MINUTES
TRAFFIC
COMMISSION
Monday,
March 24, 2008
City Hall,
Room 310
7:00 pm
MEMBERS PRESENT: Judy Kuiper (Chair), Brad Hopp
(Vice Chair), Matt Kuepers, Charles Karow, Mark Schuster, Lieutenant Brad
Florence (ex-officio), and Alderman Gary Kriescher
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS
PRESENT: Alderwoman Jeffreys,
Alderman Deneys, Alderman Weber, and Recording Secretary and Traffic Engineer
Dave Hansen
1.
Approval of the minutes from the February 25, 2008 Traffic Commission
meeting.
A motion was made by B. Hopp, seconded by M. Kuepers and carried to approve the minutes from the February 25, 2008 Traffic Commission meeting.
The
remaining items were discussed in this order:
7, 5, 10, 6, 9, 2, 3, 4, and 8.
2. Report on Traffic Commission recommendations to Council that were amended.
Dave
Hansen, City Traffic Engineer, stated that Council overturned the Traffic
Commission’s recommendation to not take any action on the failed motion that:
A. DPW be instructed to paint crosswalks and install pedestrian crossing signs on Mason Street at Jackson and VanBuren Streets.
B. DPW apply for a transportation safety grant to
install pedestrian actuated LED blinker signs.
A
discussion took place about concerns of midblock crossings at these locations,
that the markings and signs will be installed when the weather provides for
painting, and that the grant application will be submitted when the next cycle
for Small HSIP funding becomes available.
A
motion was made by Ald. Kriescher, seconded by M. Kuepers and carried that the
report on Traffic Commission recommendations to Council that were amended be
received and placed on file.
3.
Request by Ald. DeWane to study whether speed bumps are worth putting in
on Deer Trail Road to slow an ongoing speed problem.
A
discussion took place about the City’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy
(NTCP), if speed data exists for Deer Trail Rd, complaints of neighborhood
cut-through traffic from Preble High students avoiding Deckner/Danz, and
impacts from the former NO LEFT TURN condition on southbound Danz Av at Deer
Trail Rd.
Since
the City has a traffic calming policy in place, D. Hansen recommended that the
concerned residents should place a request to DPW for a traffic calming study.
A
motion was made by M. Kuepers, seconded by Lt. Florence and carried that the
request to study whether speed bumps are worth putting in on Deer Trail Road to
slow an ongoing speed problem:
A. Be received and placed on file
B. Recommend the requestor(s) to contact DPW for
consideration of Deer Trail Road in the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program.
4. Request by Ald. Wery to discuss allowing parking on one side of the street only on Langlade Avenue from Gross Street to Oneida Street.
D. Hansen stated that Ald. Wery asked that this item be referred to staff so the alderman can obtain neighborhood opinions.
A motion was made by B. Hopp, seconded by M. Kuepers and carried that the request to discuss allowing parking on one side of the street only on Langlade Avenue from Gross Street to Oneida Street be tabled until Ald. Wery decides to bring the request back for consideration.
5. Request by Ald. Deneys for a 4-WAY STOP at the corner of Steven Street and Nancy Avenue and to conduct a traffic study of vehicles and the speed of vehicles traveling on Steven Street.
D. Hansen presented a map of the neighborhood showing both intersecting streets. He recommended the request for STOP signs be referred to DPW staff for study and the request for a speed study be referred to the City’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy (NTCP). He handed out copies of the latest version of the NTCP to Commission members and summarized the process. He stated he provided a NTCP request form to Ald. Deneys last week.
A discussion took place that this intersection was previously studied for a 4-WAY STOP condition, that STOP signs are not to be installed for speed control purposes, and about speed humps.
Ald. Deneys stated that the residents living at the intersection of Steven/Nancy have witnessed near miss crashes. The neighborhood lacks sidewalks. He requested that speed data be collected before the school session ends for the year. He does not support speed bump installation.
