Buggies and bikes were the focus of the Aug. 25 presentation of a possible transportation plan for the Village of Middlefield.
Buggies and bikes were the focus of the Aug. 25 presentation of a possible transportation plan for the Village of Middlefield.
Ryan Smalley, principal with Envision Group LLC, of Cleveland, returned to the village more than a year after the plan was first proposed in March 2020. The delay, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, may change the timeline originally suggested, he said.
At the Sept. 9 council meeting, village Administrator Leslie Gambosi McCoy noted the public survey exploring options for the Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative plan is on the village website under announcements. Residents can also scan the QR code posted on signs in the village to access the survey, which contains explanations and maps, as well as questions.
The survey collects input from residents to narrow down the options for buggy lanes, buggy pull-outs, bicycle lanes and walking paths to make transportation safer and more efficient. Projects may be initiated over the next five to 10 years.
Councilman Scott Klein said the TLCI was presented to the Amish safety committee in July for discussion and input.
“(Envision is) really going in-depth. They are really looking at every inch of pavement in the village,” he said. “Everything is being considered.”
At the Aug. 25 meeting, village council and some residents contributed to the discussion about how best to adjust the village roads and byways to safely accommodate buggy traffic, bicyclists and pedestrians as the community grows.
The TLCI is funded through the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency.
At the Aug. 25 meeting, Smalley said the village doesn’t have a traffic problem most of the time and the improvements are more to address safety issues than traffic flow.
“The main goal is to address the Amish buggy population,” he said, adding the Amish have found alternate routes to reach their destinations while staying off the main roads as much as possible.
However, there are several stretches of two-lane roads that Amish need to use to get from one place to another, he said.
On roads where no buggy lanes exist, the Amish driver will sometimes pull over to let vehicle traffic past if a space exists. Pull offs could be built into rights-of-way between utility poles in 11 areas around the village to provide those spaces, Smalley said.
“Buggy lanes are 10 times as expensive as pull offs, but lanes are much more safe and move Amish traffic more efficiently,” he said.
If on-street parking was eliminated in downtown Middlefield, the space could provide about seven feet on each side of the road for narrow buggy lanes while still staying within the Kinsman Road 60-foot right-of-way, Smalley said.
The Amish committee said parts of state Route 608 south of Kinsman Road are especially dangerous for buggies, he said. From Georgia Road north to Kinsman Road is narrow and very busy.
However, the traffic lanes are 15 feet wide and the utilities are set back far enough to allow space for a buggy lane, he said.
The Maple Highlands Trail ends on Route 608 just north of the center of town and starts again where Thompson and Johnson roads connect in the southeast quadrant of the village heading for Swine Creek Park, according to the map in the survey.
Three alternatives through the village are suggested in the survey and Councilman Sam Morrow recommended a forth during the Aug. 25 meeting.
A public meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 will review the TLCI plan.
