By Debbie Adams
More than the usual number of Vinton’s citizens turned out for the Vinton Town Council
meeting on March 4. Most were there to express their frustration with the new traffic lane
configuration being tested on Gus Nicks Boulevard– a joint project with the City of Roanoke.
The two localities are partnering on a demonstration project on Gus Nicks Boulevard from
Eastern Avenue to Pollard Street to assess the feasibility of transitioning the roadway from four
lanes to three, with the goal of improving safety and traffic efficiency.
The project began on March 3 and things did not run smoothly in the first 24 hours. There was a
host of comments on social media about the changes; council members expressed their
appreciation to those who showed up to express their opinions in person, generally respectful,
well-spoken, reflective, and with tangible concerns.
One citizen who lives on Highland Road, just off Gus Nicks, asked council to “go back to the
way it was” because the new configuration was causing a worse traffic back-up than before and
is “not good for the community.”
Another citizen in the same area, near the Billy Byrd Apartments, noted that her family has had
two cars totalled in recent years trying to enter Gus Nicks from Highland. “The idea of a turn
lane is appealing with a reduced speed limit and a turn lane where disabled vehicles can be
moved to. People use Gus Nicks as a superhighway, flying through.”
A 19-year veteran of the Vinton First Aid Crew expressed concerns about first responders in
emergency vehicles being unable to respond to often critical calls because they are stuck in
traffic in the new pattern. He brought along a video of his experience this week, unable to answer
a call promptly because of the traffic back-up.
Mayor Brad Grose asked town staff to explain the reason for the new traffic pattern, which is
“just in the testing stages” at this point. Town Manager Pete Peters noted that the primary
objective for the lane reconfiguration is to reduce vehicular conflict between vehicles, bikers,
and pedestrians in the corridor, that slowing the speed in the area and reducing the number of
lanes that must be crossed makes a safer roadway.
Another speaker who uses the Gus Nicks roadway multiple times each day said he believes that
the new traffic pattern will lead to more accidents, not reduce them. He also stated that the
reconfiguration would “diminish the community” and reduce the number of visitors who shop,
eat, and attend events in Vinton, because “they will just use alternate routes” to escape the traffic
congestion and bypass downtown.
Another said that the new plan is “not reasonable. I sat through six cycles to get through the light
at King Street. If it’s not broke, why fix it? The town needs to ask citizens, not just engineers,
who actually travel the road on a daily basis. You need to reconsider this plan.”
One citizen expressed concerns about the nearby Roanoke County Schools bus lot with buses
entering Gus Nicks twice each day. “You need to make the road safer without shrinking it.”
In the same vein, another said that “taking the roadway down to a single lane will hinder
emergency services. People will just take alternate routes and clog the side streets. You are
creating a problem, not fixing it. The town needs to assess traffic volume on the side streets, now
that traffic is being indirectly routed through the neighborhoods.”
Deputy Town Manager Cody Sexton, who spent most of the first two days of the project,
including three rush-hour stints, attempting to alleviate problems which had arisen in the early
phases, described the adjustments the town and city had made in just the first 48 hours. Signal
light timing had been modified at the traffic signal at King Street and Gus Nicks to allow more
vehicles to get through the light in a more timely fashion. Lanes had been lengthened closer to
Pollard Street. He added that the town would deploy staff through the areas including Midway,
Berkley’s Bottom, Ruddell Road, and others to monitor traffic volume and movement on those
alternate routes.
He noted that the traffic signal contractor– flying in from Texas– will spend the remainder of the
week monitoring the signals and making modifications. He also stated that while the traffic
queue had been significantly lengthened on the first day of the project (Monday), it was shorter
on Tuesday as adjustments were made.
Another citizen commended council for efforts to test the new pattern and said that his
experience had been better on Tuesday than on Monday.
“Change is uncomfortable,” he said. “This is a great idea. Stay the course. It will be good in the
long run.”
Two others spoke about tangential issues to the traffic issue. One bike rider suggested using the
funds for the lane reconfiguration on cleaning up debris from the streets in Roanoke City and on
the greenways.
Peters noted that the greenways had suffered from recent storms and debris removal and
restoration of the trail was underway. Another spoke about crime concerns at the Charles R. Hill
Community Center at night and the need for security cameras and lighting. Peters stated that the
Vinton War Memorial is now being renovated, with upgrades to the Community Center
following soon after.
Council member Mike Stovall thanked those who attended the meeting to express their opinions.
He emphasized that this lane reconfiguration project is “just a test” at this point, lasting for about
two weeks. A decision will be made by council after that.
Vice Mayor Laurie Mullins asked citizens to “bear with us.” This is a joint project with Roanoke
City who invited the town to join in an analysis of the potential for changes in the traffic pattern
to make the Gus Nicks corridor safer.
Council member Keith Liles also emphasized that “this is just a test, underway for less than 48
hours. The traffic cones will not always be there. Give it a chance.” (If the lane reconfiguration is
adopted, the lane changes would be through re-striping the roadway, not cones.)
Mayor Grose also stressed that currently this is “just a test. The first day was a mess but
adjustments are being made. The safety factor is the main driver of this project. There have been
many accidents through the years through there. According to traffic engineers, this should
work.” He also reminded the citizens that members of “Vinton Town Council are the most
accessible in the world. We are glad to establish a dialogue to address your issues and concerns.”
Citizens are encouraged to sign up to speak at council meetings.
In other actions on March 4, council declared March as “Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month.”
Deputy Police Chief Tim Lawless expressed the condolences of the town to the families of those
lost in an incident over the weekend.
He presented the Annual Police Department Report for 2024. The department has 22 sworn
officers; two more are currently attending the police academy and will graduate in May. There is
one vacancy as of March 4. The department also employs two civilian staff.
Lawless informed council that the Vinton Police Department first became accredited in 2002 and
received its fifth re-accredited assessment in 2022. It will be re-assessed again in 2026, with a
mock assessment scheduled for March 13 in preparation.
He described the various grants the department has received totaling $68,125, including a Local
Law Enforcement Block Grant, a Byrne/Justice Assistance Equipment Grant, and a DMV
Selective Enforcement Grant for Police Traffic Services.
Lawless presented statistics indicating that warrants had decreased last year to 1,073, along with
concealed gun permits (107). Officer subpoenas increased to 502.
The Patrol Division received 13,452 calls for service (a decrease of 14%) and completed 3,067
security checks of businesses and residences (another decrease).
Traffic stops also decreased to 2,240 along with traffic citations issued (1,425). Total accidents
were 395.
There were 396 arrests (another decrease) and 912 warrants served.
Forty-one felony criminal cases were investigated with eight currently active.
In 2024, Vinton police continued to be heavily involved in community events, including Arbor
Day, National Night Out, Halloween Trunk or Treat, Hot Chocolate with a Cop, Shop with a
Cop, National Drug Take Back Day, the Little Feet Meet, the LE Torch Run, the Shred-A-Thon,
the Summer Reading Program at the Vinton Library, Movie Night with a Cop, the Pink Warrior
breast cancer awareness walk, and the Santa Crawl.
Police Chief Fabricio Drumond added that the decreases in most statistics are a “good thing” and
that the increased involvement in the community is even better.
In final action, council held a public hearing and adopted an ordinance rezoning portions of the
currently split-zoned properties located at 0 Highland Road from the R-2 Residential District to
the M-1 Limited Industrial District. Assistant Planning and Zoning Director Nathan McClung
had briefed council on specifics at the February 18 meeting. The main purpose of this action is to
allow for a commercial entrance off of Highland Avenue for the mini-warehouses located there
and expansion of the self-storage facility.
