Polly Ann Trail users will soon be able to cross W. Burdick St. more safely thanks to the Oxford Village Council.
Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve the installation of a pedestrian crossing near the point where the trail is intersected by W. Burdick St., near West St.
Polly Ann Trail Manager Amy Murray explained the current crossing is “considered unsafe” and “less desirable” because the line of sight between drivers and pedestrians is obstructed by the hill to the west.
The result is drivers eastbound on W. Burdick coming over and down the hill have a very limited view of pedestrians crossing the trail near the bottom.
Likewise, pedestrians’ view of on-coming traffic from the west is obscured by the hill.
Another factor currently hindering pedestrian safety is the fact that instead of forming a straight line across W. Burdick, Murray said the trail’s northern and southern portions are diagonal from each other.
The high volume of traffic on W. Burdick St. (which becomes Seymour Lake Road in the township) is yet another important reason to increase pedestrian safety and visibility to drivers, Murray said.
In response to the safety concerns expressed by Murray, her and Police Chief Mike Neymanowski formulated the following plan for a pedestrian crosswalk, which council approved. Under the plan:
n “Crossing perpendicular to Burdick St. will be achieved by directing trail users to proceed eastward across West Street to the sidewalk then to cross Burdick directly to the eastern edge of the Polly Ann Right-of-Way.”
“Basically, we’re going to make two 90-degree crossings, one on West Street and then one further down on Burdick St., in order to get across rather than the diagonal crossing” that currently exists, explained Manager Mark Slown.
n “Signs on both sides of the trail will alert trail users to the road crossing and their route of travel.”
n “Pedestrian crossing striping will be applied on West Street and Burdick.”
n “Caution-Pedestrian signs will be installed on Burdick Street both east and west of the trail.”
The pedestrian crossing will be paid for by using village funds. Although Slown gave no numerical estimate as to how much the project will cost, he stated it would be “minimal.”
Councilman Matt Weber expressed his support for the planned crossing. “As one who uses that trail, I think it’s long overdue,” he said.