MAD RIVER MIDDLE SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN City of Riverside, Ohio Ohio Safe Routes to School Plan INDEX SECTION 1: TARGET SCHOOLS AND THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL TEAM SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION SECTION 3: THE PUBLIC INPUT SECTION 4: SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS SECTION 5: CURRENT SCHOOL TRAVEL ENVIRONMENT SECTION 6: BARRIERS TO ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION SECTION 7: CREATING SOLUTIONS SECTION 8: IMPROVEMENTS MAPPING SECTION 9: THE ACTION PLAN SECTION 10: PLAN ENDORSEMENTS
MAD RIVER MIDDLE SCHOOL SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PLAN SECTION 1: THE SAFE ROUTES TO TASK FORCE MEMBERS School Name: Mad River Middle School School Address: 1801 Harshman Road, Riverside, Ohio 45424 Number of Students in 5-8: 487 for the 2009-2010 school year PRIMARY CONTACT Laurie Plank, Principal Mad River Middle School 1801 Harshman Road, Riverside, Ohio 45424 Email: laurie.plank@madriverschools.org Phone: 937-237-4265 x 6103 Name Affiliation Program Area Laurie Plank School Principal Education, Encouragement Brad Holt Assistant Principal Education, Encouragement Stan School Education, Bochenek Maintenance Supervisor Engineering Contact Information laurie.plank@madriverschools.org 1-937-237-4265 x6103 brad.holt@madriverschools.org 1-937-237-4265 x6104 stan.bochenek@madriverschools.org 937-237-4275 Dan DeCerbo Transportation Director Education, Engineering dan.decerbo@madriverschools.org 937-237-4282 Bob Murray City of Riverside Engineering rmurray@riverside.oh.us 937-233-6032 Police Chief Mark Reiss Riverside Police Dept. Enforcement mark.reiss@madriverschools.org 937-237-4250 Caroline Duffy Traffic Engineering Consultant Engineering/ Evaluation CDuffy@barreng.com 513-476-6271 1
SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION The name of the School Travel Plan for the Mad River Middle School is Walking & Biking for Better Health. Mad River Middle School provides bus service to a majority of the students due to the fact that it is the only middle school for the Mad River Middle School as well as the streets that surround the school property. There is heavy traffic on surrounding streets that presents obstacles that prevent students from walking and bicycling to the school. Removing these obstacles and increasing the number of students walking and riding their bicycles to school were the reason Mad River Middle School was chosen for a Safe Routes to School. The Task Force and Stake Holders List were developed from a group of individuals who could offer valuable insight into the school environment based on their areas of expertise and personal interests. The Task Force is comprised of school officials, community members, school parents, government officials, and school consultant. The Task Force and Stake Holder Members is as follows: TASK FORCE AND STAKE HOLDER MEMBERS Name Affiliation Program Contact Information Area Laurie Plank School Principal Education, Encouragement laurie.plank@madriverschools.org 1-937-237-4265 x6103 Brad Holt Assistant Principal Education, Encouragement brad.holt@madriverschools.org 1-937-237-4265 x6104 Penni Hocking Aide/Crossing Guard Education, penni.hocking@madriverschools.org Encouragement Karen Wurmser Teacher Education, karen.wurmser@madriverschools.org Encouragement Mike Combs Physical Education Education, mike.combs@madriverschools.org Teacher Encouragement Pam Hillard Health Teacher Education, pam.hillard@madriverschools.org Encouragement Angie Childers PTO President/Parent Education, 937-231-1678 Encouragement Stan Bochenek School Maintenance Supervisor Education, Engineering stan.bochenek@madriverschools.org 937-237-4275 Dan DeCerbo Transportation Director Education, Engineering dan.decerbo@madriverschools.org 937-237-4282 Bob Murray City of Riverside Engineering rmurray@riverside.oh.us 937-233-6032 Police Chief Mark Reiss Riverside Police Dept. Enforcement mark.reiss@madriverschools.org 937-237-4250 Caroline Duffy Traffic Engineering Consultant Engineering, Evaluation CDuffy@barreng.com 513-476-6271 2
SECTION 3: PUBLIC INPUT PROCESS The Mad River Middle School is located at 1801 Harshman Road, Riverside, Ohio 45424. Mad River Middle School had 487 students in the 7 th and 8 th Grade for the 2009-2010 school year. Mad River Middle School is part of the Mad River School District. It is the only school that serves the 7 th and 8 th Grade in the Mad River School District. All students start at 8:40 AM and dismiss at 3:10 PM. Existing Encouragement Programs The Mad River Middle School has the following programs to promote a healthy lifestyle. Pam Hillard, Health teacher gave a presentation to the staff on Healthy Snacks for Students. Pam emphasized the need to get away from candy snacks and soda to carrots, celery, and water or juices. Pam gave the staff a handout containing a list of healthy snacks. Mad River Runners two teachers started a walking/running club for students and staff. This is held after school every Tuesday and Thursday. The teachers solicited area business for support and have received close to $1,000. The club also encourages staff to donate slightly used shoes for students. Central office started a Zumba class for any employee in the district. Janice Fulton, United Health Care nurse, visits the building to address healthy habits with the staff. Janice meets one-on-one with the staff. The City of Riverside Health & Safety Committee has two Bike Rodeos a year. The first rodeo was at Beverly Gardens on May 21, 2011 between 11:00 and 1:00. The second rodeo is typically held at Rorher Park each June. Each of the participants is asked to ride through an obstacle course that was supplied by AAA. All of the children receive free bike helmets. Free hot dogs and juice are also supplied to all the participants. The local Ponderosa Restaurant donates two bikes to the event that are given away. Wright Patterson Air Force Base sends helps by sending over Mc Gruff the Crime Dog. Public Involvement Parents are supportive of these efforts and will aid with providing safe routes to school for all students of Mad River Middle School. An email address, madrivermiddlesrts@gmail.com, was set up for parents to email their concerns with having the students walk or bike to school. The Task Force and Stake Holder Members were asked a series of questions concerning Mad River Middle School on March 17, 2011. ODOT's Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program has re-enforced the commitment of the Task Force and Stake Holder Members to identify and improve safe, walkable routes for all students. The Task Force is comprised of a creative, diverse, and motivated team seeking to make further improvements to the health, livelihood, and safety of every student attending Mad River Middle School. These efforts to gather the crucial information from the public to provide baseline data have offered innovative and creative alternatives to several problems areas. Parents are supportive of these efforts and will aid with providing safe routes to school for all students of Mad River Middle School. The following is a summary of the questions and answers asked of the Task Force and Stake Holder Members: 3
1Q. What operational and physical improvements within 2 miles of schools should be made to establish safer and fully accessible crossings, walkways, trails and bikeways? Answers to Question 1 (answers in bold represent more than one response) 1. More sidewalks, trails and bikeways. 2. Trail from neighborhood behind school. 3. Street lights and lighting around school building. School Crossing signs. 4. Traffic signal modification to include turn arrow into main driveway. 5. Ensure that paths are properly marked. 6. Flashing School Signs from 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM. 7. More bike racks. 8. Crosswalks betweens Stebbins and MRMS. 9. Enforcement of school zone speed limit. 10. Parent drop off area in front of school conflict with student crosswalk. 11. Speed limit signs not visible. 12. Work with Base Housing to establish a bus shelter in the The Prairies housing area. 2Q. What education projects that primarily focus on personal safety, as well as the mechanics of walking or bike riding to and from school, should be implemented? Answers to Question 2 (answers in bold represent more than one response) 1. Bike Riding Clinic including use of bike helmets. Producing a video for student training. 2. Safety Training; ( Safety Village ; Personal safety training; Safety in numbers; emergency training; crossing street training; training a few times every year) 3. Walk/Bike to School Days. 4. Bike Rodeo. 5. Not accepting rides from others without parent knowledge. 6. Buddy System for all walkers. 7. Stranger Danger Awareness Programs. 3Q. What encouragement projects do you suggest that will encourage and focus on the benefits of walking or bike riding to and from school? Answers to Question 3 (answers in bold represent more than one response) 1. Get Fit/walking Club. 2. Promote Physical, Social and mental benefits of walking or biking to school. 3. Tie into PBS and have incentives/reward program. 4. Earth Day Program Celebration. 5. Announcements. 6. Walk/Bike Safety Brochures. 4Q. What enforcement of traffic laws and initiating community enforcement such as crossing guard training programs, should be implemented? Answers to Question 4 (answers in bold represent more than one response) 1. Enforcement of existing crosswalks. Give tickets to violators. 2. Speed limit enforcement. 4
