Public works director reviews traffic patterns at Second and Broadway

FAIRFIELD — Fairfield Public Works Director and City Engineer Melanie Carlson had a chance to observe the new traffic pattern created at Second Street and Broadway Avenue, where the city turned off a stop light in August.

The city installed signs at the intersection alerting motorists and pedestrians that the stop light would be turned off on Aug. 16 and remain off for at least two months until Oct. 18. About one month into this trial period on Sept. 15, Carlson observed traffic patterns at the intersection, collecting data on the speed of vehicles throughout the day.

In her report to the Fairfield City Council, Carlson said that vehicle speeds tended to be higher in the morning and at 5 p.m. compared to noon. She said no vehicle was observed going more than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit.

Carlson said that, prior to sitting at the intersection, she was going to recommend leaving the lights off. However, city staff does not like the idea of leaving the lights up with black bags over them.

“They either need to get turned back on or get taken down,” Carlson said.

Carlson said she observed some motorists who were confused about what to do at the intersection, and she suspects the black bags are adding to the confusion.

Carlson said the city and Iowa Department of Transportation recognize that the nearby post office draws a large amount of pedestrian traffic to the intersection. That’s why those organizations are discussing pedestrian safety measures such as installing a “yield to pedestrian” sign similar to what was installed on Burlington Avenue on the south side of the square. The DOT has informed the city such a sign could only be up during the spring, summer and fall.

Another option would be a rapid flashing beacon, which pedestrians would activate with a push button.

“A pedestrian pushes a button, then the light begins flashing, which draws drivers’ attention to the cross walk,” Carlson said. “With this, even as with stop lights, pedestrians need to make sure drivers are slowing down and stopping. Community education will be needed to let pedestrians know they shouldn’t just ‘push and go.’”

Carlson said any of these proposals will need to be approved by both the city council and the Iowa DOT. She said she likes the idea of some sort of pedestrian safety measure as a long-term solution to replacing the traffic signal.

“Replacing the signals would be an estimated $300,000, while a flashing beacon is closer to $30,000,” Carlson said. “A beacon addresses pedestrian concerns while allowing traffic to flow efficiently. These are the type of decisions that will have to be made if we want our city to become fiscally sustainable.”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com