City Council discusses traffic, speed limit changes

The Bloomington City Council and the City Traffic Commission discussed several proposed changes to speed limits, one way streets and other parking measures at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

The city council approved one proposed speed limit change. The proposal for a speed limit change on Third Street will reduce the current 30 mph speed limit to 25 mph.

Several city council members expressed their approval for lowering speed limits in residential neighborhood areas and expressed support for traffic calming measures in other neighborhoods.

“I believe that the city should be looking at speed limits in all neighborhoods,” Councilmember Mike Satterfield said.

The most controversial proposed change was alternating the flow of traffic on Smith Avenue and Lindbergh Drive. However, the council voted against voting on the measure.

According to Justin Wykoff, Manager of Engineering Services for the City of Bloomington. The Bloomington Project School, located on Walnut Street, requested that Smith Avenue be changed to a one way street heading west. This portion of Smith Avenue is currently one way east.

“They don’t like the kids to be walking between school buses during loading and unloading,” Wykoff said.

With Smith Avenue currently running one way east, Project School students have to board buses with bus doors adjacent to traffic on Smith Avenue. If traffic changes to one way west, students can board buses with bus doors facing the Project School.

Bloomington City Council President Isabel Piedmont-Smith said she understood the school’s safety issues but was concerned about possible confusion for drivers.

“We’d have one block where Smith Avenue is one way west, one block where it’s one way east and then several blocks of two way traffic,” Piedmont-Smith said.

Council member Stephen Volan echoed Piedmont-Smith’s opinion.

“Our streets are already confusing,” Volan said. “Downtown has its share of one way streets. I’m not sufficiently convinced that this is a necessary change.”

The City Council passed on approving or denying the one way street changes and asked the Traffic Commission for more information on the proposed one way street changes.