The Public & Traffic Safety Committee continued its discussion about how to control traffic concerns on 1st Avenue between Highway 20 and Oregon 228 during its July 10 meeting.
“Part of the reason why we brought this up is because we are hearing from so many different residents on 1st Avenue requesting something to be done,” City Manager Kelcey Young said. “What we’re hearing the most is for it to get closed off, (while) some of them want any type of traffic control.”
It’s a question the committee, city staff and city council have been talking about for months now. It’s also the reason the committee was recreated, Young said.
In February, Young told the committee there was evidence of speeding on the street and one idea to curb the problem included making some temporary changes to the street – such as, perhaps, placing a closure barricade at 1st and Highway 20 – to study how that would affect traffic patterns and solicit public input about the change. She added that Committee Chair Frank Gallagher had surveyed residents along the street who indicated support for a potential closure – which would ultimately create a cul-de-sac at the end.
In April, Young brought information to the committee that the City Council wanted staff to look into additional options for mitigating the traffic issues before making any decisions. Responding to a suggestion by Gallagher to place stop signs at Oregon 228 and 1st Avenue, Young said there is a plan in the next Transportation System Plan to place an intersection there for improved safety.
In May, consultants presented their findings to the Park and Tree Committee for an updated Parks Master Plan, which included a brief discussion about recommendations for the street, including the north end closure and traffic calming designs. The purpose would create more functionality and access for Clover Memorial Park.
During the July 10 meeting, the committee talked about options such as speed bumps and closing off the north end of 1st Avenue, and ultimately decided to bring the matter before City Council again.
Committee Member Vince Adams shared an idea about emergency vehicle-friendly speed bumps.
“I think and really believe that that’s the direction we should go with that,” Adams said. “They’re not that inconvenient, and I would fully support something of that nature rather than try and cut that street off.”
He said he believes after drivers realize they can’t “haul up the street like they used to,”
they will find alternate routes.
A traffic study provided at the meeting indicated that an average 1,700 to 1,800 cars travel that strip a day. Community Service Officer Sean Morgan said there are usually less than 160 cars on the street per hour, or more than two cars per minute during the busier times in the mornings and evenings.
Committee Member Bud Mather supported the idea of closing off the north end, and also suggested a third option: putting in a three-way stop at 1st Avenue and Nandina Street. Committee Member Joe Graybill indicated he was more concerned about the quantity of cars than the speed because he believes the speed concern has improved during the past few years. What he would like to see, he said, is options and cost estimates.
Graybill said he compared how long it would take to get to the OR 228 /1st Avenue intersection if speed bumps were installed on the street.
“First Avenue at 25 miles an hour, it takes you about 45 seconds to get from one end to the other,” he said. “If you’re getting there any faster, you’re driving too fast.”
To get from 1st Avenue to the signals, it takes about 45 seconds, plus an additional 45 seconds to go from the signals to 1st/228.
“A bypass going around a closed 1st Avenue, if it ever came to that, is basically doubling the time,” he said.
He further shared that when this issue was under the microscope in the past, there were concerns about limiting access for emergency vehicles.
“One of the reasons nothing happened roughly 10 to 15 years ago was the cost,” Graybill said.
Young responded that the desired speed humps are significantly more expensive than doing a road closure.
A resident, identified only as Mr. Jackson, said he lives on the “1st Avenue freeway” and he surveyed 32 houses on the street.
“One hundred percent wanted that road closed to through traffic,” he said. “The reality is, it’s been going on for over 20 years. Something has got to be done before a kid dies. They say the cost of road bumps is expensive; what’s the cost of a life?”
He testified he’s had numerous close calls with being hit on that street, and cited one incident when a driver bypassed a car by driving on the sidewalk.
“Somehow we need to move forward with this because we’re here for a reason,” Adams said.
He reiterated that he does not support road closures and would want speed humps instead, adding that if 1st Avenue gets closed off at the north end, then the city should follow suit with a road closure at Mountain View, as well, for the same reason.
Young responded that 1st Avenue was a poorly designed “mistake” which requires some sort of rectification and it differs from other street problems, such as Mountain View.
“If you’re really trying to make this neighborhood safer, close it,” Young said.
Graybill noted they should expect some pushback from drivers if the city even places a temporary closure on the street. He’d like to see how it pans out in test mode for a couple months.
“I found when I went the long way around, it wasn’t all that long,” Graybill said. “I have known over the years significant concerns on 1st Avenue and I think it’s a workable solution to do that.”
In other business:
- The committee briefly reviewed traffic analysis of Oak Terrace and Long Street;
- Adams said log trucks parked on the street take up too much space and create unsafe driving conditions because drivers cannot see cross-traffic, pedestrians or animals until it’s too late. As such, he thinks commercial vehicles should be parked on the owner’s property. Young said city staff would review ordinances to determine how to move forward on those concerns.