3. Improve crosswalks. 4. Discourage jay-walking at McDonald s Site. 5. Parents to volunteer as Crossing Guards. 6. Community program about traffic laws. 7. Increase the walk time at the traffic signal. 8. School Speed Zone on Harshman. 9. Paint designated walking lanes. 10. Tie enforcement into the code of conduct. 11. Speeding. 5Q. Do you have a suggestion for the name for the plan for Mad River Middle School that would suit your school or community situation? It should explain the main motivations for improving walking and bicycling to school. Answers to Question 5 (answers in bold represent more than one response) 1. MRMS Walking & Biking for Better Health. 2. Peddle Stepper Safety Program. 3. Walking & Biking for Better Health. 6Q. Should the group plan for SRTS be a single school, district-wide or at another level? Answer to Question 6 (answers in bold represent more than one response) 1. Single School 7Q. How can we encourage parent involvement? Answers to Question 7 (answers in bold represent more than one response) 1. Parent/Student Walk to School Day. 2. Newsletters. 3. Website. 4. PTO. 5. Educate the benefits of walking/biking. 6. One Call System. 7. Letters. 8. Walk/Bike Safety Brochure. 9. Health Benefits. 10. Discount on School Fees. 11. Once Call System at Stebbins. 8Q. What challenges do you think the children will face in your area in biking and walking to school? Answers to Question 8 (answers in bold represent more than one response) 1. Vehicular/Pedestrian conflicts at major intersections. 2. Lack of sidewalks on Harshman Road. 3. Crosswalks on Harshman Road. 4. Busy traffic. 5. Lights on the school site. 6. Safety if walking alone. 7. Lack of sidewalks on Valley Street. 8. Some areas are not safe. 9. Motorist distractions. 5
10. Students not being aware of their surroundings. 11. Parent support. 12. Streets that the students would encounter on the path from their home to school. 13. No crossing guard on Harshman. 9Q. What do you hope to accomplish through the plan? Answers to Question 9 (answers in bold represent more than one response) 1. Healthier children. 2. To make it safer for students to walk/bike to school. 3. Student safety training. 4. Create walking groups and a fitness club. 5. Educate parents/students of the benefits of walking or biking to school. 6. Encourage students to be active. 7. Raise student self-esteem and give a sense of accomplishment. Other Observations Observations on March 17, 2011 observed that the Mad River Middle School utilized 14 different buses for the majority of the students. Since the school is the 7 th and 8 th grade for the entire Mad River Middle School District, not all students live within a 2 mile radius of the school. The school entrance/exit driveway is on Harshman Road, directly across the street from the High School. Harshman Road is a 4 lane divided roadway that divides the two schools and has a speed limit of 45 mph. This provides a barrier for the students who walk east from the school. The yellow walk time for the traffic signal is not long enough for the students to walk across the street. At the west side of the Mad River Middle School, there is a gate that leads from the school property to the stub end of a roadway into a subdivision. Many students who live west of the school walk through this gate. Incorporate Existing Bike Trails The Regional Bike Trail is located in Riverside, Ohio. However, this bike trail does not run near to the school to provide a connection for the school children. 6
LEGEND Regional Bike Trail Riverside Corporation Limits Mad River Middle School Mad River Middle School 7
SECTION 4: SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS School Demographics This School State Average Economically Disadvantaged Students 54% 36% Students with Disabilities 17% 14% Source: http://www.greatschools.net SECTION 5: CURRENT SCHOOL TRAVEL ENVIRONMENT The following table from the Teacher In-Class Surveys shows the current travel patterns by the Mad River Middle School Students. This data was collected on Monday, February 21, 2011. Enrollment Walk Bike School Bus Family Vehicle Carpool Transit Other Grade 7 240 4 0 195 31 3 0 0 Grade 8 247 6 3 174 27 5 0 0 Totals 487 10 3 369 58 8 0 0 Percentages 2.05% 0.62% 75.77% 11.91% 1.64% 0.00% 0.00% Mad River Middle School Parent Survey Summary Many Parent Surveys were received from the parents of the Mad River Middle School students. Several went directly to the link at the Parent Surveys set up by the National Safe Routes to School personnel. Others filled out paper copies that were sent