Over the past two years, residents have had many opinions about the Merrimon Avenue road diet, a project that converted a portion of the roadway from four to three lanes, beginning in October 2022. On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the N.C. Department of Transportation will present preliminary findings related to safety, mobility and travel trends on the stretch of road between UNC Asheville and Beaver Lake.
Initial safety data is positive, showing a 23% reduction in total crashes and a 30% reduction in injury crashes after the conversion. Additionally, data shows a drop in average car speeds by 3-5 mph.
Meanwhile, mobility data reveals an increase in average travel times by two-14 seconds during 5 p.m. rush-hour traffic.
According to the preliminary report, bicycle volume has increased in 11 of 12 data collection points, with the northern end of the road diet seeing a 269% jump in use.
In other news
Four public hearings will take place before City Council, including a resolution to permanently close an unopened right-of-way at 34 Hiawassee St., behind Harrah’s Cherokee Center. Closure of the unused right-of-way would allow a land exchange with Duke Energy, facilitating Duke’s plan to rebuild the downtown substation, and clear the way for future expansion of the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Harrah’s Cherokee Center-Asheville, or other potential development plans for Rankin Avenue.
Consent agenda and public comment
The meeting’s consent agenda contains 27 items, which will be approved as a package unless singled out for separate discussion. Highlights include the following:
- A resolution for City Council to accept the 2023 Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for wildland fire personal protective equipment (PPE). This grant allows for the purchase of the needed PPE at a much lower cost to the city. If the grant is accepted, the city would also approve the associated budget amendment in the amount of $74,970 for the Asheville Fire Department.
- A proposal for City Council to accept U.S. Dept. of Energy Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds to purchase electric vehicles for the city’s fleet. This grant will offset the cost of electric vehicle purchases in the General Capital Projects Fund, and purchase of the vehicles will support implementation of the Municipal Climate Action Plan.
- A resolution that would permanently close an open right-of-way along approximately 140 feet of Sawyer Street, which connects to Coxe Avenue between two parcels addressed as 50 and 52 Coxe Ave. The closure will allow Buncombe County to combine the parcels, thereby allowing the county access to additional federal affordable housing tax incentives. The resolution sets a public hearing for the closure on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024.
Council members will gather at 5 p.m. at Council Chambers at City Hall, located at 70 Court Plaza. The meeting will also be carried live on Charter/Spectrum Channel 193 and livestreamed through Asheville’s public engagement hub and on the city’s YouTube channel. Members of the public can listen live by calling 855-925-2801, meeting code 7095.
Those who wish to speak during the meeting must attend in person and sign up at the door. No live remote comments will be permitted. Prerecorded voicemail messages can also be left at 855-925-2801, meeting code 1286; written comments can be sent to ashevillecitycouncilaug272024@publicinput.com until 9 a.m. August 27. General comments for City Council can be sent at any time to AshevilleNCCouncil@AshevilleNC.gov.
The full meeting agenda and supporting documents can be found here.
What silly statistics.
% increase in bicycles without knowing the absolute numbers is essentially meaningless.
Increases in the average travel time at 5pm needs some elaboration. Where was the emasurement? What was the distribution of the outcomes— the average doesn’t tell you much.