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Mr. Poling asked if closure of crossings would prevent bicycles and pedestrians from crossing. He felt the <br />biggest problem faced by the railroad within urban areas was from pedestrians and bicyclists, not vehicles. <br />He said before any staff time or money was spent on closing streets there should be a comprehensive look at <br />the entire area and possible collateral damage to the neighborhood from closures, including emergency <br />vehicle access and response time. <br /> <br />Ms. Solomon, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to direct the City Manager to study <br />the necessary steps to close up to four railroad crossings and/or convert streets to <br />one-way at railroad crossings in order to obtain State Section 130 funding for <br />crossing safety improvements. No closings or conversions will be constructed until <br />a public process has been completed, with a return to the council for final approval. <br /> <br />Ms. Solomon emphasized the importance of a public process to assess the impact and gauge community <br />reaction to closures or conversions. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman said the quiet zone was being pursued because of livability issues in downtown, but the agenda <br />materials did not provide information on decibel levels and whether closing four crossings would apprecia- <br />bly decrease the decibel level, which was an important issue for her. She added that the construction of <br />barriers and fences associated with street closures would detract from neighborhoods. She pointed out that <br />there was a universe of variables and menu of options to choose from and would support the motion to <br />pursue further study. <br /> <br />Mr. Papé asked about the location of two unused crossing referred to in the AIS. Mr. Larsen replied that <br />th <br />one was on Garfield Street at 4 Avenue and the other at Cleveland Street and Cross Street. <br /> <br />In response to a question from Mr. Papé, Mr. Larsen said that federal Section 130 funds were available for <br />safety improvements to rail crossings and for crossing closure; the quiet zone process was completely <br />different and federal funds were not available. He said that federal funding for safety improvements could <br />be obtained and the City could collaterally make progress toward a quiet zone. City Manager Taylor said <br />the policy question before the council was whether to use City resources to pursue a quiet zone and engage <br />the public in a process that could involve connectivity issues, closures and one-way conversions. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly thanked Ms. Solomon for incorporating his suggestions into her motion. He would support the <br />motion to move to the next step, study the issue, obtain input from affected neighborhoods and return to the <br />council. He said a question to be addressed before construction of any safety improvements was whether <br />they would result in a quiet zone. <br /> <br />Ms. Solomon remarked that a quiet zone would not reduce the decibel level, only the frequency of horns <br />sounding. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor asked what would be accomplished by further study prior to a public process. Mr. Larson said <br />that further study would clarify what resources were available to the City and examine the possible <br />modification of connectivity and one-way street standards. <br /> <br />Ms. Solomon requested that the study also measure the impact on local businesses against the money to be <br />spent. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 26, 2006 Page 8 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />