City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission Agenda
June 4, 2007-7:30 PM
Police Department Training Room
4820 Bob Billings Parkway-West Entrance
MEMBERS: David Hamby, Chair; Paul Graves; Robert Hagen; Richard Heckler; Ken Miller; Jason Novotny; Robin Smith; Jim Woods and John Ziegelmeyer Jr.
Anyone who wishes to be notified when
their item will be heard by the City Commission must provide their name and
a telephone number or an e-mail address.
ITEM NO. 1: Review and approve the minutes of the Traffic Safety Commission meeting, May 7, 2007.
ITEM NO. 2: Consider request to remove Bob White Drive from the TRAFFIC CALMING project list.
Facts:
1. The Traffic Safety Commission recommended the construction of SPEED CUSHIONS on Bob White Drive at their February 7, 2005 meeting.
2. The City Commission concurred with the recommendation at their March 8, 2005 meeting.
3. Traffic volumes have decreased slightly and traffic speeds have changed slightly throughout the corridor.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 3: Consider request to remove the YIELD signs on Ponderosa Drive at 24th Street and install STOP signs.
Facts:
1. Currently, traffic on Ponderosa is required to YIELD to traffic on 24th Street.
2. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices states that “STOP signs should be used if…crash records indicate a need for control by the STOP sign.”
3. Police Department crash records show five (5) right-angle crashes during the past three (3) years.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 4: Consider request to establish NO PARKING along the south side of University Drive between Brittany Place and Crestline Drive.
Facts:
1. University Drive is a local street paved 26 feet wide in a residential area.
2. City policy is to establish NO PARKING on local street if supported by the adjacent residents and/or property owners.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 5: Consider reversing the STOP signs at the intersection of 23rd Street and Noria Road.
Facts:
1. North-south traffic on Noria Road currently stops for westbound traffic; this was established a number of years ago before the intersection was annexed by the city and the predominant movements were northbound-to-eastbound and westbound-to-southbound.
2. The existing STOP signs require approximately 62% of the traffic entering the intersection to stop; reversing the stop control would then require less than 5% of the traffic entering the intersection to stop.
3. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices states that “STOP signs should be installed in a manner that minimizes the numbers of vehicles having to stop.”
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 6: Public Comment.
ITEM NO. 7: Commission Items.
Elect Traffic Safety Commission Chair for the period June 2007-June 2008.
Elect Traffic Safety Commission Vice-Chair for the period June 2007-June 2008.
ITEM NO. 8: Miscellaneous.
City Commission action on previous recommendations:
None.
City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission
June 4, 2007 Minutes
MEMBERS PRESENT: David Hamby, Chair; Paul Graves; Richard Heckler; Ken Miller; Jason Novotny; Robin Smith; Jim Woods; and John Ziegelmeyer Jr.
MEMBERS ABSENT: Robert Hagen
STAFF PRESENT: David Woosley, Public Works Department; Shoeb Uddin, Public Works Department
Chair David Hamby called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. in the Police Department Training Room, 4820 Bob Billings Parkway.
Review and approve the minutes of the Traffic Safety Commission meeting, May 7, 2007.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MILLER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HECKLER, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING, MAY 7, 2007; THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0-1 (Woods).
Consider request to remove Bob White Drive from the TRAFFIC CALMING project list.
Woosley presented the information provided in the staff report.
Public comment:
Bruce Boyer, 1626 Bob White Drive: I believe that the consensus of the neighborhood previously was opposed; previously construction was on-going in the area but has been completed; I don’t feel that the data supports traffic calming.
Julie Dunlap, 1638 Bob White Drive: I made the original request; there is poor visibility due to curves and hills; there was substantial support from neighbors for the original request; one neighbor actually had troubling selling his house due to the speed of the traffic; there are many children in the area, something needs to be done.
Allen Reed, 1604 Cog Hill Court: Traffic is too fast on this street; there are kids all up-and-down the street; the hills cause speed to pick up; still in favor of traffic calming and speed bumps.
