ACHD's Road Wizard
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Old lane lines reappear on Veterans Memorial Parkway heading to State Street and cause confusion; speeding prompts speed bump hopes for Artesian Road in Eagle; were the new stop signs on Allumbaugh Street put in place for the new apartments?
The Road Wizard Replies
Dear Road Wizard: Are there any plans to clarify the lane lines on Veterans Memorial Parkway heading to State Street on the curve? The existing mix of current and old lines is very confusing. It was downright terrifying during our heavy snow cover.
Sharyn
Road Wizard:
Traveling through the curve on Veterans can feel like maneuvering around a gentle river bend after crossing the Boise River. And the old lane markings created waves by directing southbound drivers around a painted median island. People had to steer right after veering to the left in order to stay in the lines.
ACHD changed the markings last summer. Because it's so tough to erase street paint, the decision was made to chip seal over them. However, the application happened too late in the season, and the seal didn't cure properly. This decreased the seal's staying power.
Winter arrived with fury, and plow drivers gave Veterans plenty of attention. When plows moved snow off the roads, much of the seal was chipped away.
Weather and pavement conditions allowed for temporary paint to be applied to the new lines in February, which helped. A full paint job was competed earlier this month. There is now no doubt which markings drivers should follow.
As for the old lines, they will disappear again after another round of chip sealing this summer. In the meantime, the heavy traffic on Veterans will help wear them away.
Dear Road Wizard: I'd like to find out about the possibility of speed bumps for Artesian Road in Eagle. We have vehicles that are speeding regularly with some traveling over twice the 25 mph limit. Our neighborhood has a large number of children that travel from house to house. The street doesn't get a lot of traffic and is a straight-away, which seems to offer people a fast stretch in which to speed. It has become dangerous as several dogs have been hit and my fear is that one day a pedestrian or child will be injured or worse.
Darin
Road Wizard:
I'm sorry about the pets. This is one of those residential roads that doesn't feel residential to a person behind the wheel, and a heavy foot can result.
Before we go where no bump has gone before, I should mention ACHD's new speed bump/traffic calming policy. A street needs to have at least 400 vehicle trips per day to qualify for speed bumps, because priority is given to busier roads.
Artesian is unlikely to meet that criteria, but ACHD can still conduct a speed study. While this may not ultimately result in the desired bumps, the data is shared with law enforcement.
Dear Road Wizard: In the March 19 Road Wizard column, a writer asks about a traffic signal at Fairview Avenue/Allumbaugh Street. The answer is that "...Allumbaugh doesn't have enough traffic numbers, even with additional apartments." ACHD recently installed stop signs on Allumbaugh. Possibly because the increased traffic from the new apartments couldn't get onto Allumbaugh?
Jeff
Road Wizard:
You may have missed the March 5 column which explained the sudden stop signs. Residential neighborhood streets near Fairview Avenue and Cole Road may be experiencing extra traffic as the intersection is being rebuilt.
Allumbaugh and other nearby roads are potential cut-through routes for drivers not following the designated detour. The temporary stop signs make the roads less desirable options, and are not related to new-apartment traffic.
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