It appears downtown Oxford is on the road to getting another traffic signal installed on M-24 ? just not at the intersection the village council has been lobbying for.
‘I would hate to see us not take the opportunity to get a light and end up without a light,? said Councilwoman Teri Stiles, who made a motion, which passed 4-1 last week, to pursue getting a signal at Broadway and M-24.
Council discussed signal and pedestrians issues with representatives from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) during its Jan. 22 meeting.
Village officials favored putting a traffic light at the Dennison/M-24/Stanton intersection to help make downtown more pedestrian-friendly and economically viable.
‘I want to see the same amount of people walking downtown Oxford as walking around downtown Rochester and what would help with that is some traffic lights,? said Councilman Tony Albensi. ‘Dennison and Stanton is where I want to see the light.?
‘There are viable restaurants. There area viable businesses that need pedestrian traffic,? said village President Chris Bishop, who noted that during the weekly summer concerts in Centennial Park, ‘M-24 is like the Great Wall of China ? nobody crosses it and those that do stand to get a ticket or killed.?
But MDOT’s strong opposition to installing a light at Dennison/M-24/Stanton at this point forced the village council to compromise.
‘Based on the conversations this evening, that’s not necessarily a reality at this point,? Bishop said.
‘A signal at Stanton and Dennison may further degrade the level of service in this whole area because of the potential for (traffic) backups,? said Greg Johnson, Metro Region Engineer for MDOT.
It was noted by MDOT that the reason a light can’t be installed at Dennison/Stanton right now is because 1) it’s too close (600 feet) to the Burdick St. signal for proper coordination; 2) it lacks two-lane approaches on the side streets (i.e. having straight/left and right turn lanes for traffic heading onto M-24); 3) it lacks a fifth-lane (left-turn) on M-24 so traffic flow is not disrupted by turning vehicles; 4) traffic volumes on the side streets don’t warrant a signal.
Based on their experience and analysis of a traffic study conducted in 2002, MDOT representatives repeatedly told council the Broadway/M-24 intersection is the ‘ideal location? at this point for a second signal downtown.
‘It’s not where we want it, it’s where traffic justifies it,? Johnson told council. ‘We think a signal at Broadway would create gaps (for pedestrians) and it would create a better flow of traffic. Is it going to solve all the problems? No.?
It was estimated a new traffic signal at Broadway would cost approximately $60,000 with $54,000 (90 percent) being paid by federal dollars. MDOT and the village would split the remaining $6,000 cost 50/50.
Council’s desire for pedestrians to easily and safely cross at Dennison/Stanton, between the Oxford 7 Theater and Starbucks Coffee, would be realized with a signal at Broadway/M-24, according to MDOT.
Tieing the timing of the Burdick and Broadway signals together, so they turn red and green simultaneously, would create ‘gaps? in the traffic flow, which would allow pedestrians to cross at Dennison/M-24/Stanton ‘without the fear of getting hit,? according to Paul Ajegba, MDOT’s Oakland Transportation Service Center (TSC) Manager.
‘There will be gaps, no question about it, where people can walk across,? Ajegba said.
In order to install a signal at Broadway St., which is 1,050 feet from the Burdick signal, the village and MDOT would have to acquire some additional right-of-way on the east side of M-24 to allow construction of a right-turn lane for traffic going from northbound M-24 to eastbound Broadway.
Given the earliest MDOT could provide funding to obtain the needed right-of-way and construct the right-turn lane is most likely spring 2009, council wanted to get the ball rolling now. ‘I would hate to waste time and be three years away,? Bishop said.
Steve Stramsack, MDOT’s Oakland TSC traffic and safety engineer, indicated it would cost an estimated $100,000 to construct the right-turn lane, which doesn’t include the added expense of obtaining the right-of-way.
If the village secured the right-of-way for MDOT, it would simplify the process and move the project up the list.
To prevent backups, MDOT also indicated left-turns from southbound M-24 to eastbound Broadway St. would be prohibited if a signal was installed as would left-turns from northbound M-24 to westbound Mechanic St.
Left-turns onto eastbound Broadway St. would be allowed if the village could secure enough right-of-way to create a left-turn lane there on M-24. Council directed the village manager to look into this.
Village resident Alan Zelisko expressed his support for a signal at Broadway, given the new 20,000-square-foot Crittenton Medical Plaza, expected to open this year, and Oxford Bank’s future plans to building a campus-style facility on its current site will create more pedestrian traffic in that area.
‘You’re kind of forgetting about all those people,? he said. ‘It seems to me you’re kind of opening up the village a little farther for pedestrian traffic (with a Broadway signal), not just restricting it right to Dennison.?
Village officials and citizens tried in vain to convince MDOT of the need for a light at Dennison/M-24/Stanton. ‘We know what we need in our community,? Stiles said. ‘Broadway statistically looks great on paper. All of us know that we really need something at Stanton.?
Stiles said having a movie theater directly across from a Starbucks is a ‘unique situation.?
Johnson disagreed. ‘I don’t think it’s unique,? he said. ‘I think you could find that situation in a number of state trunklines, not only here in southeast Michigan, but around the state.?
Johnson emphasized a traffic signal is ‘not a panacea for every issue that comes along.?
‘We can put signals in a number of locations, but we cannot control pedestrian behavior as far as mid-block crossing, crossing against the signal,? he said. ‘We have a number of signalized locations where we still have pedestrian injuries that occur.?
Local developer Dave Weckle offered to personally contribute $10,000 toward putting a signal at Dennison/M-24/Stanton.
But Johnson said money isn’t the issue.
‘A lot of communities have money and have offered money to put in an unwarranted signal,? he said. ‘We don’t do it unless there are extreme circumstances.?