home with their child. The results were summarized by the National Safe Routes to School personnel and are provided below. The results provided by the National Safe Routes to School personnel are provided in Appendix C and a summarized There respondents were approximately equally spread over the 7 th and 8th grades with an average of 50% of the parents responding. Over 74% of the families are over 1 mile from the school. The majority of students take a bus to/from school. The distance the student lives from the school does not have an effect on the number of students taking the bus to/from school. An average of 37% of the students have asked their parents to walk or bike to/from school. For those parents who do not currently let their children walk and bike to/from school, the top reasons are in order of highest concern to lowest concern are: 1) Amount of traffic along route; 2) Speed of traffic along route; 3) Sidewalks or pathways; 4) Safety at intersections; 5) Distance; 6) Weather; 7) Violence; 8) Time. 9) Crossing guards; 10) Adults to bike/walk with; 11) Child s participation in after school programs; and 12) For those Convenience of driving; For those parents who do currently let their children walk and bike to/from school, the top reasons in order of highest concern to lowest concern are as follows: 1) Safety at intersections; 2) Distance; 8
3) Weather; 4) Speed of traffic along route; 5) Sidewalks or pathways; 6) Time; 7) Child s participation in after school programs; 8) Adults to bike/walk with; 9) Violence; 10) Amount of traffic along route; 11) Convenience of driving; and 12) Crossing guards. The parents feel that the school could do more with encouragement programs. A large percentage of parents, 28%, believe the students have fun walking and biking to/from school. Seventy-four percent of the parents feel that it is healthy to fun walking and biking to/from school. Arrival Procedures: The School Flasher Sign (20 mph) operates in the morning from 7:15 AM to 8:30 AM. The Mad River Middle School building opens at 8:00 a.m. There are two doors the students may enter. Students may enter the front doors of the school building and/or the back door entrance (NW) by the band room. Between 8:00 AM 8:40 AM parents dropping off students and walkers enter the front doors. Between 8:20 AM and 8:30 AM busses drop off the students on the south side of the building and the students walk down the side walk to the back door entrance. From there the students can either eat breakfast or go into the gymnasium until school officially begins. Dismissal Procedures: Mad River Middle School dismisses at 3:10. The School Flasher Sign (20 mph) operates from 2:40 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mad River Middle School students exit the building from different doors depending on where their Team is located. This eliminates congestion at the doors so students can get to their lockers and exit the building in a timely fashion to catch the school bus. School Travel Policies The Mad River Middle School s Travel Policy states bussing is provided to the students who live further than 1 mile from the school. The bus stops are designated by the Mad River School transportation supervisor. School Safety or Hazard Bussing Policies and Procedures The Mad River School District School Safety Policies is in appendix A. The Bus Hazard Bussing Policies and Procedures are included in Appendix B. Location and Times of School Crossing Guards Mad River Middle School does not have any School Crossing Guards. 9
Description of Pedestrian and Bicycle Routes Once on School Property Students that walk to or from school enter either from the front of the building or in back of the building. The front of the building does have a cross walk and sidewalks on the property. In the back of the building the students walk through the sporting fields and enter the back door. Students riding bikes lock them up in front of the building (SE). Cars for picking up students are located in the front of the school building. Busses are located on the south side of the building. Legend Mad River Middle School Mad River Middle School Property Line Existing Bike Parking Existing Pedestrian Paths Bus Drop off Car Drop off/pick Up Multi-Purpose Field The students exit the school building based on the team assignments. Team Achievers backdoor by the band room (NW). Team Chippewa backdoor by the stairs (SW). Team Spirit on planning no students. Team Shawnee (downstairs) and Team Oso (upstairs) front door (SE). Any student (walkers and/or car riders exit the front of the building). 10
GIS Data We will provide GIS data in the form of CAGIS mapping that includes the parcel and right-of-way information. The CAGIS Mapping on the next pages shows the existing traffic control on the streets surrounding the school. 11
