FENWICK ISLAND – Citing pedestrian safety concerns, town officials agreed last week to prohibit U-turns at a busy Coastal Highway intersection.
Last Friday, the Fenwick Island Town Council voted 6-1, with Councilman Richard Mais opposed, to prohibit U-turns at the intersection of Coastal Highway and Bayard Street.
Officials noted an engineering study and traffic investigation conducted by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) identified safety hazards to pedestrians using the crosswalk at the busy resort intersection. Mais, however, said he was hesitant to prohibit U-turns at the intersection without seeing the DelDOT report.
“I live on that street and I probably go through that intersection more than anyone else, and I haven’t seen any problems,” he said. “I also have not seen the study or the specifics of what DelDOT found from that.”
Mais said he was concerned prohibiting U-turns at the intersection would encourage drivers to cut through residential neighborhoods and commercial parking lots. He argued relocating the Bayard Street crosswalk from the south side of the intersection to the north would address most of the pedestrian safety concerns.
“I initially supported moving the crosswalk to the north side of Bayard, and that was quickly dismissed by DelDOT,” he said. “I’m not certain why. I don’t know if that was more work for them or what, but I think that would be a more reasonable and sensible solution to this issue.”
While she agreed moving the crosswalk would be the best solution, Councilwoman Vicki Carmean, chair of the town’s pedestrian safety committee, said she supported the prohibition. She noted that many vehicles leaving Royal Farms made a U-turn onto southbound Coastal Highway, creating a safety hazard for pedestrians in the crosswalk.
“I don’t see where it’s going to be a problem,” she said. “If it is we can always change it. It’s a real plus for the safety of pedestrians.”
Mais, however, advocated postponing the resolution banning U-turns in an effort to gauge the effectiveness of new crosswalk systems at Bayard.
“The chief has indicated that the new pedestrian signs with the flashing lights is an educational process,” he said. “So I would like to see if that has an impact and makes that crossing more safe. That’s not going to be a short-term thing.”
Fenwick Island Police Chief John Devlin noted the volume of traffic at the Bayard Street intersection. He acknowledged the U-turns posed a safety hazard to pedestrians.
“There is an enormous amount of traffic there,” he said. “And it isn’t residential traffic. It’s mostly people coming from Ocean City, going to Royal Farms and turning around.”
Mais, however, reiterated he did not want to vote for the prohibition without first seeing the DelDOT study.
“I don’t like taking action on some supposed study that we have not seen,” he said. “That does not seem right.”
After further discussion, the council voted 6-1 to prohibit U-turns at the intersection of Coastal Highway and Bayard Street. Some council members noted the prohibition could be reevaluated at a later date.
“It’s an easy thing to control because of the traffic light two blocks up,” Councilman Bill Weistling said. “If it wasn’t for that, I might give it a second thought.”
