The Raleigh City Council on Tuesday approved one traffic-calming project on Glascock Street while altering a similar North Raleigh project that divided neighbors.
Glascock’s $440,000 proposal for a narrower road and more sidewalks had widespread support, but that wasn’t the case on Rainwater Road from Spring Forest Road to Hunting Ridge Road, which serves as a shortcut around Millbrook High School.
The initial petition for $125,000 in curb extensions, mini roundabouts and other efforts to slow traffic on the residential street drew the city-mandated signatures from 75 percent of residents and homeowners. But many said Tuesday that they misunderstood the petition, thinking they were merely expressing interest in traffic calming.
By Tuesday’s hearing, opponents of the plan slightly outnumbered supporters. Some said they’d changed their mind when the design details were released and drawn on the pavement for reference. The neighborhood was divided on the final plan, with opponents wearing red to the city council meeting and supporters sporting green “please slow down” badges.
After a heated 90-minute hearing, Mayor Nancy McFarlane proposed a temporary approach as a compromise solution. The council approved her idea after garnering support from both sides of the debate.
“I would like to see us consider some sort of measure – either stop signs or an installation of signs that say ‘you’re going too fast,’ and see where we are in six months to a year,” McFarlane said. “I think this might be a good interim measure.”
