City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission
June 7, 2004 minutes
MEMBERS PRESENT: Paul Graves, Chair, Caroljean Brune, Vice-Chair, Danny Drungilas, David Hamby, Matt Jordan, Caleb Morse, and John Ziegelmeyer, Jr.
MEMBERS ABSENT: Robert Hagen
STAFF PRESENT: David Woosley, Public Works Department and Officer Mike Monroe, Police Department
Chair Paul Graves called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. in the City Commission Room in City Hall.
ITEM NO. 1:
Review and approve the minutes of the Traffic Safety Commission meeting, May 3, 2004.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HAMBY, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE MAY 3, 2004, TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING. THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Consider request from area residents to construct SPEED HUMPS on Winona Avenue between Barker Avenue and Massachusetts Street.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
Pat Ransone, 13 Winona Avenue: There are a lot of children and a lot of traffic on Winona. The traffic is going very fast getting to and from Haskell University. Southbound traffic on Massachusetts uses Winona as a cut-through because of the high volume of left-turn traffic at 23rd Street.
Mark Elliott, 48 Winona Avenue: There are a lot of children on the street. Traffic zooms down Winona during the evening hours and on weekends. There is a lot of excessive traffic for a one-block street.
Kevin Doyle, 39 Winona Avenue: The cut-through traffic and peak traffic is not consistent; it varies from day to day. In addition, there are significant events such as basketball games that cause a significant increase in traffic on Winona.
Commissioner Brune: Seems to be a perfectly reasonable request and there doesn’t seem to be any opposition.
Commissioner Graves: Agreed with Commissioner Brune and added that it meets the city’s minimum requirements for speed humps.
Commissioner Morse: Agreed that it meets the criteria and is a perfectly reasonable solution.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DRUNGILAS, TO RECOMMEND CONSTRUCTION OF ONE OR TWO SPEED HUMPS ON WINOA AVENUE BETWEEN BARKER AVENUE AND MASSACHUSETTS STREET. THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Consider request from area residents to construct TRAFFIC-CALMING DEVICES along Goldfield Street between Eldridge Street and Prescott Drive.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
Matthew McClorey, 4101 Goldfield Street: The street is unsafe. There are a lot of children on the block. Speeds are excessive. There is tremendous support from the neighborhood. We have an obligation to do what we can to slow the traffic down. Speed humps are the most optimal solution for the problem. Studies have shown that children living within one block of a speed hump have a 50% lower risk of an accident with a moving vehicle than children on a street that did not have speed humps in the neighborhood. It is a positive impact. Goldfield is a major point of ingress and egress in the whole subdivision so it does get a lot of traffic. The neighborhood has not discussed a traffic-calming circle.
Sally Larson, 4116 Goldfield Street: Spoke against speed humps on the street but liked the idea of a traffic-calming circle at the end of the street. Requested that her signature be removed from the petition. Does not want a speed hump in the middle of the block.
Roxanne Drucker, 4120 Goldfield Street: Spoke against speed humps; they are needed; the traffic-calming circle is enough. A speed hump will hurt the resale value of homes. Children should be in backyards. A better idea would be a police officer one day a week at random times for an hour. It is not a racetrack. Opening Folks Road to Harvard will cut-down on the traffic on Goldfield.
Kent Hatesohl, 4112 Goldfield Street: The study speaks for itself. Something is badly needed before a child is injured. A calming device is desperately needed; whatever is most effective.
Kevin Austin, address unknown: Opposed to speed bumps, they don’t work; they don’t slow teenagers down. A police officer once in a while would be great.
Commissioner Brune: In favor of recommending a speed hump.
Commissioner Jordan: It seems that a circle would offer benefits to two streets, Prescott and Goldfield. After installation it could be determined is something mid-block is needed or not.
Commissioner Brune: In favor of recommending both due to the length of the block.
Commissioner Drungilas: Agreed with recommending a circle and then evaluating whether a hump is also needed or not.
Commissioner Graves: Would recommend both devices because they address different issues.
