'Safe Streets For All' plan looks to slow Dalton Gardens traffic

Dalton Gardens is considering adding a Safe Streets For All initiative to its Capital Improvement Plan to address speeding, pedestrian safety and traffic concerns throughout the city.

Dalton Gardens City Councilwoman Sue Supp proposed the initiative, influenced by Vision Zero, a group that works to eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries by helping cities make their streets safer. For Dalton Gardens, the proposal is designed not to be a “purely reactive, crash-history approach” to road safety, but a preventative measure before accidents become a problem.

The proposal identifies North Fourth Street, North 15th Street and East Hanley Avenue as three primary corridors carrying heavy traffic in the city, and it also includes the portion of Dalton Avenue within Dalton Gardens.

The Safe Streets For All initiative proposes more radar speed-feedback signs to let drivers know how fast they’re going compared to the speed limit, something Dalton Gardens resident Charlie Specht said he would support. 

“I think for speeding, the main streets and arterials are an issue,” Specht said. “Basically Fourth and 15th streets, as well as Hanley then Dalton down by the high school, those tend to be worse as far as traffic goes. I saw somebody the other day probably doing 40 mph coming down (Fourth Street), if not easily more than that.”

The plan also proposes enhanced school-zone signage and flashing beacons, edge-line striping and shoulder delineation, marked crossings, raised crosswalks and curb extensions.

“Traffic around school times is obviously an issue,” Specht said. “Mostly around dropoff and pickup times.”

The plan mentions speeding issues on North Fourth Street and says the street has narrow shoulders with no separated walking space in sections. It recommends a raised crosswalk, consistent school-zone speed enforcement and a radar speed-feedback sign.

Outside Dalton Elementary School, it recommends adding edge-line striping along the side of North Mt. Carrol Street, as well as controlled crossings on the walking routes connecting neighborhood streets to Hanley Avenue.

The plan also proposes traffic improvements at the North 15th Street and Dalton Avenue intersection, including curb extensions, a raised intersection or speed table and restriping intended to clarify traffic movements.

“I think that makes sense because it’s going to keep people aware of their speed,” Specht said. “I think anything to get people to slow down a bit is good.”

Should the Safe Streets For All initiative be implemented, it would roll out in three phases. Phase 1 would place radar speed-feedback signs, road striping and school zone beacons. Phase 2 would focus on raised crosswalks and curb extensions. Phase three would focus on “corridor-level capital work in a future update if Phase 1 and 2 countermeasures do not prove to be sufficient.” In all, the plan would take three to five years.

Safe Streets For All will need to be accepted as a Capital Improvement Project, then pass a City Council vote for adoption and implementation. The city would fund it through its limited general fund and potential state and federal safety grants.

“No action has been taken, and no additional planning or implementation has occurred beyond what is presented in the submitted document,” Dalton Gardens Mayor Curt Jernigan said in an email.

Councilwoman Supp was not available for comment on the initiative.