Milton committee submits traffic priorities

Increased road signs, speed limit notifications and multi-way stops at various intersections are the top priorities Milton should tackle in improving its traffic management, according to a list of recommendations provided by the streets, sidewalks and parks committee.

In December, the committee was tasked with coming up with a list of priorities from items suggested by the traffic calming ad hoc committee last fall. 

The streets committee put forth two lists of recommendations, based on the fact that Delaware Department of Transportation manages a considerable amount of Milton’s roadways. The town has a maintenance agreement with the department where DelDOT assumes maintenance of the roadways from curb face to curb face, while the town maintains the portion from the curb face to the row line of the sidewalk. Sidewalks are the responsibility of property owners. 

Within the town’s domain, the streets committee’s main priorities are curtailing speeding. This includes installing eight radar signs, which the town has already budgeted $28,000 for. The eight signs would be placed on Federal, Union, Mulberry and Chestnut streets.

The second priority is reducing the speed limit on town streets from 25 mph to 20 mph for cars and 15 mph for trucks. In the ad hoc committee’s 148-page report, the committee said 75 percent of those who took part in a town-wide survey of traffic issues wanted to see the speed limit reduced for large trucks. 

The third priority is for in-street pedestrian signs, sometimes known as silent policemen, which the ad hoc committee argued would help remind motorists to reduce speed because pedestrians could be crossing the road. Additional in-street pedestrian signs are also recommended by the ad hoc and streets committees to be placed in DelDOT-maintained roadways.

Finally, the streets committee prioritized putting in entrance and exit signs at the Magnolia Street parking lot, as well as painted directional arrows on the ground. 

The streets committee’s top-priority recommendation for DelDOT consideration is implementing multi-way stops at the intersections of Federal, Wharton and Mulberry streets; Chestnut, Wharton and Atlantic streets; Mulberry and Lavinia streets; and at Union, Federal and Front street. Putting in a four-way stop at Chestnut, Wharton and Atlantic streets in particular has been a priority for town officials for years, but the decision to create such a pattern lies with DelDOT.

The town also plans to improve its accessibility for those with disabilities, and April 4, council unanimously approved a transition plan that would, over time, make the town’s pedestrian network compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. 

While the town was not mandated by the ADA to come up with such a plan, officials created it as an organizing tool to make improvements to handicapped accessibility and remove barriers from the public right-of-way.  

The town’s ADA transition plan calls for upgrading curb ramps and crosswalks to make them more ADA compliant. The plan calls for spending $25,000 per year, subject to annual consideration by the town council. Responsibility for implementing the plan will lie with the town manager.