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Legend 2 Mile Radius Legend Mad River Middle School Mad River Middle School Property Line 18.66% Existing Bike Parking % Mad River Middle School Student Population in Relation to School School Flasher Signs: Operational: 7:30 AM-8:20 AM 20.43% Multi-Purpose Field 41.26% 19.65% 17
City of Riverside, Ohio Community Sidewalk Maintenance Policy The City of Riverside, Ohio does not have an official sidewalk policy. However, if a commercial building expands by more than 25%, the City of Riverside requires the owner to construct a sidewalk, if one doesn t exist. All new subdivisions must have a side walk. All property owners are required to maintain the public sidewalks that abut their property. SECTION 6: BARRIERS TO ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION There are many different obstacles that hinder a students ability to walk or bicycle to school. Field observations were made at Mad River Middle School in during the arrival time and the dismissal time. In addition, a field review with ODOT personnel was made to identify these potential obstacles. These obstacles can be physical barriers, traffic problems, public safety issues and attitudes toward walking and bicycling. We have identified the obstacles at Mad River Middle School as follows: Traffic Crashes A review of ODOT crash data for the latest available three-year period (2007 to 2009) shows that 27 crashes involving pedestrians and/or bicycles occurred within a 2-mile radius of Mad River Middle School. YEAR OF CRASH NUMBER OF CRASHES CHILD INVOLVED DEATH INJURY PEDESTRIAN INVOLVED BICYCLE INVOLVED 2007 9 0 7 4 3 4 2008 7 0 6 3 3 3 2009 10 0 9 4 5 9 26 0 22 11 10 14 0% 67% 33% 38% 54% Source: www.dot.state.oh.us/saferoutes/ school crash data An analysis of the crash reports over the three year time period yielded the following information: Sixty-seven percent of the crashes resulted in an injury. Thirty-three percent involved pedestrians. Fifty-four percent involved bicycles. Thirty-eight percent involved children at or under the age of 18. None of the crashes occurred immediately surrounding the school on Valley Pike or Harshman Avenue; Field observations were made during the arrival and dismissal times at Mad River Middle School. In addition, a walking audit was performed on May 19, 2011 with ODOT officials. The following items were noted in those field inspections. 18
Missing Or Insufficient Walkways There are a number of locations where there are missing sidewalks and side paths from the school. One such location is at fence line at the mobile home park on the north side of the school. There is an opening in the fence, but not connectivity through the mobile home park to the sidewalks on Valley Pike. Another location is on the west side of the school. This opening in the fence leads to the residential street of Pleasant Valley Avenue. The are following are other locations along Valley Pike that are missing sidewalks; the south side of Valley Pike from Pleasant Valley Avenue to west property line of the trucking company, sidewalk is missing from the east property line of trucking company to the east property line of the McDonalds, sidewalk is missing on the east side of the Harshman Road/Valley Pike intersection, from the east property of the High School property to Spicewood Drive. Additionally, there is sidewalk is missing on the north side of Valley Pike from 2600 Valley Pike to west property line of the KFC restaurant, which is on the corner of Harshman Road. Also, on the east side of the Harshman Road/Valley Pike intersection, the sidewalk is missing on the north side of Valley Pike from the east property of the Speedway Gas station on the corner of the Harshman Road/Valley Pike intersection. On Spicewood Drive, the sidewalk is missing on both sides of the road from Valley Pike to approximately 100 south of the intersection of Spicewood Drive and Sweetgum Place. On the west side of Harshman Road the sidewalk is missing from the south McDonalds property line in a southerly direction across the frontage of the Pizza Hut, Bob Evans, Days Inn and the Mad River Middle School property to the entrance of the Mad River Middle School. Crossing streets and intersections may be difficult or dangerous The Mad River Middle School s main entrance is on Harshman Road. Directly to the south of the entrance is the interchange with SR 4 and the Mad River. Harshman Road is classified as an Urban Principal Arterial having an Annual Average Daily Traffic of 31,500 in 2007. (Source: MVRPC website http://maps.mvrpc.org/traffic/viewer.htm) Directly to the north of the school is Valley Pike, an Urban Collector. The school flashing signs are operational from 7:30 AM-8:20 AM, yet, the Mad River Middle School starts school at 8:40 AM and dismisses school at 3:10 PM. The school flashing sign, because it is not operational when Mad River Middle School students are present, breeds disrespect by the traveling public. 19
