Observation Day Results

In addition to U.S. Highway 10, there are two crossings of the railroad in Hawley, both north of Highway 10. One is the narrow underpass at Valley Street (Figure 51) that was observed to have relatively high-speed vehicle traffic. The other is the pedestrian / bike crossing that is non-ADA / PROWAG compliant. Neither option presents a particularly safe, comfortable place for students walking and biking to school to cross the tracks.

In addition to the BNSF mainline, there is a short spur line that runs east-west between the BNSF mainline, to just west of 8th Street. This spur crosses 5th, 6th, and 8th Streets. All public street crossings of the spur are currently exempt, as there are no longer any businesses utilizing rail service west of 5th Street.

OBSERVATION DAY RESULTS

To gain a better understanding of how students, parents, bus drivers, teachers and staff operate and interact during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal at the Hawley school campus, an observation day was held on Tuesday, October 10, 2017. Members of the SRTS team, along with assistance from Hawley High School National Honor Society (NHS) students, conducted field observations of students’ travel behaviors, patterns and mode choices during morning arrival and afternoon departure (Figure 52). Team members and NHS students were strategically-positioned around the school and at select locations in Hawley. They were tasked with counting the number of student pedestrians and bicyclists traveling to and from school, and which routes the students took. They also observed whether students were using good techniques when crossing the street and how motorists behaved in relation to pedestrians and bicyclists on the streets and on school grounds.

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Figure 52: SRTS team members and National Honor Society students gathered before sunrise to conduct morning observations.

Some highlights of observation day that were mentioned by the SRTS team and NHS students during observations include:

• Biking safety (in some capacity) was mentioned by several observers. Some students riding bikes to and from school were observed riding in ways that were not safe or predictable. • The corner of Reno & 9th Streets is being used as a pick-up and drop-off zone. • There are some ADA compliance and general safety concerns, and it was noted that there is a student that has need of accessible sidewalks.

• Some concerns were logged about unsafe driving, including increased speeds and rolling through stop signs, on Joseph Street and 7th Street. • Railroad activity is somewhat disturbing and adults were seen crossing the RR from 5th to Hobart.