Commissioner Hamby: Recommended separate motions for each device.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GRAVES, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BRUNE, TO RECOMMEND INSTALLATION OF A TRAFFIC-CALMING CIRCLE AT THE INTERSECTION OF GOLDFIELD STREET AND PRESCOTT DRIVE. THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GRAVES, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HAMBY, TO RECOMMEND CONSTRUCTION OF A MID-BLOCK SPEED HUMP ON GOLDFIELD STREET BETWEEN ELDRIDGE STREET AND PRESCOTT DRIVE. THE MOTION CARRIED 5-2. (Commissioners Drungilas and Jordan voted against the motion; they would like to see if the traffic-calming circle solves the problem first with option of adding a speed hump at a later date)
Consider request from the University Place Neighborhood to construct permanent TRAFFIC-CALMING DEVICES and to install additional temporary TRAFFIC-CALMING DEVICES.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
Dr. S. M. Kortlucke, 1805 Maine Street: Spoke against the diverter on 18th Street. The barricade on 18th Street has been a great source of difficulty for everyone on Maine Street. It was especially difficult during the winter; snow was piled at each end and emergency vehicles could not get through. Vehicles drove off the roadway and through yards to avoid it. It is a difficulty for me; I have to get off my moped and push it through the barricade in order to get to KU.
John Poertner, 1735 Alabama Street: Spoke in favor of the diverter on 18th Street. The diverter creates an inconvenience, but I am willing to live with it to have a traffic pattern that is manageable given all the increased activity since the construction of the recreation center at KU. Without the diverter, the traffic pattern in the neighborhood would be intolerable.
Aline Hoey, 1818 Indiana Street, President of University Place Neighborhood Association: After last October’s Traffic Safety Commission meeting, we had 2 neighborhood-wide meetings that all residents were invited to, to discuss the diverter and the traffic-calming circles. From the traffic data for 18th Street it is clear that the diverter has dramatically decreased traffic. A traffic committee was formed (it was open to anyone in the neighborhood) to look at other options; ten residents met three times and the committee concluded that the existing temporary devices were the best option. A ballot was sent to every resident in the neighborhood; a majority of those that voted voted in favor of each of the devices, including the diverter. In addition, we found out by reading the newspaper that KU is planning on expanding the recreation center.
Commissioner Graves noted that they had a good process to involve everyone in the neighborhood.
John Mullens, University of Kansas: First on a personal note, I will be retiring after 33 years with the University and would like to thank the Traffic Safety Commission, the City Commission, and specifically Terese Gorman and David Woosley for their cooperation throughout the years. The only concern the University has with the request for permanent devices is that the traffic-calming circle on Indiana Street be constructed to accommodate trucks since Indiana is a Truck Delivery Route and that the diverter on 18th Street be designed for easy-opening in emergencies and after basketball games, and that snow and ice be removed.
Commissioner Graves congratulated Mullens on his retirement.
Dietrich Earnhart, 1714 Mississippi Street: I’ve been working on this issue since 1999. I support all the traffic-calming devices in the neighborhood, particularly the diverter on 18th Street that has had a positive effect on the neighborhood; it feels more like a neighborhood than a thoroughfare for the University of Kansas. The diverter can be an inconvenience but that is minor compared to the major contributions it has had on the neighborhood. There are many other routes available to get to KU. Perhaps the permanent diverter can be designed to accommodate bicycles and possibly mopeds.
Pat Moody, 703 N. 3rd Street: I don’t live in the neighborhood but I work at KU. Now my commute to work is less safe than it used to be because I have to drive down 19th Street or across campus that has a lot of pedestrians. I am opposed to the diverter because it diverts traffic to 19th Street which is already really busy; it increases traffic near Lawrence High where the primary drivers are teenagers; it restricts access to Watkins Health Center for patients and emergency vehicles; it is a public street and unless its construction and maintenance was paid for by a benefit district of the neighborhood, it should be open to the public. My taxes pay to keep the street maintained and I should have a right to drive on it. There is no parking on either side of the street so it is meant to be a “through” street. The neighborhood is next to KU; you should expect KU-related traffic. The Traffic Safety Commission members that live in the neighborhood should not be allowed to vote because they cannot be impartial.
Dr. Tracy McMillan, 1720 Illinois Street: It was a very fair process that the neighborhood went through; a very open participatory process; and a very democratic process. I do research on transportation planning and the effects on health of the transportation decisions that we make. Children should not be restricted to their backyards for activity; our population needs to be more active in order to reduce risk of obesity and heart disease. We need to increase our physical activity and be able to be pedestrians and bicyclists through our neighborhoods and reduce our utilization of the automobile. It is a neighborhood street; 19th Street is an arterial street and meant to carry a greater traffic volume. The diverter has served the purpose that it was meant to serve and I support it.
Debbie Bolden, 3001 Westdale Road: I am a registered nurse at Watkins Health Center and I oppose the diverter on 18th Street. I have used that route for 17 years and now I am forced to 19th Street around the high school traffic as well as more college traffic on Naismith and Schwegler Drive. As a nurse I have seen plenty pedestrian-car accidents. It does make the neighborhood safer, but it exposes me to more pedestrians and more traffic.
