Traffic calming, Light the Park changes told
After discussions during workshops in August, Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved unanimously changes to the Town’s traffic calming measures during its virtual meeting Thursday, Sept. 24.
“I guess the biggest change — the real change — is the way we take the vote among residents when we do one of these installations of traffic-calming measures,” Town engineer Darryl Smith said.
He explained the current policy requires 65 percent approval of all residents affected by placement of traffic calming measures.
“In this case, we’re looking at speed humps, particularly in subdivisions,” he said.
As such, “We would require 65 percent approval of everyone who is within the zone, the area where the speed is occurring, as well as anyone who would be coming across it on their way to and from their house,” Smith added. “In this case, anyone who would live in front of the subdivision would not be voting on that.”
During the Citizen Forum portion of the meeting, Town recorder Allison Myers read an e-mail from Farragut Hills resident Rich Crompton, who supported the Board’s action: “It only makes sense to give those directly impacted by speeding in areas where traffic calming measures could be installed more say in the decision,” the e-mail stated.
Street Aid, Light the Park
On another agenda item, the Board voted unanimously to amend its General Fund and State Street Aid funds for fiscal year 2020-2021 budget.
Myers said amendment includes increasing expenditures by $30,000 to expand its Light the Park event along Campbell Station Road, from Interstate 40/75 south to Kingston Pike, “to allow for a walkable Light the Park experience and for greater social distancing opportunities due to COVID-19.”
On a similar action, the Board approved an expenditure increase from $1 million to $1.75 million in its State Street Aid Fund to fund resurfacing of roads.
