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Transportation Board recommends 2025 Pedestrian Master Plan to council after debate on Trinity speeds
Summary
The Transportation Board voted 3'to'1 to recommend the 2025 Los Alamos County Pedestrian Master Plan to the county council; the plan includes 34 location-specific recommendations, a living-document approach and short- to long-term implementation steps. One member dissented, citing Trinity Drive speed limits.
The Los Alamos County Transportation Board voted to recommend the 2025 Pedestrian Master Plan to county council after a presentation from county staff and consultant Wilson and Company and public comment.
"We're looking for a positive recommendation of approval for the county council to tonight," consultant Noah Burke said while summarizing the plan and asking the board to forward it for council adoption.
What the plan contains: Burke described the plan as the first comprehensive update since 1998 and said it frames safety, connectivity, equity, health and vibrancy as the core goals. The draft identifies 34 location-specific recommendations with planning-level cost estimates, short-/mid-/long-term phasing and suggested prioritization criteria. Staff highlighted existing conditions cited in the draft: roughly 100'102 miles of sidewalks countywide, about 152 miles of trails, approximately 11 signalized intersections and 164 marked crosswalks; curb ramp compliance was reported to be just over 40%.
Crash data: The plan team presented multi-year crash data (2018'2022) from NMDOT and the Los Alamos Police Department showing 770 total crashes countywide in that period and eight pedestrian-involved crashes; presenters noted COVID-era effects on traffic volumes and recommended using the data for prioritization rather than to imply a broad trend.
Implementation and funding: The plan proposes a living-document approach: a dedicated web page for ongoing public input, periodic monitoring and a strategy to bundle projects to leverage state and federal grants. Staff also flagged several grant outcomes during the meeting: an award of roughly $4.5 million for the Kanyalabed Bay Trail design and construction and $700,000 for the Pin'on School Trail; staff said a council presentation for final plan adoption was planned for Aug. 26.
Board discussion and dissent: Several board members supported forwarding the plan to council as a tool to secure project funding and to advance short-term safety improvements (crosswalk repainting, speed feedback signs, ADA ramp priorities). One board member said they would withhold support until the speed limit on Trinity Drive is formally reduced and more enforcement is demonstrated; the member argued that Trinity functions as an expressway and that speed reductions would materially affect pedestrian safety. The board voted to recommend the plan to council, motion passing 3'to'1.
Public comment and accessibility concerns: Public speakers praised the plan's public-engagement approach and urged continued focus on accessibility (audible signals, space for strollers and nonstandard mobility devices) and on mechanisms to collect and act on near-miss reports for pedestrians.
What's next: With the board's recommendation, staff intends to present the plan to county council for adoption; staff also will begin implementing short-term items and developing the interactive plan webpage and monitoring framework described in the draft.
