Pedestrian safety is priority for board

The Port Washington Board of Public Works is siding with pedestrian protection at the risk of traffic congestion when it comes to crossing Grand Avenue at Webster Street.

The General Government and Finance Committee kicked the issue back to the Board of Public Works, which already signed off on the plan, this month. The committee this time tabled action on the issue since officials were still planning to meet with the Department of Transportation to discuss elected officials’ concerns and go over the project in detail.

The proposal calls for bump outs to be added to Grand Avenue on either side of the intersection with North Webster Street  and, on the south side of the street, on either side of the intersection of South Webster Street.

Crosswalks would be added on both sides of the intersection of Grand Avenue at North Webster Street and just west of the intersection of Grand Avenue at South Webster Street. The road is often crossed by students heading to Port Washington High School and anyone going to the nearby Niederkorn Library.

“The intention of these improvements is to improve pedestrian safety in this area,” Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven said.

“The problem we have is that cars that stop for pedestrians as they should when pedestrians are in the walkway are misunderstood to be turning left, so cars are bypassing them on the right-hand side essentially at full speed and creating a real hazardous situation.”

The dangers are already prevalent, he said.

“We have had some pedestrian accidents there and numerous near misses. Something we definitely take very seriously.”

Ald. Pat Tearney said he saw that very thing on the day the committee met.

“Somebody went around someone and there was someone in the crosswalk. Nothing happened but I guess it’s another one of those near misses you’re talking about. Those are scary,” he said.

Ald. Deb Postl at this month’s General Government and Finance Committee meeting said the fix is too one-sided.

“I can’t approve this design as is. It’s going to be gridlock traffic,” she said. “The prime focus is on pedestrians with little focus on moving traffic.”

Postl said she is also concerned that emergency vehicles could get backed up at the intersection. She and Ald. Dan Benning said traffic lights would better suit that intersection.

Board of Public Works Chairman Mike Gasper said narrowing the road by five feet would still allow for two nine-foot-wide lanes, “which is enough for vehicles to make it through” since most cars are six feet wide.

He noted that the DOT is OK with the proposal.

“DOT errs far on the side of mobility vs. access, so if they were concerned that this was going to create nightmarish backups day in and day out, they wouldn’t be letting us do it,” he said.

“Granted, there is the possibility at times that it would back up a bit. That would probably clear pretty quickly. Is it a perfect solution here? No, but it would create pedestrian safety.”

Committee member Jim Haley agreed.

“So then the problem that may occur once in a while with backups is nothing compared to doing something and improving safety would seem to be the way overwhelming issue,” he said.

Gasper said a compact roundabout would work better but deemed it too costly. He said it would be a possible solution when Grand Avenue gets reconstructed.