MINUTES

TRAFFIC COMMISSION MEETING

JULY 11, 2001

CALL TO ORDER

Voting Members Present: Ron Eck, Gene Kiral, Ron Justice, Katy Gleitzman, Roy Nutter,

James Lattanzi,

Voting Members Absent: Alton Dalzot, Ann Leonette

Non-Voting Members: Terry Hough, City Engineer; Chuck Williamson, Police Department

MATTERS OF BUSINESS: Minutes of June meeting approved: Motion by J. Lattanzi,

Seconded by R. Justice.

OLD BUSINESS:

Sheldon Avenue and Eastern Avenue Traffic Studies:

Traffic counters were placed on Sheldon Avenue on June 13^th at 11:00 a.m. until June 15^th at

10:00 a.m. On the first day, 103 cars were counted between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. with

the fastest car going about 30 m.p.h. On the second day, 105 cars were counted between

12:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. with one car going approximately 50 m.p.h.; the rest going between

20 and 30 m.p.h. Average speed was 29 m.p.h.

Traffic counters were also placed on Eastern Avenue on the above dates. On the first day, a total of 246 cars were counted with 31 m.p.h being the top speed. On the second day, a total of 381 cars were counted with 32 m.p.h. being the top speed. On the third day, 122 cars were counted

with 30 m.p.h. being the top speed. Average speed was 24 m.p.h.

Police will continue to enforce with manpower available.

NEW BUSINESS:

Carlise Avenue/Jerome Park Area: Request by Councilperson Byrne to investigate and assist

residents with speeding issues in the area of Jerome Park and Carlisle Avenue.

Discussion ensued about the speeding problem in the Jerome Park area and the possibility of

placing two (2) STOP signs on Darst at Carlisle and Richwood Aves..

Motion by R. Nutter for two (2) STOP signs to be placed at the intersections of Carlisle Ave. and Putnam St., and Putnam St. and Richwood Ave. Motion was seconded by R. Justice.

City Engineer, Terry Hough, suggested that we do a more in-depth study of the area before

placing STOP signs.

J. Lattanzi stated that STOP signs are not going to be the solution to the traffic problem in this area.

Motion by K. Gleitzman to table this issue until traffic study in this area is done. Motion was

seconded by J. Lattanzi and passed unanimously.

Eliminate Parking on one side of Elmina Street: Request by resident to eliminate parking on

one side of Elmina Street (600 block) due to the narrowness of the street (hampers sanitation

and fire department vehicles).

City Engineer, Terry Hough, stated that Elmina has a 30 ft. r.o.w., an average City street.

J. Lattanzi stated that removing parking from one side of Elmina Street will cause a parking

problem for residents who do not have driveways or off-street parking available.

T. Hough recommended giving her time to get in touch with the Fire Dept. and BFI to get further information and reporting back at a later date.

R. Eck asked T. Hough and C. Williamson if they were aware of any complaints about lack of garbage pick-up or from the Fire Dept. They both stated that they had not received any complaints.

There was no motion, but the commission agreed to put this item on the agenda for the next meeting.

Crosswalks on Prospect Street: Request by resident for crosswalks and appropriate signage

along Prospect Street.

Pictures were submitted with this request. Mr. Ballard, a resident, attended the meeting to

support this request. Specifically, he is asking for a 4' crosswalk on Prospect where it crosses

over to the Dairy Mart. He asked that the City extend the right-of-way.

T. Hough clarified that, to the best of her knowledge, the City maintains the steps, but the rest is considered an "unopened" right-of-way, which the City does not maintain. She stated that she believes a crosswalk on Richwood is warranted, but that Willey Street is a state route, and they would have to make that determination. She explained the City's policy on unopened right-of-ways.

A motion was made by R. Justice to place a crosswalk on Richwood Avenue, and that the Willey Street crosswalk request be forwarded to the State. He also suggested that this request be put on the City Council Committee of the Whole agenda to see if they would want to re-open this right-of-way. The motion was seconded by G. Kiral and passed unanimously.

Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan:

R. Eck stated that he met with City Council at their last Committee of the Whole meeting in regards to a Traffic Management Plan. After meeting with Terry Hough, City Engineer, a possible Traffic Management Plan was drafted. An example of how the plan would work is as follows:

Complaint

• A complaint about speeding or cut-through traffic is received.

Check against Criteria

• The situation would be checked against the criteria, which still needs to be developed

fully.

Petition from Residents

• If it looks as though some sort of traffic calming is a viable option, petitions would

need to be taken to get feedback from the residents. The percent required and definition

of residents will still need to be determined.

Petition Received and Verified

• Petition would be received and verified for accuracy.

Traffic Engineering Study

• A traffic engineering study and investigation by the Engineering Department would be conducted in regards to drainage, or other special conditions that should be taken into consideration.

Input from Emergency Services, Sanitation, Transit, etc.

• Receive input from other agencies: Police, Fire, Sanitation, Transit, and any other

related organizations.

Identify Viable Traffic Calming Alternatives

• Viable traffic alternatives would be identified to fit the situation.

Funding

• Identify funding sources.

Public Hearing

• Public Hearing would be held to present to citizens and to receive their input.

Design

• If decided to proceed forward, detailed design of the traffic calming approach would

be necessary.

Construction

• Construction and/or implementation of the traffic calming approach.

K. Gleitzman said she thought this was a wonderful idea. It will take time and money, but she feels there is a real need for this plan. She also stated that, as far as traffic studies are concerned, they should never be done during the summer. The summer months are not an accurate reflection of the volume of traffic that Morgantown experiences the majority of the year.

R. Justice stated it would be a good idea for a proposal to be put together for the Council Committee of the Whole meeting outlining a breakdown of costs and equipment.

It was discussed that new traffic counters need to be purchased in the near future.

J. Lattanzi said the City of Morgantown is blessed to have Dr. Eck, who is a nationally known

expert on traffic issues, on the traffic commission.

K. Gleitzman said she is happy with how the petition process is currently being handled.

A member of the commission (unidentified) inquired as to whether there would be a possibility

of getting grant money for something like this.

R. Justice and R. Eck stated that sometimes something like this can be rolled into TEA-21 grants, but as far as they are aware, there aren't any. There is a possibility that equipment can be purchased with grant money.

The commission agreed that this plan should be refined and be presented at a future meeting

for formal approval. No formal action was taken.

R. Eck referenced a memo written by him to Mayor Scafella, which he stated should have been mentioned under "Old Business." This memo is a result of his attendance at the Committee of the Whole and deals with persons who have been appointed to serve on the Traffic Commission, but have very poor attendance record. Ann Leonette has submitted her resignation. There will be two (2) vacancies which will need to be filled, and there is one commission member who does not attend the meetings, and a decision needs to be made about their appointment.

It was decided that there would be no August meeting, since there will be a number of commission members out of town. Next meeting will be September 5^th.

OTHER BUSINESS

Public Comments

Commission Comments

ADJOURNMENT