A motion was made by M. Schuster, seconded by Lt. Florence and carried that the request for a 4-WAY STOP at the corner of Steven Street and Nancy Avenue and to conduct a traffic study of vehicles and the speed of vehicles traveling on Steven Street be referred to DPW staff for study.
6. Request by David Catalano (2920 Painted Trail Court) to modify the parking restrictions on Painted Trail Court.
Ald. Weber explained that during Martin Luther King (MLK) Elementary school release, parents often park in front of D. Catalano’s driveway, whose property is at the northeast corner of Dancing Dunes Dr and Painted Trail Ct. Ald. Weber requested a NO STOPPING OR STANDING 3-4 PM zone along Painted Trail Court in front of D. Catalano’s home.
A discussion took place about the need for additional sidewalks on Dancing Dunes Dr, the existing nearby on-street parking restrictions, parking and mail delivery issues on the north side of West Point Rd between LaCount Rd and Crestwood Dr, that the school location lends to the traffic issues during school release, and of the frequent violation of posted parking restrictions and driveway blockage on Painted Trail Ct.
A motion was made by B. Hopp, seconded by Lt. Florence and carried that, on a 90-day trial, to establish a NO STOPPING OR STANDING 3-4 PM zone on the north side of Painted Trail Court from Dancing Dunes Drive to a point 80 feet east of Dancing Dunes Drive.
7. Request by the DPW Parking Division to modify Ordinance 29.203 to include trucks parking off the truck route to the Class "B" Parking Violations.
D. Hansen summarized both Ordinance 29.203 (a parking violation) and Ordinance 29.303 (a moving violation). The Parking Division made the request because residents complained of school buses parked on street during the middle of the day. It is a violation of Ordinance 29.303 for a school bus to drive off of a truck route if it’s not transporting students. However, there is no ordinance against a bus parking on street. In other words, although it is legal to park the bus on street, it is illegal to drive it on a non-truck route to that on-street parking location. The extra bus traffic on local streets, especially parked in one spot, causes extra pavement distress. Local streets are not designed for continued heavy truck pavement loadings. Such loading could lead to higher capital improvement costs and residential assessments. On-street parking restrictions such as NO PARKING HERE TO CORNER zones are established assuming a passenger vehicle would be parked, not a bus, which is much wider, taller, and longer than even an SUV. This leads to worsened intersection sight distance and an increase in the number of substandard intersections. Lastly, if the City allows buses to park on non-truck routes, the City is setting a precedent and “opening the door” for the many truck drivers that over the years have requested to park their trucks on-street or in their driveways, even overnight.
A motion was made by Ald. Kriescher, and seconded by B. Hopp to suspend the rules and allow interested parties to speak.
Cindi Lawler (1472 Cardinal Lane, Howard, WI), spoke against the request. She manages bus drivers for Lamers Bus Lines, Inc. in Green Bay. She stated many bus drivers have received warnings from the Parking Division, that couldn’t be traced back to an appropriate ordinance, for parking their buses on-street. She interprets the moving violation ordinance to not apply to buses. She explained that it is beneficial for a bus driver to park their bus at home between routes rather than drive it to the bus terminal, drive their personal car home, then drive back to the terminal to pick up their bus for an afternoon route. If the proposed parking ordinance became law, it would result in higher fuel costs that would get passed onto the Green Bay Public School District and ultimately to the tax payer. Lamers could lose some valuable drivers – if the ordinance were adopted - because of the extra time and money constraints it would put on their drivers.
Ald. Jeffreys spoke against the request. She understands the heavy weight concerns although she thinks the loads are negligible relative to other deteriorating factors. She doesn’t want commercial heavy vehicles to park on local streets, but stated buses should be allowed.
