-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Heckler [mailto:rheckler2002@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 5:56 AM
To: Bobbie Walthall
Subject: 13th Street Calming

On tomorrow night's agenda:

• receive Traffic Safety Commission recommendation to

construct traffic calming devices on 13th Street

between Connecticut Street and Haskell Avenue.

Is this justified? Under many circumstances such as

sidewalk conditions, wheel chair traffic, bicycle

traffic and pedestrian traffic absolutely. There are

two somewhat frequent wheel chair travelers. High

speed traffic has been verified and police officers

cannot be present 24/7. We know this is a huge problem

for Lawrence neighborhoods.

Other suggestions:

1. Perhaps substantially increasing speeding fines on

residential streets could be considered as a

residential traffic calming device. No more buy outs

on first offense as Kansas City has recently

eliminated this privilege.

2. Adding more traffic control officers could also be

considered as a traffic calming device in support of

curbing high speed traffic throughout neighborhoods.

3.Reducing speed limits on all residential streets to

25 MPH could also be considered as a traffic calming

device, as a matter of continuity and would eliminate

any confusion among drivers and police officers. Old

West Lawrence is 25 MPH. Downtown is 20 MPH which I

would not change. In the KC area Brookside is 25 mph

which I learned from a police officer who was kind

enough to not write me up due to my ignorance and not

being familiar with the area.

Speed limit signs could be placed on both sides of a

street as a driver enters a residential area from all

other than residential streets. This would be a

revenue saver as opposed to placing signs throughout a

neighborhood.

 It is now 20 mph in a section of Brookcreek. A

neighbor was involved in an accident at 13th and

Prairie in which one vehicle was traveling faster than

20 MPH. The investigating officer was under the

impression that the 20 mph zone was only on the first

block where signs were posted according to the long

time resident. I do not know how the matter was

resolved.

Have a good day,

Dickie Heckler