MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The MPO and West Virginia University are ready to take action to better protect pedestrians and bikers, but first they want to hear from the public.
Nearly one year after the death of Leah Berhanu in an autopedestrian accident, the Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will be taking suggestions from residents and students at public meetings, with the hopes of beginning work on new pedestrian and bike infrastructure within one year.
Berhanu was a WVU engineering student. She was struck and killed in a wreck by a vehicle on Patteson Drive.
Michelle Gelada, the 21-year-old driver of that vehicle, was initially charged and later found not guilty of negligent homicide at trial.
“We’ve got kind of a two pronged approach going,” MPO Director Bill Austin told WAJR. “One is a short-term initiative that was led by (former DOH District 4 manager) Donny Williams, who is still in the background. But the university is interested in putting things on the ground quickly.”
Berhanu’s death in the accident was the first in a series of four autopedestrian accidents of varying severity in the span of about one month last year.
“There will be stuff in the ground within the next year I would think — or close to it,” Austin said. “And then there’s the long-term approach of how can we improve the entire community and not just put bandaids in places, which is what the MPO’s plan is.”
Austin said the goal is to create awareness and buy-in by WVU students, who are some of the most likely to be impacted by improvements to the bike and pedestrian plan. Consultants will have a table in the Mountainlair 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5.
“Taking suggestions, getting input at this point,” he said. “What are the problem areas? What areas do you use? What are your concerns?”
That same day, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., an open house will be held at the Metropolitan Theater, which will include a presentation at 6:30 p.m. Stakeholder meetings will follow on Feb. 6. Austin said he and the consultants are also setting up a meeting with the SGA.
“We have a plan that we’re building on — that we’ve done in the past,” he said. “We’ve got to validate those. One of the places that this study will be different from those other plans that we’ve done is the consultants will be coming up with a capital improvement program — a funding schedule of how the projects can be implemented.”
Austin also looks forward to partnering with other area muncipalities on pedestrian safety improvement projects, including the City of Westover.
“We will be having, in the future, meetings over there too,” he said. “But, right now, this is the first step.”