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Councilors send multiple traffic and parking items to police/engineer after West Street signage causes disputes
Summary
Councilors voted to send several parking and traffic requests — including a resident-parking dispute on West Street, a flashing-school warning light for Prosper Street, and multiple handicap/resident-parking requests — to the police, DPW, and the city engineer for review; one member will research an earlier 04/16/23 ordinance before returning a recommendation.
The Personnel Committee grouped multiple traffic and parking requests and sent them to the Lawrence Police Department, the Department of Public Works and the city engineer for technical review, and asked a councilor to research an earlier ordinance related to a West Street resident-parking installation.
Councilor Vivian Marmol told the committee she had requested a 6 a.m.–6 p.m. resident-parking restriction but found signs installed without any time frame; she said the lack of a time specification had led to business disruptions and customers receiving tickets. Marmol said she emailed the city clerk with pictures and sought clarification.
A councilor representing the businesses (referred to in the transcript as Checo) and other councilors expressed concern that the signs had been posted without correct time limits and that installation could harm local businesses. Members agreed to table any new ordinance and to have a councilor research the ordinance recorded as 04/16/23 to determine the original intent and whether the signs now installed conformed to that action.
Separately, an item requesting a flashing school light at a charter school on Prosper Street (near Lawrence General Hospital) generated discussion about traffic congestion during drop-off and pick-up. Councilors asked that the engineer and police review the location and provide recommendations.
The committee approved motions — mostly by voice vote — to send the flashing-light request to the engineer and police and to send a block of resident- and handicap-parking requests to the police department for review. The committee did not adopt any changes to signage or enforcement at this meeting; it requested technical recommendations and ordinance research before taking further action.
Next steps: police, DPW and the city engineer to provide site-specific recommendations; Councilor Rosario (or another councilor identified in the meeting) will research the 04/16/23 ordinance and report back to committee.
