Bloomington upgrades nine pedestrian crosswalks for safer streets
The Bloomington City Council is moving forward with nine pedestrian crossing safety improvements across the city this year, responding to resident concerns about dangerous intersections. The projects will include new refuge islands, curb extensions, and flashing warning signs at key locations.
The City of Bloomington is investing in pedestrian safety through a comprehensive program that will enhance nine different crosswalks throughout the community. The improvements are being funded through multiple sources, including park improvement projects, a safety grant, and PMP (Pavement Management Program) funds.
The safety enhancements are guided by Bloomington's recently updated Active Transportation Action Plan, a document designed to help the city identify and prioritize improvements to pedestrian and bicycle corridors. The plan reflects feedback from residents who have expressed concerns about dangerous crossing conditions in their neighborhoods.
Kennedy High School is among the locations receiving upgrades, identified as an area with particularly heavy foot and vehicle traffic. The specific improvements being implemented include pedestrian refuge islands—small protected areas in the middle of streets where pedestrians can wait safely—and curb bump-outs that extend the sidewalk into the street to shorten crossing distances and improve visibility.
The City Council has shown strong support for the pedestrian safety initiative, which aligns with the city's broader commitment to making streets safer for people walking and biking. The variety of funding sources demonstrates how the city is leveraging multiple budget streams to advance this priority without relying on a single funding mechanism.
These enhancements represent a practical approach to traffic safety, using proven design strategies that have been shown to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities in communities across the country. The projects are expected to be completed throughout the year as funding and construction schedules allow.
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[0:00] (gentle upbeat music)
[0:02] - So Bloomington has nine
different pedestrian crossing
[0:05] safety enhancements that
we're constructing this year
[0:08] under a bunch of different projects.
[0:10] An enhanced crosswalk
[0:12] is where we know pedestrians are crossing,
[0:15] and we wanna do something
to bring more attention
[0:18] to both the drivers and the pedestrians,
[0:20] that this is a place
to expect pedestrians.
[0:22] Some of the treatments that we're doing
[0:24] at these crossing locations
[0:25] range from providing a
pedestrian refuge island
[0:29] to doing curb bump outs,
[0:31] and some of the crossing locations
[0:33] even have pedestrian
activated flashing signage.
[0:37] We're always out looking
and responding to residents
[0:40] and working with the school district
[0:42] and all the different
things that, you know,
[0:44] help us identify a key
pedestrian crossing locations.
[0:48] This year is just a big year for the city
[0:49] because a lot of different
things have come together.
[0:52] We have our first round of
park improvement projects,
[0:55] so we've got three new
park pedestrian crossings
[0:58] for those projects.
[1:00] We also have a safety
grant that provided funding
[1:02] for us to proactively provide
[1:04] pedestrian crossing safety
enhancements at three locations,
[1:07] including a new crossing
at Kennedy High School,
[1:10] which is a really busy
traffic and pedestrian area.
[1:13] And then lastly, we just have our normal,
[1:15] where we are working in
pedestrian crossing enhancements
[1:18] with our PMP projects where we're able to.
[1:22] Another guiding document
that has helped Bloomington
[1:25] to focus on these pedestrian
crossing safety improvements
[1:28] is the recent update
[1:29] of our Active Transportation Action Plan.
[1:32] And that helps identify critical corridors
[1:34] throughout the city where
we wanna focus our bike
[1:36] and pedestrian improvements.
[1:38] And so this also kind
of culminates with that
[1:41] and moving forward, some of
the items identified in that.
[1:44] Pedestrian safety has been a high priority
[1:47] and high focus for the
city of Bloomington.
[1:49] We have strong support
from our City Council
[1:51] who routinely hear from
residents across the city
[1:54] that pedestrian safety
is the number one issue,
[1:56] so we'll continue to work to advance
[1:59] and improve pedestrian
safety throughout the city.
[2:02] (gentle upbeat music)
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