June 2002 Friends of White Clay Creek State Park Newsletter
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FWCCSP RECORD Friends of White Clay Creek State Park Newsletter Friends of White Clay Creek State Park P.O. Box 9734 Newark, DE 19714-9734 http://fwccsp.ude!.edu Newsletter Special Edition June 2002 NOTE TO READERS - Thi s special editi on of the FWCCSP RECORD is being published to inform you of important information about two subjects discussed at our membership meeting on May 16. We also include a schedule of summer concerts for your co nveni ence. For other regular newsletter feature s, such as Project Updates, Calendar o f Events, Volunteer Opportunities, Superintendent's Comer, Wildlife Sightings, etc., please refer to the regular edition published in April 2002. Traffic Control Concepts for Wedgewood and Creek Roads At the May 16 membership meeting, Mark Chura, Manager o f Planning, Preservation, and Development for Delaware State Parks, discussed conceptual ideas about ways to r estrict traffi c on Wedgewood and Creek Roads. This is being considered for several reasons: (a) to enable the use o f Wedgewood Road as part o f the bikeway from the Carpenter Recreation Area parking lot to the footbridge area (thereby avoiding the need to cut a new bikeway throu gh the woods near Creek Road), (b) to enable the use o f Creek Road as part o f the proposed bikeway from Newark to the footbridge area, (c) to generally improve the experiences o f park visitors by making Creek and Wedgewood Roads feel more like park roads than through hig hwa ys, and (d) to restrict sometimes inappropriate use during nighttime hours. At this time there are numerous options to consider, including the possibility o f converting these roads to park roads, which would allow Parks to control speed limi ts and acce ss, as wel l as possib le peri odic clos ures. Mark cited Thompson Station Road (closed on weekends above the park office ) and the 9-Fo ot Road (closed at night) as exampl es o f former publi c roads th rough the park that have been made more pedestria n-friendly as park roads. Another possi bili ty is partial closures with a parking lot at the point where the road becomes a park road. One-way traffic could also be considered. Comments from attendees were gene rally supportive o f the concept o f restricting traffic on these roads. Concerns expressed included possible adverse impact on traffic in Newark (a traff ic study was requested) and a need to make it possible for older persons and perhaps others to access the footbridge area without having to walk a lon g distan ce. Some people, especially older people, also enjoy the scenic drive along Creek Road, and maintaining this capability would be desi rable. Police and fir e companie s could be given keys to enable access during an emergency. One per son suggeste d that a:full public hearing would be necessary prior to implementation.
June 2002 Friends of White Clay Creek State Park Newsletter
