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Resident raises safety concerns; council sends North 9th Street wildlife-signage request to police committee
Summary
Resident who watches North 9th Street hill asked council to delay a vote and research better sign options; council directed staff to send the request to the police (neighborhood traffic) committee to evaluate safety, MUTCD compliance, county jurisdiction and precedent for donated signage.
A Philomath resident asked the City Council on July 14 to delay action on proposed wildlife signage on North 9th Street so he could research sign types and legal approvals, and the council voted to send the item to the police committee for further study.
Bill Marver told the council he had been watching the hill and said, "I'm making a usual request that to table the motion, and vote on this until August 11 meeting to allow me time to gather more information." Staff and committee members discussed trade-offs, including whether standard deer signs are too common to be effective and whether an unusual animal symbol might better catch drivers’ attention. Staff noted the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and county jurisdiction: this section of road is a county road and any nonstandard traffic control could require county approval.
Councilors raised additional questions about precedent for accepting donated signs and long-term maintenance costs. Council discussed neighborhood-traffic procedures and data-based warrants; several members recommended the police (neighborhood traffic) committee evaluate whether the issue fits the city's neighborhood traffic management program and, if warranted, return a recommendation. The council agreed to that referral and invited the resident to present at committee level.
Next step: police committee will evaluate traffic-safety merits, MUTCD/legal compliance, maintenance and precedent and report back to the full council.
