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Aramelli urges lighting pilot at dark, high-crash intersections; council asks staff for data-driven triage
Summary
Council member Aramelli urged a pilot to light high-crash intersections (e.g., State Bridge/GA-141, Old Alabama/Jones Bridge) citing studies and cost-range estimates; council directed staff to conduct a triage study and consider community feedback as part of longer-range planning.
Council member Aramelli presented a proposal to pilot lighting improvements at several intersections with higher nighttime crash rates and argued the city should target safety gains where they are most likely. He cited national crash-cost figures and said lighting can reduce severe crashes "up to 12%" conservatively and claimed ranges up to "33 to 38 percent" in some contexts.
Other council members and staff pushed for a data-driven, citywide prioritization rather than picking intersections ad hoc. "I appreciate you raising this topic... we haven't been informed by city staff of any unsafe conditions," one councilor said, urging the use of an intersection-prioritization matrix and community feedback via the comprehensive plan or a separate study. Staff noted the upfront material cost for full LED installations can range widely (presentation cited figures from roughly $164,000 to $842,000 per fully lit site or field analogies) and reminded council of ongoing electricity costs for existing lights (staff cited the city's traffic/streetlight electricity bill at nearly $900,000 annually).
Council agreed there is merit to exploring lighting gaps; direction to staff was to (1) evaluate triage/prioritization criteria for intersections and dark spots, (2) provide a menu of options and cost estimates, and (3) integrate community feedback during the upcoming comprehensive/transportation plan processes where appropriate.
Next steps: staff will assess dark spots and proposed pilot intersections, produce data and cost estimates, and recommend a prioritized approach for council consideration.
