05/14/1984 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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- e e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council City Council Chamber May 14, 1984 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Brian Obie, Cynthia Wooten, Richard Hansen, Freeman Holmer, Emily Schue, Joyce Nichols, and Betty Smith COUNCILORS ABSENT: John Ball Adjourned meeting of the City Council of the City of Eugene, Oregon, was called to order by Council President Brian Obie in the absence of His Honor Mayor Gus Keller. I. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Removal of Cheshire Street Diverter (memo, maps distributed) City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced the agenda item. City Traffic Engineer Jim Hanks presented the staff report, stating that the issue before the council was the approval of the City Manager's administrative order to remove the Cheshire Street Diverter and to install four specially designed, raised crosswalks in the Skinner Butte Park. He said the issue symbolized the maturation of the relationship between the City and the neighborhood group process. Mr. Hanks stated that the council passed the Whiteaker Refinement Plan in 1978 which directed staff to explore traffic control measures in Skinner Butte Park and on Chesire Street in particular. In 1980 the City Council approved a trial diverter on Cheshire Street; in 1981 the council directed staff to continue the trial and to explore other options. He said that staff has worked with the neighborhood group to develop a plan which would meet the desires of those concerned. He said the proposed project was the result of those meetings, a collective measure that worked to the best of those concerned. Mr. Hanks displayed a cross section of the raised crosswalk which would include a nine-foot asphalt ramp on both sides of a raised con- crete crosswalk. He said the cross walk was similar to that constructed on Agate Street at the University of Oregon and had been the object of study in California and Great Britain. He said the crosswalks have resulted in reduced traffic speeds on low-volume streets and should enhance the pedestrian envi- ronment in the park. While it was an experimental design, Mr. Hanks felt that it would prove effective. Mr. Hanks said the crosswalks would be constructed prior to the end of the schoolyear by City crews using Community Development Block Grant funds if the project were approved. In response to a question, Mr. Hanks stated that this type of crosswalk could possibly be used in limited numbers to contr.ol traffic in some neighborhood streets. He clarified that the crosswalks could not be used on high-volume streets. MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 14, 1984 Page 1