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Committee backs ambitious 4 Corners pedestrian improvements but asks for buffer refinements
Summary
After debate over transit throughput and pedestrian safety, the committee agreed on the public‑hearing‑draft approach for 4 Corners—wider sidewalks and buffers—while asking staff and MCDOT to refine design so minimum pedestrian buffers are not reduced to 2 feet and transit operations are protected.
The committee's discussion on transportation focused on the high‑volume 4 Corners area on University Boulevard, where many students and transit riders cross and board. Planning staff presented three approaches: a Planning Board two‑phase option (bus lanes then ROW widening), a modest‑improvement option that preserves existing travel lanes, and the public‑hearing‑draft option that repurposes a travel lane to create wider sidewalks, 7–8 foot planted buffers, and 10‑foot sidepaths where feasible.
Planning staff and multimodal transportation planners argued that very narrow buffers (2 feet in some cross‑sections) are unsafe in high‑pedestrian locations and recommended minimum buffers of 6–8 feet and sidewalks/sidepaths that accommodate bicyclists and wheelchair users. "We would not recommend something this narrow; it's unacceptable for us to recommend a 2‑foot buffer in a master plan," Carrie Sanders (Planning) said, citing national safety guidance.
MCDOT asked the committee to weigh transit throughput concerns and favored the option that retains the number of travel lanes while improving pedestrian facilities; county DOT highlighted that repurposing lanes could affect transit operations. County planning and DOT staff had previously convened SHA during outreach and charrettes and emphasized the implementation advantage when improvements can be made within existing public right‑of‑way (fewer property dedications required).
The committee adopted the public‑hearing‑draft approach (Option C) as its committee recommendation (3–0) while explicitly instructing staff, MCDOT and SHA to continue refining cross‑section designs to avoid 2‑ft buffers and to pursue 8‑ft (or greater where possible) planted buffers, 8–10‑ft sidewalks/sidepaths, tree soil volumes to support canopy goals, and a clear implementation pathway that balances bus operations and pedestrian safety.
Quotes: "We really feel strongly that this buffer needs to be 6 foot wide or greater," Carrie Sanders, planning staff, said when arguing for safer buffers and tree health.
"DOT aligns most closely with Option B because of concerns about moving transit through the corridor," Corey Pitts, MCDOT, said, urging continued engineering analysis.
Ending: The committee's transport recommendation moves with the plan to full council; staff will return with refined cross‑sections and an implementation plan that addresses both pedestrian safety and transit performance.
