The Greater Belhaven Foundation has added another location to its list where it would like pedestrian-only entrances to the neighborhood.
The foundation wants the entrance to Lyncrest Street at Riverside Drive converted to a pedestrian-only entrance along with Gillespie Street and State Street, Quinn Street and Fortification Street (on the Belhaven side of Fortification), Monroe Street and Fortification Street (on the Belhaven Heights side of Fortification, North Street and Manship Street, Manship Street and Jefferson Street and Belvoir Place and Riverside Drive.
The locations are still open to traffic but the plan is to convert them using posts like what is at the pedestrian-only entrance at Montrose Circle and the I-55 west frontage road.
The foundation has signed a contract with Jonathan Kiser of Kiser Traffic and Engineering to conduct a traffic study of the locations, said Mary Alex Thigpen, executive director of the foundation.
The idea for the pedestrian-only entrances grew from consultation with the Fred Carl Jr., Small Town Center at Mississippi State University.
In addition to focus meetings, the Small Town Center analyzed the traffic in the neighborhood and completed a traffic filtration plan.
The traffic filtration plan is expected to “calm traffic, resulting in safer streets for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists; reduce the number of vehicular entry/egress points, making it more difficult to commit crime without apprehension; and subtly encourage visitors to the more public areas of the neighborhood, preserving both the commercial and residential elements” of the neighborhood, Thigpen said.
The city of Jackson has been advised about the locations for pedestrian-only entrances and is in the process of reconstituting its dormant Traffic Calming Committee.
An ordinance amending three sections of the city’s code of ordinances about neighborhood traffic calming procedure was introduced at the Aug. 27, 2024 city council meeting and adopted at the Sept. 10, 2024 meeting and went into effect 30 days later.
One change makes the Traffic Calming Committee, which has not yet been named, a
subcommittee of the city’s planning board instead of a stand-alone committee. The chairman of the planning board would appoint the subcommittee members, one from each of the wards.
The change to the ordinance was made because the board met so sporadically that the terms of its members would expire in between meetings, which meant members would have to go through the process of being re-appointed and confirmed by the city council.
The most recent committee, which is defunct, included seven members, one appointed from each ward. All the terms of the members have expired.
Another change amended the threshold approval required in an application for traffic calming to 76 percent of the affected residents. Previously, a majority of residents on the affected portion of a street was required.
The Belhaven neighborhood has been interested in traffic calming for several years. In 2022, a former city of Jackson planning director introduced a proposed traffic calming ordinance at the neighborhood town hall meeting, but an ordinance was never formally submitted to the city council.
