Weathersfield Crosswalk Connecting West Camden & Speyside Circle Has Been Upgraded

To see a larger version, click on the photo.

Weathersfield between 15/501 and the 4-way stop at Weathersfield and East Camden was totally resurfaced with smooth asphalt by NCDOT contractors in late July 2016.

As you may be able to tell from this photo of the location (see the small yellow arrow pointing at the crosswalk), the former crosswalk was simply two narrow parallel white lines spaced approximately six feet apart across the road. Such sidewalk markings were not very prominent, and many drivers did not even notice the lines were there.

Since this is the only crosswalk connecting Fearrington Village with the Duke Center for Living and Galloway Ridge, and since many vehicles are driving over 40mph in this 25 mile zone, FHA filed a request with NCDOT to have this crosswalk upgraded to be made more visible.  

Following the resurfacing, the once fairly inconspicuous crosswalk was upgraded by NCDOT to become more visible.

It is now a much safer crossing spot. Remember that approaching drivers are legally required to yield to pedestrians who are already in all marked crosswalks.

Community Report: Village Speed Monitor Summaries and Narrative

We have 80 streets and roads in the village, 54 of which are state-owned and state-maintained secondary roads, and are patrolled primarily by the Chatham County Sheriff's Department and occasionally by the State Highway Patrol. 

Of the 54 state roads in the village, we currently monitor speeds on a portion of 6 (six) "arterials*," which carry the prime traffic load into, out of, and throughout several sections of the village. 

After considerable data collection and analysis of traffic flow and vehicular speeds on six of our prime state secondary roads, we have spent a considerable amount of time aggregating and analyzing the accumulated data that is supplied remotely by the newer of our two current FHA monitors and by the same model monitor recently purchased by Camden Park, Inc. for use on East & West Camden, which also reports remotely.

As you should know, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) established a community-wide 25mph speed limit (except for the central business portion of the village, where the limit is 15mph), which is the common standard for subdivisions such as ours throughout the state. 

As you surely also know, most vehicles on our monitored roads do not stay within that 25mph limit, and a small percentage (which, considering the high volume of traffic in the village, is actually a rather high number), consistently drive at speeds that are 15 and 20+mph over this limit.

Most of our relatively narrow roads have no sidewalks and often have to be shared with cyclists, pedestrians, and dog walkers, who must navigate along the risky, rough uneven roadsides and challenging ditches. Pedestrians and dog walkers face especially dangerous conditions around curves, when it is often very hard to get safely and quickly out of the way of speeding drivers who are surprised to come upon them so suddenly.

To obtain an adequate overview of the safety-related dimensions of the volume of such excessive speeds, we have aggregated a lot of speed data and have produced a color-coded table (a sample of which is displayed below) summarizing the speed compliance rates at various locations along with the low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk levels of speeds above 25mph. We have come to call the highest risk level the "outlier" category. While these outlier vehicles are low in percentage terms, they are high in numerical terms, and they represent a significant risk to others and themselves. 6,000 pounds of speeding metal can cause a lot of damage and bodily harm, and such speeds are unacceptable in the village.

Not only that, especially these "outlier" drivers are in clear violation of the traffic laws of North Carolina, and are subject to a mandatory traffic stop by the police, if they are spotted. While 25mph may be commonly viewed as "excessively low" on some portions of the roadways and relatively unrealistic for universal compliance, speeds approaching and over 40mph cannot be allowed to go unnoticed and totally uncontrolled. Consequently, we are working with the Sheriff's Department to develop more effective traffic calming measures for designated problematic locations.

One final point: while many residents believe that the speeding vehicles are primarily service vehicles, such as delivery vans, construction trucks, school buses, etc. (after all people have seen some), the fact-- which is documented by the monitor camera-- is that almost all the high speeding vehicles are passenger vehicles, and we believe these are driven primarily by residents who are in a hurry to get somewhere (either home or out to 15/501).

Click here to open a larger version.

 *The six "arterials" are Weathersfield, Village Way, East Camden, Millcroft, Creekwood, and the Beechmast "loop," which intersects with Village Way at two locations (near Swim & Croquet at one end, and at its intersection just below Countryhouse cluster of townhomes, a short distance below the Smokehouse kiosk). East Camden was added by Camden Park, Inc. HOA in June 2015; Creekwood was added by FHA in October 2015; and the "loop" portion of Beechmast was "revitalized" by FHA in October 2015. In the future, we expect to deploy the monitor periodically on portions of Spindlewood.