Larry Slaght (142 Williams Street, Pulaski, WI), spoke against the request. He manages Lamers bus drivers in Pulaski. He doesn’t understand why the proposed ordinance is being considered other than that staff needed something to do. Drivers don’t normally deviate from routes. He has a driver that parks across the street from his house that doesn’t bother him. He agrees with C. Lawler that the ability for drivers to take buses home is a huge benefit to the drivers and to the company. Adopting this ordinance would force some bus drivers, and would be a waste of taxpayer dollars and time.
A motion was made by Ald. Kriescher, and seconded by B. Hopp to return to regular order of business.
A discussion took place that a bus is considered a commercial vehicle, about why is this now becoming an issue when buses have been parking on-street in the City for years, clarification of both ordinances, that neighbors are usually the ones complaining about buses parked on-street, and that currently it is legal for a bus to park on a city street.
A motion was made by M. Kuepers, seconded by B. Hopp and carried that the request to modify Ordinance 29.203 to include trucks parking off the truck route to the Class "B" Parking Violations be denied.
8. Request by Ald. VanderLeest for an update on the Mason Street frontage traffic study and for consideration to add a northbound right-turn lane at the Hinkle and W Mason Street intersection.
D. Hansen stated that the final consultant report should be available for review by the next meeting.
A motion was made by B. Hopp, seconded by Ald. Kriescher and carried that the request for an update on the Mason Street frontage traffic study and for consideration to add a northbound right-turn lane at the Hinkle and W Mason Street intersection be postponed until the April 28, 2008 Traffic Commission meeting when the final report should be available for review.
9. Request by Ald. Weber to review parking policies in the 2600 block of West Point Road.
D. Hansen clarified with Ald. Weber that the parking zone concerns are in the 2900 block, not the 2600 block of West Point Rd. D. Hansen stated that mail was not being delivered to some residents because motorists were parking too close to mailboxes.
A motion was made by Ald. Kriescher that, on a 90-day trial, to establish a NO STOPPING OR STANDING 3-4 PM zone on the north side of West Point Rd between LaCount Rd and Crestwood Dr. Motion failed by lack of a second.
A discussion took place about how far MLK parents park up West Point Rd, that to restrict parking on the north side of West Point Rd would force parents to pick up their children on the south side of West Point Rd thereby eliminating children crossing West Point Rd at Dancing Dunes. C. Karow and M. Schuster drive this area during school times, and have not seen vehicles park on West Point Rd near Crestwood Dr and LaCount Rd, where it is believed that the requestor lives. Discussion also took place about all existing mailboxes are located on the north side of West Point Rd, and about inquiring if the Postal Service could alter their delivery times in this area.
A motion was made by B. Hopp, seconded by C. Karow and carried that the request to review parking policies in the 2600 block of West Point Road be postponed until the April 28, 2008 Traffic Commission meeting in order for Ald. Weber to discuss the parking issue with residents.
10. Request
by Ald. Nicholson for a traffic study at the corner of Pecan Street and Main
Street to determine if a green arrow is warranted.
D.
Hansen presented the results of the study.
He did not recommend installing a green arrow on Main St at Pecan
St. Rather, he recommended increasing
the circular green time min and max timers in the signal controller, which will
allow for more Main St left-turn gaps.
A
brief discussion took place about a new Wal-Mart store planned on the City’s
far east side, and its impacts to the Wal-Mart store located at Main/Pecan.
Ald.
Nicholson asked for a copy of the report.
D. Hansen said he would provide one to him.
A
motion was made by B. Hopp, seconded by C. Karow and carried that the request
for a traffic study at the corner of Pecan Street and Main Street to determine
if a green arrow is warranted be:
A. Received and placed on file
B. To modify the Main/Pecan traffic signal timings per
the recommendations of the Traffic Engineer
None.
There being no other items
of discussion, a motion was made by C. Karow, seconded by Ald. Kriescher, and
carried to adjourn from the regular orders of business. The meeting ended at 8:10 P.M. The next Traffic Commission meeting is
scheduled for Monday, April 28, 2008 at 7:00 P.M.