LJWorld.com

merrill (Anonymous) says…

Commissioners,
The working traffic signals at 23rd and Haskell are being replaced with new traffic signals. Why not move two of those traffic signals to the 900 block of New Hampshire? Hopefully this existing resource is a possibility.

another_concerned_parent (Anonymous) says…

More people would stop for kids/adults in the crosswalk if it was not used as a pick-up/drop-off point. I cannot tell you how many times I have driven by there, which I do 4 times on a daily basis, and vehicles are parked there waiting to pick-up or drop-off kids. If it was meant to be a loading zone it would be marked as such. Kids wait right by the street for their parents to pick them up, so drivers get tired of stopping and then the kids not crossing time after time. The Arts Center should really enforce their loading zone to the south of the crosswalk, or maybe the police should have more of a presence there during the times the classes are dismissing and issue tickets for those drivers that stop and wait for their kids and cause traffic to back-up.

merrill (Anonymous) says…

This is a problem no matter what the situation. Not saying the loading/unloading is not a point worth addressing. Parents could also stop using the loading zone as parking.

No matter there is a problem and it is worth installing a light due to the amount of traffic and pedestrians. During performances,rehearsals and classes that crossing is used considerably. Some senior citizens are not as fast as they once were. I guess some drivers do not understand that pedestrians in a cross walk have the right of way.

The LPD can only do so much because citizens want them to be everywhere.

justfornow (Anonymous) says…

Sorry were a little short right now….maybe try looking both ways before you cross, it's worked for alot of people for a long time.

Starlight (Anonymous) says…

Sounds like there are enough violations occurring here that ticketing the scofflaws could create the revenue for a light, or better yet a camera system that wouldn't require an officer's constant presence. I can't count the number of times I've stopped for someone at a well marked crosswalk only to have one or more cars continue to drive through from the other direction. Make them pay for their insolent disregard for other's safety.

hawkperchedatriverfront (Anonymous) says…

Interesting that a light is needed at the midwalk crossing but at 9th and Tennesse, there is no light to control left hand turns, hence: drivers turn on the red light. 9th is a busy street for more than new hamshire, and since left hand turns are allowed, wy isn't the turning controlled. It took years for the city to make the lights on 9th and Kentucky permanent all night long, they used to be flashing after midnite. This town is so slow and on drugs.

bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

why can't they just take the few extra steps, *and cross at the corner?*!

do we really want a midblock crosswalk with light given the function of nh for traffic there? this will squeeze more traffic off to ct. in fact, midblock crosswalks don't make much sense anywhere on nh downtown!

***
besides that, we can't spend that money, we have to spend twenty times that fixing up an old nondescript rail depot that serves fewer people!

bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

just a note for those new to this forum:
Merrill who popped up above, is *on the dreaded traffic safety commission* yet he opposes driving, believes that broken streets are good serving as passive traffic calming devices. furthermore, he wants us to have tolling blackouts to enforce energy conservation.

just a little history to help you know how to properly assess anything he writes. I am surprised though that he doesn't have some cut-and-paste or inane links above.

should read “rolling blackouts,” though “tolling blackouts works too, as he wants us all to live a third world existance.

OnlyTheOne (Anonymous) says…

Where are the Lawrence Police? Pedestrian safety has been ridiculous in Lawrence for years. They grumble about the cost of fuel and this and that. They put up task forces to stop drivers looking for no insurance. They “cruise” looking for God knows what. Why in the heck can't they spare some officers for pedestrian crosswalk duty. Stop the silly fools that refuse to yield to pedestrians and make it expensive for them!

logrithmic (Anonymous) says…

I've argued for pedestrian malls along Mass Street. I also think it might be appropriate to close New Hampshire between 9th and 10th.

Regards speeders and the like, it is very frustrating for those who walk around downtown. As I posted before, vehicles turning right represent the greatest danger to pedestrians. Many of these drivers don't even slow, much less come to the required stop before turning right. It doesn't matter whether its a stoplight or a stop sign, they still run it.

I also am concerned with excessive speed downtown. The speed limit is 20 mph throughout the downtown area, but outside of Mass, most ignore these speed limits.

Agressive enforcement is required, but the only agressive enforcement I see downtown is tickets for parking.

Ridiculous….

boltzmann (Anonymous) says…

BeardedGnome says “why can't they just take the few extra steps, *and cross at the corner?*!”

I guess my answer to this is why can't cars follow the law and stop at crosswalks when pedestrians are present. It is really quite simple. I'm never understood why midwesterners, who are normally quite polite, become so rude when they are in their cars. The level of hostility toward pedestrians and bicyclists in Kansas is really quite sad.

cds (Anonymous) says…

Could probably get all the funds needed for this light by ticketing the jaywalkers who constantly walk across NH street anywhere but the crosswalks. May as well make NH from 10th to 6th a long giant crosswalk.

stbaker (Anonymous) says…

Justfornow: I have been mid-cross with my three children at that pedestrian crossing when a car blew through with complete disregard to pedestrians crossing at the pedestrian crossing. In fact, it had been at the corner of 10th/New Hampshire when we started crossing. That is the closest call we've had, but many similarly close calls when folks have been on their cell phones, daydreaming, driving 30mph+.

And please realize, they operate a preschool at LAC five days a week. This creates a lot of pedestrian traffic when they have a loading zone (15 min parking) for only 4 cars.

ukillaJJ (Anonymous) says…

This is the wrong idea…

Let's make some new jobs by hiring some crossing guards. It will improve the economy AND the safety of the crosswalk.

LadyJ (Anonymous) says…

Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't the parking garage across the street? Why would they need to park in the loading zone?

bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

boltzmann,
I am *frequently* a downtown pedestrian!
what I was referring to is the troubling tendency of this town to constantly slow down through traffic, build more congestion, put in traffic calming devices, and squeeze traffic out into neighborhood streets, or further from their intended destinations.

besides, we're supposed to be promoting healthy lifestyles: walk a little more!

***
ukilljj,
you have hit upon a very dangerus subject in the history of this town.

if one of those crossing guards so much as waves at a friend, or just gives a friendly wave…well, all he|| will break out!

no, I say no. if we have crossing guards in there, they'll be tempted to *wave*!

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

No!
Say no to the wave!!!

hehehe..that was so funny back then!

stbaker (Anonymous) says…

Yes, the parking garage is across the street…Thus, there is a lot of pedestrian traffic at the crossing in front of the Arts Center, which is why they are proposing to put a pedestrian traffic signal there. Parents park in the loading zone (15 min parking) because they know there are numerous reckless drivers blowing through the pedestrian crossing. By parking in the loading zone, they eliminate having to cross traffic…reducing the likelihood of a vehicle running a pedestrian over in the crossing.