Committee mulls visibility, vegetation concerns
—Photo by MARY MALONE Vegetation growing across sidewalks is one concern among the members of the Sandpoint Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee.
— Photo by MARY MALONE Vegetation growing across sidewalks is one concern among the members of the Sandpoint Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee.
SANDPOINT — Whether walking, biking or driving along the streets and sidewalks in Sandpoint, the city's Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee is concerned about visibility around corners limited by fences, vehicles and other obstructions.
"Sandpoint is a very walkable, biking town," said committee chairman, Rebecca Holland. "The safety issues are what we are trying to center on when we talk about the line of sight at crossings."
Holland said there is also a concern with vegetation, not only for visibility purposes but also because it obstructs the path along sidewalks for walkers and cyclists if it is not trimmed properly.
Aaron Qualls, the city's planning and economic development director, attended the committee's monthly meeting Wednesday and said there is language in the City Code to address these issues, but they are only enforced on a complaint basis.
Under Title 9, Chapter 4, Section 1 of the City Code, which can be found on the City of Sandpoint's website, it states that no wall, fence or shrubbery shall unreasonably obstruct or interfere with traffic visibility. Fences and walls which can be no more than four-foot tall in the front yard, must be one-foot from the current or future sidewalk location. Mounding the earth to make the fence or wall higher is not allowed.
There are several provisions listed and under "corner lots" the code states that a "clear vision triangle" be maintained. Within the vision triangle, nothing can be taller than three feet, or hang lower than 10 feet, from the elevation of the highway's center line. A vision triangle is defined by measuring from the intersection of the two adjacent highways, forty feet along each highway and connecting the two points with a straight line. It is the responsibility of the property owner to remove any hedge, shrubbery, fence, wall or other obstruction, excluding public traffic signs, buildings or trees.
Qualls said the vision triangle is "particularly challenging" to enforce in downtown Sandpoint.
"If downtown were to adhere to this, where the corners are cut off, is that keeping it in the traditional historic fabric of downtown?" Qualls said. "I don't know."
He said it may not be applicable in downtown, but it does apply to residential areas.
City Code 7-2-4 addresses the maintenance of vegetation. It is the property owner's responsibility to trim, prune and care for the trees or shrubbery, remove weeds and mow grass along the owner's property line. Tree limbs that overhang a sidewalk or public right-of-way should be trimmed to no less than seven feet above the ground.
"When people are aware of the issues, they are more motivated to make improvements — and trim back bushes," Holland said. "That way people can walk the sidewalks and not walk in the streets."