Public comment period open for uptown Hillsboro crosswalk improvements
CHILLICOTHE – As part of the Ohio Department of Transportation District 9’s Planning Department, the district’s Environmental Office is seeking public input for a safety project to improve crosswalks on U.S. 50 and U.S. 62 in the city of Hillsboro.
HIG-50/62-Hillsboro Safety (PID 117314) It is proposed to upgrade existing crosswalks in Hillsboro, Ohio. The crosswalks at the Main Street and High Street intersection will be replaced with new high visibility crosswalks including new pavement markings, center median refuge islands, and solar powered pedestrian activated beacons.
The project will remove 15 parking spaces. East Main Street will lose four parking spots, South High Street will lose five parking spots and West Main Street will lose six parking spots.
No new right-of-way will be needed for the project.
No homes or businesses will be removed by the project.
The funding for the project is Federal and Local. The environmental commitment date is 9/1/2023. The project is currently expected to be awarded 1/12/2024.
Written comments should be submitted by Aug. 31, 2023, or the deadline date that is posted on the web site, to: Brandon Beck, ODOT District 9 Environmental Supervisor, 650 Eastern Avenue, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 E-Mail: Brandon.Beck@dot.ohio.gov.
Comment
Crosswalks
There are not enough parking spaces now and they want to remove some.
lost parking spots.
I am for the improvement of the crosswalk because the way it is now, you get halfway across the street and the walk sign goes. off. The drawback for some of the businesses on S. High St. will be a loss of business. On any given day S. High St. parking spaces are taken up by the employees of certain businesses. As I look out my window, I can see 5 cars and trucks that belong to employes of one particular business, 2 cars that belong to employes of another business. That doesn't leave to many empty spaces for customers. I have customers tell me they have wanted to stop many times but there was no parking space. Marking tires do not work because employees move their cars, drive around the block and repark so the white chalk mark doesn't show
Parking downtown
I have never had to drive around the block to find a parking space. The problem is safely crossing the street.
•••Publisher's note: Same here.
Cars kill
Agreed.
Due to hidden pedestrians many parking spaces adjacent to some crosswalks pose imitate danger to crossing pedestrians. A city/county department employee would routinely park a very looong taaall quad cab pickup in one of these adjacent parking spots with the truck rear bumper actually jutting into the right of way. These parking spaces were obviously designed for normal length and height vehicles.
If you're one of those daredevil pedestrian types that think a crosswalk has built in vehicle repelling force-fields, and as living crosswalk victims will tell you... the vehicle always wins the fight.
Uptown parking
As an uptown retail business owner that depends on walk - traffic I have seen a major parking issue in this town for 20 years. I hear from customers on a daily basis that they have circled the block several times to find a parking spot. I am completely against removing additional parking spaces to move the crosswalks. The issue in our uptown with pedestrian safety is speed! It is also very frustrating to see employees and business owners taking up these valuable spaces all day! Each 2-hour parking space taken up by a business owner or employee accounts for thousands of dollars in lost revenue in our uptown every year! Our uptown is growing very fast, and we will soon have over 100 additional employees working in the uptown area! We need to be proactive on this situation! If you do not believe that there is a major parking issue, I invite you to spend a day with my in my business!
Thank you,
Rachelle Trefz
Owner, Merle Norman Cosmetics
123 S. High St.
Hillsboro, Ohio 45133
Crosswalk
I am not in favor of a crosswalk renovation. The crosswalks need painted and maybe hang a flashing sign. Too many elderly people come to the beauty shop, drug store and the bank. I also feel in the winter the plow trucks will damage the concrete island. The alley behind my office 127 S. High is very dangerous. We need stop signs installed especially by the police department. They leave out the back and never stop or look both ways!! The new restaurant will only increase the problems in alley.
Crosswalk update versus uptown parking
I am in agreement that crosswalks need to be more visible but the problem is that people drive through town at high rates of speed and they are distracted. I have had to literally yell at cars when I was trying to cross the street on South High Street. People are distracted and they don’t acknowledge pedestrians that are trying to cross the street. This problem needs to be monitored by the police and citations need to be issued. People are risking their lives crossing the street in a designated crosswalk. I do not agree to remove parking spots, if anything if a city is growing it needs additional parking spots. People need to pay attention and watch out for pedestrians and those who don’t need cited or jailed. Maybe they would wake up and obey the law.
Parking spaces on S High Street due to crosswalk improvements
I own the building located at the corner of S High Street and Walnut Street, and also have a gift boutique located on the lower level. We here on this block of S High Street already have a problem with not enough parking spaces for all of the people to park in who shop our small businesses. I am all for the improvement on the crosswalks in uptown Hillsboro, but not quite sure why the parking spaces have to be used for these improvements. We already have people telling us they have to drive around the block a few times and wait for a space to open and if not then they lose patience and just drive on. We unfortunately have some employees of a few of the businesses who use these parking spaces for the duration of the time that their business is open. It might be a good consideration if there are parking meters once again placed for each space with a time limit. We are in the near future going to renovate the 7 upstairs apartments and all the tenants with a vehicle will need a spot to park their vehicles, with even more limited parking spaces this might deter prospective tenants.