• A decrease in total collisions (down 23%)
• A decrease in collisions with injuries (down 30%)
• A decrease in motor vehicle speeds (down 3-5 mph)
• A shift in remaining crashes from frontal crashes to rear end crashes (frontal crashes down 55%)
• An increase in cycling use on the corridor (up 269%)
• A minimal increase in travel times for cars (up 2-14 seconds)

Taken together, this initial result indicates that Merrimon has been made dramatically safer with minimal impacts on car trips. When the project was proposed, a majority of public opinion supported the project, as did Asheville on Bikes. Opponents predicted many minutes of delay, injuries to cyclists from cars, and, generally speaking, doubted that the project would offer significant benefits to the area. Those claims are debunked by this data.

The new 3 lane traffic pattern with bike lanes is safer for all road users and is a dramatic improvement from the old 4 lane configuration. 

We know that some will still grumble about the increase in travel times, which are largest during the peak travel times in the afternoon, roughly 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM. In that afternoon peak, travel times increased by 2-14 seconds when measuring the full length of the Merrimon corridor from I-240 headed north. 

These findings mirror what we found when advocating for the project: a small increase in travel time is worth it on streets where we can trade a little travel time for dramatic improvements in safety and increases in active transportation, like walking and biking.

These findings have implications for many other streets in the region. We have many other 4 lane roads similar to Merrimon where frequent curb cuts, commuter traffic, commercial businesses, a lack of similar alternate routes, and neighborhood traffic all interact. If a 3 lane conversion works on Merrimon Ave–a major road with significant daily traffic volumes (12,400 – 21,300 ADT volumes)–it can work on other roads in Western NC.

A scheduled road resurfacing project presents a prime opportunity to advance our City’s commitment to complete streets. AoB appreciates everyone who supported safer conditions on Merrimon. Thank you for your participation.  

You can watch an NCDOT presentation of the findings, delivered during the June meeting of the Multimodal Transportation Commission.

The post Merrimon Road Diet Traffic Study Results appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

May 17, 2022
70 Court Plaza 
Asheville, NC 28801 

Dear Asheville City Council, 

On behalf of Asheville on Bikes’ Board of Directors and its members (over 800 strong), I’m writing to encourage you to vote in support of the Merrimon Ave road reconfiguration.

NCDOT, Division 13, City of Asheville staff, members of the Multimodal Transportation Commission have all worked in good faith to produce a public input process that clearly defines the benefits and tradeoffs of a 4 to 3 conversion on Merrimon. The final voice for a more complete Merrimon rests with you on May 24th. This is your opportunity to lead and advance safety and dignity of our public rights of way for all people traveling by a variety of modes.

For those of you concerned about the political repercussions of supporting a safer street configuration, I direct you to the outcome of the public process where 59% of more than 4,000 respondents supported a 4 to 3 conversion on Merrimon Ave. This 59% is a historic result in support of this conversion.  

More importantly, please take a moment and listen to this public comment from Gaia to the Multimodal Transportation Commission made on 3/24/2021. Gaia’s courageous statement helped catalyze the support that  brought this vote to you. Gaia was struck by a motorist while crossing legally on Merrimon Ave and, as a result of that collision, has suffered dearly. I invite each of you to draw upon Gaia’s courage and examine the opportunity before you. Your vote either advances safety and dignity or re-commits our community to the existing conditions of carnage.

Each vote in support of the Merrimon road reconfiguration is a vote to affirm our collective commitment to public safety on our rights of way. Help lead our City in a direction where these articles become untrue: 

1. Asheville continues to lead in North Carolina in pedestrian and bicyclist collisions
2. Asheville Citizen Times, A troubling trend: Asheville ranks first in the state for pedestrian deaths per capita). 

According to NCDOT and the City of Asheville, the Merrimon data shows that:

• “ …there is approximately a 150% higher rate of crashes on Merrimon compared to other similar roadways across the State (for every 10 crashes on other similar roads, Merrimon gets 15) (City of Asheville Merrimon Ave Story Map, Crashes)
• Approximately 23% of crashes on Merrimon involve an injury and property damage estimates total more than $7 million.
• Merrimon experiences about 13 crashes every month. The chart below summarizes the corridor’s crash statistics.

(City of Asheville / NCDOT Merrimon Story Map, Crashes)

If the current design results in nearly one crash every other day and produces nearly three injuries / month, how can we allow those conditions to continue for the next 10 to 15 years?  

Advancing public safety means designing for people moving by a variety of modes and prioritizing for our most vulnerable road users. 8.3% of City residents do not own a car; the City has the obligation to provide safe and accessible infrastructure for these residents as well as motorists.  

NCDOT and City of Asheville’s analysis states, 

“a potential 29% crash reduction factor, which, if realized, could lead to approximately 50 fewer crashes and 10 fewer injuries on Merrimon every year. If applied evenly across the board, these crash reductions could reduce property damage by about $300,000 every year.” 

