Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council discusses traffic calming options for Grass/Gratz Brown corridor; no vote
Summary
Councilors and staff discussed short-term enforcement and long-term street-design options to address resident complaints about speeding on the Grass/Gratz Brown corridor, including speed trailers, lane re-striping to narrow travel lanes, defined on-street parking, and TAP-funded sidewalks; no action was taken and staff will return options for future consideration.
Council raised resident concerns about vehicle speeds through the Grass/Gratz Brown corridor and asked staff what has been tried and what might work. A councilmember framed the issue as a recurring public complaint and sought staff history and options.
Staff and the police chief said short-term measures have included targeted enforcement and temporary speed-trailer deployments. For longer-term mitigation, staff described street redesign measures such as re-striping lanes to create defined parking lanes and narrower travel lanes, which staff said often reduces operating speeds. Staff noted one past attempt to install sidewalks met community resistance and said the city’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) plan envisions extending sidewalks down Grass/Gratz Brown in later phases.
The public-safety official (Chief) emphasized that enforcement remains an immediate tool while design changes and TAP funding represent longer-term solutions; staff cautioned that no permanent speed-trailer placement is planned and that plans would be reviewed with on-call engineers before implementing physical changes. Council did not vote on any traffic-calming policy; the discussion was recorded as informational and staff indicated they would continue exploring options and return with recommendations.
The transcript shows some inconsistent spellings of the corridor name (appearing as both "Gratz Brown" and "Grass Brown") in council discussion; staff spelled and referred to a corridor plan tied to TAP funding and past petitions opposing sidewalks.
