Mountain Times:
Board mulls West Hill “slip lane” proposal
updated
Tue, May 13, 2014 09:55 PM
KILLINGTON - The Killington board of selectmen is pondering whether to temporarily close the "slip lane" at West Hill Road.
Town manager Seth Webb explained the proposal at the board's most recent meeting, May 6.
"The engineering consultant from DuBois & King made the recommendation to eliminate that lane and convert it into a green space for two primary reasons," Webb said. "The first is safety: it could reduce speeds on West Hill Road and improve traffic safety. We basically have a plan to build a sidewalk with a crosswalk that would come over and dump people into that area where we're currently encouraging them to speed through... Additionally, in terms of safety, it would make the intersection more predictable for pedestrians and less complicated. You wouldn't have one road to dodge and then another road if you were crossing."
The second reason the consultant gave, Webb said, is that closing the slip lane offered an opportunity to create a green space as an attractive gateway to the town's commercial district.
"We are about to repave West Hill Road this summer," said Webb." We're going to do that in August. We felt it was a good time to ask the question, 'Is this something that the community wants to do?'"
Webb noted that there would be no point in paving the slip lane if the area was only going to be torn up later.
"There's another side to the argument the consultants didn't discuss," he added. "Concerns about traffic backup, concerns about accidents have been raised."
Selectman Chris Bianchi said that perhaps a little more research was needed before going ahead.
"Since our plan is to repave Killington Road from West Hill to Dean Hill next year," he said, "we'll be back in this same area paving again. That gives us an opportunity to do an experiment this summer and next winter of closing off that road temporarily, paving West Hill up to the light, and not repaving the slip lane this year. We could easily close off that section of road, do our own traffic study, and get comments from citizens who have actually experienced the different layout. "
Bianchi said the experiment wouldn't take long.
"If we decide in the second week in December that we don't like it, we can get the bucket loader up there to remove the snow and we're back to an open road before we even get to Christmas," he said.
Killington planning commissioner David Rosenblum said the current studies didn't go far enough - namely, they don't address winter conditions.
"They gave us some beautiful pictures," he said, "and if you look at those pictures, there's no snow in them. The studies seem to be oriented to improving the roadway during summer."
Rosenblum said he liked the idea of the traffic experiment. "You don't know until you try it," he said.
Those citizens attending the meeting tended not to support the idea. Vito Rasenas, who lives in the area, said he had spoken to his neighbors and "none of them seem to be in favor of this," he said. "Why fix something that's not broken?"
Rasenas also cited potential problems for truck drivers and heavy equipment operators in the winter. "For them to make that corner in the middle of winter is going to be more dangerous than letting them go on that slip lane through the winter. Sometimes it's really hard to make that corner. If you want to slow down traffic, just put a speed bump in there."
Another man echoed the concern regarding emergency services. "Has anyone asked the fire department about this?" he asked. "Let's say Vito's house is on fire. If they can't go through the slip lane to get to his house, and they get stuck in traffic to make a right at a light. Has anyone checked on that?"
Bianchi reminded the audience that the recommendation was intended to make the area safer for pedestrians.
"We're trying to make it more pedestrian friendly because there will be more pedestrians," he said. "You can't say because there are no pedestrians, we shouldn't try to improve the area."
The board voted to table the recommendation for the time being, pending Webb's research into whether the board has the authority to temporarily close the slip lane to test the concept.
Stephen Seitz is a correspondent for The Mountain Times, saseitz@comcast.net
Alternatives proposed
By Cristina Kumka
KILLINGTON - Town officials considering removing the turning lane or "slip lane" and island from the top of West Hill Road, referred to the proposal from a 2013 walkway alternatives report. According to the report by engineering firm Dubois & King, there isn't enough traffic to warrant the traffic configuration as it is. Additionally, cars travel at too high of speed at the intersection, causing a hazard to pedestrians. The report suggested closing the "slip lane" and creating a public park or green space in its stead, and possibly creating a new traffic pattern, like a roundabout.
In an email, Select Board Chairman Chris Bianchi echoed some of the report's finding and more.