Considering the existing conditions and the potential return on the investment resulting from a road reconfiguration, the Merrimon Ave re-stripping is a low cost, low hanging fruit, high yield investment in public safety. The current configuration isn’t working for anyone so it’s time to apply a new approach and a more complete design. The Merrimon road reconfiguration is an initial intervention which elevates safety and dignity on our streets. 

NCDOT and the MPO are currently studying whether to make similar improvements to Biltmore Ave, McDowell St, Tunnel Rd, and Asheland Ave.  Decisions on those recommendations should be coming to you within a year. These future opportunities to improve safety on our streets will be in jeopardy should you hesitate now to make this commitment on Merrimon Ave.  

There are lessons to be learned from the Charlotte Street road diet that apply to your vote. The Charlotte Street project was kicked around for 20 years before a road diet treatment was finally approved by council over the concerns and objections of some residents who loudly objected. Like Merrimon, sidewalk improvements were outside the scope of the project but the road diet and new bike lanes have increased pedestrian use.  As a result of the success and the calmer conditions, the City of Asheville and  NCDOT are expanding sidewalks on Charlotte Street to I-240. When the City leads, NCDOT follows. We need your leadership now. 

While the road diet is often framed as controversial, the public support is strong and well informed; citizens desire safer streets and more mobility options. Charlotte Street, Wilma Dykeman Greenway, Coxe Avenue all endured moments – often months or years of moments – of controversy before being supported by City Council. Each one of those projects has been a success, and Merrimon will be too.  On behalf of Asheville on Bikes, I urge you to vote in favor of safer streets and approve the Merrimon Ave road reconfiguration. 

Respectfully, 

Mike Sule

Executive Director, Asheville on Bikes 

enc: AoB Research Addendum For City Council

The post AoB Open Letter Urging City Council To Vote In Favor of 4-3 Conversion For Merrimon appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Asheville on Bikes (AoB) is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to cultivate the culture of urban and commuter bicycle riding through advocacy, education, and celebration. More than 25,000 people have participated in our group rides, hundreds of middle school children have learned to ride through our youth cycling program, and our active membership includes more than 800 residents of Buncombe, Haywood, and Henderson counties. Our after school bicycle program at Asheville Middle School is the only bicycle education program in the state of North Carolina that has run continuously for the last 10 years. In 2020, we won a major national award when we were named Bicycle Advocacy Organization of the Year by the League of American Bicyclists.  We are active advocates for multi-modal projects, complete streets, and bicycle or pedestrian infrastructure.

ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF SELECT 4-3 CONVERSION PROJECTS

PLANNING DOCUMENTS THAT SUPPORT THIS PROJECT

Click here to see on one page the 23 planning documents that agree with, call for, or support a 4-3 conversion with bike lanes for Merrimon (pdf).

MYTHS ABOUT THIS PROJECT

LIST OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED OR BEEN DISABLED IN COLLISIONS ON SIMILAR ROADS IN OUR AREA

These are news stories about a few of the many preventable fatalities and injuries occurring on roads in our region. In the current 4 lane configuration you are 150% more likely to be involved in a collision on Merrimon when compared to the NCDOT database of North Carolina roads of similar size.

• Yvonne Lewis, 67, Struck and Killed on Merrimon, WLOS 2015
• Jared Anthony Leyva in critical condition after hit and run Hendersonville Rd, 2016
• Alexander Bautista-Gomez, 10, and Milena Alejandro-Bautista, 5, Killed Crossing Fairview Rd 2016
• Emmanuel Garcia, 22, struck on Hendersonville Rd 2022
• Edward Jamal Chalk 4 Killed on Hendersonville Rd 2016
• Shannon Chisholm forges new life in wheelchair, Hendersonville Rd, 2015
• Jeremy Johnson killed riding a bike home from work, Tunnel Rd, 2008
• NCDOT studies Hendersonville’s streets, thanks to high share of pedestrian injuries

You might also enjoy reading:

• Our Merrimon 4-3 Reconfiguration Resource Page tracking all things about this project
• Asheville on Bikes authors a separate study of proposed road diet for Merrimon 33 page pdf

Related content:

• Letter to City Council for May 24th vote, which cited this research addendum

The post Merrimon 4-3 Reconfiguration Research Addendum appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

AoB endorses the proposed 4 – 3 conversion and encourages you to take the survey and show your support.

Take the survey:

The Merrimon survey is here. It is open until March 22nd.

Follow AoB’s survey guidance to maximize your support.

The City also has an explanation of the project here: https://publicinput.com/Merrimon-Asheville and a map that allows you to see traffic and collision data for the corridor. That Storymap is here.

If you are looking for our 33 page study of the proposal, that’s here. And our up-to-date resource page tracking the proposal is here.

