City Council - Public Safety Committee

Public Safety Committee Minutes October 8, 2024 Members present: Councilor Zaret, Councilor Riley, Councilor Derby Members absent: Also in Attendance: Interim Chief Scribner, Lt. Alexander, and Director Nuttelman. The meeting was called to order by Councilor Zaret at 6:00 pm 1. Public Speak Time: Michael Fermin – 46 West Street, since the last meeting, he’s noticed on 143 West Street it’s 30mph going around the hill, and the other end is 25 mph. Suggested making West Street to 30 mph uniformly. Police caught the motorcyclist who was speeding. Sherry Lee – 28 West Street, doesn’t think changing the speed limit will change the behavior. Sees an increase in high-speed traffic accidents at work. Feels that drivers are confrontational on West Street. Police can’t be babysitters; she would prefer to have something built into the road that slows down traffic. There are no lane lines, make it seem narrower, more signage like saying radar is in use, etc. “Sometimes I feel like I’m going to die while checking the mail.” Caroline Foley – 143 West Street, my mailbox has been hit by traffic, I don’t know what the solution is, if we set it to 25mph, assuming people may go a little over the speed limit. There’s no sidewalk where I live, I feel scared to walk my dog, and there’s not even a white line to protect pedestrians. Tawnya Tiskus – 94 West Street, agrees with Michael about making the speed limit consistent. She lives on a stretch that is 35 mph. Doesn’t know if dropping to 25mph is practical. Agrees with Caroline as well. The corner on West Street is dicey. Our mailbox has also been hit. Cars parked on the side of the street visiting neighbors have been hit and we’ve lost a couple of pets due to the traffic. 2. Approval of the September 10th meeting notes: Councilor Derby made a motion to approve, Councilor Riley seconded, Vote: 3-0 Approved. 3. Continuing Business: Traffic & Pedestrian Safety on West Street  Councilor Derby would like to know about what options we have for putting lines on West Street. Potential crosswalks between Searle and Meadowbrook could be raised to be an automatic speedbump could help. With increased density, could extending sidewalks happen down to Loudville Rd and what grants exist to help that process?  Councilor Zaret said we need to figure out mitigation strategies, we know what’s been employed across the community, but we need to ascertain what works for West Street.  Interim Chief Scribner – said he drives West Street regularly. Agrees that fog lines on the road end on the high end of West Street and then there’s nothing all the way to Rt. 10. Narrowing the travel lane has a positive effect on people’s perceptions of how fast they’re going and being cautious. It also gives an established bike lane and space between the  motorists and pedestrians. Having a mobile speed board draws more attention to the speed limit, but these resources get requested across the city. Can we explore grants to find a new sign to dedicate to West Street? A reduced speed ahead sign could eliminate some confusion.  Lieutenant Alexander - Most of our data shows cars are driving 35-45mph, so they are speeding. He supports fog lines on the entire street. When we implemented fog lines on Holyoke Street, it reduced the overall speed. This could work for West Street, too.  Councilor Zaret – Companies and independent research says speed tracking signs reduce speed. The flashing draws people’s attention to the sign to increase mindfulness. Interim Chief Scribner and Lieutenant Alexander agreed.  Councilor Derby – said he likes moving the reducing speed sign down the road so people know the speed limit change is happening soon.  Director Nuttelman agreed the fog lines do work. He said we have a contractor that comes to do this. They will be here in a few weeks, and we can get them to do West Street while they’re here. We’ll have to check the Traffic Rules and Orders regarding speed limits. There’s no sidewalk on the even side of West Street, if we were putting a crosswalk, it would need ADA-accessible features, and it would require an appropriation from the Mayor’s office and the City Council. It is approximately $30-40k to build a project like this. Speedbumps could be $50k for two speedbumps. They come with acceleration and deceleration noise in the homes where they are located. He also supports finding a grant for a solar-powered speed sign.  Councilor Derby asked when the last time West Street was repaved. Director Nuttelman said it had a crack seal treatment, but it’s not at the top of the list to be repaved. Councilor Derby asked if there was a Master List of places that could benefit from sidewalks. Director Nuttelman said no, but we have sidewalk investments closer to downtown that are nowhere near ADA standards for sidewalks that take precedence.  Councilor Zaret asked if 25mph is okay for the entire street. Director Nuttelman doesn’t think it needs to be 35mph but said we’ll have to take a closer look. No amount of engineering can overcome human behavior.  Councilor Riley reaffirmed what the action items are, scaffolding mitigation strategies are a start. He asked the public to contact Councilors via email to share thoughts based on the conversations tonight. Next regular meeting: Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 6:00 PM. Councilor Derby made a motion to adjourn, and Councilor Riley seconded. Vote: 3-0. The meeting adjourned at 6:37 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Councilor Brad Riley Chair of Appointments Clerk to the Public Safety Committee