City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission Agenda
May 2, 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, March 7, 2005.
ITEM NO. 2: Consider request to establish ADULT CROSSING GUARD at 27th Street & Mayfair Drive and at 28th Street & Kensington Road.
Report:
1. An Adult Crossing Guard is currently in place at 27th Street & Mayfair Drive during the morning crossing period and at 28th Street & Kensington Road during the afternoon crossing period.
2. The city’s School Crossing Control Policy states that an Adult Crossing Guard may be provided at an unprotected crosswalk “if the average number of students exceeds 40 and the available safe gaps in the traffic is 1.0-1.5 per minute; or if the average number of students is 10 or greater and the available safe gaps in the traffic is less than 1.0.”
3. Data collected 28-31 March 2005 show an average of 48.33 students crossing at 27th Street & Mayfair Drive during the afternoon crossing period with one 5-minute increment averaging 1.47 gaps per minute; and an average of 30 students crossing at 28th Street & Kensington Road during the morning crossing period with one 5-minute increment averaging 0.87 gaps per minute.
4. Therefore both crossing locations meet the minimum requirement for consideration of an Adult Crossing Guard.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 3: Consider request to establish NO PARKING along the east side of Bobwhite Drive between Bob Billings Parkway and Lake Alvamar Drive.
Report:
1. Bobwhite Drive is classified as a “collector” street and is paved 26-feet wide in a residential area.
2. Parking is currently permitted along both sides of the street.
3. On 7 February 2005, the Traffic Safety Commission recommended construction of speed cushions along Bobwhite Drive between Bob Billings Parkway and George Williams Way. The City Commission concurred with the recommendation, however, funding has not yet been provided for the construction.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 4: Consider an Ordinance establishing NO PARKING along both sides of Wakarusa Drive within the city limits.
Report:
1. Parking is currently prohibited along both sides of Wakarusa Drive between 6th Street and Clinton Parkway.
2. Wakarusa Drive was designed, constructed, marked and signed as a high-speed, 4-lane arterial street without provision for parking north of 6th Street.
3. If parking is allowed is allowed in this area, pavement markings should be removed since the existing pavement marking indicates a lane of traffic, not a parking lane.
4. Wakarusa Drive is currently constructed as a 2-lane street approximately 26-feet wide without provision for parking south of Clinton Parkway.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 5: Consider request to establish NO PARKING along the west side of Four Wheel Drive between 29th Terrace and 31st Street.
Report:
1. Four Wheel Drive is classified as a “local” street and is paved 30-feet wide in a commercial area.
2. Parking is currently prohibited along the east side of the street.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 6: Discuss Pedestrian Safety Committee.
ITEM NO. 7: Discuss TRAFFIC CALMING CIRCLES.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 8: Discuss TRAFFIC CALMING POLICY AND SPEED HUMP/SPEED CUSHION POLICY.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 9: Public Comment.
ITEM NO. 10: Commission Items.
ITEM NO. 11: Miscellaneous.
City Commission action on previous recommendations:
Concurred with the recommendation to construct a PEDESTRIAN REFUGE ISLAND on 9th Street at Schwarz Road;
Concurred with the recommendation to re-open Goldleaf Place at Bob Billings Parkway;
Concurred with the recommendation to construct SPEED CUSHIONS on Bobwhite Drive between Bob Billings Parkway and George Williams Way.
City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission
2 May 2005 minutes
MEMBERS PRESENT: Caroljean Brune, Chair, John Ziegelmeyer, Jr. Vice-Chair, Carol Bowen, Danny Drungilas, Paul Graves, David Hamby, Robert Hagen and Caleb Morse.
MEMBERS ABSENT: None.
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, March 7, 2005.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ZIEGELMEYER, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE MARCH 7, 2005 TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING; THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Commissioner Bowen arrived.
Consider request to establish ADULT CROSSING GUARDS at 27th Street & Mayfair Drive and at 28th Street & Kensington Road.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
David Williams, Principal of Prairie Park Elementary School: We are concerned about the safety around the school; I currently send a staff member to the crossings at the times an adult guard is not in place; 350 of our students either walk or are driven to school.