Question 1:

Answer based on when you use Merrimon:

Question 2: 

Before answering this question, consider how often you cross over Merrimon on your bicycle or by walking. If you primarily bike within Asheville, and cross over Merrimon, then you are one of the primary bicycle users who ride on Merrimon. If you can, use this opportunity to demonstrate that people on bikes and walking do, indeed, use this street.  

Question 3: 

Make sure that “I visit shops, businesses, and / or dining establishments on Merrimon” is included in one of your top three answers. It’s important that decision makers understand Merrimon as a robust commercial zone that connects people to goods and services. One of the main benefits of this conversion is to improve the connections between local residents and businesses on the corridor.

Question 4:

Be sure to rank “Safety,” as the most important consideration and then rank “Other” as the second most important consideration. Often bicycle and pedestrian facilities aren’t included in NCDOT priorities and they have been left off this list entirely, so it’s up to you to make the extra step to include them as “Other.” Put “Speed” in last place as the least important consideration.

Question 5:

Zero bicycle facilities and unpredictable traffic movements make Merrimon an inhospitable place for people on bikes. Slide to “Unsafe.”

Question 6:

Independent of any timing or bus line problems, bus riders are harmed by the lacks of adequate or ADA compliant sidewalks, since all transit users are sidewalk users. Additionally, some of the bus stop locations encourage people to wait inches from traffic or to sprint across the roadway to reach the correct bus stop for the bus they need to take. Slide all the way to “Unsafe.”

Question 7: Cars.

The City of Asheville’s Story Board states, “Over the last 10 years, this 2.5 mile section of Merrimon has seen more than the expected number of roadway crashes. Data shows that there is approximately a 150% higher rate of crashes on Merrimon compared to other similar roadways across the State (for every 10 crashes on other similar roads, Merrimon gets 15)…Approximately 23% of crashes on Merrimon involve an injury and property damage estimates total more than $7 million.” You can listen to a first hand account of one of these collisions here.

Slide it all the way to unsafe.

Question 8. Sidewalks.

The existing sidewalks are incomplete, inadequate, and far from ADA compliant. Although sidewalk improvements are outside the scope of this road reconfiguration project, it’s important to document how dangerous and unreliable the active transportation facilities are. Slide all the way to “Unsafe.”

Question 9. Top three challenges?

The top three challenges to using Merrimon Ave are: 1) Vehicles making left turns block the travel lane, 2) There are no bike lanes, 3) Sidewalks are in poor conditions and/or difficult to use. 

Question 10 & 11. Would you accept greater rush hour travel time?

The following questions are questions of values. This is really the crux of the decision to move forward with a road reconfiguration. NCDOT’s analysis claims that travel times could be increased during peak times, between 1 min to 2 min. Are you willing to spend more time on Merrimon for a 29% decrease in collisions? Essentially, are you for a safer street or a collision prone street?

1 to 2 minutes during peak times is an acceptable trade off for a 29% reduction in collisions. Can you imagine an airline company asking customers, “Do you value a faster plane or a safer plane?” Faster travel times should not be an important design goal on a road as dangerous as Merrimon.

Question 12. Would you change your commute?

It’s easy to forget that there are other North-South connections and that some people can change their commuter times – not all, but some. Also, according to NCDOT’s analysis, traffic volumes on Merrimon haven’t changed significantly for 20 years and stay in a range of about 20,000 cars/day.

Choose “Yes” and indicate which type of change you would consider if you knew that your route was congested.

Use “other” to draw attention to the significant growth in remote work, a change that increasingly looks permanent for a large portion of the U.S. workforce.

Question 13. How likely are you to change modes?

This question is about mode share. This is important because NCDOT’s traffic models do not account well for mode share changes over time. Traffic projections, wait times, and estimates of queuing at lights along Merrimon all assume that people will drive because that’s what we have done in the past. If Merrimon changed to 3 lanes, had a slower, calmer traffic pattern, was easier to cross as a pedestrian, and had a bike lane, what other modes would you consider using?

Question 14. What other transportation improvements?

Generally, AoB discourages copy and paste answers but this time it’s just too important to miss the opportunity to encourage NCDOT to explore and consider signalization changes along the corridor. Oftentimes, simple adjustments in traffic signals maximizes the efficiency of a corridor. We need to remind NCDOT that signalization upgrades are an option. Similarly, if the road diet works north of W.T. Weaver, it is also likely to work north of Chestnut. Ask them to expand the portion of the road included in the 4-3 conversion.

Copy and paste this statement into the survey: 
The 4 to 3 conversion should be expanded and begin at the intersection of Chestnut and Merrimon. Install loop detectors on all lanes at all intersections so motorists don’t wait for unneeded light cycles. Install loop detectors and push button detectors for bicyclists facing bike lanes to optimize traffic flow. Follow AASHTO’s “Guide for the Planning, Design, and Operation of Pedestrian Facilities” which says “Pedestrians must be able to cross streets and highways at regular intervals. Unlike motor vehicles, pedestrians cannot be expected to go a quarter mile or more out of their way to take advantage of a controlled intersection” (30).

