06/22/1981 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Irene McDonald, 2310 Grant Street, stated that she has lived in West Eugene for - 25 years and is familiar with the traffic patterns. She lives at the corner of 23rd and Grant. According to staff, the survey says there has been only a 25-percent increase in traffic but she feels even one percent is too dangerous on this substandard street. It is dangerous because of the hills. She thinks the street is less than 28 feet wide and if people park on both sides, then only one-way traffic can go through, making a dangerous situation. Perhaps bumper strips could be installed or 24th Avenue could be a through street to City View. If 24th Avenue must be closed, it could be closed at Chambers rather than at Grant. She feels that this closure serves only a special group of people. Traffic is being removed from one street and being placed on to another. She does not feel that it is fair. Virginia Burgoyne, 1955 West 23rd Avenue, stated that she is against the perma- nent closure. She has lived at her current address for about 30 years and has seen lots of changes as well as inconsistencies within the government. They were told to base all their actions with regard to their property on the fact that 24th Avenue would be a through street and that 23rd Avenue would never be. This is a traffic matter. She did not support closing a street that has had so much money spent on it for traffic lights. Now their street has the kind of traffic that caused objections from residents of 24th Avenue. She feels this is putting the problem from one place into another. She feels residents on her street are facing the same problem that the residents on 24th Avenue had, so she asked if her street would be closed also. She feels this issue is being addressed in the wrong manner. She attended a neighborhood meeting last week of approximately 20 people. She was the only homeowner at the meeting. She does not think she will ever attend another neighborhood group meeting and does e not feel the homeowners are being represented or given a chance to respond. City employees and renters, as well as students, were present at the neighbor- hood meeting but she does not feel that there was representation of the home- owners. However, she is appreciative of many things that the City government does, but she does not feel this proposed action is correct. She thinks this is a traffic matter which is being addressed from the wrong viewpoint and that the wrong things are being done. Keith Phinney, 2230 Grant Street, stated he was against the closure. He had been looking at "old" traffic figures as indicated on the slides. After the 18th and Chambers intersection was improved, there was a 25-percent increase in the traffic on Grant Street and a 25-percent decrease on Arthur Street. He does not feel this is logical reasoning. Although there was possibly a traffic problem on Arthur, he wondered why one should transfer the problem from a 34-foot-wide street and place it onto a street that is only 26 feet wide and which is not capable of handling increased traffic. This has already caused a problem at 22nd Avenue and Grant. There will be accidents from cars going sideways onto Grant from 22nd when they must swing wide to make the corner. He feels Arthur Street is more able to handle the traffic than Grant Street and thinks this is a wrong move. Tim Carmichael, 2240 Arthur Street, stated that he is in favor of the permanent closure Slnce it caused an overall decrease of traffic in the neighborhood. The traffic speed has also decreased. He feels that Mr. Hamel's suggestion to reopen the street for more study would not work because it would be an open e invitation for people to again use Arthur as a speedway. MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 22, 1981 Page 3