Dear Ms. Bereis,

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Dear Kim Bereis, 

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Dear Kim,

I am writing regarding the NCDOT Merrimon Avenue Widening Projects U-5781, U-5782 Initial Designs. The proposed designs must be re-evaluated given several issues with the initial designs. I urge NCDOT’s Division 13 to partner 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 (e.g. Asheville in Motion, Asheville CIty 2025 Plan, etc).

Additionally, the proposed design does not incorporate active transportation standards and best practices for safety. Please see the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) guidelines and standards pertaining to active transportation infrastructure. I urge you to work with active transportation content experts, such as Asheville on Bikes, to incorporate best practices and that prioritizes public safety.

Thank you,

April Brown

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Kim,
I am writing to echo the sentiments of so many other Asheville residents who do not support the current plan for changing the Merrimon Ave corridor.

We are a community that values active transportation and SAFETY on our roadways. Increasing the speed and adding a turning lane does not move us toward our goals, but further away. The current plan does not include adequate infrastructure for pedestrians or cyclists or anyone who is not able bodied to move safely.

I am continually disappointed by NCDOT division 13’s performance and lack of collaboration with Asheville’s elected city officials, staff and residents with regard to the roads that we use everyday. In this particular instance, the fact that NCDOT has ignored its own  Complete Streets guidelines as well as the City of Asheville Bicycle Comprehensive plan, that there was no alternate plans  presented, no collaboration with city officials or neighborhoods nor does the design adhere to federal design standards (AASHTO) makes this plan particularly disgusting.

We want safe roads with the focus on moving all people, all modes!    I strongly encourage you to listen to the voice of the Asheville community and go back to the drawing board on the Merrimon Ave re-design, and invite input from the people who have the most at stake, who’s neighborhoods and safety you so profoundly impact with your decisions.

Sincerely,
Emily Muscarella
Asheville resident

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The post Jamie: I am very concerned about the plans proposed for Merrimon Avenue and what it will do to our community appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

I am submitting input on the Merrimon Avenue widening project as an Asheville resident, a public health professional, and an enthusiastic-and-extremely-concerned bicyclist. NCDOT’s proposed plan for widening Merrimon Ave from W.T. Weaver Boulevard to Edgewood Road completely misses the mark with both process and design, and fails to meet the needs of all residents who wish to travel this corridor on bicycles and on foot.

The process used to develop this plan—particularly the apparent complete lack of engagement with the City of Asheville, and the fact that no alternatives were presented to the public—is incredibly troubling. Further, the proposed design itself would make this corridor (which is already notoriously treacherous for bicyclists attempting to travel between North Asheville and the downtown area) even worse. This design mimics some of the worst roads in the Asheville area and runs completely counter to the groundswell of support in Asheville for people-centered road design that allows residents and visitors to move throughout the city safely and by many different modes.

The City of Asheville has already invested years of effort to develop thoughtful, comprehensive plans for improving multi-modal transportation in our community, including the Asheville in Motion (AIM) plan and the Asheville City 2025 Plan. NCDOT’s Division 13 should partner with the CoA Transportation Department to align designs for improvements to Merrimon Ave with these existing plans.

The current proposal does not even align with NCDOT’s own Complete Street Policy, or with NC’s Vision Zero Policy, which both call for close coordination and partnership with local government to design complete streets that optimize mobility and safety for all users including pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transit users. NCDOT Division 13 should ensure that the process it uses to develop alternatives for the Merrimon Ave corridor, as well as the details of those alternatives, align with the existing guidelines in these policies.

Finally, the current proposed design does not meet existing federal standards or align with evidence-based design guidelines from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). In particular, the proposed 2-foot bicycle lane along with a planned 40 mile per hour speed limit is a glaring failure to align with AASTHO recommendations of at least 4 feet bike lanes. Sub-standard design is a recipe for even greater safety issues for bicyclists and pedestrians.

I am disappointed and extremely concerned by the total lack of engagement with the City of Asheville, the lack of proposed alternatives, and the proposed design which leaves bicyclists effectively fending for themselves against high-speed vehicular traffic. As a bicyclist I am convinced this design will leave me and my fellow bicyclists far worse off than we are now. I encourage NCDOT Division 13 to go back to the drawing board and work closely with the CoA, local businesses, and residents, to design a Merrimon Avenue that works for us all.

