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Traffic advisory board recommends extending curb and repainting Century crosswalk after citizen’s close‑call report
Summary
Following a citizen’s account of near‑misses at a Century Avenue crossing, the board recommended that city staff consider extending the no‑parking curb and repaving the crosswalk with high‑visibility markings and asked engineering to verify sight‑distance before implementation.
Sherwood’s Traffic Safety Advisory Board recommended that the city manager consider extending the no‑parking curb and repainting the Century Avenue crosswalk with high‑visibility markings after hearing a citizen’s account of two close calls at the location.
In public comment, Brian Alquist told the board he submitted photos and a narrative documenting incidents on Nov. 6 and again in December and said he feared someone could be hurt. “I just kinda wanted to see what this is all about… I would hate to see somebody get hurt or worse at that crosswalk,” Alquist said.
Board members reviewed staff recommendations and packet photos. Staff provided two initial options: raise the crosswalk sign for better visibility, or extend the painted no‑parking curb so parked vehicles do not block a pedestrian’s line of sight. Speakers discussed trade‑offs: raised signs improve visibility for drivers but do not address a pedestrian’s ability to see oncoming traffic; extending the painted curb increases sight distance for both drivers and pedestrians and was described as a lower‑cost, ongoing maintenance task (periodic repainting).
Speaker 4 moved that “the board’s preference is to extend the curve and evaluate the crosswalk to have it repainted with high visibility markings,” and the motion included forwarding the recommendation to the city manager with an engineering check on the appropriate sight‑distance (the board asked engineering or public works to verify whether a 50‑foot extension is appropriate based on road speed). The amended motion carried by voice vote.
Members also recommended considering high‑visibility crosswalk patterns (box‑style markings) rather than traditional transverse lines where appropriate, and asked staff to return with cost and maintenance estimates. The board did not approve roadway construction funding at the meeting; the recommendation will be forwarded to the city manager and engineering for feasibility, cost analysis and possible inclusion in future work programs.
Next steps: staff will have engineering verify sight‑distance and cost implications, prepare a formal recommendation for the city manager, and report back to the advisory board.
