Village considers reducing speed limit

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“What additional findings are they going to produce for the $24,500 we are paying? Or are they only going to rehash what we already have?” Orosz asked the board.

Kelly said the village must first perform the “lowering” 25 MPH study before taking up the proposed change through an advertised public hearing process, for finding out whether or not the public supports the speed limit reduction and then leaving the decision to the Board of Trustees.

“This is a study that must be done to comply with the law as a prerequisite to lowering the speed limit. We bid it and this was the low bid received; Creighton Manning is the company we are proposing to do the study to move forward with lowering the speed limit,” Kelly noted.

Orosz commented that the biggest problem the village will continue to face, regardless of lowering the speed limit or maintaining the current limit, will be the enforcement end. He shared concerns about the eastern part of the village, telling the board most drivers do not come to complete stops at stop signs on local roads.

“People usually speed up between the stop signs (above 30 mph) and in particular where I live on Grove Street, there is just the one stop sign on the street and a lot of people take that as a bypass for Clinton Road. I would like to see more stop signs on Grove, especially going past Grove Street Park,” he said.

Trustee Kelly thanked Orosz for his input on the local streets and noted that the Garden City roads adjacent to local schools and parks were definitely going to be scrutinized for traffic calming measures.

“We are trying to address traffic calming near to schools and play- grounds as a first priority, and we will certainly take this up in the Traffic Commission deliberations,” Kelly said.

A second contract for firm Creighton Manning approved at the May 4 board meeting is to perform a Stewart Avenue Corridor Study, for $39,000. According to Superintendent of Public Works John Borroni, the study RFP (request for proposals) does include language to preserve the existing landscape design of existing green spaces, including center malls and any parking spaces along Stewart. Six bids for the project were received and Creighton Manning will carry it out as their latest Garden City contractual traffic engineering work.

Deputy Mayor Bruce Chester asked about the Stewart Avenue study and Superintendent Borroni said lane diets and width considerations will highlight examinations of the road. “They will look at the locations Stewart has three lanes and ways to reduce it to two lanes while implementing some traffic calming, plus compliant lane widths along Stewart after its paving,” he said.

Trustee Kelly said none of the changes to two lanes would be implemented for areas approaching Stewart’s intersection with Franklin Avenue or Clinton Road in the east.

“By Franklin it is different with the change for right and left-hand turning lanes. One issue we are talking about addressing is for when you make a right from Franklin, onto Stewart (near CVS and Village Hall). That is an area where I am hoping that this study shows reducing it to two lanes would be a safe and proper change. Parking spaces between Franklin Avenue and St. James Place are not usable unless you’re a real risk-taker because there is no shelter from oncoming traffic,” Kelly explained.