Traffic committee proposes no‑parking stretches, stop sign and other tweaks after safety review

The city’s traffic safety committee brought four recommended changes to parking and traffic regulations for council consideration aimed at improving sightlines and emergency access.

Ben (staff) summarized the package and opened with a narrowly scoped proposal: “The first of the recommendations is adding a little extra portion of no parking along North Chestnut Street as it approaches Ver Plank on the eastern side of the road.” He said the extension is short and meant to improve visibility at a tight intersection where parked cars and traffic mix.

Fire‑department‑driven access changes

Two proposed parking‑restriction changes were recommended by the fire chief to preserve an emergency access corridor. Committee materials and the chief’s comments described repeated tight turns and constrained widths where parking currently interferes with large apparatus turning from Main Street up Willow and along Ver Plank. The committee recommended removing parking on the narrow approach on Ver Plank and eliminating parking adjacent to the two parking lots that bound the Willow/Main intersection so an apparatus can make the turn without obstruction.

School crossing and traffic calming

The committee recommended adding a stop sign at Washington Avenue and Tillett Street to create a four‑way stop. Ben said Tillett was preferred over Grove because Tillett is a primary school crossing area with nearby bus stops and a changing neighborhood character; the committee viewed the stop sign as a safety improvement where traffic speeds have become concerning.

Process and outreach

Staff described the process for local‑law changes: the package would be noticed and go through the local‑law adoption process including a public hearing and the standard posting in the legal notice. Ben noted the traffic safety committee and department will continue to refine striping and parking layouts (for example, the parking lot on Henry Street and other re‑striping projects) and that stop‑signs or no‑parking lines can be signed in temporarily or made permanent following the public process.

Council questions and concerns

Councilmembers asked how residents are notified for targeted changes (Ben said public hearings, agenda posting and paper notice are used; property‑specific notifications are not routinely mailed for every sign change), and several members emphasized the tradeoff between removing street parking and protecting emergency access. One member asked staff to consider loading‑zone needs for businesses nearby while prioritizing clear emergency routes.

Next steps

Staff will finalize the draft local law and include the four items in the public hearing packet; the traffic safety committee and staff will continue to evaluate precise curb markings, striping and any short‑term signage needed to implement changes safely.

Speakers quoted and attributed in this article are Ben (traffic safety committee staff), Chris (city administrator) and councilmembers who participated in the discussion.