Commissioner Graves asked if this location still meets the requirements for consideration of traffic calming; Woosley advised that it did meet the minimum requirements.
Commissioner Hamby: I am still in favor of the project.
Commissioner Heckler: I see no reason to reverse our previous decision.
Commissioner Graves: Since traffic calming is warranted here, hopefully it can be funded in the near future.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER HECKLER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GRAVES, TO RECOMMEND DENIAL OF THE REQUEST TO REMOVE BOB WHITE DRIVE FROM THE TRAFFIC CALMING PROJECT LIST; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
Consider request to remove the YIELD signs on Ponderosa Drive at 24th Street and install STOP signs.
Woosley presented the information provided in the staff report and noted that a letter had been received from LRM supporting the request.
Public comment:
None.
Commissioner Heckler: Since there is no one here to speak to this matter, I would normally suggest tabling the item; however, due to the number of crashes, I support the request.
Commissioner Graves: I think the records speak for themselves.
Commissioner Miller asked is there was either local accident data or national accident data for intersections with similar signage; Woosley advised that the city did not track data of this nature throughout the city.
Commissioner Miller: I don’t think five crashes in three years is a large number; we don’t know the severity or details of the accidents listed as injury.
Commissioner Woods: I agree.
Commissioner Graves: I think five crashes in three years with three of them injury is excessive.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ZIEGELMEYER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GRAVES, TO RECOMMEND REMOVING THE YIELD SIGNS ON PONDEROSA DRIVE AT 24TH STREET AND INSTALLING STOP SIGNS; THE MOTION CARRIED 6-2 (Miller, Woods; five crashes in 3 years is not significant).
Consider request to establish NO PARKING along the south side of University Drive between Brittany Place and Crestline Drive.
Woosley presented the information provided in the staff report.
Public comment:
Dan Dannenberg, 2702 University Drive: The residences near Crestline Drive seem to be “party central” at times; fire and ambulance could not get down the street; however, if implemented, parking would be shifted down University; may need to investigate the number of unrelated individuals living in some of the residences; with vehicles parked solidly along both sides, two vehicles approaching each other could not pass; not sure where additional vehicles will park when Meadowbrook expansion is complete.
Commissioner Woods asked if the neighbors support the request; Dannenberg advised that his immediate neighbor does, but he hasn’t spoken to any others.
Commissioner Woods: I’m disappointed that others haven’t shown up to speak to this.
Commissioner Miller: The emergency services argument is sufficient.
Commissioner Heckler: I agree.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER WOODS, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SMITH, TO RECOMMEND ESTABLISHING NO PARKING ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF UNIVERSITY DRIVE BETWEEN BRITTANY PLACE AND CRESTLINE DRIVE; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
Consider reversing the STOP signs at the intersection of 23rd Street and Noria Road.
Woosley presented the information provided in the staff report.
Public comment:
None.
Commissioner Woods asked if the county supported the proposal; Woosley advised that they did.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ZIEGELMEYER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HECKLER, TO RECOMMEND REVERSING THE STOP SIGNS AT THE INTERSECTION OF 23RD STREET AND NORIA ROAD; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
Public Comment:
None.
Commission Items:
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ZIEGELMEYER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HECKLER, NOMINATING COMMISSIONER HAGEN AS CHAIR OF THE TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION FOR THE PERIOD JULY 2007-JUNE 2008; THE MOTION CARRIED 8-0.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MILLER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HAMBY, NOMINATING COMMISSIONER HECKLER AS VICE-CHAIR OF THE TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION FOR THE PERIOD JULY 2007-JUNE 2008; THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0-1 (Heckler).
Miscellaneous.
Woosley introduced Shoeb Uddin, City Engineer.
The meeting adjourned at 8:25 P.M.
The next scheduled meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission is Monday, July 2, 2007.
Respectfully submitted,
David E. Woosley
Transportation/Traffic Engineer