Walkways may not be accessible to students with disabilities The following locations do not have curb ramps: Intersection of Spicewood Drive and Sweetgum Place at 2 corners; Intersection of Valley Pike and Spicewood Drive at 4 corners; Intersection of Valley Pike and Charlie Mac Drive at 2 corners; Intersection of Valley Pike and the car wash driveway at 2 corners; Intersection of Valley Pike and the trucking company driveway at 2 corners; Intersection of Valley Pike and the Pleasant Valley Avenue at 4 corners; Intersection of Harshman Road and the entrance to the Middle School has non-standard curb ramps that needs to be rebuilt at 1 corner; Intersection of Harshman Road and the entrance to the High School at 1 corner; Intersection of Harshman Road and Valley Pike at 9 locations on the 3 corners; The following locations do not have truncated domes: Intersection of Spicewood Drive and Sweetgum Place at 6 locations; Intersection of Valley Pike and Spicewood Drive at 8 locations; Intersection of Valley Pike and Charlie Mac Drive at 2 locations; Intersection of Valley Pike and the car wash driveway at 2 locations; Intersection of Valley Pike and the trucking company driveway at 2 locations; Intersection of Valley Pike and the Pleasant Valley Avenue at 4 locations; On Harshman Road at the McDonalds/Pizza Hut Driveway at 2 locations; Intersection of Harshman Road and the entrance to the Middle School/High School at 3 locations; Intersection of Harshman Road and Valley Pike at 9 locations on the 4 corners; The following locations do not have crosswalks or the existing crosswalks need to be repainted: Intersection of Spicewood Drive and Sweetgum Place on three approaches; Intersection of Valley Pike and Spicewood Drive on all 4 approaches; Intersection of Valley Pike and Charlie Mac Drive on all 2 approaches; Intersection of Valley Pike and the Pleasant Valley Avenue at 4 corners; Intersection of Harshman Road and the entrance to the Middle School/High School at 3 locations; Bike parking at school may be missing, insufficient or non-secure There is only one bike rack available for bike parking at the school. Dangerous driving and speeding on streets There are three intersections the students would have to cross that are major arterials. The deficiencies at each of these intersections are as follows: Harshman Road and the Mad River Middle School intersection: The northbound left turn lane does not have a protected left turn phasing; The pedestrian timing is does not provide enough time to cross the streets at a rate of 3 ft./sec. so the students run across the intersection; 20
Harshman Road and Valley Pike intersection: There are not any pedestrian crossing signs at the crosswalks; The traffic signals are lacking backplates, for visibility. The pedestrian timing is does not provide enough time to cross the streets at a rate of 3 ft./sec.; The median islands need to be rebuilt; The pedestrian indicator and pushbuttons are old; The intersection lighting does not give adequate lighting for pedestrians; The pavement markings are lacking reflectivity; Valley Pike and the Pleasant Valley Avenue intersection: The school crosswalk signage does not meet current standards; Drop-Off And Pick-Up Process The bus location on the south side of the property segregates the busses from the vehicular pick up/drop off and the pedestrian/bicyclist. However, the vehicular pick up/drop off and the pedestrian/bicyclist do have a conflict point at the front entrance of the school in that pedestrians cross directly in front of the vehicles. The students who exit the back of the school through the existing gate travel on Pleasant Valley Avenue, across Valley Pike, to their neighborhood. Getting from the school to the existing gate requires the student to travel on grass as there isn t an existing trail. Major arterials and expressways act as dividers Since Mad River Middle School sits directly north of SR 4 and the Mad River, the students who live south of SR 4 and Mad River are divided from direct access to the school. Their only way to get to the school is on Harshman Road. To the south of the Mad River is the Eastwood Metro Park. The 5 Rivers Metro Bike Trail runs through the park. The students that live near the Eastwood Metro Park in the Yorktown Colony Apartments, the Northcliff Colony Apartments and on Byesville Road do not have direct access to the 5 Rivers Metro Bike Trail. The 5 Rivers Metro Bike Trail plan calls for a bike path on the bridge over the Mad River. However, this bike path would need to be continued on Harshman Road north to the Mad River Middle School. Public safety concerns Several parents expressed concern with public safety perception with the neighborhood. 21