Question 15 and 16. Help or hurt businesses?

The research overwhelmingly supports that when active transportation access improves, there is a positive economic impact on the corridor.

This is an excellent opportunity to cite NCDOT’s past work so that our local engineers may be informed by their own agency’s case studies regarding Complete Street treatments and road re-configurations. There are several examples of 4 to 3 conversions throughout NC that improved safety, improved multimodal access, and result in positive economic impacts along the improved corridors.

If you want to point to another 4-3 conversion that works, copy and paste any of the following:

• The West Morehead Streetscape Project in Charlotte, NC is listed as a 3 lane conversion on NCDOT’s Complete Streets website. It states, “Complete Streets features have been key to revitalizing this commercial corridor. Now, after the Streetscape Project, West Morehead serves as a gateway into the City. The project improved the quality of life for pedestrians, and economic development has boomed as well.” – Project Manager Leslie Bing
• East Boulevard Road Diet Project in Charlotte, NC saw crashes decrease and tax revenues increase. “Overall, crashes decreased in both sections, from 2.64 to 1.67 crashes per month in Phase 1 and 1.97 to 1.86 crashes per month in Phase 2. Improvements in safety have gone hand-in-hand with a 47% increase in non-residential property values in the Phase 2 section, which raised annual tax revenues by $530,000.”
• Hillsborough Street in Raliegh, NC installed a 4-3 conversion on a traffic volume of 26,000 cars per day. It worked and private investment in the corridor went up from $150m to $200m after the project. “Revitalizing the community was more important than the street improvements,” he says. “The street just became the focal point of how to get it done.” Collisions decreased by 23% after the install while also revitalizing the community.

If you want to tell your own story, tell a story of how your travel patterns on the future corridor can make existing businesses more money while we all experience the safety benefits of this change. For example:

• I look forward to walking from my house in Norwood Park to Zen Sushi and The Hop.
• I’m tired of white knuckled driving with my head on a swivel every time need to go to the drug store. I know Merrimon is dangerous and I want it to be safer – even for cars.
• I look forward to riding to ACE Hardware on my e-bike to pick up a few screws for my next project
• My daughter wants to ride her bike to the comic book shop but I won’t let her. Maybe I will if this conversion happens.
• I’m tired of running for my life when I park across the street from Vinnie’s Italian. I shouldn’t have to risk my life to eat Italian food.
• I rarely walk to any business on the other side of Merrimon from my neighborhood – it’s like those businesses are missing half their customers now, the ones from the other side!
• I want to take my kids to school at Ira B. Jones on an electric cargo bike (skip the car line!) but I cannot get their safely on any direct route, since I live on the west side of Merrimon.

Question 17: Support the 4-3 conversion?

Question 18: Widen Side Streets?

We don’t think these changes should be planned in advance, without demonstrated need, for each of these intersections. You should select “No.” The issue highlighted here is that if each intersection on Merrimon is cycling through a new left turn cycle, made possible by the new center turn lane, then each intersection would take longer to cycle through all phases than it does today, allowing a longer line of cars to arrive and line up on side streets, facing the intersection. It is important for NCDOT to make sure signalization is tuned after installation of the project and to install loop detectors on all lanes at each intersection for the same reason, to minimize wait times.

The post Merrimon 4-3 Conversion Public Comment Guidance appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Help us spread the word about the benefits of a 4-3 Conversion

Click here to download images to share on social media »

Here are some photos of current conditions:

Here are related posts you may enjoy:

AoB: Merrimon Avenue: Road Diet proposed!
AoB: Resource page tracking this project on our site.
City of Asheville: Project page for this project
City of Asheville: Story map with data overlays for collisions, bike, ped, traffic volumes and more
Iowa DOT: Cute road diet explainer video, 6 minutes
FHWA: Road diet case studies
FHWA: Road diet myths

The post Asheville on Bikes Publishes Study of Merrimon 4-3 Conversion Plans appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

The City of Asheville is planning a public meeting and comment period to gather public feedback about a proposed 4-3 conversion (road diet) for Merrimon Avenue. This conversion would take place as part of an upcoming NCDOT repaving project, a project which had been delayed, until now, by the pandemic and by discussions between NCDOT and the City about the future of Merrimon Avenue. Repaving projects include re-striping between the curbs, and that re-striping can be designed to create a different traffic configuration, as is proposed for Merrimon.

This repaving and subsequent 4-3 conversion is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to make Merrimon Avenue better fit the needs of the community. Asheville on Bikes is excited about this project and we will be publishing more as the project moves forward. You should follow this project and discuss it with your neighbors. 

