Town Manager Discusses Traffic and Pedestrian Safety

Town Manager John Wells provided the Town Council with a summary, Monday night, that addressed speeding and traffic safety issues within the town. It’s become a growing issue, Wells said, primarily on Battlefield Parkway.

In addition, an increasing number of town residents have expressed concerns about traffic safety in a variety of forms. The on-going goal from a public safety, transportation planning and management perspective is to have safe and effective traffic flow in and through Leesburg, Well said. This is inclusive of efforts to provide safe access and use of roads, trails and sidewalks by pedestrians and cyclists.

“What we’re trying to do in many areas is get ahead of the problems before they occur,” he said. As a result, a number of options are currently being considered by town staff in order to get ahead of traffic problems before they occur.

During Monday’s meeting, Wells offered a number of initiatives including the addition of “Share the Road” bicycle safety signs, expanded use of “Talk Back Signs” and the purchase of additional message boards and speed trailers.

Town Council member Tom Dunn said he’d like to know where Leesburg ranks when it comes to safety.

“We can say we need 1,000 more signs and that’s going to make us safe,” Dunn said. “Is it?”

Wells said that no one single tactic will address the problem of traffic safety and speeding, however, a wider range strategy is needed. Town staff will continue to look into the issue before coming back to Council.