There is much to contemplate ahead for Ocean City officials when it comes to the “road diet” concept pitched by the State Highway Administration (SHA).
The two most worthy takeaways at this early stage for me in this process were the need for a dedicated bike lane as well as some sort of median barrier to deter pedestrians crossing away from the traffic lights.
First, although early in the review of this initiative, which only covers less than two miles of Coastal Highway from the Route 90 Bridge to about 40th Street, there seems to be some support for the concept of creating a bike-only lane. How to do that is not simple and SHA offered several options — a reserved bike lane in between the bus lane and the sidewalk; a pocket lane where bikes would have traffic on one side and buses on the other; and a bike table, which would be a separate bump out of sorts against the curb that would minimize interactions with the bus and boarding passengers. The only option that seems to be difficult to imagine from a practical standpoint is the pocket bike lane because of the volume of traffic in that area, but it’s nice to see bikes being weighed in the big picture here.
Perhaps the issue that might be the easiest to address in the short-term without requiring millions of dollars involves the median concept. With the goal being to cut down on pedestrians cutting through traffic to get to the median before waiting to get across the rest of the highway, several options were presented — decorative fencing, raised planters, a landscaped swale and dense vegetation and plantings.
Although the goal is simple — heightening pedestrian safety in a known troubled stretch — there are complexities here that will need to be weighed. Most notable is the fact motorists driving north, for example, looking for a restaurant or hotel on the bayside need to be able to see across to the other side of the road. The same goes for the southbound motorist. Blocking any sort of visual should be viewed as problematic to businesses because motorists unfamiliar with the lay of the land will have trouble finding them. Check out the rendering with the story on page 31 to see what I mean.
The next step in this process is to have the newly formed Transportation Committee, which met yesterday for the first time, review the proposal and then to have a public meeting where the specifics can be outlined for residents and business owners to consider. The future direction is unclear at this point, but it’s nice to see this effort getting underway in earnest, even if it’s just for about 20 blocks of Coastal Highway. My guess is certain aspects of this “road diet” concept will be pursued eventually but a piecemeal approach might be more realistic.
Much speculation has surrounded the commercial construction on Route 50 in front of the Wal-Mart and Home Depot. Staff Writer Charlene Sharpe set out this week to find out exactly what was going on out there, and the conclusion is not a lot is definitive. In other words, the people who know are not willing to disclose specifics yet.
One thing for sure is there will be a new McDonald’s constructed on site, resulting in the old Berlin operation shutting down. That will surely not disappoint anyone because the current restaurant next to the high school is rundown and in need of major improvements. A Taylor Bank, a nail salon and a dry cleaner are also planned for the area. At one point, a coffee shop was planned for the retail space, but those plans were abandoned earlier this year.
At least one restaurant is also slated for the development, but much to the dismay of the rumor mill it’s not expected to be a Cracker Barrel.
Several off-the-record conversations over the last couple years with knowledgeable sources maintain there will be no Cracker Barrel erected along this stretch of Route 50 due to the guidelines set forth in the county’s corridor plan. One planning guru I spoke with said extremely preliminary talks in the past have always hit a dead end because Cracker Barrel has an established footprint and design for all its restaurants that is not permitted by the corridor plan.
I like Salisbury’s idea of putting up the trendy “Drive Like Your Kids Live Here” signs in residential neighborhoods where motorist speed is a concern.
This is certainly not a new concept, as communities for decades have been trying to drive home this point with signs. The most familiar being the “Kids At Play” signs. Homemade “Drive Like Your Kids Live Here” signs have been seen lately in in neighborhoods in Berlin as well as Ocean Pines and West Ocean City.
However, Salisbury’s plan is to give them a much more official street sign look. The signs are being installed at several locations along Middle and North boulevards where street improvements have reportedly led to motorists traveling at a greater clip.
“By referencing the safety of children and families, we hope to connect with drivers on a personal level,” Mayor Jim Ireton said in a presser.
Whether these signs will have any impact will be impossible to quantify with any certainty, but it’s reasonable use of public dollars to at least give it a shot.