MEMBERS PRESENT: Commander Lisa
Sterr,
Alderman Andy Nicholson, Charles Karow, and Bryan Lipke
MEMBERS ABSENT: Chairperson Brad Hopp, Vice Chairperson Matt Kuepers,
and Mark Schuster (all excused)
OTHERS PRESENT: Alderman Wiezbiskie,
Alderman Piton, and Recording Secretary and Traffic Engineer Dave Hansen
Ald.
Nicholson chaired the meeting due to the excused absences of both Chairperson
Brad Hopp and Vice Chairperson Matt Kuepers.
1. Approval of the minutes from the
September 28, 2009 Traffic Commission meeting.
A motion was made by C. Karow,
seconded by B. Lipke, and carried to approve the minutes from the September 28,
2009 Traffic Commission meeting.
2. Request by Ald. Wiezbiskie to consider
providing bicycle/pedestrian paths throughout the I-43
Business District and providing pedestrian access crossing East Mason
Street.
A motion was made by C. Karow,
seconded by B. Lipke, and carried that the request to consider providing
bicycle/pedestrian paths throughout the I-43 Business District and providing
pedestrian access crossing East Mason Street be postponed.
This request was brought back for
consideration after Item 16. A brief
discussion took place that the item was postponed so Ald. Wiezbiskie could attend
another meeting and could show up after it to discuss. Ald. Wiezbiskie had to leave this meeting
before this item was brought back.
A second motion was made by C.
Karow, seconded by B. Lipke, and carried that the request to consider providing
bicycle/pedestrian paths throughout the I-43 Business District and providing
pedestrian access crossing East Mason Street be postponed until the next
Traffic Commission meeting.
3. Request by Ald. Kocha
to determine if the traffic signal at Crooks Street and Webster Avenue is still
warranted and if so, determine if the Crooks Street red time is unnecessarily
long.
Dave Hansen, City Traffic Engineer,
recommended that the request be referred to staff to complete a traffic signal
warrant analysis.
A motion was made by C. Karow,
seconded by B. Lipke, and carried that the request to determine if the traffic
signal at Crooks Street and Webster Avenue is still warranted and if so,
determine if the Crooks Street red time is unnecessarily long be referred to
DPW for study.
4. Request by Ald. Piton, on behalf of the
St. Vincent de Paul Board of Directors, to consider NO PARKING signs in front
of 1529 Leo Frigo Way.
A motion was made by C. Karow,
seconded by B. Lipke, and carried that the request to consider NO PARKING signs
in front of 1529 Leo Frigo Way be postponed until Ald. Piton arrived.
This request was brought back for
consideration after Item 8 when Ald. Piton was present.
D. Hansen showed a map and photos of
the area and described the existing parking restrictions. There is an existing NO PARKING HERE TO
CORNER zone on the west side of Leo Frigo Way just south of Weise St. There is a non-city installed parking
restriction sign mounted on that same location, and another just south of the
drop-off driveway to the St Vincent de Paul store. Those signs are not enforceable and the signs
should be removed.
Ald. Piton stated that the
requestors want to move the NO PARKING HERE TO CORNER sign south near the
drop-off driveway. He explained that the
current drop-off situation leads to vehicles blocking the street. The requested zone would encourage the
formation of a drop-off line and would unblock the street for moving traffic.
A brief discussion took place about
the appropriateness of establishing a loading zone at this location.
A second motion was made by C. Karow,
seconded by Cmdr. Sterr, and carried that:
A. On a 90-day trial, to remove the NO PARKING
zone on the west side of Leo Frigo Way from a point 50 feet north of Weise
Street to a point 30 feet south of Weise Street.
B. On a 90-day trial, to establish a NO PARKING
zone on the west side of Leo Frigo Way from a point 50 feet north of Weise
Street to a point 85 feet south of Weise Street.
C. DPW removes the existing non-city parking signs
on the west side of Leo Frigo Way between Weise Street and Vanderbraak
Street.
5. Request by Ald. Wery for a study of the
intersection of Dousman Street and Platten Street for a 4-WAY STOP condition.
D. Hansen recommended referring the
request to staff to evaluate the intersection for multi-way STOP warrants.
A motion was made by C. Karow,
seconded by Cmdr. Sterr, and carried that the request for a study of the
intersection of Dousman Street and Platten Street for a 4-WAY STOP condition be
referred to DPW for study.
6. Request by Ald. Vander Leest to review
the traffic signal at Taylor Street and Mason Street for adequate Taylor Street
green time.
D. Hansen summarized the programming
of this traffic signal, which was retimed in Jan 2009 along with other nearby
signals which were synchronized as a system of signals. He explained that Taylor St has a green arrow
and a green ball indication, and that the arrow is skipped if no left-turn
traffic is present. Ald. Vander Leest
has questioned D. Hansen on the operations of this signal in the past, and
those issues have been resolved, but seem to be reoccurring. D. Hansen stated that the programming and
level of service can be checked on Taylor St, and if retiming is necessary,
that the changes do not have a negative “snowball” effect on traffic flow on W
Mason St and nearby signals and US 41.
