BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON – Mother Nature has washed out the much-anticipated Court Street Pop-Up Project

“Heavy rain late Monday evening and into Tuesday morning washed away the alternative transportation lane markings on Court Street in the Village of Canton. The lanes were part of the Court Street Pop-Up Project implemented by the Complete Streets Task Force and approved by the Village Board of Trustees,” said Kara McLukcie, a member of the Complete Streets Task Force and Pop-Up subcommittee.

“The pop-up’s sub-committee was aware of the challenges the weather might pose to the project, “initiating the installation of the lanes alone was a matter of watching the weather and communicating with the Village Superintendent and his crew about the days, and even the time of day, that would be the best,” explained McLuckie.

On Thursday, Sept. 14, the Village Department of Public Works spent about three hours spraying green tempera paint stripes on the north and southbound shoulders of Court Street between Judson and Powers Streets.

Tempera paint is commonly used for demonstration projects and road marking for running or cycling events because it is water soluble. The Court Street Pop-Up Project worked with Coakley’s Hardware to buy five gallons of green tempera paint to mark the alternative transportation lane, McLuckie noted.

“With dry weather, the paint can last up to two weeks according to the “Tactical Urbanism Materials and Design Guide” a reference used by the Complete Streets Task Force sub-committee for the pop-up project,” she said.

McLuckie said while 10 to 14 uninterrupted days of testing the pop-up’s alternative transportation lanes and crosswalks and gathering feedback from the community was what we were hoping for, the committee will stay flexible and see what they can do to keep the project alive a bit longer.

“Although the alternative transportation lanes were installed, the temporary crosswalk installation was delayed. We have an opportunity to move forward with those later this week and keep the project going,” she remarked.

The pop-up sub-committee will be discussing ideas to refresh the alternative transportation lanes. One rainproof solution is to install signs indicating the beginnings and ends of the alternative transportation lane areas. The signs will supplement existing lane signs. Refreshing the paint is an option that the sub-committee and the Village Superintendent have yet to discuss, McLuckie noted.

For people who did experience the pop-up with the full extent of the alternative transportation lanes and wish to comment a link to the feedback survey can be found here:

https://sites.google.com/clarkson.edu/canton-court-street-feedback/home?authuser=7

Complete Streets are roadways that are safe and convenient for everyone. The Canton Complete Streets Task Force is made up of volunteers who work with village and town boards to recommend improvements to roadway conditions. Recommendations are always focused on pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation riders of all ages and abilities.