RICHMOND, Va. -- The city of Richmond is looking for people to weigh in on the future of a Northside intersection that once housed a statue of Confederate General A.P. Hill.
Officials say the intersection of Laburnum Avenue and Hermitage Road is on their list of roads that need more safety improvements.
On Wednesday night neighbors weighed in at a public meeting regarding the intersection.
Neighbors said while the statue is gone, they are still seeing an uptick in traffic incidents.
Judith Poole, who lives down the street from the intersection, said that pedestrians are confused by the traffic pattern and don't know when to cross.
Michelle Craft who also lives nearby called the intersection dangerous for drivers, bikers, and kids trying to walk to school.
The intersection is known by city leaders as an area prone to accidents. Officials said that has led the city's Department of Public Works to study what improvements could be made to the area.
They said the removal of the statue decreased accidents by 71%, but they said they eventually want that overall number down to zero.
It’s part of the city's commitment through the Vision Zero program, which aims to create safer streets by working to eliminate traffic and pedestrian fatalities.
“This is just one of the things the city is doing in neighborhoods all over," shared Andy Boenau, a Transportation Engineer Program Manager with the City of Richmond.
At Wednesday night's public meeting community members gave feedback and were able to view six different intersection designs.
Officials found the roundabout with northbound and southbound slip lanes was most preferred by the public and the contractors.
Other alternatives presented included a traditional signalized intersection, a protected intersection with protected left turns, and two versions of a roundabout.
"We want to hear people and what they think about the design we want support for things like city-wide speed management and traffic calming in general," he said.
Reports produced by the firm conducting the study showed each project ranging between $5.8 and $7 million in anticipated costs.
The Department of Public Works said they hope city leaders will take interest in their findings and choose to find funding for the project.
According to the study, all options would increase safety by further reducing the crash rate by 50 to 60%.
Regardless of which option is selected, neighbors shared they feel any change is better than what is taking place at the intersection right now.
“Something needs to be done. It’s too dangerous," Poole said.
Community members can still weigh in on which design they prefer and give feedback on what they experience at that intersection, by sending an email to this address: AskPublicWorks@rva.gov.
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