ACHD's Road Wizard
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Will ACHD handle Kuna subdivision weeds? Still sandy from winter in hilly Boise cul-de-sac; questions about 20 mph speed limit on 36th Street heading to the hills in Boise
The Road Wizard Replies
Dear Road Wizard: The homeowners association told me to contact someone from ACHD about the weeds growing between the road and sidewalk in Crimson Point subdivision in Kuna.
Anonymous
Road Wizard:
Some of the sidewalks in Crimson Point are separated from the road by a stretch of grass and trees, others are right along the road. Either the adjacent property owner or the HOA is responsible for taking care of the weeds. Often, subdivision HOAs have agreed to maintain the public right-of-way along roads and sidewalks in exchange for using the land to beautify the subdivision.
ACHD provides weed control with the help of the "Labor Detail" crew from the Ada County Sheriff's Office along main roadways, but not in subdivisions.
Dear Road Wizard: My cul-de-sac on Danmore Drive in the hills of Boise's East End still has a substantial amount of sand left over from the winter. Is there any chance we could have a cleaner make another sweep through here? They did one pass a few months ago, but only got the edges.
Chad
Road Wizard:
Crews were still working on the final cleanup of the 20,000 tons of traction sand used during the historic winter snowfall, and the cul-de-sac has been swept again. Residential roads were last on the priority list. Main roads and locations where the sand could enter the Boise River were visited first.
Sweeping crews will now be supporting the chip sealing process by cleaning roads in advance of the seal application. They will also be there to pick up any excess chips once the oil is set.
Dear Road Wizard: A document from 2008 that was part of an ongoing process for developing homes in Eryie Canyon says 36th Street is 30 mph. Right now, there is a 20 mph speed limit sign on northbound 36th just after the "dog bone" roundabout at Hill Road. There's no additional speed sign until you arrive at Eyrie Way after the golf course, where it's again 20 mph. What is the actual speed limit between Hill and Eyrie Canyon? Something like 30 mph seems reasonable. Residents and visitors travel anywhere from 20 mph to 60 mph. My neighbor says they have been ticketed for going over 20 mph. Any additional sign would help control random speeds currently being applied.
Kris
Road Wizard:
It's true that 36th Street has a 30 mph speed limit -- to the south of the roundabout. It's 20 mph north of the roundabout.
The slower-speed portion is curvy with a rural feel. There aren't sidewalks, and there are only a few homes until Eyrie Way. The official speed limit is 20 mph, as posted.
ACHD actually increased the limit to 25 mph after a speed study in 2013 because the average speed was around 27 mph. However, the limit was dropped back to 20 mph due to some concerns about the increase.
Speeds were measured another time after the change to 25 mph, then again after the signs for 20 mph went back up. The results stayed about the same. There weren't any vehicles measured at 60 mph, but some were going close to 40 mph.
ACHD will consider adding more signs, but that isn't expected to change driver behavior. Ideally, speed limits should be largely based on average travel speeds to improve compliance and help police target people who are truly driving too fast.
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