Middleton committee forwards Complete Streets report with edits, calls for RRFB tracking and school-safety audit

The Middleton Ped Bike Transit committee recommended the 2025 Complete Streets progress report to the planning commission and city council with several edits and additions intended to improve clarity and implementation tracking.

Staff explained challenges in measuring certain performance indicators, notably Performance Measure 8 (impervious surface replaced with green space), which staff said is difficult to track consistently from project to project. The committee agreed it may be appropriate to remove or replace that metric unless a clear long-term program and target are adopted.

Members asked staff to make three specific edits before forwarding the report: add rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) and crosswalk improvements to Performance Measure 1, remove the Parmenter shared‑use path from the tally because it was not plowed this year, and record the Middleton Shores path as a loss rather than a zero change. Staff agreed to make those edits and to recheck a minor crash‑data discrepancy flagged by committee members.

Committee members also discussed improving the report’s engagement metrics and data sources. Staff said the parks department is exploring cell‑phone and third‑party data (e.g., Strava heat maps) to better measure trail and park usage next year. One member suggested adding qualitative survey measures to capture perceived safety.

Safety and location planning: the committee debated candidate RRFB and crossing sites, including Parmenter at Graeber, Woodgate, Fortune & Gammon, Park & Donna, and crossings near schools and senior housing. Members emphasized that RRFB installations should be paired with sidewalks and other controls (medians, raised crossings, speed management) where warranted.

On the work plan, the committee asked that all city ped/bike/transit initiatives be routed through the Ped Bike Transit committee and added a school‑safety audit, high‑school outreach, and weekend street‑closure pilots (e.g., Elmwood cyclovia-style events) for 2026. The committee also discussed closer coordination with the police department while noting staffing limits for enforcement.

"It was really tough for us as staff to kind of determine that," staff said about measuring impervious‑surface conversions, adding the department will suggest replacements or remove the metric if it provides no useful insight. Another committee member said enforcement alone is insufficient: infrastructure change is required to improve safety.

The committee voted to recommend the report with the edits and forward it to the planning commission and common council.