Yukon traffic commission orders studies after resident request for stop signs at Vandeman and Kings Ridge

The Yukon Traffic Commission voted to request traffic studies of the Vandeman Avenue/Kings Ridge Drive area after a resident raised safety and congestion concerns. The commission asked staff to collect data during regular daytime hours this summer and again during the school term in the fall to assess whether stop signs or other controls are needed.

The request originated from an email submitted by a resident, Susan Ingalls, describing difficulty exiting Kings Ridge Drive, especially when nearby Southwest Covenant (in Oklahoma City) is dismissing students and when additional residential units are occupied. Commissioner comments noted additional nearby development, including the Mar A Lago subdivision and an apartment cluster, and pointed to periodic backups on Yukon Parkway that complicate egress from the neighborhood. The commission’s motion called for an initial study during non-school days this summer and a second study when school is in session in the fall to capture peak conditions.

Commissioners emphasized that a study during the school year is required to measure the worst-case conditions for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. The commission also noted that a marked crosswalk does not currently exist at the location discussed, and members said the absence of a crosswalk should be considered in any recommendations coming from the traffic counts. The motion to perform the studies passed on a roll call with commissioners voting in the affirmative.

The studies will produce the empirical counts and field observations the commission said are needed before any regulatory changes, such as installing stop signs or crosswalks, can be recommended to city staff or council. No regulatory action (installation of signs, striping, or speed-limit changes) was approved at the meeting; the commission limited its action to ordering the studies and directed staff to report findings once data are collected.