8/6/2019 UCity Patch - Parking Takes Center Stage at Traffic Commission Meeting

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Parking Takes Center Stage at Traffic Commission Meeting

Changes coming near Centennial Greenway Trail

University City In a short meeting Wednesday night, the University City Traffic Commission covered a

lot of ground.

After approving minutes from the March 9 meeting, the first order of business were changes that will be

coming to the Centennial Greenway Trail, a pedestrian and bicycle walkway, that joins Washington

University and Ackert Walkway along Melville Avenue, between Kingsland and Delmar. The trail

terminates at Delmar in a plaza, currently under construction, which will have traffic signal at the

intersection. The construction required changes in the parking, on the west side of Melville, which have

been removed.

37 parking spaces along Melville have been removed, but Washington University donated land to

project to allow for the creation of 14 non-metered parking spaces, with 8 parking spaces on the south

side of Loop South (Avenue A), between Meville and Leland, providing 22 spaces to make up for theloses.

William Courtney, owner of Cheese-ology Mac and Cheese, located at 6602 Delmar, said that he fully

supports the recommendations of the traffic commission for the project.

I'm fully in support of them. I think they are great ideas [the parking and traffic changes], keeping

Melville two-way, [and] allowing traffic flow through that area.

He did have a concern about the parking verses no parking areas along Loop South (Avenue A) between

Melville and Leland.

Courtney said he was surprised while looking at ordinance 10.44.010 stated that were no parking on

both sides, 90 feet from Melville. He also said during his testimony that aside from 10 feet of yellow

curb, there was no indication of no-parking being allowed on the north side of the street.

I would really like to recommend is that you, the commission, would speak to whoever is necessary to

get signage and curb painting put on the north side, because people currently park there, Courtney

said. He noted that there really isnt enough space for cars to move in both directions in that location,

and that he felt it was an emergency hazard as well.

Officer Shaun Margul, who is a University Police Department representative at Traffic Commissions

addressed Courtneys concerns, noting that there is a no parking sign immediately east of the parking lotbehind Cheese-ology, where parking tickets are issued as much as the department is able to. To the

west of the parking lot, there is no parking permitted.

After Courtneys testimony, the commission listened to the Public Works Departments

recommendations, to amend the municipal code to restrict parking on the west side of Melville between

8/6/2019 UCity Patch - Parking Takes Center Stage at Traffic Commission Meeting

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Kingsbury and Delmar and allow perpendicular parking on the south side of Loop South (Avenue A)

between Melville and Leland.

The Public Works departments recommendations were passed by a voice vote.

The second item on the agenda was the Olive Streetscape Project Phase II I, which involved a request to

eliminate a pedestrian crossing on Olive Boulevard west of Hanley Road. The pedestrian crossing is on

the northwest corner. The city is upgrading sidewalks and American with Disabilities Act (ADA) access

points on Olive. A proposal was given to the city by the Missouri Department of Transportation

(MoDOT) to eliminate the crossing on the west side of Hanley. In the March 9meeting, Lee Cannon, the

citys traffic engineer consultant presented three designs, and noted their noncompliance with ADA.

Option A does not have level landings, which are not ADA compliant. Option B, MoDOTs proposal,

doesnt meet ADA guidelines because a level landing cannot be constructed at the curb because of the

existing grade. Option C, is not ADA compliant, but keeps the crossing, and adds ADA compliant

components, such as 2 signal pushbuttons, which need to be coordinated with MoDOTs

The removal of the crosswalk is not under consideration, and the issue was tabled until the commission

gets additional information from MoDOT.

The final item on the agenda was a request to install a stop sign on Enright Avenue at Westgate. Officer

Margul presented that that a stop sign was needed at that intersection, a T-type. A temporary stop sign

was added to the intersection after the police department expressed safety concerns. There have been

10 accidents at that intersection over three years.

Margul noted that a stop cant be placed there, because not ordinance exists for the stop sign to be

placed. The commission passed a motion to have City Council pass an ordinance to place a stop sign at

Enright and Westgate. The motion was seconded and approved.

Lastly a comment from resident who recently purchased a home on Crest and frequents the Schnucks

on Olive, and when turning off of Ferguson onto Olive, he is met with a very long light, which he feels he

could make if the sign was changed to yield on green, rather than have to wait on the light. Members of

the commission met his situation with agreement.

The signal is operated by the state, and the resident was instructed to give his contact info to the

Angelica Gutierrez of the Public Works department.

The meeting adjourned at 7pm. The next scheduled meeting of the Traffic Commission is May 11 at 6:30

pm in the EOC Room.