The Town of Manchester is planning a $7.5 million revitalization of its downtown area, focused on improving safety, modernizing infrastructure, and making downtown more vibrant and accessible. While specific plans are not finalized, the project aims to reconfigure the road, a “road diet” to slow and smooth traffic, making the downtown safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
The town is collaborating with the Manchester Road Race organizers to ensure the improvements support this major annual event. A key element is the proposed installation of a rotary at the intersection of Main Street and Hartford Road.
The little red figures on this map indicate where workers stood holding banners during the Annual Thanksgiving Day Road Race.
These public works employees holding banners moved forward when the race began to stand on painted dotted lines where the proposed rotary would be located. This hands-on observation allowed the town to assess how the 12,128 racers could traverse the modified intersection smoothly.
When the elite runners reached the corner, they had already broken away from the pack, gliding between the barrier and the banners without slowing.
At this point, the public works employees and the yellow banner are still visible through the crowd.
However, as the larger crowd of racers and walkers arrived, the participants seemed to slow down to get around the corner. Was this because the space was too narrow or because most chose to cut the corner tight though a wider path was possible? There seemed to be room closer to the banner, but it was crowded near the blue barricade.
These runners came up on the sidewalk to avoid the slowdown.
The yellow banner is no longer visible.
The crowd has thinned and everyone is walking at this point. There is plenty of room to get through the corner.
Some final thoughts:
- Because of the rain, the number of participants may have been smaller than usual.
- With a rotary in place, it is possible to go around the rotary if it is too crowded.
- Did the town collect any data?
- Is there a before and after comparison available?
- Did people always have to slow down to turn this corner?
- What will be used to assess the effects of a rotary on the Manchester Road Race?