D. Hansen recommended that the request be referred to staff for study.
A motion was made by B. Lipke, seconded by C. Karow,
and carried that the request to review the traffic signal at Taylor Street and
Mason Street for adequate Taylor Street green time be referred to DPW for
study.
7. Request by Ald. Vander Leest to install
an additional MERGE AHEAD warning sign on northbound Military Avenue just north
of Lombardi Avenue.
D. Hansen showed a map of the area
and stated that the merge issue occurs because there are 2 left-turn lanes from
eastbound Lombardi Ave at the Military/Lombardi traffic signal that feed into
northbound Military Ave. There was only
1 left-turn lane prior to the 2007 Lombardi Ave reconstruction. These 2 lanes quickly taper down to 1 lane
just north of the intersection. DPW
improved the signs and markings in this area shortly after the Lombardi Ave
reconstruction to resolve the merge issue.
D. Hansen is not aware of any crash issue at this location.
A discussion took place that most eastbound left-turners at Lombardi/Military use
the left-most lane to avoid the merge issue; that adding a sign at the traffic
signal would confuse eastbound motorists; about installing a RIGHT LANE ENDS XX
FEET sign, and sign clutter.
Discussion then focused on driver
reaction to signs vs. markings.
Motorists proceeding through a dual-left turn lane concentrate on not
sideswiping the vehicle next to them and pay attention to the skip-dash lines
separating the left-turn lanes. Because
driver eyes are focused on the pavement, motorists are likely to comply better
with an additional lane merge arrow marking.
Discussion continued about consideration of extending the 2 northbound
lanes to match into the 2 lanes that exist on Military Ave just north of the
slip lane entry.
A motion was made by C. Karow,
seconded by B. Lipke, and carried that the request to install an additional MERGE
AHEAD warning sign on northbound Military Avenue just north of Lombardi Avenue
be referred to staff to evaluate the existing lane merge pavement markings and
upgrade as needed.
8. Request by the Traffic Engineer to
review the adopted Crossing Guard Policy.
D. Hansen handed out a marked-up
copy of the existing Crossing Guard and Monitor Guidelines, which was adopted
by Council on Jan 15, 2002. He stated
that the reason he brought this request forward is because, at past meetings,
Ald. Theisen stated there was a past Council action requiring adult crossing
guards to place traffic cones at their intersections when on duty. This policy clarifies the use of traffic
cones by crossing guards. The existing
policy states that adult crossing guards are authorized to use them, but are
not required to use them. D. Hansen
continued that there are obsolete references within the policy, and summarized
his recommended policy updates. He
recommended removing all references to the “crossing guard buddy” since this
device is no longer being used due to past claims against the city of vehicle
damage and that the device was non-compliant to current federal and state
requirements (MUTCD and its Wisconsin supplement). He also recommended requiring all crossing
guards to wear ANSI approved safety vests, since FHWA made this a requirement
in Nov 2008 for road workers.
C. Karow questioned if another sign
such as the School In-Street Pedestrian Crossing sign should be considered to
be included in the policy since the crossing guard buddy would be removed from
the authorized device list. A brief
discussion took place about authorized devices.
Ald. Wiezbiskie questioned if the
policy addresses the gathering of multiple agencies/committees to discuss
crossing guard locations. D. Hansen
responded that the document is intended to be used by adult crossing guards and
student monitors to identify acceptable applications and activities while on
duty. The policy is not intended to
address agency coordination and new guard locations.
A motion was made by C. Karow,
seconded by B. Lipke, and carried that the request to review the adopted
Crossing Guard Policy be adopted as presented and to include text in the policy
to allow crossing guards to temporarily install the School In-Street Pedestrian
Crossing signs compliant to MUTCD and WisMUTCD criteria.
The remaining agenda items were
taken in the following order: 4, 14,
9-11, 13, 15-16, and 2.
POSTPONED FROM
PREVIOUS MEETING
9. Request by Ald. Nicholson to review the
intersection of Main Street and Manitowoc Road with possible green arrows.
Ald. Nicholson stated he would like
this request postponed one month.
A motion was made by C. Karow, seconded by B. Lipke,
and carried that the request to review the intersection of Main Street and
Manitowoc Road with possible green arrows be postponed until the next Traffic
Commission meeting.
10. Request by Ald. Nicholson to review the
speed limit on East Mason Street from Edgewood Drive to I-43.
D. Hansen summarized the history of
the request from past meetings. He
expressed his concern with dropping the speed limit to 30 or 35 mph because a
percentage of drivers will adhere to the posted speed but most motorists will
drive at a speed they feel most comfortable and safe. Speed differential typically increases
crashes. Crash history along this road
segment does not suggest a speed differential problem. D. Hansen questioned how reducing the speed
limit is going to improve safety for students and pedestrians crossing E Mason
St at Alpine Dr because they can only cross E Mason St when it has a red
light. D. Hansen stated he responded via
email to the GBPD officer requesting to drop the speed. Ald. Nicholson asked D. Hansen if the GBPD
officer replied to the email. D. Hansen
responded no.
