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May 23, 2007

Dear Resident / Business Owner / Property Owner:

The City of Madison Traffic Engineering Division will host a neighborhood meeting regarding the intersection of Whitney Way and Hammersley Road. The neighborhood meeting will be on

Thursday, May 31, 2007, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Toki Middle School (All Purpose Room), 5606 Russett Rd.

City staff will share background information and several safety improvement options for consideration by you and other interested parties. Both short-term (low cost) and long-term (high cost) options will be considered. The meeting will be guided by the following agenda:

1. Review recent history and intersection conditions
2. Review data on traffic volumes, crash history and crash pattern
3. Short-term and long-term options
4. Neighborhood comments
5. Next steps (consensus, programming, funding)

The subject intersection is a challenging location due to its steep hill and limited sight distance as well as motorists traveling at high speeds. Crash data is indicating two major types of crashes at the intersection: (1) a "normal" crash pattern of right-angle crashes, and (2) sensational or reckless crashes with drivers operating at high rates of speed and disregarding traffic control. A number of options have been generated to date by various groups, including rumble strips on Whitney Way, stop signs on Whitney Way, traffic signals, regrading of the hill, closure of one side of Hammersley Road, more police enforcement, camera enforcement, warning flashers, guardrail on Hammersley Road private property, and various directional median closures in the intersection to eliminate or slow down traffic movements. Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages for the community to consider.

We look forward to meeting with you and getting your input on these and other solutions for making this a better and safer intersection. Please contact us with any questions or comments at ddryer@cityofmadison.com.

Sincerely,

David C. Dryer, P.E.
City Traffic Engineer and Parking Manager

DCD:DJM:gep
c: Ald. Jed Sanborn, District 1
Ald. Thuy Pham-Remmele, District 20
Larry Nelson, City Engineer
Noble Wray, Chief of Police
Captain Jay Lengfeld, West Police District

Contacts

  • Dan McCormick, Traffic Engineering, 266-4761