Council approves traffic-code housekeeping, adds high-school school zone and requests documentation before new stop sign

The Kingston Common Council reviewed and moved forward on a package of traffic-code housekeeping items and site-specific traffic requests during Monday's meeting.

Councilmembers said the code cleanup (chapter 390) clarifies and standardizes school-zone language and creates a school zone in front of a high school on Broadway that will lower the speed limit Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Members described the overall changes as largely housekeeping, with the committee striking one proposed prohibition and removing a suggested U-turn restriction before forwarding the ordinance to council.

Separately, a councilmember requested two stop signs at the intersection formed by Fairview Avenue, Howland and Fairview Avenue extension, saying drivers do not stop on Howland and that the corner generates unsafe conditions. Councilmembers agreed the stop-sign request was reasonable but said the committee had struck the item from its report and that staff documentation was not in the packet. Multiple members asked that the city engineer or staff submit supporting documentation, such as traffic-safety analysis or accident history, before the council acts on that change.

Councilmembers also discussed a referral to the planning board and Ulster County planning for a rezoning request along Schwink Drive to a T5 Main Street zone and confirmed a public hearing schedule will be set. The council asked that the zoning implementation task force be considered for referrals going forward but noted the referenced resolution did not currently include that referral.

The transcript does not contain a formal recorded roll-call vote; councilmembers indicated assent during the discussion and directed staff to return documentation on the stop-sign request and any traffic studies used to support other changes.