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Business owners say South Margin 'right‑turn only' deters customers; traffic data shows improved throughput
Summary
Traffic study shows the South Margin/Third Avenue right‑turn‑only change reduced stacking and increased throughput, but downtown business owners told the board it has deterred customers and caused safety concerns; council asked staff to do further outreach with downtown stakeholders before making changes.
City traffic staff reported the South Margin Street right‑turn‑only configuration is delivering improved traffic flow and reduced stacking — the staff memo cites a ~97–98% compliance rate and a notable reduction in queue lengths — but business owners testified that the change has harmed customer access.
Paul, traffic staff, said camera observations recorded about 112 violations during the study period but that overall the measure decreased stacking and improved throughput because approximately 90% of observed drivers were turning right prior to the change. He recommended continued monitoring and noted the signal’s split phase could be adjusted to re‑allow through movement if the board chose to do so.
Kelly Harwood, owner of Gallery 202, and Rudy Jordan, speaking for downtown merchants, said forcing drivers to turn right and eliminating through/left movements makes it harder for customers to reach businesses on Second Avenue and Third Avenue, may push visitors to bypass downtown entirely, and can create unsafe curbside turnarounds. "My problem is that we're deterring traffic away from shopping with me and along with all the other people in the area," Harwood said.
Board members said the downtown neighborhood association originally proposed the change to address safety and congestion; aldermen agreed to gather further feedback from the downtown business community and reassess the signal timing and signage. Paul said if the board elects to allow the through movement the signal is already split phased and left turns could be restored without creating additional signal phases beyond existing constraints.
