winchester Road, citing safety concerns and one-way subdivision access. The board said staff will forward the request to the town traffic engineer for study.
Several residents told the Town of Collierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen that gaps in sidewalks and heavy traffic near Bailey Station Parkway and Winchester Road create safety hazards for children and pedestrians.
"A lot of people drive north thinking they can just turn left into the funeral home, but you can't. And we end up having a lot of traffic being diverted into our subdivision, which, it's 1 way in, 1 way out," said Christopher Paul Garavelli, who lives at 1934 Ivywood Lane. He asked the town to allow a U-turn at a section of northbound Bailey Station between Whitworth and Ivy Grove to reduce diversion into the neighborhood.
Manuel "Mano" Boyajian, who said he has lived in the area for more than 20 years, told the board sidewalks are missing on stretches along Winchester and a long reach "from the Green Line all the way to Bailey Station," leaving residents feeling isolated. "When it rains, it's muddy. It's hard to … we can't ever exercise because we're having to cut around and do other things," Boyajian said. He said homeowners associations representing about 371 households share the concern.
Mayor Frasier thanked the residents and said the town is starting next fiscal-year budget planning. The mayor said staff will forward the residents' materials to the traffic engineer, Nitu, for a study and that short-term measures such as asphalt patching (not full sidewalks) might be possible to improve safety in the near term.
Town staff flagged several follow-up points raised during the remarks: whether any formal petitions had yet been submitted (residents said not yet), the specific locations most affected (Bailey Station between Whitworth and Ivy Grove; stretches of Winchester), and that some recent development patterns mean older sections lack sidewalks because developers were grandfathered from sidewalk requirements. Vice Mayor Stamps noted that drainage and water flow concerns had been discussed at the Planning Commission and asked staff to ensure potential stormwater impacts are considered as part of any design.
This item was presented during the meeting's public comment period and generated discussion; there was no formal vote. Staff indicated they would pass the residents' information to the traffic engineer for study and consider short-term pavement treatments as an interim safety measure.