Sincerely,

Emily Kujawa

Emily Kujawa, MPH, RD

Executive Director, Kujawa Consulting

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Dear Ms. Bereis,

Thank you for taking the time to ready my email.

I am writing to express my concern that current plans for the Merrimon Ave Intersection Improvements at Edgewood through WT Weaver Boulevard will prevent specific safety risks to pedestrians and bicyclists, do not promote healthy, walkable communities and deviate strongly from the NCDOT’s own 2009 Complete Streets policy, the City of Asheville Comprehensive Bicycle Plan. Further, the plans ignore AASHTO Guidelines for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, which was adopted via NCDOT’s own Bicycle Policy. As a resident of Asheville who moved here because it offers so many healthy alternatives to large cities, I am dismayed by the lack of collaboration and coordination with existing local plans that the Merrimon Ave Intersection Improvements plan reveals.

I strongly encourage NCDOT’s Division 13 to work with the City of Asheville’s (COA) Transportation Department to incorporate COA plans into NCDOT planning for Merrimon Avenue. Exhaustive efforts by numerous Asheville residents and groups have gone into the formulation of the Asheville in Motion (AIM), and the Asheville City 2025 Plan. Further, please consider specific considerations of the NCDOT’s “Community Characteristics Report, US 25 (Merrimon Ave) King Street to Maney Avenue: Operational Improvements City of Asheville, Buncombe County (CCR)” which expressly raises the need for specialized trail crossings at W.T. Weaver and references the Comprehensive Bicycle Plan’s desire for climbing lanes in the area, which are excluded from the current plans. I also strongly encourage NCDOT Division 13 to follow the NCDOT Transportation Policy regarding active transportation, which expressly focuses on the need to work “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”.

I will note that, while I am a sometimes biker, I am a frequent driver in Asheville use Merrimon Avenue extensively. It is entirely of no value to me me to put my fellow Asheville residents at risk to save a minute while riding in my car. I have more patience and consideration for the needs and value of two-legged and two-wheeled travelers than this plan conveys. It is FAR more important that I live in a city and community that thrives on healthy, active, living by building infrastructure that prioritizes the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists over cars.

Nowhere in the Merrimon Ave Intersection Improvements plans do I see a genuine concern for the local community, pedestrians, bicyclists or the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please work with the City of Asheville and local citizen groups to revise your plans to promote a walkable, bikeable and sustainable Asheville community.

Sincerely,

Brooke Randall Heaton

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As a resident of North Asheville who lives less than 1 block off Merimon Avenue and just north of the Edgewood Rd. intersection, I am asking that NCDOT consider additional alternatives for the Merrimon Avenue widening project.

The post Susan: I am asking that NCDOT consider additional alternatives for the Merrimon Avenue widening project appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Dear Kim~

Merrimon Ave is a heavily used north/south corridor.  Several years ago, NCDOT upgraded Broadway to lighten the load from Merrimon.  Some thought and energy devoted to encouraging motorists to use Broadway would alleviate some of the congestion on Merrimon.

I do have some concerns re the Merrimon Ave Widening Project.  I will list some of them here:

*Raising the speed limit to 40 mph.

*Glenn’s Creek Greenway at the intersection of WT Weaver Blvd is currently unsafe.  What accommodations will be made for this popular Greenway?

*Will there be designated crossing areas with “Walk/Don’t Walk” lights for pedestrians?

*A 2’ bicycle lane is unsafe.  The width of handle bars is about 2’.  Therefore, cars and bikes will collide.  That’s a real safety issue!

*Residents of Murdock Ave, a narrow street (after passing the park) with many small homes and young children will be impacted severely with the extra traffic that it would have to endure as a “cut through”.

*Norwood Park residents will have restrictions on their ability to travel locally from Merrimon Ave shops.

*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.

*There will be an impact on some homes and businesses.  Please consider the low impact road connection for Clearview Terrace that takes no homes.

While working on your revisions, please consult with the City of Asheville Transportation Dept. They understand Asheville’s needs.

I appreciate your efforts in developing plans for multimodal transportation for this and all future projects.

Thank you!
Bess Baird

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