Warsaw Traffic Safety Commission Wednesday agreed to look at the design of Parent Drive after six residents showed up and complained of high traffic and speeds.
Commission member Jack Wilhite introduced the Parent Drive issue Wednesday and said when CR 300W was closed for roundabout work, it forced a lot of traffic from Tippe River Downs apartments to come onto Parent Drive.
“Traffic counts and speeds went up,” Wilhite said. “This is the issue the residents are dealing with.”
Jim Winchester lives on Parent Drive and showed up at the Wednesday meeting with five of his fellow neighbors. They say traffic is so heavy, and speeds are so high, that they no longer can safely pull out of their driveway or feel comfortable crossing the street.
“They put up a 25 mph speed limit, but I?guess that’s just a suggestion,” he said. “It’s getting worse all the time.”
Winchester said 1,000 vehicles go through there a week, including semis who miss their turn to drop off loads at Walmart or Lowe’s and now FedEx and UPS have found themselves a short cut.
Warsaw Police Department Capt. Joel Beam, who sits on the traffic safety commission, said he did a traffic study in the area and found one car was found to have been traveling at 48 mph in the 25 mph speed zone; 236 cars travel that drive per day and 1,600 travel it per week.
“Which is a lot for that drive,” Beam said, noting that the peak time for traffic on Parent Drive appears to be at 6 a.m. Beam also said that the average speed through the area is 22 mph.
“I’m not saying there’s not speeding,” he said. “Two weeks ago I told my guys I’ll buy you lunch if you catch a speeder on Parent Drive. I haven’t bought anybody lunch yet.”
One anticipated way for traffic to be relieved will be when Petro Drive opens up. That street is currently being used a construction drive, but will be paved once that work is done, City Planner Jeremy Skinner said. Skinner said he thinks about a year longer, but that he’ll get an updated timetable on construction.
The residents on Parent Drive don’t believe putting up another speed limit sign will help, and they’re a touch disgruntled about a lack of patrolling.
Skinner suggested a way to help slow traffic down might be to look at the design and see if something like what the city did on Market Street could prove useful for Parent Drive. On Market Street, the city put “bump outs” down both sides of the street, narrowing the street, thus slowing drivers down.
“People will drive at what they’re comfortable (with),” Skinner said. “If they’re uncomfortable, they’ll slow down. Our goal is to make them uncomfortable.”
The commission tabled the matter to give Skinner and the street department time to work up some drawings to present at the next meeting.
In the meantime, Commissioner Lance Grubbs suggested the residents try to write down the makes, models and license plate numbers – and the time of day – of speeding vehicles and pass that information along to Beam.
Also Wednesday, the commission:
• Approved a yield sign to be placed at Edgewood Middle School at the south end of the parent drop-off area for drivers to yield when pulling out onto the traveled portion.
A “no right turn” sign was also approved to be placed at Harrison Elementary School at the parent drop-off intersection at Glad Street and the northwest corner of Flora.
David Robertson, a Warsaw Community Schools representative on the traffic safety commission, said increased parent drop-off and pick-up can probably be attributed to the health pandemic and less people carpooling, but nevertheless, traffic is getting backed up on Glad Street and they currently can’t do anything about it. Both signs will require an ordinance that will go before the Warsaw City Council.
• Decided to paint a center line on the curve of Provident Drive after a resident came and complained that people cut the curve often and go into the other lane of traffic, nearly causing accidents.
Beam said traffic numbers for the area show there were zero accidents at the location the last two years. However, many on the commission agreed they have had first-hand experience with the hazard and approved the paint job.
The next Warsaw Traffic Safety Commission meeting is 1 p.m. Nov. 4 at City Hall.
