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Staff reports: temporary construction stop signs, Traeger crosswalk beacons after council declines signal, and e-bike sidewalk ordinance referral
Summary
City staff reported temporary stop signs at a construction area, a Common Council decision to forgo a signal at Traeger Elementary in favor of driveway work and flashing beacons, and a council referral to draft a ban on e-bikes on sidewalks abutting buildings.
At its meeting, the Oshkosh City Transportation Advisory Committee received several staff reports on local traffic items and recent Common Council actions.
Staff said temporary stop signs have been placed at an intersection near ongoing construction on 4th/5th/Michigan to slow construction traffic; staff will reassess permanently once the hospital and adjacent roads are complete. A staff report described video evidence of emergency vehicle access problems where parked cars prevented a fire truck from passing, which informed the committee’s recommendation on a narrow section of Grand Street.
On Traeger Elementary, staff said the Common Council declined to install a traffic signal despite multiple studies that showed a need; the city will instead widen the driveway and install rectangular rapidly flashing beacons at the crosswalk as a city-funded project. "We are gonna put our rectangular rapidly flash beacons at the crosswalk," staff said.
Staff also reported that the Common Council unanimously directed staff to draft an ordinance to prohibit e-bikes on sidewalks abutting buildings, following the committee's recommendation. Staff explained that current state statute treats e-bikes the same as pedal bicycles, limiting municipal authority to regulate e-bikes separately; the city manager was preparing a legislative request to change that distinction.
Committee members discussed enforcement challenges and public education that will follow ordinance adoption; staff said police and public outreach will be part of implementation if the ordinance passes.
