BROOKINGS – In a meeting last Thursday, the Brookings Traffic Safety Committee responded to a pair of issues related to vehicular traffic downtown: “lower speed limit on Main Avenue between Third Street and Sixth Street” and “delivery vehicles parking near crosswalks in the downtown area.”
“We had an email from some citizens saying they felt like people were driving too fast downtown,” said Jackie Lanning, city engineer and committee chair, in addressing the first issue. “They were wanting some discussion about it (the speed limit).
“Should it be posted lower, such as 15 mph? We had some dialogue. Most people driving downtown can’t drive more than 15 mph, if it’s a typical or busy day.”
A challenge would be as to where a 15 mph sign could be posted in that 3-mile stretch, Lanning noted, adding, “The police department recommended, let’s just keep it the way it is. You could change the speed and post it; but it may not change the driving habits anyway, because they are still driving not that fast.”
By way of a reminder, Lanning explained that throughout the city the speed limit is 25 mph unless posted otherwise.
Get the word out
The same group of concerned citizens who brought up the speed-limit issue also surfaced the delivery-vehicle issue.
“They were seeing delivery vehicles parking really close to the edge of the crosswalks,” the city engineer explained. “A pedestrian walking on that crosswalk might not see somebody coming or turning, because they’re walking in front of the parked delivery truck.”
Lanning said the approach for now would be “some education of the delivery people.”
Staci Perry, Chamber of Commerce representative on the committee, will work with Downtown Brookings members on an “informational email telling their delivery trucks to either try to deliver in the back or to keep away from the crosswalks, just for visibility.”
Contact John Kubal at jkubal@brookingsregister.com.
Courtesy photo
