A fatal pedestrian crash on one of Ames’ busiest roads has prompted city leaders to take a hard look at whether streets are safe enough for people on foot.

The Ames City Council weighed four options that could change how crossings are managed throughout the city during its Tuesday meeting.

“I think we need to fix this. I’m willing to spend some money, but we need to fix this,” Rep. Tim Gartin said at the meeting.

The crash happened in February at Lincoln Way and South Russell Avenue. Following the accident, the council asked city staff to study what improvements could be made at that location.

Staff presented a memo at the April 28 council meeting. The council asked for more details, including information about nearby CyRide bus stops.

Popular bus stops, uneven pedestrian access

CyRide runs buses in both directions along Lincoln Way between University Boulevard and Grand Avenue. Seven stops – three eastbound and four westbound – serve riders in that stretch, and city data show heavy use at all of them.

The busiest stop in the corridor is the South Oak Avenue eastbound stop, which recorded more than 9,100 boardings and exits during the last full fiscal year. The South Russell eastbound stop, close to the crash location, recorded 3,702 combined boardings and exits that same year.

Four of the seven stops are next to traffic signals that provide pedestrians with a safer, controlled place to cross. The South Russell stop is not one of them.

Four options to consider

Status quo: The first option would keep the city’s current plan in place. The city adopted a long-range transportation guide called the “Walk, Bike, Roll Plan,” which ranks crossing improvements across the city. South Russell is not listed as a high priority under that plan, so no immediate changes would be made to the intersection.

Staff said this approach is fair to the whole city, but would not soon fix anything at this location.

Better lighting: The second option calls for the city to study whether better lighting could make crossings safer, especially at night. The February crash happened in dark conditions. Staff said improved lighting could cost between $10,000 and $20,000 per location and could be added more quickly than larger construction projects. However, brighter lights could conflict with the city’s dark sky ordinance and may bother nearby residents.

Beacons: The third option would look at adding stronger crossing equipment along arterial roads such as Lincoln Way. One possibility is a pedestrian hybrid beacon, a special traffic signal that stops cars only when a pedestrian pushes a button to cross. These cost between $250,000 and $300,000 each.

Staff noted that rapidly flashing rectangular beacons, which some residents suggested after the crash, would not be recommended on a multilane road such as Lincoln Way without a safe central island for pedestrians to wait.

Bus stops: The fourth option would examine whether moving or combining CyRide bus stops could encourage more riders to use crossings that already have traffic signals. Right now, CyRide has not identified any reason to move its stops, and staff said it is unclear whether moving stops would actually change where people choose to cross the street.

Staff urges consistency

City staff said the crash is a painful reminder of how dangerous busy roads can be for people walking, especially where controlled crossings are not nearby.

Staff recommended that any changes to crossing standards be made consistently across the city rather than at specific locations. They said future updates to the transportation plan could give the council a chance to place greater focus on arterial crossings, such as those along Lincoln Way.

Several residents addressed the council on the issue, thanking members for their attention to the issue and asking for greater police presence and increased enforcement of the Lincoln Way speed limit.

“I think we have a range of intermediate things we can do to address the problem sooner than later,” Rep. Gloria Betcher said. “I think there are things we should do in the short term, then consider the longer term solutions later.”

Rep. Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen moved that the city place electric signs indicating speed limits on Lincoln Way and place the intersection on the existing intersection priority list. Both motions passed. Gartin’s motion to have staff evaluate lighting along Lincoln Way also passed. City staff will develop a plan to make the crossing safer and present it at a future meeting.

In other business

• City borrows from itself: The council approved a plan to loan up to $7.1 million from the city’s electric fund to its resource recovery fund. The city originally planned to borrow money through a short-term financing tool called a bond anticipation note. But when four banks submitted proposals in June, the interest rates came back higher than expected. The city’s financial advisers recommended skipping that option and instead borrowing through a planned bond sale in August, with the money expected to arrive in September. In the meantime, the electric fund will provide funds for the recycling project. The loan will carry a 3.6% interest rate, roughly the same return it would have made otherwise. Once the bond money arrives in September, the resource recovery fund will repay the electric fund in full.
• Developer wants new housing mix: The council approved a request by Friedrich Land Development Co. to revise plans for a nine-acre plot of land at 4899 Everest Ave., adding apartments to a neighborhood originally designed only for townhomes. The new proposal keeps the same unit range (60 to 100) but allows up to 48 apartments to be built near Everest Avenue, with single-family homes on the western and southern portions.
• City manager, attorney receive raises: The council voted on salary increases for City Manager Steven Schainker and City Attorney Mark Lambert. Schainker will receive a 3.5% raise, bringing his annual salary to $276,575, plus deferred compensation and a vehicle allowance. Lambert will receive a 4.5% raise, raising his annual salary to $194,508.
• Rebuild power lines: The council awarded a $3.3 million contract to Watts Electric Co. of Waverly, Nebraska, to rebuild nearly two miles of aging electrical power lines that help keep the lights on for residents across the city.
• Next time: The council will hold a special listening session on a possible data center in Ames on Tuesday. The next regular meeting of the council is scheduled for July 14 at Ames City Hall, 515 Clark Ave.