Kristen Epstein and her neighbors are concerned about the safety of pedestrians at the 17th Avenue and Airport Road intersection. While working with the city to change things, they say it isn’t enough.
Epstein’s concerns were voiced after witnessing a girl narrowly miss getting hit in the intersection as she was walking to school. Epstein said she has seen too many near misses in the area.
“Everyone is avoiding Hover and so they are tearing down 17th and turning left onto Airport,” Epstein said adding the crossing guard for Westview Middle School has counted over 900 cars in the intersection in 30 minutes in the mornings.
The city of Longmont does not have traffic data specific to this intersection, however, has seen “an increase in traffic city-wide since the lifting of COVID restrictions,” said Rachel Moyer, citywide brand and digital communications specialist for the city of Longmont.
Epstein said she is working with the city to get a traffic light installed at the intersection.
The city already has plans to lower the speed limit in the area, install a “Stop Ahead” sign on Airport Road, upgrade the Stop sign on Airport Road by adding a flashing Stop sign and improving the line of sight looking west from the stop sign on Airport Road, according to Moyer.
From 2018 until 2023, this intersection has had 21 crashes, with an average of four crashes per year, according to city records. None of the crashes in the last 10 years has involved a pedestrian and only two have involved a bicycle.
Epstein’s story is a familiar one across the city as others share concerns about the increase of traffic and are looking for ways to keep pedestrians and others safe on Longmont’s roadways.
The city encourages residents to petition the City’s Neighborhood Traffic Mitigation program to initiate changes in local traffic.
“The city reviews traffic data annually to identify future projects for evaluations, design, or construction and improvements are undertaken through the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Potential Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects are presented during budget planning sessions for funding considerations. All CIP projects undergo a public engagement process wherein residents are involved and or informed of the project,” Moyer said.
