Town staff: parking study near completion; speed-calming pilot to remain limited this year

Town staff told the Town of Newburgh Plan Commission on Oct. 6 that the preliminary parking study is nearly complete and will be ready for presentation soon.

Staff said a key early finding is limited public awareness of parking locations, and recommended clearer signage and pavement striping as low-cost first steps. Commissioners requested an annual list of building permits; staff agreed to provide that to the commission to help track development activity.

On speed-calming, staff reported that a pilot traffic-calming device installed on a local corridor reduced complaints overall but generated noise complaints and localized vibration concerns from some residents. The town’s engineer is reviewing those concerns. Staff said no additional speed-hump installations are planned this year and no funding for more is included in the draft budget for next year. Instead, the town plans to focus on crosswalk improvements that include curb bump-outs and other design features that narrow lanes and slow drivers.

Staff said the town has authorization to move forward with a federally funded traffic-safety study (referred to in the meeting as the SS4a grant) that will use the parking-study results to identify priority intersections and recommend a path forward for calming measures. Staff said the parking- and traffic-safety studies will inform designs and budgeting; projects dependent on striping and landscaping are expected to be scheduled in spring to accommodate planting seasons and weather.

A commissioner suggested moving signs farther from a speed-calming feature; staff replied that state code requires a legally placed sign near the device and that adding extra signage in the corridor may be considered if a pilot becomes permanent.