Residents press committee for traffic calming on Spruce Street; committee to gather speed‑study data and consider consultant review

Several residents, including Lisa Amorado (Ward 4) and neighborhood representatives, told the Public Works Committee they want action to reduce speeding and improve safety on Spruce Street, a long residential stretch where residents reported frequent excessive speeds and visibility concerns at cross streets.

Amorado described crashes involving pets and neighbors’ observations of vehicles traveling well above the posted limit; she and a neighborhood representative said residents favor a four‑way stop (Myrtle or another mid‑block location) or other traffic‑calming measures to break up the long uninterrupted stretch. Committee members and staff noted Spruce already has stop signs on most blocks; one long block between Ford and Brook lacks intermediate controls and is the concern.

Staff said the city has been deploying speed‑study devices across town and that two speed studies in the location returned 80th‑percentile speeds in the mid‑20s mph (staff cited “26–27 mph”), with some higher outliers recorded. The committee discussed short‑term steps — asking police for targeted enforcement/patrols, using the speed‑feedback trailer or temporary signage, and repainting crosswalks and curb ramps where needed — as immediate mitigations. Members expressed reluctance to install stop signs without engineering justification; staff said stop signs do not always require a consultant study but the committee prefers licensed consultant evaluation to reduce liability and to ensure changes would be effective.

Committee members reported an engineering budget line of roughly $30,000 for consultant work this year and agreed they could seek quotes for a traffic‑calming study that could bundle several streets to reduce unit cost. Staff suggested the city could pilot pavement markings, painted bike lanes or shared‑lane markings on selected streets; committee members also discussed longer‑term measures such as raised crosswalks and curb extensions.

The committee agreed to gather the most recent speed‑study data for the Spruce Street location and to seek quotes for a consultant traffic study (possibly bundled with other intersections such as Bugbee & E Street). Staff and council agreed to re‑visit the topic at an April committee meeting and to consider a package of short‑ and long‑term measures once consultant input and updated data are available.

The discussion also connected to a larger conversation about bicycle infrastructure citywide: members and residents urged clearer bicycle lanes, better pavement markings and outreach about bicycle etiquette; several members said enforcement and dedicated bike facilities are both needed.