City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission Agenda
March 6, 2006-7:30 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, February 6, 2006.
ITEM NO. 2: Consider request to establish NO PARKING along the south side of Century Drive between Crestline Drive and Madeline Lane.
Facts:
1. Century Drive is a “local” street in a residential area paved 26 feet wide.
2. Parking is currently permitted along both sides of Century Drive at all times.
3. Parking can be restricted along one or both sides of the street at any time or for any time period if supported by the adjacent residents.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 3: Consider request to mark a crosswalk at the intersection of 9th Street and Connecticut Street.
Facts:
1. Crosswalks are generally only marked at signalized intersections and at Official School Crossings.
2. The intersection of 9th Street and Connecticut Street is controlled by an ALL-WAY STOP
3. Connecticut Street is a two-lane street and carries approximately 8000 vehicles per day.
4. A recent study of 2000 crosswalks in 30 cities across the country found that on a two-lane street, the crash rate at marked vs. unmarked crosswalks was identical.
5. A crosswalk can be marked at this intersection, but the justification used should be applied at similar intersections throughout the city.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 4: Consider request to establish NO PARKING along the east side of the 600 Block of Connecticut Street.
Facts:
1. Connecticut is a “local” street in a residential/commercial area paved 25 feet wide.
2. Parking is currently prohibited along the east side of Connecticut Street 7AM-NOON, MON-FRI, beginning 140 feet north of 7th Street, extending north 75 feet. Parking is permitted along the remainder of both sides of Connecticut Street at all times.
3. Parking can be restricted along one or both sides of the street at any time or for any time period if supported by the adjacent residents/businesses.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 5: Public Comment.
ITEM NO. 6: Commission Items.
ITEM NO. 7: Miscellaneous.
City Commission action on previous recommendations:
None.
City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission
March 6, 2006 Minutes
MEMBERS PRESENT: John Ziegelmeyer, Jr., Chair, David Hamby, Vice-Chair, Caroljean Brune, Danny Drungilas, Paul Graves, Richard Heckler and Caleb Morse.
MEMBERS ABSENT: Carol Bowen, Robert Hagen.
STAFF PRESENT: David Woosley, Public Works Department, Tracy Russell, 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, February 6, 2006.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER DRUNGILAS, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING, FEBRUARY 6, 2006; THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Consider request to establish NO PARKING along the south side of Century Drive between Crestline Drive and Madeline Lane.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MORSE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BRUNE, RECOMMENDING THAT NO PARKING BE ESTABLISHED ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF CENTURY DRIVE BETWEEN CRESTLINE DRIVE AND MADELINE LANE; THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Consider request to mark a CROSSWALK at the intersection of 9th Street and Connecticut Street.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
Dayna Carleton, 937 Connecticut Street: I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to mark a crosswalk; we think it is safer to have it marked; it’s dangerous to cross some of these streets; we are in favor of anything that will help us to keep walking; there is a lot of foot traffic at this intersection.
Commissioner Drungilas: I go through that intersection a half a dozen times a day and there is almost always a pedestrian trying to cross; I would like to see crosswalks there.
Commissioner Morse: How about installing a stop line where the cars are supposed to stop? Woosley advised that could be done.
Commissioner Heckler: I’d go for a painted crosswalk.
Commissioner Hamby: I like the suggestion of a stop line; I’m concerned that marking the crosswalk would set a precedent for every other all-way stop intersection in town; the statistics don’t show that it is any safer being marked and it may be a false perception that would create more crashes; with a crosswalk there, the pedestrians may not watch as closely thinking the crosswalk will protect them; I wouldn’t want to create a situation where the pedestrians think they are safe and they aren’t.
Commissioner Brune: It is usually the children that think the crosswalk gives them the right-of-way.
Commissioner Graves: If this is no longer a school crossing, what changed? Woosley advised that the number of students crossing has changed over the years.
Commissioner Ziegelmeyer: I personally like the idea of the stop lines; I’m concerned about the false perception of the crosswalk; I think we would set-up an expectation that is really not there.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER HAMBY, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GRAVES, RECOMMENDING THAT STOP LINES BE INSTALLED ON EACH APPROACH TO THE INTERSECTION OF 9TH STREET & CONNECTICUT STREET; THE MOTION CARRIED 5-2 (Drungilas, Heckler; wanted crosswalks).
Consider request to establish NO PARKING along the east side of the 600 Block of Connecticut Street.
David Woosley reviewed the information provided in the staff report.
Christy Brandt, 621 Connecticut Street: When cars are parked on both sides of the street, we cannot turn out of the alley into the street; we have to back up and go around through the alley to 7th Street; if either side could have NO PARKING, it would help.
Commissioner Morse asked if parking were prohibited on the west side and permitted on the east side, could they get out of the ally; Brandt advised that they could.
Commissioner Heckler: This is an issue for emergency vehicles as well.
Commissioner Drungilas: Since there are no driveways on the west side of the street, the impact would be less if parking was removed from the east side.
Commissioner Brune: It seems logical since there is already NO PARKING on the east side partially, that we just extend it along the whole east side.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BRUNE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HECKLER, RECOMMENDING ESTABLISHING NO PARKING ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE 600 BLOCK OF CONNECTICUT STREET; THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
ITEM NO. 5:
Public Comment.
None.
Commission items:
Commissioner Drungilas updated the Commission on the activities of the Pedestrian Advisory Sub-committee. Minutes of the Pedestrian Advisory Sub-committee will be provided to the Traffic Safety Commission in the future.
Miscellaneous.
David Woosley provided the Commission with the language in the City of Lawrence Employee Handbook concerning operation of city vehicles.
The meeting adjourned at 8:15PM.
The next scheduled meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission is Monday, April 3, 2006.
Respectfully submitted,
David E. Woosley, P.E.
Transportation/Traffic Engineer