SECTION 7: CREATING SOLUTIONS This section will provide solutions to the obstacle to walking and riding to Mad River Middle School describes in Section 6. Missing Or Insufficient Walkways Construction of sidewalks at the following locations: From the fence gate at the mobile home park to Valley Pike. From the west gate on the school property to Pleasant Valley Avenue. On the south side of Valley Pike from Pleasant Valley Avenue to west property line of the trucking company On the south side of Valley Pike from the east property line of trucking company to the east property line of the McDonalds. On the south side of Valley Pike from the east property of the High School property to Spicewood Drive. On the north side of Valley Pike from 2600 Valley Pike to west property line of the KFC restaurant, which is on the corner of Harshman Road. On the north side of Valley Pike from the east property of the Speedway Gas station on the corner of the Harshman Road/Valley Pike intersection. On Spicewood Drive, on both sides of the road from Valley Pike to approximately 100 south of the intersection of Spicewood Drive and Sweetgum Place. On the west side of Harshman Road the from the south McDonalds property line in a southerly direction across the frontage of the Pizza Hut, Bob Evans, Days Inn and the Mad River Middle School property to the entrance of the Mad River Middle School. Crossing streets and intersections may be difficult or dangerous The school flashing signs wireless program. Walkways may not be accessible to students with disabilities Constructing curb ramps at the following locations: Intersection of Spicewood Drive and Sweetgum Place at 2 corners; Intersection of Valley Pike and Spicewood Drive at 4 corners; Intersection of Valley Pike and Charlie Mac Drive at 2 corners; Intersection of Valley Pike and the car wash driveway at 2 corners; Intersection of Valley Pike and the trucking company driveway at 2 corners; Intersection of Valley Pike and the Pleasant Valley Avenue at 4 corners; Intersection of Harshman Road and the entrance to the Middle School has non-standard curb ramps that needs to be rebuilt at 1 corner; Intersection of Harshman Road and the entrance to the High School at 1 corner; Intersection of Harshman Road and Valley Pike at 9 locations on the 3 corners; Constructing truncated domes at the following locations: Intersection of Spicewood Drive and Sweetgum Place at 6 locations; Intersection of Valley Pike and Spicewood Drive at 8 locations; Intersection of Valley Pike and Charlie Mac Drive at 2 locations; Intersection of Valley Pike and the car wash driveway at 2 locations; Intersection of Valley Pike and the trucking company driveway at 2 locations; Intersection of Valley Pike and the Pleasant Valley Avenue at 4 locations; On Harshman Road at the McDonalds/Pizza Hut Driveway at 2 locations; Intersection of Harshman Road and the entrance to the Middle School/High School at 3 locations; Intersection of Harshman Road and Valley Pike at 9 locations on the 4 corners; 22
Constructing crosswalks at the following locations: Intersection of Spicewood Drive and Sweetgum Place on 3 approaches; Intersection of Valley Pike and Spicewood Drive on all 4 approaches; Intersection of Valley Pike and Charlie Mac Drive on all 2 approaches; Intersection of Valley Pike and the Pleasant Valley Avenue at 4 corners; Intersection of Harshman Road and the entrance to the Middle School/High School at 3 locations; Bike parking at school may be missing, insufficient or non-secure Two additional bike racks should be constructed. Dangerous driving and speeding on streets The following items will increase the safety of Harshman Road and Valley Pike: Harshman Road and the Mad River Middle School intersection: Construct new wiring to add a protected left turn phasing; Retime the traffic signal to allow for adequate pedestrian clearance; Construction of the following improvements at the Harshman Road and Valley Pike intersection: Construct pedestrian crossing signs to R1-6 at all crosswalks; Update the traffic signals with backplates; Retime the traffic signal to allow for adequate pedestrian clearance; Construct new median islands at the intersection; Construct the pedestrian indicator and pushbuttons; Construct intersection lighting for pedestrians; Construct thermoplastic pavement markings; Valley Pike and the Pleasant Valley Avenue intersection: