Anderson City Council asked to adopt complete street policy
At the council's April meeting Ben Orcutt, the owner of Buckskin Bikes, asked that an ordinance be approved to promote safety on streets.
The ordinance is on the agenda for the Thursday council meeting and includes the appointment of citizens to a committee.
Orcutt said Friday that council members are supportive of the proposed ordinance.
'We need to improve infrastructure in the city,' he said. 'The streets are designed for automobile use, but there are people who ride bikes and walk.'
He said the Complete Street policy has been adopted by Madison County and other communities.
'The plan is in the future to make streets safer for all users,' Orcutt said.
Orcutt cited a study done by the Madison County Council of Governments, which found that two pedestrians or bicyclists are injured every month in Anderson.
He said there is an established process to implement the Complete Streets policy.
'We are looking to take a step toward safer streets,' he said. 'There is a wide use of our streets, and we should make accommodations for the people are living here.'
Orcutt said with Anderson wanting to attract young families, there should be an effort to make the streets safer for all users.
'We have too many pedestrians being hit by cars and a lot of traffic accidents,' he said. 'We should be doing our best to make the streets safe.'
Orcutt said he would like to see the bicycle lanes already established in Anderson expanded in the future.
'Every street needs a safer option,' he said. 'There should be areas for pedestrians and bicyclists not in the traffic lanes.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
5 hours ago
- Axios
After outcry from businesses, crews working 24/7 to repave Cascade Road
Atlanta Department of Transportation crews are working around the clock to expedite the Cascade Road Complete Street project that business owners say has stymied their operations. Why it matters: Cascade Road is a major thoroughfare on Atlanta's west side, and entrepreneurs say the ongoing road closures required for the project make it difficult for them to maintain customers and their bottom lines. The latest: The around-the-clock resurfacing work, which started Monday, will take place along Cascade between Wills Mill Road and Kingsdale Drive, Atlanta DOT said Monday on X. Weather permitting, two crews are working 12-hour shifts to repave roughly one mile of Cascade Road, with work anticipated to be done by Aug. 25, DOT Commissioner Solomon Caviness told Axios. While the city said the roadway will remain open, drivers can expect some traffic delays, along with noise and light disruptions from nighttime work. What they're saying: The 24/7 schedule will allow Atlanta to remove the detour on the western end of the project area that's drawn the the ire of business owners and residents, Caviness told Axios. "We consider Cascade to be the heart and soul of Southwest Atlanta, and we're excited to finally bring this project to a close and support our local businesses and the local economy," Caviness said. Context: The new schedule comes after weeks of criticism from Cascade Heights business owners and residents, several of whom voiced their concerns at the Aug. 4 City Council meeting. Trinket Lewis, owner of MoreLyfe Juice Co., said when she opened in 2022, her juice shop was averaging more than 900 orders a month. Now, the business is down to around 380 a month. "It's killing MoreLyfe, it's killing the Cascade business district and no one has been held accountable," Lewis said. State of play: A petition has been created, calling on the city to establish an economic recovery fund similar to one that was approved following the 2024 water outage crisis. City Council member Marci Collier Overstreet told Axios she intends to introduce legislation authorizing a fund as early as Monday's City Council meeting. "They are afraid that their business will not return to pre-construction numbers, and so they need help to make sure that everyone will come back," she said, referring to her constituents. Catch up quick: The $33 million Cascade Road Complete Street project began in spring 2022 and installed improvements along a roughly two-mile stretch, including resurfacing and restriping the road, adding sidewalks and bike lanes and upgrading traffic signals. The city also minimized the width of the travel lanes and reduced the speed limit to 25 miles per hour to get vehicles to slow down, Caviness told Axios. What we're watching: Once the resurfacing work is done, the city will tackle "punch list" items like electrical work, lighting improvements and signage, Caviness said.