Roads and Road Safety Issues in the Village

Click on the Report Cover to Open and Download the PDF File.

Roads and road safety issues in the village have consistently been high on the list of safety concerns in the village. At every annual meeting of the homeowners association for at least the past five years, the majority of public comments and questions for the board have dealt with traffic issue on village street and roads.

In March, 2015, the FHA Board's first open meeting of the year program dealt with these issues and concerns in considerable detail.

The Health, Safety, & Security Committee has researched the key issues and has published an eleven page report, which every resident should read. To access the report, click on the cover photo to open the PDF file.

After reading the report, return to the blog to post comments, questions, and suggestions, and to comment on those that have been added by others.

We hope this will be a good way to engage the community in an on-going discussion across the many months in its search for perspective and more effective solutions.

What To Do and Not Do Around Downed Power Lines

Safety Video by Puget Sound Energy

Traffic on Benchmark

Residents on Benchmark and other residents who use the recreational facilities, please remember to drive slowly, alertly, and considerately in our coming to and leaving the tennis courts, bocce court, and the playground.

The FHA has received complaints from some Benchmark residents, and recently a cat was hit and injured.

Let's all be extra careful about sticking to the 25mph speed limit and drive extra carefully on Benchmark.  Thanks!

Sign Up to Receive Village Emergency Notifications

Sign Up to Receive Village Emergency Notifications

In your preferences for which FHA communications will be sent to your email address, we strongly urge everyone to subscribe to receive Emergency Notifications. These notifications are used only to inform subscribers of conditions that are of immediate concern, and could affect Fearrington.

To be sure you are subscribed, log into the FHA website. On the top menu, select the "Directory" tab, then select the "Update Your Information" sub-tab and use the "e-Subscriptions" tab to be sure you have chosen "Yes" to receive any village emergency notifications. If you change this option, be sure to click "Submit" at the bottom of the page.

CONTINUING REPORTS OF HAZARDOUS TRAFFIC INCIDENTS AT THE WEATHERSFIELD & 15/501 INTERSECTION

Quite a few drivers exiting the village at this complicated intersection, and intending to pull into the crossover to turn left onto 15/501 southbound, appear to incorrectly believe they can seize the right-of-way from southbound vehicles that are approaching, or are sitting in their own set-off left turning lane waiting for a break in northbound traffic to enter the village. In just this past month, we received four reports of exiting drivers who have created a hazard by failing to yield and then aggressively (honking, using crude hand signals, or shaking fists) and incorrectly asserting that they were in the right. Surely, more than four drivers have misunderstood their road rights at this dangerous crossover and have also improperly pulled out risking an accident.   

Left turning exiting village vehicles must yield to all left turning entering vehicles at that intersection. While it is legal for one exiting vehicle to be in the crossover awaiting a break in southbound traffic, if a left-turning southbound vehicle is approaching or sitting in the set-off turn lane awaiting safe entry, they have the right-of way vis a vis left-turning exiting traffic. Summary: when exiting left (southbound) onto 15/501, it is generally safer to cross the highway using the traffic control signal at Village Way.

VILLAGE PEDESTRIANS AND MOTORISTS

Walk Facing Traffic

Vehicles, Give 'Em a Break

We continue to receive periodic reports--and some documentation--of serious close encounters involving pedestrians and vehicles, especially on (but not limited to) Creekwood, Weathersfield, in the current construction zone along Millcroft Road, and the portion of Beechmast between its upper and lower intersections with Village Way. For some important safety and legal perspective on such dangerous blending of pedestrians and motorists, see pages 6 and 7 of the "FHA Report on Roads and Road Safety Issues in Fearrington Village" https://goo.gl/eaMTEu.

Whenever possible, walkers should use the extensive network of paths and trails in the village rather than walk along or on the roads; however, since the trails and paths are designed for nature walks in woods, green spaces, and close to streams and ponds, and many village streets have no sidewalk for pedestrians, walkers headed to other destinations often have to walk along the sides of roads and streets for at least a portion of their walk.

Drivers need to realize that pedestrians along the road often have no other walking option to get to their intended destination and sometimes need to walk along a road to reach an entrance to a trail or path. Drivers and pedestrians need to understand their sometimes forced partnership and exercise unusual caution. Pedestrians need to face on-coming traffic and carefully step off the roadway when a vehicle approaches; drivers need to SLOW DOWN and give walkers a break (the ground on the side of these roadways is often rough and uneven and can be unsafe surfaces on which to walk). Many vehicles drive these sections of roadway at speeds in excess of 40mph (15+ mph over the speed limit).