Brighton Council weighs crosswalk, signs and enforcement after sidewalk gap, speed data

City staff and public-safety officials briefed the Brighton City Council on Oct. 28 about a sidewalk gap and traffic-safety concerns on Brighton Lake Road near the railroad tracks, and council members gave staff direction to return with cost estimates for a new crosswalk and signage.

Manager Gamolka presented aerial images of the area and told council that engineers initially avoided putting a crosswalk very close to the tracks because of stacking concerns when rail arms lower. He said a straightforward, curb-cut crosswalk placed where existing sidewalks already exist would avoid steep retaining walls and be the least costly short-term solution: "A simple solution could be to put that crosswalk just before that driveway where we have existing sidewalk on both sides," Gamolka said.

Director Gotch and staff provided cost guidance. Using the full Giffels-Webster design that follows the previously proposed alignment would require retaining walls and an estimated design/construction cost of about $125,000. In contrast, a minimal crossing with two ADA curb ramps and striping was estimated to be "probably less than $12,000," Gotch said. Staff also said lit, actuated crosswalks previously installed elsewhere in the city cost roughly $23,000 per crossing (about $46,000 for both sides).

Police Chief Procter described enforcement and data collection already deployed on Brighton Lake Road after residents raised concerns. "We do take these traffic concerns very seriously," he said, and described directed patrols (one hour per officer per shift) and temporary digital speed-sign deployments. Procter presented two-week samples from digital signs showing average speeds ranging from about 24.9 to 26.1 miles per hour at different locations and dates. He said the signs capture thousands of vehicles during a 24-hour collection period and that the signs flash when drivers exceed a set threshold.

Chief Procter listed operational constraints that limit continuous enforcement: training hours, court appearances, investigation and report-writing time, and overall call volume. He advised that permanent, solar-powered digital speed signs could be acquired through the capital-improvement program in phases, and staff recommended additional pedestrian signage near both crossings.

Council members discussed siting the crossing farther from the tracks to reduce the risk that stopped cars would be trapped on the rails and debated whether to add in-road pedestrian signs or a lit, actuated crossing. Several council members supported a pilot: install a conventional crosswalk and supplemental signage in spring, monitor the results and then consider an actuated or lit crossing if needed. One councilmember noted the community's two-week data showed an average near the posted limit but said a statistical distribution would better quantify how many drivers exceed the limit.

Outcome/direction: Council directed staff to return with itemized cost estimates for (1) a standard crosswalk (ADA ramps, striping, signage) and (2) a lit/actuated pedestrian crossing, and to propose signage to be installed in the near term. Chief Procter and staff will continue directed patrols and speed-sign deployments and will provide data for further analysis.

Ending: Staff will bring a cost estimate and sign samples to a future council meeting and said temporary signage can be installed promptly while a longer-term solution is evaluated.