The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Chicanes, islands and narrowing tools to be used
By Mark Reaman
The Crested Butte town council on April 1 gave the thumbs up to its staff to deploy more traffic calming tools throughout town this coming summer. Look for more flower and art boxes to be placed in Crested Butte, primarily on residential streets near entrances and exits to town.
Last year, the town deployed 28 flower boxes in chicane configurations, with boxes placed on alternating sides of a street to slow down traffic. The traffic calming measures were located on Whiterock Avenue. Elk Avenue will continue to have flowerboxes protecting the on-street parklets.
Community Development director Troy Russ said this summer 40 more boxes (without flowers) will be distributed on other busy streets such as First and Second Streets, and Butte Avenue leading to Peanut Lake Road and streets coming off Sixth, including Red Lady, Butte, Fifth and Seventh Streets.
The traffic calming will be in place from June through September. Boxes will be prioritized for streets that have a large volume of traffic or that have recorded speeding issues. Streets located near the school or parks will also be a priority. Council okayed placing not just chicanes but also boxes to be used as “islands” and narrowing tools to slow traffic.
While council will not participate in deciding where exactly the boxes will be placed, they wanted to be in the loop when such decisions are made. Given budget constraints, flowers will not be planted in all the boxes, but the town is open to somehow making the boxes works of art.
Russ said the use of the boxes was a better tool than implementing alternatives like temporary speed bumps, which he described as punitive and as having a negative impact on an entire neighborhood. Pop up speed limit signs will also be placed throughout town.
Town will continue public outreach to get feedback on the traffic calming efforts. It will hold neighborhood block parties in the summer months to review the success and shortcomings of the traffic calming efforts.
