03/10/1980 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Bob Rubenstein, stated he lives on East 49th Avenue, just below the crest of the hill. He stated that since a temporary barrier had been installed, there was much less downhill traffic and the traffic that did come through came at a much slower speed. He further noted that this area is a blind drop-off and distributed photos to the council. He stated his concerns regarding the street range from sun blindness for cars going uphill in evenings and sunblindness in the morning for cars coming downhill. He stated that this is a blind corner and it is dangerous for children. Mr. Rubenstein continued that he and his neighbor had both been involved in near accidents while backing out of their driveway due to the blind spots at this corner. He stated if cars are parked on one side the street turns into a one-way street and two cars cannot pass if there are two cars parked on the street. He suggested 48th Avenue as an alternate route as it is 36 feet wide, while 49th Avenue is only 28 feet wide and that 48th Avenue has a six-foot easement on each side. He stated that 48th Avenue is a much straighter street with no hills or curves. He also stated there seems to be little increase in traffic on 48th Avenue. Cars mainly use 49th to cross from 48th to Donald and he would recom- mend 46th, 47th, or 48th as being straighter and better routes. Speaking against the diverter: Ila Cowles, 191 East 48th Avenue, lives right on the curve and noted their house had built before 49th Avenue was built. She also stated that traffic on 48th Avenue has tripled since the temporary diverter had been installed. She also noted that dump trucks were using this street and that she does not like this on her street. She further noted that there are a lot of "hot-rodders" on this street. She stated that people have been "hot-rodding" since 49th Avenue was closed off and it has increased considerably since last year. She stated that there is a small hill up from her house to Willamette Street. She is very much against having this diverter permanently installed. e There being no further testimony presented, public hearing was closed. Ms. Smith noted a concern regarding Ms. Cowles' testimony about increased traffic on 48th Avenue when a staff report indicates a decrease in traffic and she also wanted to know how many cars per day this involves. Joe Hessler, Public Works Department, stated that the count they had done on 48th Avenue showed a drop of 60 cars a day during the 24-hour period. This means there was no appreciable change. Mr. Delay asked if everyone had the same access to the policy of setting up diverters. The response was that that is correct. e 3/10/80--9