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Select Board tables crosswalk ordinance changes but approves temporary red crosswalk panels for visibility
Summary
After Stantec and staff advised the board that two voter-passed crosswalk petitions conflict, the board tabled ordinance decisions to April 15 to gather more information but approved a temporary repainting scheme (red field with white border and six perpendicular white hash marks) to standardize visibility for the season.
The Wolfeboro Select Board moved cautiously on March 10 voter-approved crosswalk petitions after receiving a late Stantec engineering/legal memo that concluded the two petitions (one seeking a 20-foot setback around crosswalks, the other restoring some parking) contradict each other. Stantec’s written advice recommended the town adopt the 20-foot setback approach rather than restoring parking in locations that would reduce pedestrian visibility.
Select Board members said they needed time to review the new advice and to examine two recent pedestrian incidents noted during the meeting, and they voted to table ordinance changes until the April 15 meeting. "I don't want to make a change without a professional design effort and DOT input," a Selectman said, citing town-counsel guidance.
At the same meeting, Public Works Director Steve Randall proposed a temporary, low-risk repainting to standardize downtown crosswalk appearance and boost driver recognition this season. The board approved a short-term paint plan: solid red panels for the crosswalk field, white outlining stripes and six white perpendicular hash marks (three in each travel lane) as the interim treatment. Randall said the red panels with white borders conform to state guidance when used with white borders and that the temporary approach gives the board and staff a visible, testable baseline while longer-term policy is developed.
Next steps: Staff will bring back additional engineering input, accident reports and DOT guidance to the April 15 meeting for a more durable policy decision. The temporary painting is expected to begin in May, weather permitting.
