FOLEY – Foley residents will have a chance to discuss plans for road safety improvements Monday, April 1 during a Safety Action Plan meeting.
The meeting will be held at the Foley Civic Center from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.
Mayor Ralph Hellmich said city officials and plan developers have been working on the project for several months. The meeting will allow residents to discuss proposals developed as part of the plan.
“They will be presenting the plans for proposed projects to the public. This will give the public an opportunity to provide feedback,” Hellmich said. “We have been working to verify ways of making public transportation safety improvements that could cut down on the number of accidents.”
Wayne Dyess, Foley executive director of infrastructure and development, said the consulting company Kimberly Horn and Foley officials have been going over information on accident locations, frequency and other factors to develop the plan.
“Part of this is using data paths as they’re developing this plan,” Dyess said. “This will primarily help us with grant funding going forward for intersection improvements and things like that.”
Dyess said the Monday meeting will allow residents to offer their ideas or suggestions on the proposal before a final plan is developed.
According to research conducted as part of the plan, 5,218 traffic accidents happened in Foley in the five years between 2018 and 2022. In 136 of those accidents, victims died or were seriously injured.
Some Foley intersections were found to have a higher density of accidents. Along Alabama 59, the intersections of Baldwin County 20, Pride Drive and Orange Avenue had more accidents than many other locations. On the Foley Beach Express, the intersections of East Section Avenue – U.S. 98, and Baldwin County 20 also had a higher accident density.
Residents asked about safety problems during the plan development said that some highway turn lanes were too long, allowing cars to use the center sections as a fifth lane, and that drivers disregarded red lights and speed limits. Other comments included statements that traffic lights change too quickly, traffic was too heavy during summer tourist months and that the roads were not safe for pedestrians.