A city traffic study presented to the Buildings and Grounds Committee on Oct. 6 found 26 crashes at the Arcadian Avenue and Oakland Avenue intersection over the last five and a half years, and seven crashes so far in 2025.

The study, presented by Alex, city engineering staff, said, “The last 5 and a half years have experienced 26 crashes.” The committee heard a resident petition and a request from neighbors for an all-way stop, but committee members did not adopt staff’s short-term recommendations and no new traffic control was approved.

Why it matters: the intersection is immediately adjacent to Buckner Park and a city pool; heavy pedestrian activity and recurring right-angle collisions have prompted safety concerns from residents and multiple alderpersons.

Alex told the committee the collisions were “predominantly property damage only” and that most reports indicated drivers “pull up, come to a stop initially … and then claim that they did not see a car come in.” Staff recommended restricting parking on Arcadian to improve sight lines — “we've recommended a 175 feet in each in each direction,” Alex said — and other signing or pavement-marking treatments as short-term fixes. The study also noted features already installed at the intersection when it was reconstructed in 2022, such as speed feedback signs and ladder-style pavement markings.

Resident Daniel Melendez, who said he lives at 929 Oakland Avenue, brought a petition with 30 signatures and urged an all-way stop. “I'd like to see a 4 way stop there for safety,” he told the committee, citing seven crashes this year and five injury crashes in 2025.

Alder Doreen said the recent influx of crashes coincided with nearby construction and traffic pattern changes: “we were only at 1 accident for the entire year until that construction started.” Committee members debated whether short-term parking restrictions or enforcement would address the problem. One member asked police to perform speed-enforcement checks and recommended collecting enforcement data before taking further action.

Outcome: the committee did not approve staff's recommendation at the meeting. A motion to adopt the staff package of signing and no-parking zones was not made; the chair declared the item “dies for lack of a motion.” Committee members discussed returning the item once city police data on enforcement or updated traffic counts are available.

Background: staff referenced the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and local crash-warrant criteria in evaluating whether an all-way stop is justified; a resident also cited a local “warrant” standard that requires five or more crashes within 12 months to consider an all-way stop.

What’s next: staff offered to collect additional enforcement or speed data and to revisit the item at a later meeting if alderpersons or residents request it.