It takes courage to stand up and ask for a change, to prod a world full of uncertain outcomes. At the start of our campaign in favor of a road diet on Merrimon, we’d like to honor all the victims of collisions over the years and the many people who have spoken up in the past to ask for changes on Merrimon. We appreciate your courage and are humbled by your sacrifices.

If you or someone you know has been injured as the result of a collision on Merrimon, we’d love to talk to you more about it. Send us an email with our contact form and we will follow up. 

Here are four pieces of Merrimon information you can read or listen to today:

1. Yvonne Lewis, “Patsy,” is not forgotten. Nor are her neighbors, who protested the conditions that lead to her death in 2015 while attempting to cross Merrimon at Coleman. 
2. Injuries are continuing to occur on Merrimon. Listen to Gaia’s heartfelt account of the costs from just one of the recent collisions. This is a public comment recorded by the Multimodal Transportation Commission on March 24, 2021 and obtained by AoB after a public records request. 
3. Please re-read the past public comments about this street. Your comments helped defeat the 2018 Merrimon Road widening, and they deserve close examination. Read the many different voices that are crying out for change on Merrimon. 
4. Asheville, the tenth largest city in NC, continues to rank #1 in pedestrian and bicyclist death and injury. As the Citizen Times reported earlier in March, between 2010-18, Asheville ranked first in the state per capita in both total pedestrian crashes per year and in pedestrian crashes that result in injury or death. 

It is not necessary to be injured regularly in order to use a transportation network, to move about in a City. It is not necessary for a person to die trying to cross the street. We support a 4-3 conversion for Merrimon Avenue north of downtown for many reasons. And one of the best reasons is that it will make the road safer for all users. 

Here are related posts you may enjoy:

AoB: Merrimon Avenue: Road Diet proposed!
AoB: Resource page tracking this project on our site.
City of Asheville: Project page for this project
City of Asheville: Story map with data overlays for collisions, bike, ped, traffic volumes and more
Iowa DOT: Cute road diet explainer video, 6 minutes
FHWA: Road diet case studies
FHWA: Road diet myths

The post Merrimon Avenue: Road Diet Proposed! appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

https://ashevilleonbikes.com/merrimon-widening-ncdot-comments-tip-u-5781-u-5782

Our tally: 140 comments received, 139 against the initial designs, 1 for, and 95 commentors who gave us specific permission to publish their comment. You can search our database by name, by tag, or read the comments in bulk by downloading the pdf.

Your comments are inspiring and we’re impressed by the clear voice you used to communicate with NCDOT. Here are some of our favorites quotes:

Bridget: Last summer, my children were almost hit by a car turning from Weaver onto Merrimon (heading north)…Beyond the issue of safety, I can guarantee that many of the errands I run on Merrimon Ave would be done on foot or bike if I felt safe to do so. We do not need another Hendersonville Rd, or New Leicester Hwy. We need a neighborhood road where the thousands of residents in this area can safely walk or ride their bikes.

So many of your comments were not about bikes – instead they were about people and about safely moving around our City. Asheville on Bikes knows where you are coming from! Does NCDOT?

Martha: Your proposal also ignores the recommendations of hard work by the people of this community who have proposed visions that do take into consideration all of the modes of movement that make a city inhabitable and safe… Walking to nearby businesses is a scary and difficult task but I attempt it. We need a renovation that addresses that problem not make it worse.

There are so many more comments, many of which call for both a different design and different behavior from NCDOT.

Dan: I am appalled at the complete disregard shown to the residents of Asheville by NCDOT… the current course of action actively ignores existing policies, standards and proposals concerning urban transportation, both locally and State wide. The current NCDOT plan is a huge step backwards in transportation thinking.

Thank you for sharing your comments with us so that we can work together for a better future!

Read them all, and learn what your neighbors, your local organizations, and business sent to NCDOT: https://ashevilleonbikes.com/merrimon-widening-ncdot-comments-tip-u-5781-u-5782 

You may also enjoy reading:

• Public comment database: Read what your neighbors wrote to NCDOT; full text of 95 comments.
• Asheville on Bikes Merrimon Widening comment writing guide
• Asheville on Bikes Merrimon Widening list of questions for NCDOT

The post Asheville on Bikes has published the full text of the NCDOT Merrimon comments we received appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Michael Sule
Executive Director, Asheville on Bikes
1 Haywood Rd
Asheville, NC 28801

Kim Bereis, AICP
HNTB North Carolina, P.C.
101 S. Tryon, Suite 3610
Charlotte, NC 28280

Dear Kim Bereis:

On behalf of Asheville on Bikes (AoB), a 501(c)3 advocacy organization, I submit the following public comment to you regarding NCDOT’s initial designs for the proposed widening of Merrimon Ave, project U-5781 & U-5782.

