New to the Neighborhood: A Traffic Calming Team.
Linden St. Sidewalk during 2009 Taste of the Neighborhood Event
As a result of the September 2009 General Meeting on Safety and Security, a group of neighbors came together to form a Traffic Calming Team. Our first areas of focus: Linden and Meigs Streets around Ellwanger and Barry Park and also Goodman Street. The playground is so popular with young families that it can be viewed as “The Heart of the Neighborhood”. So when the team created its first list of priorities, ensuring the safety of children going to and from this park got the top rank. Right behind on the list is the task of researching and working with the City on ways to create safer crossings on Goodman Street. But while discussing these hot-spots, we realized that our initiative needed an even broader focus towards building a modern culture of respect for pedestrian and non-vehicular transportation within our neighborhood, the surrounding area and the city at large.
1935 Map Showing Playground
As stated in our goals statement, we want our neighborhood to eventually rival the best among “walking-friendly” communities across the United States.
With weeks of research in hand**, on November 12th, members of the Traffic Team met with the South East Quadrant Team, and other City officials to begin a new process and a new dialogue on traffic calming. We presented our goals, concerns, preliminary research, and possible engineering solutions. The city officials were very attentive to our concerns and are more than willing to work with us. (Thank you to Peter Saxe, SE NSC Administrator, for organizing this very helpful meeting.) The presentation that we shared with city officials is filed right here on this site so that anyone interested in this topic can examine it. As we continue to articulate our concerns, plans and solutions, we will always share such important documents on our websites.
While it will take time, the process has started for developing solutions. City transportation has sent us a detailed response regarding engineering changes. The RPD has spent time monitoring speeds of drivers in areas of concern. Our team has compiled a list of desired educational materials to start a resource library. We have found that some of our suggestions for possible solutions are currently out of the control of the City. For example, in order to lower speed limits around the playground to match that of schools we will need a change in state law. Look for details soon on how you can join our efforts to make that change happen.
In fact, for the initiative to be successful, we’ll need your input, advice and support. Send us your traffic concerns in as much detail as possible (See Debra Lewis’s letter in our online document as an example!) On February 23, 2010 at 7 pm, we will have a open team meeting to discuss implementing solutions and other issues at the NSC Office at 846 South Clinton Ave. Please come and participate!
The Traffic Team can be contacted at: traffic@highlandparkrochester.org or 473-0026.
Marcia Zach, Traffic Team Co-Chair
(Link to Highland Park Neighborhood Traffic Team Presentation Nov 12 2009 )
“** This project is made possible through work of Neighborhood volunteers as well as consulting research partially funded by a grant from Neighbors Building Neighborhoods Sector 6.”