A brief discussion took place about
conducting speed studies.
A motion was made by C. Karow,
seconded by B. Lipke, and carried that the request to review the speed limit on
East Mason Street from Edgewood Drive to I-43 be received and placed on
file. Ald. Nicholson voted no.
11. Request by the Green Bay Police
Department to move the crossing guard assignment from Eliza/Webster to
Porlier/Webster.
D. Hansen stated that he received a
voice message from Ald. Theisen, stating that he has not heard of any problems
with the move. Cmdr. Sterr added that
the crossing guard working at this location confirmed that pedestrian safety
has been improved, that more students are now using this location, especially
because the guard is now closer to Howe Elementary School, and that they
haven’t received any parent complaints since the move.
A motion was made by C. Karow,
seconded by Cmdr. Sterr, and carried that the request to move the crossing
guard assignment from Eliza/Webster to Porlier/Webster be approved.
13. Request that a temporary crossing guard
continues to be staffed at the intersection of East Mason Street and Alpine
Drive through the remainder of the school year.
A brief discussion took place
whether the guard was on temporary or permanent assignment. Cmdr. Sterr clarified an agreement that the
city has with the school district, which is the City pays for warranted
crossing guards and in return the school district pays for school resource
officers.
A motion was made by C. Karow,
seconded by B. Lipke, and carried that the request that a temporary crossing
guard continues to be staffed at the intersection of East Mason Street and
Alpine Drive through the remainder of the school year be approved.
14. Request for crossing guard studies at the
intersections of I-43/Mason Southbound Ramp (Edison Middle) and Mason/Country
Club (Lombardi Middle and Southwest High).
Ald. Wiezbiskie requested that the
I-43/Mason and Mason/Country Club items be broken out into two, as his
discussion only pertains to the I-43/Mason location. He doesn’t agree that crossing guards should
only be established for elementary school locations.
D. Hansen responded to Ald.
Wiezbiskie questions about future pedestrian signals at I-43/Mason southbound
ramp, about a NO RIGHT ON RED sign for the southbound-to-westbound
movement. D. Hansen stated that the City
cannot modify those signals or regulate turning movements because the traffic
signals are owned/maintained by WisDOT.
Ald. Wiezbiskie continued that the
City cannot wait for the future WisDOT project that will add pedestrian
signals, and that the school district should be responsible for a crossing
guard and other improvements at this location because they are the ones that
dropped the bus route. Safety must be
improved for everyone, not just elementary students. A firm recommendation from the Commission is
needed and the study shouldn’t be received and placed on file.
A discussion took place about the
nationwide practice of assigning crossing guards predominantly at elementary
school intersections; that variances to this practice do happen; that crossing
guards near middle and high schools should be considered if warrants are met
and that the guard locations are on designated school routes. D. Hansen stated that the I-43/Mason
intersection is on a designated school route, but does not meet guard warrants.
Cmdr. Sterr stated that the crossing
guard administrator spoke with Mike Donart, Transportation Manager, Green Bay
Area Public School District (GBAPS), and that the school district has agreed to
pay for a crossing guard at I-43/Mason through the end of the 2009-2010 school
year. D. Hansen stated that since a
guard will be present for the remainder of the year and since this route is new
and the pedestrian traffic will normalize throughout the school year that there
is no reason for the Commission to take action now on the request. Ald. Wiezbiskie would like to see the
crossing guard commitment from the school district in writing.
A two-part motion was made by C.
Karow, seconded by B. Lipke, and carried that the crossing guard study at the
intersection of Mason/Country Club (Lombardi Middle and Southwest High) be
received and placed on file, and that the Green Bay Area Public School District
(GBAPS) provides a written commitment to the Green Bay Police Department that
GBAPS will provide an adult crossing guard at the intersection of I-43/Mason
Southbound Ramp (Edison Middle) for the entire 2009-2010 school calendar year.
TERMINATION
OF TRIAL PERIODS
15. That, on a 90-day trial, to remove the
2-WAY YIELD condition on Beth Drive at Robert Lane
A motion was made by C. Karow, seconded
by B. Lipke, and carried that the removal of the 2-WAY YIELD condition on Beth
Drive at Robert Lane be adopted by ordinance.
16. That, on a 90-day trial, to establish a
2-WAY STOP condition on Beth Drive at Robert Lane.
A motion was made by C. Karow, seconded by B. Lipke,
and carried that a 2-WAY STOP condition on Beth Drive at Robert Lane be
established and adopted by ordinance.
There
being no other items of discussion, a motion was made by C. Karow, seconded by
B. Lipke, and carried to adjourn from the regular orders of business. The meeting ended at 6:55 P.M. The next Traffic Commission meeting is
scheduled for Monday, November 23, 2009, in Room 310 at 5:30 P.M.