The Morgantown City Council adopted the Pedestrian Safety Plan as a guideline to future city codes pertaining to walkability in the city.
The plan does not address how walkability improvements will be funded in the city. It provides instead an idea of what needs to be addressed, said City Manager Dan Boroff.
The Council will use it as a "directional plan," since walking is an "extremely important" aspect of neighborhood life, said Councilor Don Spencer.
Councilor Jenny Selin suggested that the various boards and commissions in Morgantown should look to the plan when working on the roads or putting in crosswalks.
For instance, at Kroger on Patteson Drive, when a pedestrian has the light to cross, a car also has the arrow to turn, Selin pointed out.
Using data and recommendations from the plan will help to improve situations like this around Morgantown, she said.
George Lilley of the Pedestrian Safety Board said the plan was a "comprehensive approach" to make Morgantown safer.
The plan is the result of three years of thinking, said Stan Cohen of the Pedestrian Safety Board.
"This represents what we feel to be the best practices," Cohen said.
Cohen pointed out that all people walk, even if they drive, because they must walk from where they parked their car.
Adopting the guidelines in the plan will make walking around Morgantown easier and encourage more people to do so, he said.
"If we do not have the infrastructure, we will not have the change in behavior," Cohen said.
Public transportation around the city will also benefit from the Pedestrian Safety Plan's guidelines, said
David Bruffy, general manager of the Mountain Line Transit Authority.
Mountain Line had more than 1 million riders last year, 250,000 of which were made up of senior citizens, citizens with disabilities or citizens using wheelchairs, all of whom may not be able to drive, he said.
"I believe that the way we treat the less fortunate ... that's really a big measure of who we are and what we are," Bruffy said.
The Council adopted the plan unanimously.
In other business, the Council approved changes in the city's health insurance program.
Under new laws, the city must account for all costs of retired employees working for the city, which would cost the city an additional $1.3 million a year, Boroff said.
To help offset this amount, the city is going to put away an additional $350,000 a year, he said.
The city will now increase employee's deductible by $1,500 and offer them $1,500 in a Health Reimbursement Account that can be used or saved, Boroff said.
Starting Jan. 1, 2011, all new employees of the city will not receive health insurance upon retirement, but can use the saved HRA money to buy their own, he said.
The Council also was presented with a $15,000 grant for the construction of a new Farmers' Market pavilion.
The grant was presented by several West Virginia representatives such as delegate Charlene Marshall and Senator Mike Oliverio.
"We're very fortunate to have delegates that work so corroboratively with the city," said Mayor Bill Byrne.