Residents and business owners bring questions to traffic pattern proposal

Town officials host public input session on Possible South Ridgeway Avenue COnversion

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 3, 2025

Black Mountain planning director Michelle Kennedy hosts a community meeting, Sept. 3, at the Black Mountain Public Library, where residents discussed a proposal to convert South Ridgeway Avenue into a one-way traffic pattern. Photo by Fred McCormick

Approximately 20 town residents and business owners were in the Black Mountain Library, Sept. 3, when the Town of Black Mountain Planning Department hosted a community meeting and discussion about a proposal that would convert South Ridgeway Avenue into a one-way road.

While nearly all in attendance agreed that safety was a concern along the narrow downtown street, which includes residences and businesses, opinions about how to best address the issue varied.

Hosted by planning director Michelle Kennedy and attended by planner and zoning administrator Russell Cate, senior administrative assistant Jennifer Tipton, Town Manager Josh Harrold and Mayor Michael Sobol, the forum began with the presentation of an analysis completed in late 2022 and early 2023.

Conducted by Traffic Planning and Design, and funded through a partnership between a pair of business owners on the street and the town, the study was commissioned for the purpose of determining if the road, which begins at U.S. 70 to the north and ends at Richardson Boulevard, could be converted to a one-way traffic pattern. The data, gathered over a week in December of 2022, indicated that a southbound flow was the only viable option.

“The determination that came from this was that it really provided an opportunity to reallocate roadway width to provide a shoulder for bike traffic and pedestrians on (South) Ridgeway Avenue,” Kennedy said to the audience. “So what that basically means is the street, as it exists today with the strip in the middle, would shift over and create a lane for bikes and pedestrians.”

The proposal would reduce the amount of roadway available for vehicular travel and add striping to mark a lane reserved for foot and bicycle traffic. It was a recommendation that was tabled by the town council in 2023, when presented by assistant town manager and former planning director Jessica Trotman. Elected officials declined to take action, urging town staff to seek input from the community.

That process began with the community input session, which was organized after the topic was presented and discussed for a second time in the board’s Aug. 11, regular monthly meeting, according to Kennedy, who began her role with the town last April.

“This really is about trying to make planning decisions that align with our (comprehensive) plan, and in the best interest of other adopted plans,” she said. “One of the things I’ve heard pretty consistently in the time I’ve been here is folks talking about the dangers of traffic on that route.”

The average speed on the road, with a posted 25-mile-per-hour speed limit, was observed to be 24 miles per hour, according to the data collected for the study, with he top 15% of motorists observed traveling along the road at an average of 29. Northbound traffic peaked at 31 miles per hour, the report stated.

Mark Tomczack, owner of Fresh Wood Fired Pizza on South Ridgway Avenue, said the idea to install speed bumps or humps as a mitigation tool was brought to the Town six or seven years ago.

“We were turned down every time we approached the Town about doing that,” he said. “That would slow traffic, tremendously.”

The Town could utilize its 40-foot right of way it holds along the street to install sidewalks, according to Doug Brock, who owns property on South Ridgeway Avenue.

“I have no idea what motivates this question,” he said. “If you’re talking walkability, there are three lifetime cyclists sitting here, and we wouldn’t feel safe going down that road with just a stripe. You have 40 feet to put in two lanes and a raised sidewalk to protect everybody. To say it’s not in the budget is a matter of priority, and that can change.”

Approximately 20 members of the public attended a community meeting, Sept. 3, discussing a proposal to convert South Ridgeway Avenue into a one-way, southbound direction of travel. Photo by Fred McCormick

The decision to construct a sidewalk on the road would be a budgeting matter that can only be addressed by elected leaders, Kennedy responded.

Others expressed concerns about the potential impact of traffic on surrounding roads. The 2022 study indicated that the traffic signal at the intersection of U.S. 70 and Richardson Boulevard would need to be adjusted to accommodate the anticipated increase in motorists.

Cydney Joyner, who lives on South Ridgeway Avenue, called the current conditions “dangerous” for pedestrians.

“I am genuinely telling you that every time I walk outside with my dog, I almost get run over,” she said. “I’ve seen it happen so many times.”

Speeding on the road represents an “enforcement issue,” according to Black Mountain resident Mike Baldwin.

“You break one of them off with a ticket enough times, and word gets around,” he said.

Baldwin questioned the need for a pedestrian lane, citing the sidewalk that runs along neighboring Richardson Boulevard, adding that any bike lane would need to be bi-directional to truly benefit cyclists.

“One thing I see in here not mentioned in the study was the commercial impact on the businesses there,” he said. “That road has Sunshine Pharmacy, Lookout Brewing, Fresh Woodfired Pizza and Bush Farmhouse, four business we frequent. All of them, if this is a one-way road, will suffer.”

Converting the road to a one-way direction would impact delivery trucks servicing those operations, according to Tomczack.

“If they’re forced to go south, once they drop off, they can’t get back on U.S. 70,” he said. “If you turn on Richardson Boulevard and get to the top, there is a left turn lane and a telephone pole right at that corner. There is no way even a 25-foot truck can turn right there on U.S. 70.”

Local resident Lisa Milton expressed concern with the possible impact on school buses.

“Talking to the school bus drivers, they use Ridgeway because they can’t make the turn at Broadway or Richardson since it’s too narrow,” she said. “The come up Ridgeway because they can manage that corner by watching for traffic, and get to N.C. 9 from the Sutton Avenue intersection, at the railroad crossing, because there are two lanes there.”

Milton urged town officials to allow the schools to have “direct input” about the decision.

The mayor advocated for the installation of sidewalks on the road.

“We discussed this, with the town council, when it was presented to us, and there was a lot of discussion on it, but never a motion made to pass or deny it,” Sobol said. “There were too many people against this.”

The Town will review feedback from the public and the Active Mobility Commission before re-engaging with the town council, according to Kennedy.

“We’ll say, ‘what other areas do you want us to explore, whether it’s speed bumps or sidewalks or whatever?” she said. “From there, we’ll move forward with exploring those options.”