Jan. 25, 2019 – West Bend, WI – On Tuesday, Jan. 22, the City of West Bend Safety Commission held a meeting led by Police Chief Ken Meuler. On the agenda was a citizen request for the installation of traffic lights at Seventh Avenue and Decorah Road. Meuler said that Traffic Analysis and Design (TADI) experts, who could not be present at the meeting, said it is “possible to put a four-way stop in… but because of the steep incline it was not his recommendation.”
Meuler said the analyst pointed out it would be “a very short distance from Main Street.” No action was taken on this item at this time.
The intersection of Decorah Road and Silverbrook was also discussed. Meuler stated TADI felt that while “we could keep a two-way there, a four-way was warranted based on the crash history at that intersection and the volume of traffic on both Decorah and Silverbrook.”
City Engineer Max Marechal added, “At the intersection of Decorah and Silverbrook, not only is it possible to do both, but in their report they’re saying it would be preferable for the level of service to have the four-way stop.”
Meuler shared a statement from Lance Roell, principal at Silverbrook Middle School, in which Roell stated he was “highly in favor of it and has received favorable comments from parents..who spoke in favor of it.”
Meuler also stated District 1 Alderman John Butschlick lent a statement saying he was in favor of the four-way stop. A motion to approve a four-way stop sign at the intersection of Decorah and Silverbrook passed 5-1.
The committee approved removing the stop signs on Walnut at Eighth Avenue and adding stop signs on Eighth Avenue at Walnut, removing the “No Parking from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., December 1 – April 1” restriction for the angle parking stalls on the west side of Shore Lane.
The committee approved no parking on the east side of Rolfs from Lang to Creek and no parking on the west side on Rolfs Avenue from Creek Road 1200 feet south, eliminated parking on Rolfs Avenue 30 feet north of the crosswalk to approximately 50 feet south of the driveway on the west side, and designated the extension of Rolfs Avenue as a Heavy Truck Route.
The committee then reviewed a request from the Police Department to eliminate the “Parking For Crossing Guard Only Zone” restriction on the west side of Ninth Avenue at W. Washington Street and approved this request.
A discussion took place regarding the Paradise Drive corridor traffic signal timing. Marechal suggested talking to the consultant for further clarification and discussion at the next committee meeting as an agenda item.
No action was taken on any other agenda items.
