Heilbron Oaks Traffic Calming Committee
to present plan

By Susan MacCulloch
Viewpoint Staff Writer

The 12-member Heilbron Oaks Traffic Calming Committee-responsible for planning traffic calming measures in the area bounded by Castro Way, Portola Way, 24th Street and Franklin Boulevard-has identified three key goals and is developing a comprehensive traffic calming plan for an August community presentation to neighbors within the project area boundaries.

Heilbron Oaks is the fourth city-guided transportation planning project in Curtis Park. Project Manager Debb Newton, with the city transportation department, chairs each committee meeting, providing city traffic data and other resources while guiding committee members through the planning process. The committee's July meeting will focus on traffic calming tools and attendant costs while staying cognizant of the allotted $25,000 budget.

Committee members reviewed the subdivision's maps and considered traffic calming devices such as speed lumps, botts dots, pork-chop islands, stop signs, speed legends and neighborhood signage. To date, members have informally surveyed neighbors, gathered petition signatures for speed lumps, and taken into account differing points of view regarding specific traffic calming measures.

The Committee reached consensus on these three key traffic-calming goals:

• Improve vehicular safety at the intersections of 26th Street and Castro Way, 27th Street and Marshall Way, and 27th Street and Third Avenue;
  
  
• Increase pedestrian safety at the intersections of 26th Street and Marshall Way and 26th Street and Fourth Avenue; and
  
  
• Reduce the critical speed on Portola Way between 26th Street and Franklin Boulevard to under 30 miles per hour.

Additional police traffic enforcement will be requested in July to monitor traffic speed within the Heilbron Oaks' boundaries.

The Heibron Oaks community meeting to review and comment on the committee's proposed plan is scheduled for sometime in late August. Watch for a Neighborhood Transportation Management Program newsletter with plan details and meeting date.

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