AoB, whose mission is to cultivate the culture of urban and commuter riding through advocacy and celebration, opposes this project as currently designed and recommends that NCDOT redesign the project to incorporate:

• NCDOT’s Complete Street and Vision Zero policies
• AASHTO’s (American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials) bicycle facilities standards
• City of Asheville’s (COA) Asheville in Motion (AIM), 2025 Comprehensive Plan, Asheville Greenway Master Plan, and the Community Characteristics Report, Proposed Interchange Project, Tip No. U-4013.1.1 US 25 (Merrimon Ave), King St to Maney Ave: Operational Improvements, City of Asheville, Buncombe County
• An analysis of pedestrian and bicyclists level of service (LOS)
• A continuous connection for the Glen’s Creek Greenway at WT Weaver
• COA’s planning and transportation departments in the development of the redesign
• A community working group made up of corridor neighbors and business leaders, active transportation advocates, and city transportation and planning staff to provide input during the re-design of the project
• A charrette approach to public input throughout the redesign process.

The current proposed design prioritizes the movement of motor vehicles above public safety, multi-modal transportation options, neighborhood connectivity, and local economic development. It is evident that the prioritization of motor vehicles, above all else, is incongruent to the aspirations of the Asheville community when one reviews the existing city plans referenced above. Upon review of NCDOT’s plan, it’s apparent that NCDOT did little, if anything at all, to incorporate existing city plans or engage COA transportation and planning staff and the corridor community in the development of the current design. Poor process results in poor design and poor design puts people in peril.

The current plan not only ignores city planning efforts, but also fails to meet AASHTO design standards regarding bicycle and pedestrian facilities. No existing transportation standard supports the incorporation of a 2 foot ‘shared bicycle lane’ on a road with a 40 mile per hour design speed (as included in the current proposed plan). The bicycle facilities currently proposed are dangerous and we consider that part of your design to be a flagrant disregard for public safety.

Asheville on Bikes encourages NCDOT to disregard its current proposal and develop a proposal that incorporates the recommendations identified above.

In spite of these significant plan shortcomings, Asheville on Bikes foresees a future where NCDOT Division 13 uses its budget and engineering expertise as a willing partner that promotes Complete Streets and multimodal infrastructure throughout Western North Carolina.

As a step toward a better project and that better future, I request a face to face meeting with NCDOT engineers, design consultants and community members to discuss how to incorporate COA and the corridor community into the Merrimon Ave planning process so that the Merrimon redesign that prioritizes the movement of people above the movement of machines.

Respectfully,

Mike Sule,
Executive Director
Asheville on Bikes

You may also enjoy reading:

• Public comment database: Read what your neighbors wrote to NCDOT; full text of 95 comments.
• Asheville on Bikes Merrimon Widening comment writing guide
• Asheville on Bikes Merrimon Widening list of questions for NCDOT

The post Asheville on Bikes Official Comment to NCDOT RE: Merrimon Avenue Widening Projects U-5781, U-5782 Initial Designs appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

You can advance safe cycling and complete streets in Asheville by providing public comment to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) regarding the “Merrimon Ave Intersection Improvements at Edgewood through WT Weaver Boulevard.” A map of the proposed changes can be viewed here.

Email and/or mail your public comment by January 29th to:

If you email, please cc Asheville on Bikes at ashevilleonbikes@gmail.com as we’d like to have a copy of your comment on file.

Our summary of the impact of the NCDOT proposal:

• Business closures. Construction is likely to cause several local businesses in this stretch to close permanently. They can expect months of reduced revenue during construction.
• Another Hendersonville Road clone. The finished roadway will look almost exactly like Hendersonville Road. Compare them on Google maps.
• Faster cars. Car speeds are going to dramatically increase because the design speed chosen will allow a driver to feel safe at speeds higher than 40 mph. During the public meeting NCDOT confirmed that a 40 mph design speed was used.
• City ignored. The City has spent money and made a decade of planning changes (Rezoning, etc.) on Merrimon that contradict the nature of this design. These plans, based on countless hours of feedback from residents, have been ignored.
  • NCDOT’s 2009 Complete Streets policy states:
    • “The North Carolina Department of Transportation, in its role as stewards over the transportation infrastructure, is committed to:..working in partnership with local government agencies, interest groups, and the public to plan, fund, design, construct, and manage complete street networks that sustain mobility while accommodating walking, biking, and transit opportunities safely”
    • “It is the Department’s commitment to collaborate with cities, towns, and communities to ensure pedestrian, bicycle, and transit options are included as an integral part of their total transportation vision. As a partner in the development and realization of their visions, the Department desires to assist localities, through the facilitation of long-range planning, to optimize connectivity, network interdependence, context sensitive options, and multimodal alternatives.”
    • “Notwithstanding the exceptions stated herein, all transportation facilities within a growth area of a town or city funded by or through NCDOT, and planned, designed, or constructed on state maintained facilities, must adhere to this policy.”
  • NCDOT funded, sat on the steering committee, and ultimately reviewed and endorsed the City of Asheville Comprehensive Bicycle Plan. The needs identified for Merrimon in that plan are ignored.