"A dedicated right turn lane at the light would cause very little traffic delay even at peak times," he said. "It's unsightly and a much more aesthetically pleasing entrance to the business/commercial distract could be created in that much larger public space… It creates a dangerous traffic pattern (ask our police department), people turning left at West Hill have to immediately yield to the slip lane, causing a start and sudden stop action, or they even don't yield at all... some people traveling up West Hill still ignore the "Do Not Enter" sign and drive the wrong way out the slip lane... it's not pedestrian friendly," Bianchi wrote to concerned resident Richard Kropp.
The premise for the lane change is part of an overall walkway plan from West Hill Road up to School House Road, along Killington Road.
The Dubois & King report put the cost of the walkway and multi-use path project at about $318,000, with more than $255,000 coming from a grant. The intersection improvement is not included in that cost, according to the report.
The Dubois report suggested that traffic counts would only slightly increase at the West Hill intersection if the ski village is constructed.
According to state law, the town would need to hold public hearings and notify landowners and the Select Board would have to issue a final decision on the "slip lane" change before any construction could occur. However, an "experimental" closing for a temporary amount of time, could be possible.
Rasenas and some other residents asked why the town would want to spend money on fixing something they believe is not broken.
"Even going through the process of vetting the proposal would cost the town money as they have to notify interested parties and abutting landowners. Just consider those mailing costs alone. I'm sure there would other legal costs as well," Rasenas wrote.
The Dubois & King report explained that towns with pedestrian and bike friendlier roads attract a younger, healthier demographic and that the Killington Road is the most underutilized ski resort access road in Vermont.
The next Select Board meeting is Tuesday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Cristina Kumka is a correspondent for The Mountain Times, cristina_kumka@yahoo.com.
-----Comment:
As I have already written in prior posts this is Chris Bianchi's "Field of Dreams". His statement,""We're trying to make it more pedestrian friendly because there will be more pedestrians," "You can't say because there are no pedestrians, we shouldn't try to improve the area." is evidence of that. "Build it and they will come.", seems to be his philosophy.
Add that to the fact it was upon his urging that Dubois & King put the option of slip lane closure in their report. I and others remember him urging them at a preliminary briefing to do so. I looked up the Sept. 18, 2012 Select Board minutes where it stated, "The chairman [Bianchi] noted the discussion slide was dated and went on to mention possible changes to the entrance and exit to the top of West Hill Road." While this quote from the minutes doesn't specifically state closure of the slip lane, that is what it alludes to. It does not quote Bianchi, just summarizes his statement.
In addition, his statement, " It creates a dangerous traffic pattern (ask our police department), people turning left at West Hill have to immediately yield to the slip lane, causing a start and sudden stop action, or they even don't yield at all... some people traveling up West Hill still ignore the "Do Not Enter" sign and drive the wrong way out the slip lane... it's not pedestrian friendly," was totally repudiated. I DID ASK OUR POLICE CHIEF, Whit Montgomery, who told me he could recall no accidents, pedestrian or otherwise, at that intersection in all the time he has served as constable and police chief. Further, he stated the only time he saw anyone going the wrong way on the slip lane was when the installation of "Do Not Enter" signs he and Scott Bigelow requested were delayed by the town administration.
And if you can believe this, Bianchi stated at the Select Board meeting that he's worried that he could get rear ended when yielding at left hand turn down West Hill Road. How fast could anyone be going after making a ninety plus degree turn and only maybe 20-30 feet to accelerate and rear end a yielding driver. They would barely have time to take their foot off the brake.
Chris Bianchi is thrashing about looking for any reason to bolster this plan and his paltry arguments are so easily refuted its almost embarrassing except for the fact there are serious consequences, i.e. the lane closure.
And what kind of statement is this by Seth Webb, " We basically have a plan to build a sidewalk with a crosswalk that would come over and dump people into that area where we're currently encouraging them to speed through..." Then don't build the sidewalk there!!!!! Are we expected to be this naive?
Apparently it's not enough that the Select Board meeting introducing this proposal was STANDING ROOM ONLY with NO-ONE speaking in support of the proposal and every person who spoke was against it.
I wish Mr. Seitz and Ms. Kumka included the discussions at the Select Board meeting in their reporting to accurately portray the pro and cons. They are readily available on PEG-TV online (WWW.PEGTV.com, Video on Demand) and PEG TV channel 21 next showing on Saturday May 17, at 2:30 pm.
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