City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission Agenda
March 7, 2005-7:30 PM
City Commission Room-City Hall
MEMBERS: Caroljean Brune, Chair, John Ziegelmeyer Jr., Vice-Chair, Carol Bowen, Danny Drungilas, Paul Graves, Robert Hagen, David Hamby, Matt Jordan, and Caleb Morse.
ITEM NO. 1: Review and approve the minutes of the Traffic Safety Commission meeting, February 7, 2005.
ITEM NO. 2: Consider TRAFFIC CALMING PROJECT PRIORITY RANKING SYSTEM.
Report:
1. Last year, the City Commission requested that staff prepare a ranking system for traffic calming projects in order to determine which project to construct first when funding becomes available.
2. Staff reviewed policies developed by several other organizations and prepared a recommended procedure for Lawrence.
3. At the October 2004 Traffic Safety Commission meeting, the Commission request that previously approved traffic calming project be ranked using the proposal.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 3: Discussion of Pedestrian Safety.
ITEM NO. 4: Public Comment.
ITEM NO. 5: Commission Items.
ITEM NO. 6: Miscellaneous.
City Commission action on previous recommendations:
Concurred with the recommendation to establish STOP signs on Rhode Island Street at 12th Street.
Concurred with the recommendation to establish YIELD signs on Wheat State Street at Eldridge Street.
Concurred with the recommendation to remove the SPEED LIMIT 30 sign in front of New York School.
Did not concur with the recommendation to relocate the FLASHING BEACONS on New York Street near New York School.
Did not concur with the recommendation to deny the request to establish an ALL-WAY STOP at 10th Street & New York Street.
Directed installation of an ALL-WAY STOP at 9th Street & New York Street (not discussed by TSC).
Directed removal of the STOP signs on 9th Street at New Jersey Street (not discussed by TSC).
Did not concur with the recommendation to deny the request to construct perpendicular parking within the right-of–way of Indiana Street adjacent to 847 Indiana.
City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission
7 March 2005 minutes
MEMBERS PRESENT: Caroljean Brune, Chair, John Ziegelmeyer, Jr. Vice-Chair, Carol Bowen, Danny Drungilas, Paul Graves, David Hamby and Caleb Morse.
MEMBERS ABSENT: Robert Hagen and Matt Jordan.
STAFF PRESENT: David Woosley, Public Works Department and Officer Jim Miller, Police Department
Chair Caroljean Brune called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. in the City Commission Room in City Hall.
Review and approve the minutes of the Traffic Safety Commission meeting, February 7, 2005.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BOWEN, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 3, 2005 TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING; THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Consider TRAFFIC CALMING PROJECT PRIORITY RANKING SYSTEM.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
Commissioner Morse asked how the numbers for speed and volume were obtained; Woosley advised that they were averaged throughout the project area.
Commissioner Hamby noted that the crash experience in University Place brought it to the top.
Commissioner Graves stated that’s how it should be since we are trying to prevent crashes.
Commissioner Hamby asked if the crashes were averaged; Woosley advised they were not; they were the total crashes within the neighborhood.
Commissioner Morse asked if a larger neighborhood would naturally have more crashes than a small one; Woosley advised that would not necessarily be the case.
Commissioner Brune: I feel comfortable with the criteria that have been proposed.
Commissioner Graves asked if there should be a column stating how long a project had been on the list; the consensus was that the initial approval date should be listed under the project location.
Commissioner Ziegelmeyer: I think this proposal is a good first step; we should try it for a while and see how it works.
Commissioner Hamby: I think we should approve this and review it in six months or so.
Commissioner Bowen: I think pedestrian generators should include other activities than just a park or elementary school; the consensus was that the description should be revised to include other pedestrian generators.
Commissioner Hamby asked what the average cost of various types of crashes were; Woosley advised the latest information on the average cost of a Property Damage Only crash was $2,500, an Injury crash was $47,250 and an Incapacitating Injury was over $200,000.
Commissioner Hamby: It seems like there should be more weighting for a fatal crash than 5 points.
Commissioner Graves: I think there should be more weight to a fatal crash too, but I’m not sure what it should be.
Commissioner Ziegelmeyer: I’m not sure that a fatal crash is indicative of a greater problem; you could have a DUI hit a house or a parked car, but not have any relation to the safety of the street.
Commissioner Brune: I think the 1:5 is appropriate.
Commissioner Ziegelmeyer: I would like to implement it and look at it for six months.
Commissioner Brune asked how often the list would be updated; Woosley advised that it would be updated whenever a new project was added or an existing one completed.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ZIEGELMEYER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, TO RECOMMEND ADOPTION OF THE TRAFFIC CALMING PROJECT PRIORITY RANKING SYSTEM AS REVISED; THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Discussion of Pedestrian Safety.
After considerable discussion, Commissioner Brune appointed Commissioner Bowen and Commissioner Drungilas to a sub-committee on Pedestrian Safety and requested that they bring forward to the Traffic Safety Commission pedestrian safety related items for discussion and recommendation including presentation of a letter to the City Commission outlining the concerns of the Traffic Safety Commission.
Public Comment.
None.
Commission Items.
Miscellaneous.
The Commission acknowledged City Commission action on previous items.
The meeting adjourned at 8:35 PM.
The next scheduled meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission is Monday, May 2, 2005.
Respectfully submitted,
David E. Woosley, P.E.
Transportation/Traffic Engineer