Consultants at the engineering firm Kimley-Horn have released recommendations for how to improve Main Street, based on their survey of Coalville locals this summer.
Now, officials want to hear from Coalville again about whether the recommended changes will make Main Street better, for pedestrians, bikes and cars alike.
Some of the concrete proposals include improved crosswalks. The consultants say better crosswalks were one of the most common concerns.
Coalville Mayor Mark Marsh told other Summit County mayors at their meeting last month how he’s been getting more and more complaints of near misses, even in crosswalks. Students are some of the most frequent pedestrians on Main Street too.
“It's been something that we're struggling with here, just as they are everywhere else, I just don't want to be one of their statistics, having somebody hitting a crosswalk and losing their life,” Marsh said,
Other ways to help crossings include narrowing or raising the street at the crosswalk, or installing a median, which can be a safe refuge for pedestrians.
The consultants also looked at how to better connect Main Street to the nearby Union Pacific Rail Trail. They looked at making Main Street more bike-friendly, which could be a commercial benefit so close to the trail.
Adding bike lanes would mean switching around street parking. For Main Street, Kimley-Horn says angled parking would work best.
The consultants also said the city should consider horse access on Main Street, especially coming off the Rail Trail. Horses are allowed on Coalville’s streets.
The city paid for the consultants with a $50,000 regional grant. Which recommendations get implemented depends on other funding sources.
So, the city is asking the public to look at the recommendations and weigh in again on what the priority should be. Click here to take the survey.
