'Deeply divided' BTV residents, city debate North Ave project

Tensions flared Thursday night in Burlington's New North End as residents heard from officials about the future and data of the North Avenue Pilot Project.

During a contentious two-hour meeting, some residents praised the reconfiguration of North Avenue, saying it made the road safer and better for cyclists. Others decried additional traffic, said added cyclists made the road worse, and criticized the city's handling of the yearlong process.

Through a public comment session that lasted more than 90 minutes, Director of Public Works Chapin Spencer took questions and sometimes-angry statements from the audience, while vocal project opponent Karen Rowell held a sign that said "Chapin + Miro = Lies" in the back of the room.

"My faith in the city has been shaken," said David Baldwin, who described himself as a native New North Ender. "It was pushed down our throats."

More:Councilors OK BTV's bikeable future, NNE reps object

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The project changed North Avenue from four lanes to two, plus a middle turning lane and bicycle lanes on either side.

Martha Frank, another resident, questioned the validity of a public opinion survey conducted by the Castleton Polling Institute that showed that New North Enders slightly preferred the pilot: 48 percent for, to 45 percent against.

"Sadly, it's deeply divided," said Rich Clark, the director of the institute. 

He acknowledged the survey wasn't a "random sample," and the results could be generalized only to the people who took it. 

Frank raised concerns that the survey, which relied heavily on electronic responses, left out the voices of many older residents of the neighborhood. Her comments drew applause and cheers from some of the audience.

North District City Councilor David Hartnett, a Democrat/Republican, skipped the meeting because of concerns with the process.

"I am done with this process," he said in a phone interview with the Burlington Free Press. "I've lost all confidence in it." 

He said he and the other New North End councilors had been told they would be able to review Castleton's data at the same time as the city and Public Works. He added that he encouraged people to participate in the survey because of that promise. 

Spencer said the city had made Castleton's report public within 24 hours of receiving it and did not "touch the data." 

He said he doesn't recall Hartnett's request but said he did receive a letter from the councilor voicing his concerns.

"We've worked very hard for two years to engage the public," he said. "Both the surveys had City Council review." 

Thursday's meeting, Spencer said, was held at the request of the New North End city councilors. A packet of recommendations already had been sent to the council for Monday's meeting, but he said his department certainly would consider input from residents.

Other residents spoke in support of the project. 

"Since the pilot began," Ann Sharon said, "I feel safer."

Deb Bouton, who described herself as a driver and biker, said she finds North Avenue to be a more convenient commute on her bicycle.

"I do believe everything's being done in the best of intentions," she said. "There are compromises here that will work for everybody."

Public Works will present its recommendations to city councilors at Monday's meeting. A memo sent to the council recommends keeping the existing configuration and investing in several short-term improvement projects, such as repainting the lines and markings to improve clarity and designing improvements for the intersection of Ethan Allen Parkway and North Avenue.  

The council will vote on whether to accept the recommendations. Ward 4 Councilor Kurt Wright, a Republican, said he plans to introduce a motion for a second citywide vote on the North Avenue Pilot Project. Wright said the question would have to be on citywide ballots according to the city attorney, but he is focused on the results from the New North End wards. Hartnett said he will vote against the project.

The Pilot Project stemmed from the 2014 North Avenue Corridor Study. The goal of the pilot, according to Spencer, was to "evaluate whether safety for all modes can be improved along North Avenue while maintaining good vehicle mobility."

In 2016, citywide voters approved the pilot. But in the New North End, 58 percent of voters opposed it. 

During the pilot, the Burlington Police Department studied vehicle crashes along the stretch of road. 

At Thursday's meeting, Police Chief Brandon del Pozo said the study showed the reconfigured lanes reduced crashes overall, and crashes that did occur resulted in fewer injuries. Rear-end crashes with no injuries did increase. 

Del Pozo noted the number of crash events was too small to be statistically significant, but he said the numbers were encouraging.

The police chief also rejected a call for the police to crack down on bicyclists committing traffic infractions.

"I'm not going to put my cops in the middle of this," he said. He said he didn't want to distract from the opioid crisis and other serious crimes for traffic enforcement — which he'd rather leave to "good engineering and good urban planning."

Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @jess_aloe