The city will add stop signs and crosswalk stripes to the intersection of 600 South and Mill Road to give students at Timpanogos Middle School and Old Mill Elementary School a safer commute.
At the Heber City Council meeting Tuesday evening, Councilmember Ryan Stack said he wants the city to implement changes quickly in light of recent pedestrian accidents.
“Seeing what’s been happening lately, I can’t help but get the sense that if we don’t take action soon, there will be a problem,” he said.
Councilmember Yvonne Barney said she’s seen firsthand the problems at that intersection, which currently has a two-way stop. She said the changes – making it a four-way stop and adding crossing stripes – are the minimum the city should do to promote safety at the spot.
Councilmember Rachel Kahler agreed that the city should go further with safety improvements around the schools.
“I really think we need to look at a bigger picture: roundabouts, and I think we need to look at speed tables,” she said.
She said the council should continue the safety conversation with the Wasatch County Council, the school district and local law enforcement agencies.
“The biggest thing is awareness and drivers, and we need to take responsibility as a community to slow down,” Kahler said. “But as a city, what can we do to really put traffic-calming mechanisms in place? I think this really should be the 2024 priority of the council.”
The council also wants safety improvements at the intersection of 1200 South and Mill Road, which falls just outside the city limits.
City engineer Russ Funk said the public works department has already begun installing the stop signs and they should be in place by the end of next week. He said he hopes to schedule crosswalk painting next week as well. The project will not require road closures.
