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Holcomb to slow down traffic in front of school
Published 10/9/2008 in News : Politics
By STEPHANIE FARLEY
HOLCOMB -- The Holcomb City Council is hoping to slow traffic by reducing the speed along Henderson Street in front of Wiley Elementary School to improve safety for the town's students.
On Wednesday night, the Holcomb City Council and USD 363 Board of Education held a special meeting to discuss traffic concerns mostly in the 200 block of Henderson Street in front of the school.
The issue, which has been a concern for awhile, is caused by traffic flow in Holcomb, according to Phil Keidel, principal for Wiley and Holcomb Elementary schools.
Keidel said the issue is that parents are dropping off and picking up their children at Wiley Elementary School, buses are coming and going, vehicles are being parked along Henderson Street, others unrelated to Wiley school are driving down Henderson Street to avoid traffic on Main Street, and all of the congestion is taking place in front of the school.
It's too much congestion in one spot, Keidel said.
USD 363 Superintendent Robert O'Connor said there's only so much that can occur in front of Wiley Elementary during picking up and dropping off in the mornings and afternoons, adding he's hoping changes, including possibly reducing the speed from 20 mph to 10 mph along Henderson Street from Mills to Jones Avenue, will help make students safer.
Out of Wednesday's special meeting and the Holcomb City Council's regular meeting came the recommendation by the council to reduce the speed in the area of Henderson Street.
The council previously approved installing a crosswalk in the 200 block of Henderson Street, which currently is without a crosswalk. To handle the congestion now, Keidel will stand in the street in the mornings and afternoons to ensure parents and children cross safely.
O'Connor and Councilman Gary Newman said they're hoping the crosswalk will help.
Plans also are in the works to add flashing lights or a marker to signify the crosswalk, reduce the speed and make sure everyone traveling in the 200 block realizes it's a school zone.
"We'll be a whole lot safer than we were," O'Connor said of the proposed changes.
The crosswalk is planned to sit at the intersection of Anna Avenue and Henderson Street, tying onto the southwest corner of Anna Avenue. The crosswalk must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The council directed Holcomb City Attorney Bill Heydman to draft a resolution to change the speed from 20 mph to 10 mph along Henderson Street. The proposed change, along with the crosswalk, is the option the council chose over making Henderson a one-way street.
City Engineer Paul Nixon said his concerns on making Henderson a one-way street include increasing the traffic congestion along Main Street, as well as having two lanes of traffic moving in the same direction.
If a vehicle in the right lane stops to let a child cross, Nixon said, there's the potential the vehicle in the left lane wouldn't be able to see the child crossing the street.
If operated properly, Nixon said, he believes the crosswalk will help control where students walk, hopefully reducing the risk of a child being hit.
To reduce the problem on Henderson Street, O'Connor and Keidel have told staff to stop parking along the street. O'Connor said the next step for the district is to look into separating bus from vehicle traffic.
About 25 people, including members of the public and representatives of USD 363 and KDOT, attended the special meeting, which started at 5:30 p.m. About 20 people attended the 7 p.m. regular city council meeting.
Newman said he thought it was a great turnout and that those attending walked away with a better understanding of the traffic issues surrounding Wiley and Holcomb Elementary schools, as well as the broader traffic issues concerning the project to turn U.S. Highway 50 into a four-lane divided highway project stretching about 8.4 miles from Garden City to Holcomb.
The four lanes will begin near IBP Road and taper off to two lanes just east of Third Street. The project's total cost is estimated at $83.17 million, with construction estimated at $66.9 million. The bid letting is set for March 2009.
Newman said the city will have to keep an eye on how the project affects in-town traffic.
"Kids' safety is what comes first," Newman said.
Kansas House Rep. Gary Hayzlett, R-Lakin, also attended Wednesday's special meeting and the council's regular meeting. Kansas House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, recently appointed Hayzlett to the Special Committee on a New Comprehensive Transportation Plan. The 16-member committee is charged with studying and reviewing the need for a new comprehensive transportation plan, the status of the state's current transportation system, possible funding sources for a new transportation plan, potential federal funding sources, the status of the current plan, and the use of toll roads.
Newman asked Hayzlett what kind of state assistance might be available for traffic issues in Holcomb.
The state's transportation plan ends in 2009, Hayzlett said, and as far as state funding for transportation issues right now, "they don't have any money."
KDOT, Hayzlett and other representatives are currently and will continue working on identifying possible funding sources for a new transportation plan.
"It'll be a long session," Hayzlett said of the upcoming Legislative session, which starts in January.
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