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Saginaw council approves traffic regulation changes, engineer defends signal removals and one‑way conversions
Summary
Council approved a package of traffic regulation changes after the city engineer described parking surveys, a signal warrant analysis, a phased flashing/monitoring process and rationale for converting some one‑way streets to two‑way to improve safety and access.
The council approved a set of traffic regulation changes presented by the Public Services Traffic Engineering Division that include parking adjustments and proposed signal removals or conversions on multiple streets.
Travis Harris, city engineer, said parking surveys are used for business and residential street decisions and that signal removals follow a nine‑category signal warrant analysis that assesses vehicle counts, peak period movements and other criteria. For project‑based reconstructions the city sends letters to adjacent property owners and holds public meetings; for signals proposed for removal the department uses an internal phased process (yellow/red flashing for about 30 days, crash analysis and continued monitoring, then removal after approximately 180 days if safe).
Council members raised concerns about school‑adjacent intersections and asked about crash analyses; Harris said the department performs five‑year crash studies before changes and continues monitoring during a 60‑ to 180‑day transitional period, reverting a change if crashes increase. He also explained that conversions from one‑way to two‑way streets have been used where traffic volumes have declined and for improved local access; 5th and 6th Streets were chosen in part to maintain truck routing for service and nonprofit operations.
Council voted in favor of the traffic regulation changes during the meeting. Several council members asked for additional briefings and invited other members to visit engineering to review the data and methods used for signal and parking decisions.