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Forbes
From Bluffton To Boca Raton, US Communities Take On Road Safety Crisis
Both urban and rural areas were evaluated and ranked based on their successful adoption of proactive ... More policies in recent years to address the road safety crisis. Forty-three towns and cities across the country have been cited for 'standout' efforts to confront the dangers to roadway safety in their communities. Both urban and rural areas were evaluated and ranked based on their successful adoption of proactive policies in recent years to address the road safety crisis. Those are highlights of a new report released on Wednesday by Smart Growth America, a nonprofit focusing on housing and land use, transportation, and economic development, in conjunction with the National Complete Streets Coalition, an alliance of public interest organizations and transportation professionals that is a program of Smart Growth America. 'Complete Streets policies reflect the vision each community has for its future,' Heidi Simon, director of Thriving Communities at Smart Growth America, said in a statement. 'The strongest policies lead to changes that make it safer and easier for people to get where they need to go—whether they're walking, driving, biking, or taking transit.' The report, Best Complete Streets Policies 2025, details the actions taken by communities 'to develop strong and effective policies' in 2023 and 2024 using the Complete Streets Policy Framework, a strategy and blueprint for organizing a community's commitment to safety, accessibility, and equity for all. Included are details for all aspects of street development, from the planning and design phases through building and maintenance. The approach involves practical and often easy to implement changes, like sidewalks, raised crosswalks and bicycle infrastructure. 'The 2025 report demonstrates that well-designed, context-sensitive policies are being adopted in communities of all sizes,' the report said. 'Top-ranked policies came not only from major urban centers but also from places like Clyde, Ohio, a community with a population of roughly 6,000, demonstrating that no matter the size or setting, policies that produce streets that are safe and accessible for everyone are a critical step toward healthier, more connected communities.' The top-scoring communities and their scores are: Case studies from three communities that adopted 'exemplary policies and overcame unique barriers' are presented in the report. The background, challenges to adoption, highlights of the specific policy, implementation, and lessons learned are detailed. Over the past two decades more than 1,700 Complete Streets policies have been adopted across the United States, the group said, 'for communities to develop new transportation solutions.' 'We applaud communities like Clyde and San Antonio for crafting thoughtful, actionable policies that reflect their local realities and are poised to deliver real, on-the-ground improvements,' Simon added. For more information and to access the report, click here.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Anderson council wants funding for Shady Run drainage survey
ANDERSON — Anderson City Council is seeking funds for a study to resolve potential flooding issues along Shady Run. Council President Lance Stephenson said Thursday that council had planned to get money from Anderson Community Schools for a survey of the area, but the school system declined. Shady Run weaves into the Northcrest Addition from Lindberg Road, runs underneath Scatterfield Road and Alexandria Pike and eventually empties into Shadyside Lake. The housing addition was built in 1955 on a former farm field. Shady Run, a natural stream, flows through the site. There's a retention pond to the east of Eastside Middle School, but some area residents maintain it's not large enough to handle the water from the school and surrounding farm fields. Stephenson said council can write an ordinance and pay for the study. 'We will have to reallocate money from the budget,' he said. 'That has to be done by the city administration.' Stephenson said council wants to get an independent study done of the area and then go back to ACS to show the retention pond is not adequate. 'I want to get this done,' he said. 'I will talk to the mayor and get the funds for a survey. We need to get an independent study.' OTHER BUSINESS • Council received an update on the Complete Streets program requested by local resident Ben Orcutt. Jennifer Culp, president pro-tem of council, said Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr., wants to write the proposed ordinance. City Attorney Paul Podlejski expects a draft of the ordinance to be presented to council next month. 'Complete Streets deals with design and maintenance of streets with a concept of including crosswalks and bike lanes,' he explained. Podlejski said he is working off the Complete Streets model adopted by Madison County, which he said is more workable than the ordinance proposed by Orcutt. Councilman Ollie H. Dixon said he wants to address the issue and to compare the proposed city ordinance with the resolution adopted by Madison County Commissioners. • Council approved two requests for residential tax abatements: a three-year abatement for Matthew Murray for the construction of a $508,000 residence in the 3300 block of Waterway Boulevard, and a six-year abatement for a planned $120,000 house in the 3200 block of Marine Drive.
