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Advisory board debates Stony Point–Ransom signal plan, passes motion urging school district to revisit staggered start times
Summary
Grand Island Traffic Safety Advisory Board debated the proposed traffic signal and site changes at Stony Point Road and Ransom Road, discussed traffic modeling and bus operations, and approved a motion asking the Town Board to recommend the Grand Island Central School District return to a three‑tier schedule to ease peak congestion.
Members of the Grand Island Traffic Safety Advisory Board spent much of the meeting debating a proposed traffic signal and related site improvements at the intersection of Stony Point Road and Ransom Road, a subject that board members connected to new development plans and school transportation timing.
Jack Burns, a board member who led discussion of the site, argued that a signal alone would not solve congestion and described several operational concerns for buses and turning movements. Board members discussed prior comments the board had submitted on engineering drawings and whether Erie County and the Greater Buffalo‑Niagara Regional Transportation Council (GBNRTC) had been asked to analyze the intersection; one attendee said a request for county collaboration had been made previously but no response had been provided to the board’s satisfaction.
During the discussion the board debated operational tradeoffs of signalizing a two‑lane intersection, the potential for increased delays during off‑peak periods, and consequences for bus routing. Members also raised the effect of the Grand Island Central School District’s combined high‑school and middle‑school bell times, saying that the district’s current two‑tier schedule concentrates buses and parent traffic into fewer peak windows.
The board approved a motion requesting that, at the next Grand Island Town Board–Grand Island Central School District joint meeting, the Town Board recommend the school district consider returning to a three‑tier schedule in light of anticipated new development at Stony Point and Ransom. The motion as recorded in the meeting was made by Jack Burns and seconded by Gary (last name not specified); members raised hands in favor and the chair recorded four affirmative votes. The transcript did not record an exact opposed count.
Why it matters: Board members tied traffic control choices at Stony Point and Ransom to student safety, bus operations, and neighborhood impacts from planned development. Several members said a GBNRTC or county analysis would be useful to identify the “optimum traffic control device” for the intersection.
What happens next: Board members asked that a written motion/resolution be prepared for the liaison to transmit to the Town Board so it can be taken to the joint meeting with the school district. Several members urged coordination with town engineering and county/regional traffic planners before final decisions.
Ending: The board’s motion will be drafted into a formal resolution and forwarded to the Town Board for placement on the joint meeting agenda with the school district; the Town Board and school district would be responsible for any schedule changes or signal installation.