Don Barnett, 1737 Mississippi Street: I’ve been working on this project for three years and I give my full support to everything, especially the diverter. It think it has made a great impact on our community; we can now walk our sidewalks without being afraid someone’s going to jump the curb and take us out.
Betty Alderson, 1920 Maine Street: I walk through that neighborhood almost every day and vary my route. I think the traffic calming that has been installed has been a great help. 18th Street is a neighborhood street and the traffic is slower, there’s less of it, it’s much more pleasant to walk through the neighborhood than it was. I also drive that way and find no problem getting around the traffic-calming circles. Sure the diverter is an inconvenience, but 18th Street is not intended to carry “through” traffic to the University, that is what 19th Street is for.
Laura Kimble, 2009 Jenny Wren Road: I work at Watkins Health Center and I have a concern about ambulances and other emergency crews getting through. It is difficult for us to leave work sometimes and it is easier for me to get downtown once or twice a year if I can use 18th Street.
Greg McMillan, 1720 Illinois Street: We appreciate the commission giving us the opportunity as a neighborhood to decide what we would like to do with the traffic-calming devices. A fair process was put together allowing input from the entire neighborhood. There were tough decisions, but we decided to vote and everyone had the opportunity to vote. The devices are working the way we wanted them to work.
Commissioner Graves: Has Watkins Health Center administration submitted a letter to the city indicating that emergency vehicle access has been a problem? Woosley advised that he was not aware of any.
Commissioner Graves: Would it be possible to have bicycle and moped access through the permanent diverter? Woosley advised that that could be considered.
Commissioner Graves: Can the permanent diverter be plowed and ice kept from forming there? Woosley advised that that could also be considered in the design.
Commissioner Ziegelmeyer: Can the diverter be designed so that it is easily opened. Woosley advised that that would also be considered in the design.
Commissioner Graves: Will the final design be presented for input from the neighborhood and KU. Woosley advised that it could be.
Commissioner Morse: As a resident of the neighborhood, I was very concerned about voting on this issue. I have carefully read the city’s ethic’s policy and it is quite clear that I do not have to abstain from voting since I do not have a financial interest in the vote; the city’s legal counsel has indicated that I should vote; and an ethics professor advised me that I should vote. I have abstained from discussing this issue with neighbors since becoming a member of the Traffic Safety Commission.
Commissioner Morse: How many cars does Lot 90 hold? Mullens advised that at last count about 900.
Commissioner Morse: My concern has been that the diverter has been the result of bad planning that has let a parking lot that holds a thousand cars empty onto a residential street. It causes problems in the area, but it shouldn’t be the burden of the neighborhood to bear. They are willing to accept the traffic that comes from two other parking lots with traffic-calming circles. This is a reasonable compromise. I am in full support of the proposals, but we should separate the requests for permanent and additional temporary devices.
Commissioner Brune: I am also a resident of the neighborhood. This is a fragile neighborhood, but it is being brought back like it was fifty years ago when there were a lot of families there. We need to help it. I support both the requests for permanent and additional temporary devices.
Commissioner Graves: I am also in support of both proposals. It seems to me that some are going to be inconvenienced and it should be those that live outside the neighborhood, and we should look towards traffic safety overall; pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ZIEGELMEYER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BRUNE, TO RECOMMEND PERMANENT CONSTRUCTION OF TRAFFIC-CALMING CIRCLES ON 17TH STREET AT ILLINOIS STREET & INDIANA STREET AND OF THE DIVERTER ON 18TH STREET BETWEEN MAINE STREET & MISSOURI STREET. THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GRAVES, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, TO RECOMMEND INSTALLATION OF TEMPORARY TRAFFIC-CALMING CIRCLES ON 18TH STREET AT ILLINOIS STREET AND INDIANA STREET. THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
ITEM NO. 5:
Elect Chair and Vice-Chair for 2004-2005.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GRAVES, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, TO ELECT CAROLJEAN BRUNE CHAIR AND JOHN ZIEGELMEYER VICE-CHAIR FOR 2004-2005. THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
ITEM NO. 6:
Public Comment.
None.
ITEM NO. 7:
Commission Items.
Commissioner Brune brought treats in honor of Commissioner Graves’ year as Chair.
ITEM NO. 8:
Miscellaneous.
Select date for July meeting; Monday July 5 is a holiday.
The Commission decided to cancel the July meeting unless an item came forward that needed immediate attention. If held, the July meeting will be on July 12.
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
The next scheduled meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission is Monday, August 2, 2004.
Respectfully submitted,
David E. Woosley, P.E.
Transportation/Traffic Engineer