• • Alternates not presented. NCDOT has not presented alternate designs. For the design as a whole, alternates include a roadway with a lower design speed and narrower lanes. Alternates not presented also include a low impact road connection for Clearview Terrace that takes no homes.
  • Greenway improvement ignored. NCDOT is not proposing that the Glenn’s Creek Greenway connect, even though they are replacing the culvert and rebuilding the creek through the intersection of WT Weaver. They are putting back a version of the current (unsafe) Greenway connection. During construction, the historic property that UNCA owns on the corner of WT Weaver will be altered forever, via tree removal, grade changes, and structural changes along the creek.
  • Neighborhood needs ignored. This plan restricts a Norwood Park resident’s ability to travel between Merrimon businesses and their home. It prioritizes through traffic over local traffic, for all nearby neighborhoods, when the latter is what neighborhood residents want to improve.
  • Risk of pedestrian injury increased. A 5-lane road with a 40 mph design speed is more difficult to cross than the current road. Our current Merrimon recently took the life of one pedestrian, crossing at Coleman.

• NCDOT and Federal design standards not followed. NCDOT is ignoring the AASHTO Guidelines for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, which is adopted via NCDOT’s own Bicycle Policy as the accepted guidance. NCDOT’s Bicycle Policy states: “All bicycle transportation facilities approved by the Board of Transportation shall conform with the adopted “Design Guidelines for Bicycle Facilities” on state-funded projects, and also with guidelines published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on federal aid projects.” The most recent version was completed in 2012.
  • Glenn’s Creek Greenway Crossing: The AASHTO Bike Guide states (Section 5.3.5 Other Intersection Treatments, Curb Ramps and Aprons): The opening of the shared use path at the roadway should be at least the same width as the shared use path itself. If a curb ramp is provided, the ramp should be the full width of the path.”
  • Shared Lane concept: The AASHTO Bike Guide states (Section 4.3.1 Shared Lanes on Major Roadways (Wide Curb/Outside Lanes)
    • “Lane widths of 13 ft or less make it likely that most motor vehicles will encroach at least part way into the next lane to pass a bicyclist (usually 3 ft or more depending on the speed of the passing vehicle). Lane widths that are 14 ft or greater allow motorists to pass bicyclists without encroaching into the adjacent lane.”
    • “The gutter should not be included in the measurement as usable width, as bicyclists will typically ride well to the left of the joint.”
    • “On sections of roadway where bicyclists may need more maneuvering space, the outside lane may be marked at 15 ft wide. This width may be appropriate on sections with steep grades…”
    • Note that the guide states that shared lanes less than 14 ft may still be designated as shared lanes, but the conditions stated above related to Merrimon seem to indicate it is unacceptable on a road with these features, versus a lower volume, lower speed, flatter road of similar configuration.
• Faster travel times for cars who are attempting to drive through this area to reach Beaver Lake. These cars will have with travel times improved by some small margin. Is it worth it? And could we have this benefit from some other design?
  • NCDOT staff confirmed at the public meeting that they evaluated Level of Service for cars but did no such analysis for pedestrians or bicyclists. NCDOT utilizes the federally-accepted Highway Capacity Manual to conduct vehicular level of service analysis. The Manual also contains modules for bicyclist and pedestrian level of service. NCDOT gathered car data that is also used in their software modules for calculating bicycle and pedestrian level of service, but by failing to gather additional information and complete a bicycle and pedestrian level of service calculation, even though their software includes options to make these calculations, they are blind to the potential effects of their design on these important road users.

YOU are what stands between this proposal being built and something else, something better, for our city.

YOU must submit a unique letter to NCDOT by January 29th or alternate proposals will not be considered:

• Craft an original letter. NCDOT does not accept form letters as public comment [Edit: they might, but a unique comment is still best], so be sure to tailor your letter and consider including some of the points below.
• It is okay to ask them to do nothing, if you think that no change is a better outcome than the proposed change.
• Submit your letter or email by January 29th.

