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Photo by Lexi Coon.
Council members decided on June 12 to install new crosswalk signage to the intersection of Euclid and West Montcrest.
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Courtesy of Skipper Consultants.
An example of the in-sign LED flashing lights, as recommended by Richard Caudle.
During the council meeting on June 12, Richard Caudle of Skipper Consultants presented a traffic study he conducted for the crosswalk at Euclid Avenue and West Montcrest Drive.
Currently, he said the crosswalk exceeds standard requirements as a “high visibility crossing,” meaning it has white lines on the side as well as cross bars in the middle as do all lines of sight for the crosswalk. At the shortest distance, pedestrian visibility is about 540 feet, whereas the minimum requirement is about 485 feet.
Caudle also observed the crosswalk for pedestrian use in early May, before school let out, to collect a representation of foot traffic in the intersection. He reported that in the afternoon there were a total of 11 people who used the crosswalk in an hour. “I was actually surprised that was so low,” said council president Virginia Smith, to which councilman Billy Pritchard agreed.
Mountain Brook police also conducted a speed survey for the intersection and reported that the 85th percentile of drivers traveled 33 miles per hour, which is only slightly above the designated speed limit of 30 miles per hour. “In our opinion, the speeds are typical for this type of road,” Caudle said. “It’s classified as a local road but it acts more as a collector [road].”
He also recognized that the intersection itself lies on the top of a hill, which lends itself to difficulties. To increase visibility for pedestrians, Skipper Consultants reviewed three crosswalk signage options, all of which included the addition of some form of flashing lights.
Caudle recommended the installation of in-sign-face LED flashers, which contain eight flashing LED’s in the boarder of the crosswalk’s sign face. The signs, which can be solar-powered, would cost approximately $4,000 for two units if installed by the city and can be controlled either via a timer or via a push-button.
The city approved Caudle’s suggestion and will be installing the new signs with timers provided that they are compatible with the solar-powered system.
On June 12, council members also:
- Reviewed current policies for single-family dwellings and how the city interacts with Airbnb, VRBO and similar rental companies. Under current ordinance, only one family, or one family and one non-related individual may occupy a single-family dwelling at a time. Due to the nature of some rentals housing two families or more than two unrelated individuals in a single-family dwelling, council members and city planner Dana Hazen agreed to continue the discussion, possibly through work sessions and with public input, to determine the best course of action in mitigate residential rentals.
- Approved the minutes from the meeting on May 22, 2017.
- Reviewed an update regarding the Jemison Park pedestrian bridge.
- Reviewed Chief Ted Cook’s request for proposed stop signs at uncontrolled intersections and decided to return to the June 29 council meeting with a selection of three to four intersections to start with.
- Reviewed a proposal from AlaSaw to create two new conference tables from a recently downed, local oak tree.
- Appointed Stephen Gidiere to the Tree Commission to serve without compensation through June 12, 2020, replacing Billy Angell.
- Authorized the budgeted payment from the General Fund of $300,000 into the city of Mountain Brook Section 115 (retiree medical insurance) Trust for investment in accordance with the city’s investment policy.
- Approved a resolution amending the city’s board appointment policy.
- Approved a resolution awarding the bid to Highway Management Systems, Inc. for street striping services and authorizing the execution of a 3-year contract for same.
- Approved a resolution awarding the bid to Smith Paving, Inc. for utility street cut patches and authorizing the execution of a 3-year contract for same.
- Approved a resolution allowing for the encroachment of the city’s right of way in the alley at 2810 Petticoat Lane to install a hydraulic wheelchair lift for ADA compliance, contingent on approval from public works.
- Announced a public hearing on June 26 to consider an ordinance amending the permitted office uses within the Local Business District to include medical/dental clinics as a conditional use and to consider an ordinance rezoning property at 30 Dexter Avenue from Vine Street Transitional (office use) to Vine Street Transitional (mixed use).
- Announced a public hearing on June 26, 2017, at 7 p.m. to consider an ordinance amending the permitted office uses within the Local Business District to include medical/dental clinics as a conditional use.
The next City Council meeting is on June 26.
