Charlottesville staff report modest speed changes from quick-build pilots, outline evaluation and hardening plans

City traffic and engineering staff told the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) that the year—s quick-build pilot program delivered dozens of temporary traffic treatments under a Council-designated "urgent infrastructure" directive and that staff will evaluate the installations before recommending any permanent changes.

The program—s pilot phase ran primarily from June through December under a roughly $500,000 Council allocation for urgent infrastructure. Staff said the urgent list comprised about 30 items (some multi-component) and that some projects were later deferred for feasibility, paving schedules or alignment with small-area plans (the Rose Hill mini‑roundabout work was delayed because it conflicted with a planned repaving and a small-area study).

Staff presented Oakleaf/Greenleaf as an example of a temporary, paint-and-plastic treatment intended to create clearer sightlines and a defined right-of-way. "City management coined it urgent infrastructure," said Braden Duckham, city engineer (first referenced 00:07:35), describing the directive and short timetable that prompted rapid installations. Caleb Smith, city traffic engineer (first referenced 00:09:11), reviewed preliminary pre/post monthly aggregates comparing September and October of the prior year to the same months after installation. "So far, our preliminary data ... they slow the people down who obey the law down by about a mile or 2 an hour," Smith said (first referenced 00:17:50), describing typical 85th‑percentile reductions. Smith added that maximum observed speeds had shown negligible change at many sites and that isolated high-speed readings will be checked for data glitches.

Staff emphasized that the quick-build approach intentionally uses removable materials so designs can be refined: "They are temporary and can be removed in the future," Duckham said. The intent is to install rapidly, collect both quantitative speed data and qualitative public feedback, then decide whether to request funding to harden successful treatments into permanent infrastructure through the Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

A key constraint for some installations is fire-marshal approval. Smith said temporary speed tables and similar measures currently have interim sign-off and that full acceptance requires demonstrating acceptable performance under the weight and clearance needs of fire apparatus.

Committee members questioned whether speed metrics alone capture bicycle and pedestrian safety. BPAC members recommended pairing speed distributions with resident surveys and neighborhood meetings to measure whether people feel safer and whether the treatment reduces risky interactions. Staff said they will hold a neighborhood meeting in January for Oakleaf/Greenleaf and aim to run broader resident surveys in April after residents and drivers have had several months to experience the changes.

On funding, staff said the city has largely used the $500,000 Council allocation for urgent infrastructure and has limited additional funds from the bike/ped and neighborhood transportation funds. Successful pilots will be candidates for CIP hardening requests; staff said some hardening could be phased across multiple budget years.

Committee members also pressed for clearer public timelines. Staff agreed to add expected completion dates and priority rankings to the public quick-build list so residents can see what is planned, what has been implemented and what remains in queue. BPAC members offered to help craft outreach materials and survey questions.

Public comment during the meeting raised site-specific concerns: "I want to call people—s attention again to the slip lane from High Street onto Long Street. It makes it impossible to safely cross with a bicycle," a neighborhood commenter said (first referenced 00:03:11). Staff said slip lanes and no-turn-on-red or stop‑sign changes were among the non-temporary items that have been or will be implemented as part of the urgent list.

Next steps: staff will continue pre/post analytics using new software, host a neighborhood meeting in January for the Oakleaf/Greenleaf pilot, run broader surveys in April, and then compile quantitative and qualitative evidence to recommend which pilots to harden into permanent infrastructure in future CIP cycles. BPAC members asked staff to prioritize transparency and timely web updates during the evaluation period.

Provenance: topic introduction appears at 00:05:37 (presentation start); the discussion and Q&A close near 01:01:43.