traffic announcement

[Suzie Dean]

Okay, I have simply had enough.

In case many of you do not know...

Arthur between Madison and Franklin is two way traffic. It is not a one way street. Many of you may think it is a one way due to the fact that you may not enter off of Franklin. That end of the street is narrow and they do not allow traffic to pull on to Arthur from there. It is still a two way street. There is a street sign that states "two way traffic" when you pull on from Madison.

I have simply had enough (as well as many of our streets residents have)

1. People that use our street as a cut through so they don't catch the light
2. The numerous speeders
3. The people that due turn in where it says do not enter
4. The people that hang out of there car windows screaming at us, not
using the friendliest words we'll say, telling us that this is a one way
street and that "we" are going the wrong way when we are trying to pull
on to Madison

If people weren't in such a hurry trying to turn the corner to race down our street maybe they would notice the two way traffic sign.

Oh, and did I mention that there is about 18 children of the ages 11 and younger that live on that little part of Arthur.

This really is a safety concern to all of us. Nine times out of ten I can't even let my children play in the front yard because I am worried for there safety due to the high amount of traffic that comes down our street.

So maybe the next time you pull down our little part of Arthur, you will use a little more caution, and be a little friendlier to the residents of the street.

[Suzanne Metelko]

Suzie,

I can fully appreciate what you're saying. I have wondered out loud for years why the city doesn't just put back the side yard for the houses facing Franklin or even better a public green space, and give the neighborhood a great cul-de-sac. I think that the impact would be better property values and the enhancement of a great little neighborhood. I was told that safety vehicles need this cut through but that just isn't making sense to me. You have Mars and Morrison on either side and Madison and Franklin to the north and south. Perhaps its about the ability to turn around - if thats the case then perhaps some better strategy for getting the vehicles out might be needed but all in all that area could use the property boost and safety a cul-de-sac could provide.

Suzanne

[Lynn Farris]

Suzanne,

While I agree with you that cul de sacs are nice safe streets on which to reside, unfortunately the powers that be at the State level don't see it that way. Like in Lakewood and Norwood, having a cul de sac means you are blighted.

Julie Wiltse and I lobbied very hard at the state level to change that - and while we did get some changes - that isn't one of them. So if you don't want your property to be able to be seized by eminent domain for being blighted - make sure that you do not have cul de sacs. Yes, if you read the recommendations - you need 2 elements of blight - but a home only has to be 10 years old to lack the amentities of modern construction - which is a blighting characteristic. And only 50% of the homes in a neighborhood have to have these characteristics to be blighted. So even if your neighbors street is a cul de sac - it could affect you.

So help by contacting Dan Brady and Michael Skindell to tell them that age should not be a characteristic of blight and neither should cul de sacs.

Thanks,

[Michael Dever]

Lynn, That would be Dale Miller rather than Dan Brady.

[Lynn Farris]

Mike,

You are right, I keep forgetting.

[Suzanne Metelko]

I was thinking along the lines of Maple Cliff, Homewood et al. So they're blighted too? Very interesting. How has that affected their property values?

[Lynn Farris]

Many of the homes that are on streets that dead end into the Lake would by this definition be considered blighted. Then developers can get cities to declare eminent domain.

Let's face it developers don't want homes in the slums, they want what everyone in real estate wants - Location, location, location.
The average citizen thinks that since cities can't do Eminent Domain anymore for economic development they are safe. But they can still do it for blight and the definition of blight that the state task force has come up with is so big that you can put almost any property you want in it.

[Suzie Dean]

We don't necessarily have to make the street a dead end...

Just make the sign a little more visible. Maybe on the other side of the street so that people will see it as they turn on to the street. If you are making a right onto the street from Madison you really don't notice the two way traffic sign.

A caution children at play sign. We have a lot of people that zip down the street and it really looks like they are going to jump the curb. Our tree lawns are all of about 12 inches maybe 18 if you are lucky.

Some consideration for our Arthur residents would be very much appreciated.

All though a dead end would be nice.

[Suzanne Metelko]

Temporarily off topic.

Lynn,

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately an issue like eminent domain isn't as simple as developers v homeowners. ED is a small piece of a much larger and in my opinion, more frightening land use agenda. If it was simply about big bad developers wanting the homes of poor homeowners the Seirra Club wouldn't have weighed in on the side they did.

The current drive to eliminate eminent domain as a land use regulation is the first step in a national agenda that is intended to eliminate zoning regulations, pollution regulations, wetland protections, wildlife regulations and so on. This plan is old, well developed and extremely well funded.

Suzanne

Back on topic. Suzie is right. It is just a matter of time before there will be a tragic accident on short Arthur. It requires attention. Has anyone contacted the city to get some assistance?

[Bryan Schwegler]

I grew up on Arthur by the Library, I remember when they changed "little" Arthur from one-way to two-way. Never understood why they did it. Maybe it's time to change it back?

[Ryan Patrick Demro]

I will look into this and other parking issues on the street. I don't see why we can't figure something out, but I have been wrong before when it comes to seemingly simple solutions.

[Danielle Masters]

Thank you Suzie for posting about this issue. While it may seem like a small thing to some it is frightening to us. Our street is short but many motorists seem to think its a speedway. We basically have no tree lawns, maybe 18 inches at the widest, so when our children are out riding bikes or running they can easily fall into the street. I don't even understand why people go down our street, it really isn't a shortcut to anything now even less so with the library block being torn up.

Has anyone contacted the city to get some assistance?

I know Ryan has already posted, but yes I contacted him a few months ago. He has assured me he is looking into our issues and I'm sure he is looking for some solutions.

I am curious about how we can get one of the mobile speed signs posted on our street, the kind that tell motorists how fast they are going. Parking is not allowed on our street during the day (WHY?!?) so there is plenty of room. The speed is a major issue to me. I would like the street to remain a two way street because is it not any narrower than any other Lakewood street. I also think that if it became a one-way street again it would only encourage even more speeding. I like Suzie's idea of moving the sign from the east side of the corner to the west side to make it more visible. Maybe then I can turn out of my drive without being told off. As a side note I'd like to remind everyone to watch your speed on any streets especially with school being back in session. Oh and thanks for watching the animals Suzie.

[Suzie Dean]

Ryan,

Thank you for making a note of this. Why we can't park on the street during the day is beyond me.
It would be nice if one of Lakewoods finest sat on the street and witnessed what we go through on a daily basis. This really is a safety concern to all of us. We have small children and I don't want something happening to one of them, and if nothing is done about this now, something is bound to happen. Weather it be an accident or someone getting hurt but something will happen.