Construct new school crosswalk signage; Drop-Off And Pick-Up Process The following items will increase the safety of the pedestrian/bicyclist on the school property: Construct crosswalk across the vehicular pick up/drop off area for the pedestrian/bicyclist with pedestrian crosswalk signs; Construction of a bike trail to Pleasant Valley Avenue from the back of the school building; Construction of a bike trail from the mobile home park to the school building; Major arterials and expressways act as dividers Construct a bike trail from the 5 Rivers Metro Bike Trail in Eastwood Metro Park to the Mad River Middle School. Construct a bike trail from the 5 Rivers Metro Bike Trail in Eastwood Metro Park at Springfield Street to the Yorktown Colony Apartments, the Northcliff Colony Apartments and on Byesville Road. 23
SECTION 8: IMPROVEMENTS MAPPING 1E 2E 5E 3E 4E Legend Mad River Middle School 6E Mad River Middle School Property Line New Sidewalk New Curb Ramps, Truncated Dome Signal Improvements School Flashing Sign 6E Bike Racks Proposed Trails Proposed Signs Crosswalk 24
SECTION 9: THE ACTION PLAN This section will create an action plan from the items listed in the previous section. It will detail a schedule for each item as well as which team member is responsible, when the objective will be completed and how the activity will be funded. The action plan will create a timeline for implementation and the source of funding for these projects. It will also categorize these improvements as one of the following: Low Cost: $20,000 or below (example: striping, signs, improved curb ramps, education project, encouragement program) Medium Cost: $20,000 to $150,000 (example: new or upgraded signal, enforcement initiative) High Cost: $150,000 or above (example: small pedestrian bridge) 25
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Appendix C Mad River Middle School Parent Survey Summary 44. My Child lives to far from school. This survey does not apply to my child. I would still be concerned about children walking on the busy streets around the schools. 45. For my daughter to walk to school it is too far away and along a major busy road with no sidewalks. Unsafe conditions. 46. No sidewalks 47. Mad River Middle School is too far - needs to ride bus no matter what. 48. Bus stop needs to be closer to home. 49. I do not want my child walking through traffic on Brandt Pike, Beatrice, or Harshman. It is dangerous. 50. My child does not walk or ride a bike to school because it is to far and he would have to travel with to much traffic and the traffic travels at to high rate of speed along path of travel. I think it is healthy for my child to walk and ride a bike right know not to and from school. 51. My child primarily gets to/from school in the family vehicle but if he wants to walk to/from school, I have no problem with that. I also think this survey was a waste of my time and a waste of your paper. 52. I can't drive because of prior injuries in a car accident. It would be very dangerous, due to traffic and distance to school for my son to walk or ride a bike. Although he does love to ride his bike in our neighborhood. 53. The reason for answering "unhealthy to walk/bike from school and that it is necessary for our daughter to take the bus", is the intersections of traffic in which we live would make it very dangerous for her to take her bike or walk. It is much safer for her to ride the bus, especially with the amount of traffic at the times she attends school and heads home. In some areas on her route there is no bike path or even sidewalks for her to ride/walk on and the speed limits are 35-40 mph in some areas. Peace of mind for her safety in getting to school takes priority over the healthiness of riding a bike or walking and she gets her fitness from afterschool sports. 54. A lot of kids will not be able to walk/bike to school or from. There are too many bad adults who will hurt the kids and some neighborhoods not safe. No sidewalks, etc. 55. It would be hazardous and unsafe for my child to walk to school from our house and children are kidnapped 56. everyday. How many will it take before we understand the importance of keeping them safe. 57. Harshman and Valley: need traffic cameras. Need speed control. Need sidewalks. No lights on Valley Street. Kids are dressed in black. Can't see them now in the morning. Also, that Hotel that is by the MS. Kids have to walk past that. It's questionable. The speed of the intersection is my biggest concern. 58. I do not like the idea of children walking to school. It is not safe with all the crime that goes on now. 59. Harshman Road is a busy road with traffic speeds up to 50 mph and it isn't safe for walking or bike traffic. 13