Key Points:

• Encourage NCDOT’s Division 13 to plan in partnership with the City of Asheville’s (COA) Transportation Department and incorporate existing COA plans into NCDOT planning. Several existing COA plans were not incorporated into NCDOT’s proposed Merrimon improvements. For instance:
  • Asheville in Motion (AIM)
    • Merrimon Ave is recognized in the Bicycle Framework Plan as a route “that serve(s) as a support system for primary routes” and the inclusion of bike lanes is recommended (Asheville in Motion Plan, p.76).
  • Asheville City 2025 Plan
    • The need for a bicycle and pedestrian network is identified in 2025 plan’s Transportation Vision. It states, “Vision: The City of Asheville will have a network of bicycle and pedestrian routes which are safe and provide reasonable transportation choice for its residents as outlined in the Asheville Greenway Master Plan and the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.
    • The 2025 also states, “The City of Asheville is experiencing rapid growth in population that has burdened the existing transportation network and created an unfriendly environment for walking and bicycling. Long-range land use planning presents opportunities to rethink how communities develop to meet the needs of mobility, access, activity and choice (Asheville City 2025 Plan, p.40-41).
  • NCDOT’s Community Characteristics Report, US 25 (Merrimon Ave) King Street to Maney Avenue: Operational Improvements City of Asheville, Buncombe County  (CCR), originally developed in 2009.
    • The report includes several recommendations, including the notation of a need for specialized trail crossings at W.T. Weaver and reference to the city bike plan about climbing lanes. It states, “NCDOT should work with the City of Asheville to identify project options and mitigate potential impact to numerous components of the transportation system, including

• • • • Specialized intersection treatments at W.T. Weaver Boulevard to facilitate multi-use path (p.11)
    • The report also states, “The intersection crossing treatments at US 25 and W.T. Weaver Boulevard will require special design considerations to accommodate the at-grade crossing of the greenway trail. The City of Asheville noted their desire for crosswalks along all four legs. To properly accommodate multi-use pathway traffic and meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, the crossing treatment on at least two connecting legs of the intersection will require wider sidewalk widths, curb ramps to accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and pedestrian/bicycle activated buttons that are not typically part of NCDOT’s standard drawings for these facilities.

• Encourage NCDOT Division 13 to follow existing NCDOT Transportation Policy regarding active transportation.
  • NCDOT’s Complete Street Policy
    • NCDOT’s Complete Street Policy states:

• • • • Providing an efficient multi-modal transportation network in North Carolina such that the access, mobility, and safety needs of motorists, transit users, bicyclists, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities are safely accommodated;
      • Caring for the built and natural environments by promoting sustainable NCDOT should work with the City of Asheville to identify project options and mitigate
      • potential impacts to numerous components of the transportation system, including:
      • development practices that minimize impacts on natural resources, historic, businesses, residents, scenic and other community values, while also recognizing that transportation improvements have significant potential to contribute to local, regional, and statewide quality of life and economic development objectives;
      • Working in partnership with local government agencies, interest groups, and the public to plan, fund, design, construct, and manage complete street networks that sustain mobility while accommodating walking, biking, and transit opportunities safely (North Carolina Complete Streets Planning and Design Guidle, p.3).
    • According to NCDOT’s Complete Street website, Division 13 has yet to complete a Complete Street project [Edit: NCDOT partnered with the City of Asheville to build a sidewalk and pedestrian improvements on North Louisiana Ave in West Asheville; though a sidewalk is part of a Complete Street, the North Louisiana Ave project was pushed by the community and City of Asheville; It required NCDOT participation because North Louisiana Ave is controlled by NCDOT).
  • NC’s Vision Zero Policy
    • A Strong Vision Zero Commitment calls for:
      • Cooperation and Coordination – A commitment is made to encourage cooperation and collaboration among relevant government agencies and community stakeholders to establish a framework for multiple stakeholders to set shared goals and focus on coordination and accountability (Components of a Strong Vision Zero Commitment).

• Encourage NCDOT to follow federal and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)  guidelines and standards pertaining to active transportation infrastructure
  • • The proposed 2ft shared bicycle lane on a road with a 40mph design speed does not conform to AASHTO standards.
    • AASHTO’s Bicycle Facilities Guide (4th Edition) states, “The minimum operating width of 4 ft (1.2 m), sufficient to accommodate forward movement by most bicyclists, is greater than the physical width momentarily occupied by a rider because of natural side-to-side movement that varies with speed, wind, and bicyclist proficiency. Additional operating width may be needed in some situations, such as on steep grades, and the figure does not include shy distances from parallel objects such as railings, tunnel walls, curbs, or parked cars. In some situations where speed differentials between bicyclists and other road users are relatively small, bicyclists may accept smaller shy distances. However this should not be used to justify designs that are narrower than recommended minimums. The operating height of 8.3 ft (2.5 m) can accommodate an adult bicyclist standing upright on the pedals (AASHTO Bicycle Facilities Guide, 4th Edition, Section 3-2).

Read our other posts about this project

• • Read what your neighbors wrote to NCDOT; full text of 95 NCDOT Merrimon comments.
  • Read Asheville on Bikes’ official comment submitted to NCDOT for this project.
  • Our questions for NCDOT public meeting; printable pdf

The post Comment Writing Guide; Reasons We Oppose the Merrimon Widening Project appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.