City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission Agenda
August 1, 2005-7:30 PM
City Commission Room-City Hall
MEMBERS: John Ziegelmeyer Jr., Chair, David Hamby, Vice-Chair, Carol Bowen, Caroljean Brune, Danny Drungilas, Paul Graves, Robert Hagen, Richard Heckler and Caleb Morse.
ITEM NO. 1: Review and approve the minutes of the Traffic Safety Commission meeting, July 11, 2005.
ITEM NO. 2: Consider request from Dan and Carol Abrahamson, 944 Lawrence Avenue, to construct SPEED HUMPS on Lawrence Avenue between 9th Street and Harvard Road.
Facts:
1. Lawrence Avenue is classified as a “collector” street in a residential area with a posted speed limit of 25mph.
2. Traffic data collected 12 July 2005 shows a volume of 5100-5215 and 85th percentile speeds of 34.2-43.8 mph.
3. The City’s DRAFT Traffic Calming Policy permits construction of traffic calming devices (except speed humps) on “collector” streets; the following conditions of the Policy are met: The 85th percentile speed of traffic is 5 mph or greater over the speed limit, the 24-hour two-way traffic volume is greater than 3000 and more than 50% of the frontage of the roadway consists of residential lots with the houses facing the roadway in question.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 3: Consider removal of School Beacons not complying with the city’s School Crossing Control Policy.
Facts:
1. The City’s SCHOOL CROSSING CONTROL POLICY provides for a REDUCED SPEED ZONE WITH FLASHING BEACON for marked school crosswalks under certain conditions.
2. There is a REDUCED SPEED ZONE WITH FLASHING BEACON on Kentucky Street between 18th Street and 19th Street adjacent to Cordley Elementary School; however, there is no school crosswalk in this area.
3. There is a REDUCED SPEED ZONE WITH FLASHING BEACON on Kentucky Street between 13th Street and 14th Street near St. John’s School; however, there is no school crosswalk in this area.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 4: Public Comment.
ITEM NO. 5: Commission Items.
ITEM NO. 6: Miscellaneous.
Receive TSC “Attendance Summary” for the period August 2004-July 2005.
City Commission action on previous recommendations:
The City Commission concurred with the recommendation to establish NO PARKING along the east side of Eldridge Street from Seele Way to Trail Road.
The City Commission concurred with the recommendation to establish a STOP sign on Field Stone Drive at Grand Vista Drive.
The City Commission concurred with the recommendation to construct a SPEED HUMP near 3112 Riverview Road.
The City Commission concurred with the recommendation to deny the request for an ALL-WAY STOP at 7th Street & Alabama Street.
City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission
August 1, 2005 Minutes
MEMBERS PRESENT: John Ziegelmeyer, Jr., Chair, David Hamby,Vice-Chair, Caroljean Brune, Carol Bowen, Danny Drungilas, Paul Graves, Robert Hagen, Richard Heckler and Caleb Morse.
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: David Woosley, Public Works Department and Officer Jim Miller, Police Department
Chair John Ziegelmeyer, Jr. 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, July 11, 2005.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER HECKLER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HAMBY, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JULY 11, 2005, TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0-1 (Brune).
Consider request from Dan and Carol Abrahamson, 944 Lawrence Avenue, to construct SPEED HUMPS on Lawrence Avenue between 9th Street and Harvard Road.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
Walter Hicks, 920 Lawrence Avenue, distributed a petition from area residents supporting the construction of speed humps and noted there is much more traffic during school periods than what the data shows during the summer. The traffic is bad during the daytime, but it is particularly bad at night.
JoAnne Hicks, 920 Lawrence Avenue: I am awakened several times a night due to the speed of the traffic.
John Kelley, 927 Lawrence Avenue: I’m here to voice my support for any type of traffic control device that can be put in; it’s not safe for my children in the front yard.
Dan Abrahamson, 944 Lawrence Avenue: The only property owners who did not sign the petition were out of town; we’re hoping you can do something to calm the traffic.
Karen Schaller, 908 Biltmore Court: Six month ago I moved away from Lawrence Avenue due to safety concerns; my daughter couldn’t even play in her own front yard; motorists use Lawrence to miss the lights on Iowa and on Kasold.
Commissioner Hamby: Could a traffic calming circle be constructed at the T intersection with Stevens? Woosley advised that it could, but it would take considerable re-construction and possibly storm sewer work.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER HECKLER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HAMBY, TO RECOMMEND CONSTRUCTING AN APPROPRIATE VARIATION OF SPEED HUMPS ON LAWRENCE AVENUE BETWEEN 9TH STREET AND HARVARD ROAD; THE MOTION CARRIED 9-0.
Consider removal of School Beacons not complying with the city’s School Crossing Control Policy.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report. In addition, city staff has met with school district and Cordley personnel; their concern is with students crossing the north leg of 19th Street & Kentucky Street; we have agreed to mark and sign that crosswalk and to investigate possible traffic signal timing changes to help students cross; however this is not related to the existing beacon since it is north of the intersection. The other concern is with the crossing at 19th Street & Vermont Street; there is an adult guard there, but even she has difficulty crossing students. It has been suggested that if the beacon is removed from Kentucky Street, that it be installed on 19th Street to help notify motorists of the crossing. This would require amending the city’s School Crossing Control Policy which currently requires removing beacons when guards are added, however, there are several locations in town where guards have been added and beacons were not removed; however, it may be appropriate to have both since signs alone are not always effective and these type locations typically have higher volumes of vehicles and students, and in some cases higher speed such as Arrowhead Drive & Peterson Road.
Kim Bodensteiner, Cordley Elementary School Principal, 1837 Vermont Street: The beacon on Kentucky Street is too late to help the students crossing at 19th & Kentucky and we encourage students to not cross in the 18th Street area; we support any traffic signal timing changes that can be made to help and installing beacons on 19th; and we are not opposed to removal of the beacon on Kentucky.
Brendy Latare suggested that the beacon be installed on 19th Street prior to Kentucky Street to slow vehicles making a left turn.
Linda Kiernan, 225 W. 22nd Street: I walk my children to school since sometimes the crossing guard can’t even get the cars stopped and the light at Kentucky gets run both east and west. I’m in agreement with moving the beacon.
Officer Jim Miller noted there are students from the north that have a tendency to cross at 18th Street even though they are encouraged not to.
Betty Alderson, 1920 Maine Street: I love the beacons on Kentucky Street; if they are taken out we will have a race track; and there are school buses along Kentucky; and parents drop-off and pick-up students there.
Commissioner Morse: I don’t think we should be using beacons just to slow down traffic in front of a school; I think that people need that kind of consistency and we should be protecting the students where they’re crossing.
Commissioner Hagen: With respect to the policy, there is one clear thing we can do by changing the wording so that beacons can be placed where there are adult crossing guards.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER HAGEN, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BRUNE, TO RECOMMEND AMENDING THE CITY’S SCHOOL CROSSING CONTROL POLICY TO PERMIT INSTALLATION OF FLASHING BEACONS AT LOCATIONS WITH ADULT CROSSING GUARDS WHERE THE CROSSING IS NOT OTHERWISE PROTECTED BY STOP SIGNS OR TRAFFIC SIGNALS; THE MOTION CARRIED 9-0.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HECKLER, TO RECOMMEND MOVING THE FLASHING BEACONS ON KENTUCKY STREET ADJACENT TO CORDLEY SCHOOL TO 19TH STREET ADJACENT TO CORDLEY SCHOOL; THE MOTION CARRIED 9-0.
Woosley noted that the last few years when student counts have been taken adjacent to St. John’s School, there have been no students crossing Kentucky Street at either 12th Street or 13th Street; therefore, crosswalks and beacons are not warranted. It is suggested that additional counts be taken after school starts to confirm that there have not been any changes before any action is taken to remove the existing beacons.
Janet Cairns, 901 Congressional Drive: Although the beacon does not serve the purpose it is supposed to, however, it is highly congested just before and after school and that is my main concern. There is a potential for parents to park in the lot across the street and use the crosswalk to take their children to school. I hate to see anything removed from a school zone that slows traffic.
Karen Schaller, 908 Biltmore Court: My husband does park across the street and takes our daughter to school so the beacons are needed to slow the traffic.
Commissioner Brune asked if St. John’s administration had been heard from on this proposal; Woosley advised that he had not received any comments.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HAMBY, TO TABLE THE REMOVAL OF FLASHING BEACONS IN THE 1300 BLOCK OF KENTUCKY STREET UNTIL VEHICULAR AND PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC DATA AND CRASH DATA CAN BE OBTAINED; THE MOTION CARRIED 9-0.
Public Comment.
None.
Commission items.
Commissioner Drungilas distributed an update of the activities of the Pedestrian Advisory Sub-Committee.
Commissioners noted that they had not received the Attendance Summary for the period August 2004-July 2005.
ITEM NO. 6:
Miscellaneous.
None.
The meeting adjourned at 8:45 PM.
The next scheduled meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission is Monday, September 12, 2005.
Respectfully submitted,
David E. Woosley, P.E.
Transportation/Traffic Engineer