Working to increase pedestrian safety at an area that’s received attention during city council meetings, West Bountiful will be conducting a study at the intersection of 800 West 400 North.

“On this particular issue, where we’re already dealing with what’s been considered kind of a controlled crossing, so there’s already a stop sign there, the question is what can we do beyond that,” said City Administrator, Duane Huffman. “It just really felt like we needed more data to kind of figure out what the real issues are here.”

An effort that’s projected to cost $6,400, the study will be overseen by the infrastructure solutions company Horrocks. Cameras will be used to track traffic, pedestrian crossing times and other patterns. West Bountiful will then review potential solutions.

Though the intersection is an area residents have addressed concerns about in the past, the issue has recently received significant attention during city council meetings from a group of neighbors.

“This year, the beginning of this school year, we’ve just been scared to death even that our kids cross the street,” said Tim Adams, a resident of West Bountiful. “Traffic’s getting worse. People are not stopping. It’s been pretty crazy.”

Adams attended a city council meeting about the issue on Aug. 20. That said, he and other residents had taken action at the intersection previously. In addition to working with city connections, the group of neighbors installed holders with flag polls on each stop sign. They’ve also worked with local law enforcement, whom Adams said will visit the stop occasionally to monitor driving behavior.

“I’ve almost been hit in the crosswalk several times with my kids, and I'm not a little man,” said Adams. “We just got fed up with it and decided, you know, if they’re not going to take action, then we will.”

Though no official solution will be decided on until further data is collected, the council and residents did discuss potential ways to curb the problem during a meeting on Sept. 3 – including the use of raised sidewalks. Individuals like West Bountiful Mayor Ken Romney say that a solution needs to better enforce procedures for both pedestrians and drivers.

“One concern is emboldening the pedestrian to think he’s safe to cross the road,” said Romney. “Like a flashing crossing sign. ‘Okay, push the button, the light’s going on.’”

While a system with lights may not prove to work best for the city’s situation on 400 North, the council is considering installing a Solar Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon sign on Pages Lane at 550 West, which is estimated to cost $2,499.

As issues like this are discussed, residents such as Adams are hopeful that city council members will be able to better understand what’s happening on 400 North from their perspective.

“I think it’s going to be great for our cause,” said Adams. “They’re going to see exactly how much traffic comes through this little intersection.”