South Brookwood pedestrian improvements under consideration
Residents around Brookwood Forest Elementary have requested several pedestrian improvements in the area near the school. After her son started kindergarten, Stefanie Davis noticed that kids would often fall on sidewalks walking home. She looked more into the issues, contacted with city and brought a group of other neighbors to the meeting to speak for accommodating safety for children in the area.
Their requests included:
- a sidewalk extension along North Woodridge Road
- reconstructing sidewalks and adding guardrails along South Brookwood Road
- a pedestrian crossing at South Brookwood Road and North Woodridge Road
- a four-way stop sign at North Woodridge and Spring Valley Court, where there is now a two-way stop.
“I would love to see what we need to do to get the ball rolling on wider sidewalks and maybe guard rails of some sort,” Davis wrote in a letter to the city. “I feel like this could also help alleviate some of the car pool problems we have.”
In response, Richard Caudle of Skipper Consulting said there is a gap in the sidewalks. Regarding the South Brookwood area, he said the terrain issue that would require cutting into a bank and an easement from property. When he studied it previously, he said he didn’t see a need for a guardrail. He said that guardrails can also give a false sense of security because a child on the other side of it can still be struck when a vehicle hits it. However, Public Works Director Ronnie Vaughn said he talked to a professional who said who could install one. The council suggested studying this issue further.
Regarding the four-way stop, Caudle said he doesn’t think it’s necessary to have a formal study and but doesn’t see any reason not to recommend putting one there. Mountain Brook Police will perform a two-day study on the intersection and send a letter to surrounding residents regarding this addition.
Caudle also said that there is a sight distance issue at the South Brookwood Road and North Woodridge Road but that there may be more solutions to that issue than just a crossing. He recommended a formal study of this intersection.
The council suggested the city look into the guardrails and pedestrian crossing suggestions, and the police department will look into the four-way stop signs and sending letters. Skipper Consulting will study the advisability of a pedestrian crosswalk at of South Brookwood Road and North Woodridge Road.
The issues will be on the agenda at the next council meeting on Sept. 28.