The Warsaw Traffic Commission chose to take no action on Parent Drive after residents complained of speeding vehicles.
A few months ago, residents of the area came to the traffic safety commission meeting and asked for recourse in what they alleged were people speeding down the road and also heavy semi traffic.
The commission agreed to take a look at the situation, including having traffic studies by Warsaw police officers.
Warsaw Police Department Capt. Joel Beam, who sits on the traffic safety commission, said Wednesday there just isn’t any evidence that people speed through there and said it’s probably just a perception issue.
“A lot of it is just the perception of speed, especially if you’re just standing there,”?Beam said. “But our data shows that’s not really happening to the extent which we were originally told.”
The city’s planning department also put some work in to come up with ideas to help solve the problem.
City Planner Justin Taylor presented the commission with some ideas Wednesday, including temporary solutions, like traffic cones, or more permanent ones, such as narrowing the south part of the road, or putting bump-outs in.
Taylor, Street Department Superintendent Dustin Dillon and Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer all agreed that once Petro Drive is opened back up, that should cut back significantly on the traffic problems residents have.
Petro Drive is currently closed due to construction, and Taylor said he spoke to contractors who said it could be a year or two before the drive is opened back up after the pandemic-caused delays.
“We don’t want the residents there to feel like there’s no option, but I do think the ride walk committee would be a good resource for them,”?Taylor said.
Commission President Lance Grubbs said at this point he agrees with the city’s recommendation, and no action was taken.
Also discussed Wednesday was the angle parking at the old Owen’s Supermarket at the intersection of South Columbia and West Market streets.
Beam had brought up a point for the commission to consider about the parking where westbound traffic is required to take a short jog to avoid angle-parked cars to continue to the Post Office and beyond it.
However, Beam did some checking and reported that over the past decade, there have only been 15 crashes in the area – not even specifically at that intersection – and only one crash over the course of 10 years that was due to someone backing out of the angled spot.
The commission agreed it didn’t seem like enough of an issue to make any changes, so no action was taken.
In new business, Roger Sarber, a traffic signal technician, discovered that several ordinances may need to be reviewed for the correct signage on streets, including updates to at least two speed limit signs and five yield signs.
Those updates will be made and passed along to the City Council.
The next Traffic Safety Commission meeting is 1 p.m. April 7 at City Hall.
