Upcoming
  1. Village Council Late May Meeting
  2. Parks Commission June Meeting
  3. Village Council Early June Meeting
  4. Safety Committee June Meeting
  5. Village Council Late June Meeting
journal
journal
journal
journal
journal

Safety Committee April Meeting

The Safety Committee will meet Monday evening, April 28 at 6:30 pm in Council Chambers at Village Hall.

We have two items on the agenda: a new rule requested by the Police Department that would prohibit all non-see-through bags 7 by 10 inches or larger from being brought into Riverside Park during Blossom, and a review of designs for curb extensions on Main and Franklin Streets at the mid-block crosswalks to Triangle Park.

Bag Safety Rule

Continue reading
notes

A reminder that the North Main Street Bridge will be closed to traffic from 6:30 am to the end of the workday (4:00 pm, later if needed) from tomorrow through Thursday, May 1. Pedestrian traffic across the bridge on the east sidewalk will remain open, closing briefly when necessary for safety reasons.

Calvin: How do they know the load limit on bridges, Dad? Dad: They drive bigger and bigger trucks over the bridge until it breaks. Then they weigh the last truck and rebuild the bridge. Calvin: Oh. I should’ve guessed. Mom: Dear, if you don’t know the answer, just tell him.
Calvin and Hobbes, “Bridge Capacity” by Bill Watterson for November 26, 1986

notes

I spent yesterday at my kid’s doubleheader in North Baltimore, Ohio. The history of North Baltimore is similar to Chagrin Falls in a number of ways; it was founded in the 1870s, occupies 2.5 square miles, has a population of 3,369, and is centered on a North Main Street that looks a lot like ours. And check out these crosswalks!

Good street design isn’t just for big cities or tourist destinations. Cars are just as deadly in small towns, and everyone outside a vehicle deserves the basic protections that have been shown to work.

A small-town main street, with a mid-block crosswalk. Both sides feature curb extensions that prevent drivers from parking near or in the crosswalk entrances, improving visibility and safety
Curb extensions / mid-block narrowing
A small-town main street, with a signalized intersection. All four crosswalks are marked with high-visibility Continental-style patterns.
High-visibility crosswalk markings
journal

Safety Committee Activity Recap

With all the recent interest in downtown pedestrian safety I thought this would be a good time to recap what your Safety Committee has been up to the last few years.

But first a quick note about what the committee even is and how we work, because I’ve had a few folks ask: We are three members of Village Council (me, Angie DeBernardo, and Andrew Rockey) that meet on an as-needed basis to discuss safety-related topics that arise and make recommendations to Council and the village administration. We rely on input from the Village Engineer as well as the community, and our own research and experience.

When I joined the committee and was elected chair in 2023 we began to look at possible improvements to downtown crosswalks in response to persistent complaints from residents about feeling unsafe, nearly being hit, etc. With the Main Street Bridge Rehabilitation Project on the horizon, I felt like this was the ideal time to create a plan that could be put into action as the town was put back together once construction was complete.

Continue reading
journal
journal
Read other journal entries or notes.