Autumn Binsford points to the message she wants Loveland residents to remember. She designed the tee that her supporters wore to the council meeting this week.
These LED beacons can be installed in time for the peak walking season. Aren’t our lives worth it? - Autumn Binford
I’m at a loss as to what we are supposed to do to instill or foster a safety culture.”- City Manager, Thomas Carroll
by David Miller
Loveland, Oh - Autumn Binford is still pursuing making the streets of Loveland pedestrian friendly. Her ultimate goal is to create a “Culture of Pedestrian Safety” like we see at the crosswalk on West Loveland Avenue at the bike trail crossing. She told the Loveland city council this Tuesday, “This is a long-term goal but one that many cities are trying to achieve.” She pointed out that this will require educating motorists, educating pedestrians, and action by the city.”
Autumn Binsford wants the Lebanon Road crosswalk at Preakness and Arcaro to be a safe intersection for school children of the Loveland Intermediate and Middle School campus. She pointed out to council that this “critical crosswalk is the bridge between six neighborhoods.”
She is in hot pursuit of a short term goal as well, making the Lebanon Road crosswalk at Preakness and Arcaro a safe intersection for school children of the Loveland Intermediate and Middle School campus. She pointed out to council that this “critical crosswalk is the bridge between six neighborhoods.”
Binford is an eighth-grade student at the Loveland Middle School and this wasn’t the first time she has spoken to council about her plans. (
Autumn Binford: "I want to create a culture of pedestrian safety.") This night she brought many supporters with her. Seven students stood behind Autumn dressed in the bright green tee shirts she designed. The front, with blue letters and a graphic said, “Yield to Pedestrians within Crosswalk.” On the back, the tee says, “It’s the Law.” Although not behind her at the podium, five adults came to the meeting to support her as well - also in their new green shirts.
Autumn's approach is not an emotional one, she comes with facts, figures - and on Tuesday, she had very specific price quotes for the solution to what she sees as a dangerous situation. Neighborhood adults have wanted something done about the situation for years. The crosswalk is heavily used, by students as well as adults doing recreational walking, there is strong support for improved safety. It was the main topic of discussion at a city sponsored neighborhood meeting last fall.
Binford seems to be on the verge of accomplishing what the adults have not been able to do. Parents and grandparents have been lobbying city hall for more than two years to make crossing Lebanon Road a safer venture. There is no signal at the intersection, and walkers must traverse a long span from one side of the wide road to the other. Many school children cross Lebanon Road at the intersection on their way to or from school. Children also use the intersection to get to the neighborhood pool. There is also a grass medium strip in the center, and vegetation that makes pedestrians somewhat invisible to motorists. The speed limit is 35 MPH.
Autumn recommends, Pedestrian controlled Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, called RRFB’s, and has facts, a price, and free installation on her side. She asked council to install them.
Autumn, has secured a $5,650 quote for the cost of the two lights and told council, “I have also enrolled a qualified electrical contractor who has volunteered to do the installation at no cost to the City.”
When activated by a pedestrian, these yellow LED beacons flash brightly with a “stutter flash effect” similar to flashers on police vehicles according to Autumn, Loveland’s new safety expert. She said, “I am presenting to you a quote from the Carmanah Company for only $5,650. This is the total cost of the required 4 LED beacons, solar panels, radio links to the opposite street side, push buttons, signs, mounting posts, and shipping. No trenching or power is required.” Part of her proposal reached a council vote on Tuesday, when councilman, Mark Fitzgerald made a motion to approve the purchase of the RRFB’s, and accepting the free installations of the warning devices.
The motion was tabled however to give City Manager, Thomas Carroll two weeks to present his own report. Councilman, Brenton Zuch said it would “be reckless”to proceed without hearing a report from the city Manager and questioned whether the free installation was legal to accept. Mayor Robert Weisgerber asked that the motion be delayed for two weeks.
Paulette Leeper made a motion to “table” Fitzgerald’s motion. Weisgerber, Zuch, David Bednar, Linda Cox, and Leeper voted to stop the discussion. Angie Settell, and Fitzgerald voted to proceed with installing the RRFB’s. Autumn said she will be back at the next meeting.
Carroll then said that the public works director is recommending the same solution as Binford’s
with an estimated cost of $8,600, including installation, but said he
would not recommend the installation because of concerns that they might
not be a safe solution. He said however that there was money in the
budget because of unanticipated estate tax receipts.
The
Pedestrian controlled Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons Autumn
Binsford wants installed near the Loveland Intermediate and Middle
school campus
Autumn described the intersection as an uncontrolled marked crosswalk on a 35 mph road that had 10,872 cars per day according to a 2008 city study. She also pointed out that when the City Manager contracted an engineering firm in 2009 at a cost of $6,000 the study recommended the same solution. She also cited a federal study that demonstrated that before RRFB’s were installed, drivers yielded to pedestrians between zero and 26% of the time. After the installation of RRFB’s, the yielding improved to between 72 and 96%. Two examples of these RRFB’s can be seen in Deer Park on Galbraith Road she said.
Autumn said that since 2011, the state of Ohio has had blanket approval from the Federal Highway Administration to install RRFB’s at uncontrolled pedestrian crosswalk locations statewide. “No further approval is needed.”
Autumn wants all intersections in the city to have the same atmosphere of friendliness that the bike trail crosswalk has where motorists look out for pedestrians and bicyclists, and seem more than happy to yield as the cross the busy intersection. She is mounting a public awareness campaign and has designed banners to be placed on utility poles. She reminded council that she previously asked them for more enforcement of the Loveland crosswalk laws. “There has been one warning issued since my previous speech but we have witnessed hundreds of violations," she said. "Please explain why there weren’t more warnings or citations.” She again presented council and city staff with the text of Loveland’s law.
She reminded council that she has requested hanging special banners that say Yield to Pedestrians within Crosswalk. “Please give us the status of when they will be displayed," she requested.
Carroll said the banners would cost the city $1,200, but that he doesn't recommend they be purchased. "Not because of the cost, but because I don't know they have any demonstrable benefit."
Autumn has also asked for the creation of a Loveland Pedestrian Safety Program with a City coordinator. “When Mr. Carroll reports on this worksheet item to City Council at your next
The back of the tee shirt Autumn Binsford designed to promote a "Culture of Pedestrian Safety" in the city.
meeting, may we please have a status of these three items,” she asked.
Carroll said he is “all in favor” of a safety culture, but that he did not know what the government is supposed to do. He said, “It’s ambiguous and very difficult to measure.. if not an impossible to measure objective, and I’m at a loss as to what we are supposed to do to instill or foster a safety culture.” He concluded by saying he thought there are other issues that are of equal or greater importance.
In her remarks to council, Autumn said that from 2004 to 2006, there were 14,351 pedestrian fatalities in the country resulting from pedestrian-vehicle accidents. She has contacted several local communities to see what they are doing to promote pedestrian safety. “Even though motorists will still have to be educated about the Loveland law and pedestrians will still have to wait for the cars to stop before they cross, isn’t it time to stop studying this Lebanon Road crosswalk and take action before we become one of those statistics," she asked. "These LED beacons can be installed in time for the peak walking season. Aren’t our lives worth it?"
Autumn encouraged all Loveland residents to send her ideas for an improved, citywide, walkable, community at "
mailto:lovelandcrosswalk@gmail.com".
Recent Comments