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Town releases 5-year pedestrian and bicycle crash maps; council weighs scramble at Pope Avenue
Summary
Assistant Town Manager Sean Gillan presented five-year heat maps showing hotspots and seasonality: three bicycle fatalities and seven pedestrian fatalities over five years; councilors and public urged targeted calming, a pedestrian scramble at Pope Avenue, more data on fault and counts, and expanded education and enforcement.
Assistant Town Manager Sean Gillan presented the town’s five‑year pedestrian and bicycle crash analysis, showing crash heat maps concentrated on the island’s busiest corridors and a seasonal spike during peak tourism months.
Gillan summarized five‑year totals reported in the presentation: three bicycle fatalities (and 29 serious bicycle injuries) and seven pedestrian fatalities (and 17 serious pedestrian injuries). He said the data are used to identify hot spots and guide capital-improvement projects and targeted countermeasures.
Staff outlined recent and near-term countermeasures: high‑visibility crosswalks and upgraded signage at midblock crossings, rectangular rapid‑flashing beacons (RRFBs) at selected locations, safe-pedestrian refuges, leading‑pedestrian intervals and pedestrian‑only phases (so‑called scrambles) at high‑demand intersections, pathway and pavement‑marking upgrades, and speed‑management measures on key corridors such as William Hilton Parkway.
Council members praised the analysis and suggested additional steps. Councilwoman Bryson asked staff to prioritize an all‑pedestrian phase at Pope Avenue/Lagoon to protect pedestrians and bicyclists moving between Low Country Celebration Park and nearby crossings. Staff said geometric and ADA ramp constraints at some corners may make a diagonal scramble difficult and that an “all PED” pedestrian phase with blankout signage to eliminate right turns on red during the phase may be the appropriate near‑term option.
Council members and staff noted limits on the data presented: staff collects volume data at signalized intersections annually and can provide pedestrian and bicycle counts, but deeper fault‑assignment (who was at fault in a crash) requires review of law‑enforcement incident reports prepared by the sheriff’s office. “There are incident reports that are prepared and that would be the source of that kind of information,” staff said.
Public commenters from the bike‑walk community urged the town to press for speed reductions in appropriate locations, to analyze incident reports for actionable causes, and to produce concise educational materials on bike/ped etiquette for visitors and residents. Frank Babel said speed is the top factor driving serious crashes and volunteered community assistance on education and review of incident details.
Staff identified next steps: continue CIP planning for crossings and pathway improvements (including proposed 2027 projects for Taylor Family Park and Patterson Family Park), install additional RRFBs and pavement‑marking upgrades, pursue Follyfield traffic‑calming (including reclassification to enable a lower posted speed and raised intersections), and provide requested volume counts and follow‑up data to council.
The council asked staff to return with more detailed evaluations of potential scramble/all‑pedestrian phases, the expected impacts and any necessary geometric or ADA corner improvements, plus educational outreach material for the public.
