Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Mountain Brook City Council member Billy Pritchard during a Jan. 8 discussion of traffic problems around Mountain Brook Junior High.
With a 3-2 vote, the Mountain Brook City Council passed a resolution during its Jan. 8 meeting to designate the north side of Winthrop Avenue as “no parking” on weekdays around the time that Mountain Brook Junior High School dismisses.
Virginia Smith, Gerald Garner and Billy Pritchard voted to prohibit parking on Winthrop from 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. Lloyd Shelton and Graham Smith voted against the measure.
An ordinance to make Winthrop Avenue a one-way street from Alden Lane to Overbrook Road could not be considered, since the council did not have unanimous consent to take action. Shelton and Graham Smith objected, so the matter will be presented at a later meeting.
Residents attended a prior council meeting to express concern about snarled traffic on the streets near MBJH, including potential access issues for emergency vehicles.
Tony Ankar, an Alden Lane resident, spoke during the meeting and said he was concerned that the prescribed actions would adversely affect the street where he and his family live.
Richard Caudle, a Skipper Consulting traffic engineer, said traffic flow near the school has been studied since August 2023. The initial plan called for changes on Norman Drive and Winthrop, but that was abandoned after residents complained.
“My ask to the committee is to consider all the options,” Ankar said. “Consider even things like a school lottery for pickup times; consider things that other municipalities are doing to alleviate congestion, given the increase in student count and that kind of thing.”
Ankar also asked about parking schemes the school has related to pick-up and suggested coordinating with nearby churches to use their parking lots. Pritchard said the school only governs parking on its property; he added that there is no formal agreement with churches to provide parking for those picking up students after school.
“I object to any change that's going to increase the traffic, increase potential safety [concerns] on Alden Lane,” Ankar said. “That's my position, and I believe that my neighbors, the 11 of them that wrote before, saw this plan and thought, 'Boy, this isn't really any different than what we expressed.' I'm not sure our concern was heard.”
Garner said he took the stance of safety first.
“You might not like our decision, but that's the most important thing to me,” he said, acknowledging that the council can reassess the matter in the future. “We looked at the traffic studies and the safety issues on Overton Road and built rumble strips as a safety precaution to slow people coming around that curve.
“We went with that for a while, and the neighbors came back to us and said we're seeing no benefit, we’re just seeing nuisance,” Garner continued. “And we reversed it.”
During the Jan. 8 meeting, the council agreed to send a letter of support, along with the City of Birmingham, regarding the proposal by Bryson Stephens of the Red Mountain Cut Foundation to develop sidewalks and crosswalks from Mountain Brook’s English Village to the entrance to Birmingham’s Vulcan Park.
Mayor Stewart H. Welch III presented proclamations for National Mentoring Month and Human Trafficking Awareness Month. He also recognized Vince Schilleci for his service to the city’s editorial board and swore in KC Hairston, who was reappointed as presiding judge in the city.
In other action, the council:
- Approved the contractor agreement with Speyer Roofing for the decking and roof demolition and removal of the patio at City Hall.
- Ratified and approved the internal transfer of funds for the year Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023.
- Accepted a proposal by Motorola Solutions for video evidence management for in-car video storage and body-worn camera storage.
- Approved the purchase of a new fire pumper for the fire department.
- Authorized the sale or disposal of certain surplus property.
