Traffic Commission Meeting

URBANA TRAFFIC COMMISSION Tuesday, February 11, 2014 MEMBERS PRESENT: Michael Madigan, City Council Member, Ward 6, Chair Joe Smith, Senior Civil Engineer Pat Connolly, Police Chief MEMBERS ABSENT: None OTHERS PRESENT: Craig Shonkwiler, Assistant City Engineer John Ware, 1302 West Dublin Avenue Craig Heaton, 3115 Earle Court Terry Rienbolt, 2001 Trails Drive Allen Strong, 2004 North Willow Nancy Strong, 2004 North Willow The meeting began at 4:00 p.m. Additions to the agenda: There were no additions to the agenda. Approval of Minutes: Joe Smith moved to approve the minutes of the December 10, 2013 meeting. Pat Connolly seconded the motion. The Commission voted 3-0 to approve the minutes of the meeting. Public Input Those present wished to speak to the Commission at the time the item was discussed. Unfinished Business There was no unfinished business to be discussed.  Traffic Commission Minutes February 2014 Page 2 New Business Item #1- Discussion of parking restrictions across from 1302 West Dublin Street. John Ware discussed difficulties accessing his driveway on Mathews Avenue. He mentioned that the new construction on Mathews Avenue made it harder to back out of his driveway since the cars had to park along a curb. Joe Smith stated that there were cars parked on both sides of the street. He added that there was a No Parking Here to Corner sign back from stop sign. He said that he was trying to keep parking available in front of 1003, even though most of the neighborhood had parking restrictions on the west sides of the streets. He recommended removing two spaces, which would leave one space in front of the house at 1003 North Mathews Avenue. He said that the residents at 1003 typically used one space and they had a garage on the side of their property through the alley. Joe Smith moved to remove parking on the west side of Mathews Avenue from the centerline of Dublin Street to 136 feet north of the centerline. He added that parking on west side for the remainder of the block would remain unless there were other concerns brought before the Traffic Commission. Pat Connolly seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0. This item will go to Council for consideration. Joe Smith mentioned that the parking restrictions would not be posted on the street until the sign crew could install the posts, which would be when the ground thawed. Items #2- Discussion of the installation of No Outlet signage on Earle Court. Joe Smith stated that Earle Court was at the end of Trails Drive and that some motorists were not aware that Trails Drive ended until they had travelled too far to turn around. He added that then they turned onto Earle Court, which also had no outlet. Craig Heaton added that when motorists turned onto Earle Court and discovered that they are lost; they would speed up to get back to Trails Drive. He added that there were a couple of lost vehicles that became stuck during one of the recent snowfalls and virtually blocked the entire street. Joe Smith moved to install a No Outlet sign on Trails Drive to warn motorists that the street ended. Pat Connolly seconded the motion.  Traffic Commission Minutes February 2014 Page 3 The motion passed 3-0. This item does not require Council action. Item #4- Discussion the removal of the No Turn on Red restrictions within the Central Business District. Item #4 was moved on the agenda to accommodate those who were present to discuss the issue. Pat Connolly mentioned that he had received calls from citizens concerned about motorists not obeying the No Turn on Red signage in downtown Urbana. Allen Strong asked if the Traffic Commission would consider removing the restrictions in downtown Urbana since he did not think they were necessary. He continued by saying that the signage slowed down traffic in downtown and discourage people from going through downtown. He said that his customers had mentioned that they did not like the signage. He also discussed the problem with traffic backups for eastbound traffic on Springfield Avenue which he believed were caused by the timing of the new traffic signals in the downtown area. Joe Smith said that the signage was installed in the 1980s at intersections where visibility was restricted by parked vehicles in the downtown area. He added that the Council had supported the signage at that time for pedestrian safety. Mr. Strong said that he would like to encourage traffic in downtown Urbana. He added that the signage slowed people down. Joe Smith stated that the City was working on the timing for the newly installed traffic signals. He mentioned that with the configuration of the intersections, right turns on red would not be possible unless the lead vehicle wanted to make a right turn. Mr. Strong said that he understood the necessity of the restriction on Race Street at University Avenue, but that he didn’t think the other signs were needed in the downtown area. Joe Smith mentioned that the restrictions were removed for eastbound traffic on Main Street at Vine Street when the building on the northwest corner was removed since there was no longer a visibility issue at that intersection. He continued by saying that he would consider all of the signage and make recommendations to the Traffic Commission at the next meeting. He added that he would like to wait for warmer weather to look at the number of pedestrians at those locations. The Recording Secretary informed the Commission that Dennis Roberts had called to say that he was in favor of removing the signage.  Traffic Commission Minutes February 2014 Page 4 Item #3- Discussion of removing and installing parking restrictions on Mathews Avenue between Church Street and Hill Street. Joe Smith mentioned that most of the parking restrictions for streets heading north and southbound were located on the west side, except for Mathews Avenue between Church Street and Hill Street. He said that most of the parking needs were for those properties on the east side instead of the west side of the street. Joe Smith moved to remove the parking restrictions on Mathews Avenue between Church Street and Hill Street on the east side and place the restrictions on the west side and to include the two- hour parking restrictions on the east side of Mathews Avenue between Church Street and Hill Street. Pat Connolly seconded the motion. The motion was approved 3-0. This item will go to Council for consideration. The meeting adjourned at 4:25 p.m. The next scheduled meeting will be held on March 11, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. at the Urbana Public Works Department, 706 South Glover Avenue, second floor conference room. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Stiehl Recording Secretary