Engineers have offered several traffic flow improvements to the Cape Elizabeth Recycling Center in a safety assessment precipitated by an accident in November that killed former public works director Herbert Dennison.

On Monday, Town Manager Michael McGovern provided the Current with the findings of the safety study, prepared by Portland engineering firm Woodard & Curran. The safety report includes three possible alternatives for improving traffic patterns at the facility, which the Town Council will consider in January.

Dennison, 79, was walking his garbage to the trash compactor building, located on Dennison Drive, on Nov. 24, when a Ford Explorer, driven by 72-year-old Christine Sharp-Lopez of Cape Elizabeth, hit Dennison and pushed him into the compactor. According to police, the compactor was not operating during the time of the incident, but Sharp-Lopez’s vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed.

McGovern told councilors in an email on Monday that he and Public Works Director Bob Malley reviewed the first draft of the report and decided on an alternative that would no longer allow users to back their vehicles up to the compactor building. Instead, it would require users to park diagonally in four dedicated parking spaces a short distance from the compactor building and walk their solid waste to the facility. A physical barrier is also recommended to allow for two travel lanes, rather than one, in front of the compactor building to prevent vehicles from backing.

According to Woodard & Curran’s report, “The users will then pull their vehicle out of the parking space and merge into the compactor bypass lane. The physical barrier, individual lanes, and additional ‘no parking’ signs along the loop road interior, grassed island will discourage users from parking outside of the marked parking spaces and walking their solid waste into the compactor building from other locations.”

In terms of safety, the new traffic pattern would eliminate vehicle and pedestrian congestion near the compactor building and on the loop road and provide dedicated traffic flow patterns with vehicles traveling in a forward direction only. It would also eliminate the risk of anyone falling into the compactor and increase, from three to four, the number of vehicles that are able to access the building at one time.

McGovern told councilors that the town plans to send informational material to all Cape Elizabeth residents on Jan. 12 detailing a new traffic pattern. The new pattern will be implemented on Jan. 21, he said.

A Town Council workshop has been scheduled for Monday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. for further review of the report. For more information, visit the town’s website at www.capeelizabeth.com.

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