Red Bank Road Changes Meets Opposition

  • Wednesday, October 18, 2017
  • Gail Perry

The city of Red Bank has proposed changes for two roads that brought a crowd of residents to the city council meeting Tuesday night, almost all opposed to the new traffic patterns. For the city, the reason for the changes is safety. The residents see them as an inconvenience.

 

Closing a portion of Ashmore Avenue in the 2400 block to motorized vehicles is being considered because the road is regarded as unsafe since cars cannot pass due to the width.

That section of the road is already marked with a “Do Not Enter” sign which is largely ignored by people that live on Ashmore, said City Manager Randall Smith. The proposal would leave the road open to pedestrians and bikers. One after another, the citizens told the commissioners that it should not be closed to vehicles because both Ashmore Avenue and Hawkins Drive, where they meet, are very narrow roads that are often blocked resulting in the need to have an alternate entrance or exit.

 

In the past, before codes in Red Bank were enforced, houses along those roads were allowed to be built with no driveways and nowhere to park except on the street. Street parking contributes to narrowing the road even more, which one resident said measured only 13 feet wide in front of his house. There is a ditch on one side of the road and a bank on the other and garbage trucks and emergency vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances are unable to turn on the narrow streets that have no driveways and would need to back in if the road is closed to traffic, said one speaker. In snowy conditions which cause road closures or if a truck is parked blocking the way out on one of the streets, residents can now leave their houses using either Ashmore or Hawkins.

 

After hearing the many concerns, Mayor John Roberts made a motion which passed unanimously, to table a vote on the resolution for 30 days. He will plan a meeting with the residents to hear their concerns before it comes back to the commissioners for a vote.

 

The second resolution to close a portion of Bank Street between Woodrow Avenue and Ashland Terrace brought just two residents to the meeting to speak in opposition. One reason no others were there was most likely because they were unaware of the plan said Chris Smith, since the sign posting the proposed change had fallen after the first day it was erected. He argued that should be taken into consideration and the decision to close the road should be postponed.

 

Vice Mayor Eddie Pierce said the reason for closing the road is a safety issue regarding traffic coming up and down Ashland Terrace. Mayor Roberts said there have been several accidents and close calls with cars making left turns onto Bank Street. A vote was unanimous to close that portion of Bank Street.

 

An agreement between Red Bank and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security was approved on second and final reading. It will provide a Distracted Driving Reduction Program Grant totaling $15,000 for the police department. This is 100 percent federal money, said City Manager Smith and no local matching is required. The money will be used for police overtime, education initiatives and community involvement.

 

The next meeting of the Red Bank Commission is scheduled for Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.  

 

 

 

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