Commissioner Hagen: This area might be a candidate for pedestrian refuge islands at the school crossings in the future.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER HAMBY, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GRAVES, TO RECOMMEND ESTABLISHING ADULT CROSSING GUARDS AT 27TH STREET & MAYFAIR DRIVE AND AT 28TH STREET & KENSINGTON ROAD; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
Consider request to establish NO PARKING along the east side of Bobwhite Drive between Bob Billings Parkway and Lake Alvamar Drive.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
Bruce Boyer, 1626 Bobwhite Drive: I’m opposed to making any changes to Bobwhite Drive; there is not a parking problem on the street and removing the parking may increase the speed of traffic after just approving speed cushions to reduce the speed.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GRAVES, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BOWEN, TO RECOMMEND DENYING THE REQUEST TO ESTABLISH NO PARKING ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF BOBWHITE DRIVE BETWEEN BOB BILLINGS PARKWAY AND LAKE ALVAMAR DRIVE; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
Consider an ordinance establishing NO PARKING along both sides of Wakarusa Drive within the city limits.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
Commissioner Brune: It seems to me that Wakarusa would be a terribly dangerous street to park on; if there is not enough parking for the softball field, the school district needs to address that.
Commissioner Morse: I agree; this street is designed to carry high traffic volume.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BRUNE, TO RECOMMEND ESTABLISHING NO PARKING ALONG BOTH SIDES OF WAKARUSA DRIVE WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
Consider request to establish NO PARKING along the west side of Four Wheel Drive between 29th Terrace and 31st Street.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
John Ellena, 2957 Four Wheel Drive: I am very much in favor of the request; our property comprises 2/3 to 3/4 of the area under consideration. Currently there are cars parked in this area almost 24 hours a day; it is difficult for Stanion Electric to unload their deliveries and it is difficult to get in and out of our facility with cars blocking line of sight.
Commissioner Hagen asked about the source of the cars parking there; Ellena advised that it was mainly inventory of a business across the street.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ZIEGELMEYER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DRUNGILAS, TO RECOMMEND ESTABLISHING NO PARKING ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF FOUR WHEEL DRIVE BETWEEN 29TH TERRACE AND 31ST STREET; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
Discuss TRAFFIC CALMING POLICY and SPEED HUMP/SPEED CUSHION POLICIES.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
Bruce Boyer, 1626 Bobwhite Drive: I think we’re doing a disservice to the citizens of Lawrence by not having a petition requirement up front before it comes to this commission and before it gets to the city commission; a letter from a single individual generates a traffic study which costs the city money.
Commissioner Hamby: There is a problem with requiring a petition up front because you don’t know what devices may be proposed or recommended for construction. In addition, the studies need to be done to determine if there is a problem before any action can be taken.
Commission Morse: We frequently request evidence of neighborhood support before we act on a request. I don’t think it is a good idea to set our initial standard so high that no one will even raise issues to us. We are here to respond to issues that anyone brings to the city’s attention whether they have merit or not.
Commission Ziegelmeyer: I would hate to put ourselves in a position where one individual citizen didn’t feel like they could make a difference.
Mark Desetti, 4605 Harvard Road: I am a traffic calming initiator and squeaky-wheel. It was a long process and involved a lot of neighbors, a lot of study and a lot of meetings, to get traffic calming approved for Harvard Road. Today the construction started. We are thrilled to see the work is finally starting. We appreciate all the work of city staff, this commission and the city commission. We hope that in the future neighborhoods are developed so that retrofitting with traffic calming devices is not necessary.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BRUNE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GRAVES, TO RECOMMENDING APPROVAL OF THE COMBINED TRAFFIC CALMING AND SPEED HUMP/SPEED CUSHION POLICY; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
Discuss TRAFFIC CALMING CIRCLES.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ZIEGELMEYER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HAMBY, TO TABLE DISCUSSION OF TRAFFIC CALMING CIRCLES UNTIL A LEGAL OPINION IS PROVIDED BY THE CITY LEGAL DEPARTMENT; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
Discuss PEDESTRIAN SAFETY SUBCOMMITTEE.
Commissioner Bowen and Commissioner Drungilas brought the Commission up-to-date on the work of the Pedestrian Safety Subcommittee.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BRUNE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HAGEN, FULLY SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY SUBCOMMITTEE; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
Public Comment.
None.
Commission Items.
Miscellaneous:
The Commission acknowledged receipt of the Attendance Summary for the period May 2004-April 2005.
The Commission acknowledged City Commission action on previous items.
The meeting adjourned at 9:05 PM.
The next scheduled meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission is Monday, June 6, 2005.
Respectfully submitted,
David E. Woosley, P.E.
Transportation/Traffic Engineer