Washington City Council mulls stop signs, liquor store

    The Washington City Council heard another resident voice opposition to increasing speed limits on East Washington Street ? two weeks after deleting speed limits on the street from the city code. The council met at its regular place and time Wednesday, and listened to Washingtonian Penny Cahill explain why the speed limit on the street should be lower, not higher.

    ?The number of semi-trucks and other large trucks using this street to haul livestock and goods seems to be ever-increasing, even in the six years we?ve resided here,? said Cahill. ?Large trucks, having more momentum, take longer to stop and are less adept at avoiding hazards. Therefore, it follows from basic physics that limiting speeds could reduce the severity and incidence of truck-related crashes.?

    The speed limit on East Washington Street is 30 mph until the Airport Road, where it becomes 55 mph. The Iowa Department of Transportation recommended raising the speed limit from 30 mph to 35 mph between Seventh and 14th avenues.    

    Cahill also commented that when Washington Street expanded from a two-lane to a four-lane road, houses and sidewalks that were once comfortably recessed were now much closer to a bustling highway.

    ?There are children playing, walking, bicycling and skateboarding down the sidewalks, people pulling out of and into their driveways and local buses providing services to residents along the street, not to mention the constant stream of four lanes of cars,? she said. ?All these people are potential victims, and raising speeds along this road will put them in harm?s way.?

    Cahill gave each of the councilors a typed copy of her remarks, which she and her husband Keith Kozacik (Catfish Keith) signed.

    The council approved the second reading of an ordinance to remove the stop signs for east and westbound traffic on Third Street at its intersection with Seventh Avenue. The ordinance must be approved once more before it becomes law.

    Councilor Bob Shepherd said he received a letter from someone who owns a home on Third Street and who is worried about turning the street into the Daytona 500.

    ?Her concern was that it has been a racetrack in the past, and that there have been some real problems with speeding,? said Shepherd. ?She was concerned that removing the stop signs would make it even worse.?

The council also discussed the business plan of Mother Hubbard?s Cupboard, located on West Madison Street. The business is planning to remodel soon to include a liquor store in the building. Mother Hubbard?s Cupboard sought and received the council?s blessing for its business plan, which did not include the application for the liquor license itself, which will come later. However, councilor Fred Stark said he was concerned about the growing number of liquor stores in the city.

For more, see our Sept. 16 print edition.