Resident urges traffic calming on Kirkwood Street; council agrees to study stop sign and speed mitigation

A Winfield resident told the City Council June 17 that vehicles are traveling at dangerous speeds on Kirkwood Street and asked the council to install traffic-calming measures to protect children who play near the road.

Sheila Gans, who said she lives at 622 Kirkwood Street, described repeated fast driving since a nearby shop opened. "We have, like 50,000,000 cars and they they fly," Gans said, and added that her grandchildren and neighborhood children cannot safely play near the street. She said residents have tried painting the roadway and installing flashing lights on a children-at-play sign, but drivers continued to speed.

Council members and staff discussed potential measures, including installing a stop sign at the location where the alley meets the gate, creating a three-way stop at the Kirkwood/Echo intersection, placing a speed bump (described in the meeting as a "speed breaker") past the first gate, or trying a stop sign first and monitoring results. One council member suggested trying a three-way stop if a single stop sign does not reduce speeds. The presiding official asked staff to document the request and to evaluate the site for appropriate traffic-calming measures.

Gans asked for one or two speed bumps; council members noted that new asphalt often increases travel speed and that signage on a one-way alley has faded in places, which could limit enforcement. The council did not adopt an immediate ordinance or authorize construction at the meeting; instead, staff was directed to review the location, consult applicable standards, and report back with recommendations.