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Greg Benkner: The bike trail and left turns blow the flow!

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“We’re not going to get another bridge or widen roads in the near future . . . it is what it is. However, we can manage the traffic flow much better than currently.”

Loveland, Ohio – Historic Downtown business owner, Greg Benkner wrote to city council members today with his plan to alleviate traffic congestion by improving traffic flow. He said, “I would like to put forth the attached proposition for discussion. Please look it over. Maybe I can have five minutes at the council meeting this Tuesday to discuss further.”

 

Managing The Traffic Flow in Downtown Loveland

The Bike Trail and Left Turns Blow The Flow!

1) Create a dedicated left turn lane from eastbound W. Loveland onto northbound Karl Brown. From the middle of the river on the bridge going east, change the two lanes in each direction to three inbound lanes and one outbound lane. A new traffic signal with left turn signal would be required, and possibly cutting off part of the northeast corner sidewalk, moving a light pole.

2) The bike trail crossing would be handled just like a 4 way vehicle intersection with traffic signals (DON’T WALK, DON’T RIDE) for pedestrians & cyclists, and vehicular traffic. This light would be co-ordinated with the traffic signals at W. Loveland / Karl Brown and W. Loveland / Second St. to optimize traffic patterns.

3) Railroad Ave. would be closed at W. Loveland. Railroad would end approximately 40 feet from W. Loveland and be developed into a “park” area with benches / tables / planters to tie-in with the existing common area there.

4) The alley between Pizazz & City Hall would become one way in the opposite direction it is now. If City Hall goes away, it can be widened / modified even more.

 

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Misc. notes:

• Westbound W. Loveland Ave. between Second & Karl Brown no left turns into the Train Station lot or the Jackson St. Market alley.

• Eastbound W. Loveland Ave. between Karl Brown & Second no left turn into the alley between Pizazz & City Hall.

• No left turn from the Train Station lot onto W. Loveland Ave.

• Northbound Riverside at W. Loveland would become right turn only with signage at Main St. directing traffic to Wall St. to get to historical society, funeral home, etc.

 

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Comments

3 responses to “Greg Benkner: The bike trail and left turns blow the flow!”

  1. Greg Benkner Avatar
    Greg Benkner

    Jen . . . re: your #1 we would gain a lot by dead ending Railroad Ave . . . there is a huge amount of pedestrian traffic there . . . I can’t believe no one has ever been hit and seriously injured there. Keeping it open and only allowing right turns in there from westbound W. Loveland would require another traffic signal on Railroad and WALK & DON’T WALK signals, and a right turn from Railroad to W. Loveland will not work, as the BIKE TRAIL light will be green for pedestrians & cyclists when the West Loveland traffic is stopped at the bike trail.

    My proposal calls for reversing the one way direction of the alley between Pizazz and City Hall which accommodates the right turn to get back to the parking lots. As far as more traffic in the residential area, I see people going to Harrison and then Karl Brown to exit the area. There is one residence on Harrison & one residence on Karl Brown. I know of a lot of folks who go out that way now rather than trying to turn by Paxtons or out of the Pizazz alley . . . I know I do too use Harrison / Karl Brown to get out of Dodge.

    re: your #2 . . . no I did not suggest folks have to go across the bridge and loop around town to come back to Riverside on the north side of W. Loveland . . . I’m suggesting signage at Main St. directing folks to turn left there and go up to Wall St., cross W. Loveland and then go to the funeral home, historical society.

    I agree with you though, that it could be right turn only from 7 to 9am and 3pm to 7pm M – F. Possibly certain hours on the weekend.

    Remember, this is a beginning proposal . . . it can be tweaked, I just happen to feel very strongly about it. I’ve done a lot of observing & thinking about it (while I’m stuck in our gridlock.)

    By the way, I minored in civil engineering from SSU. Be happy to work with anybody who wants to join in.

  2. Halie Rebeccaschild Avatar
    Halie Rebeccaschild

    Jennifer, any desire to work together to solve traffic challenges? I hope you reach out to Greg Benkner personally to discuss. Maybe the two of you could produce an excellent plan to present to Dave Kennedy.

    I’d also like to bounce some ideas off of you around event traffic and parking. Feel free to reach out to me at hrebeccaschild@gmail.com .

  3. Jen Russell Avatar
    Jen Russell

    Lots of great ideas here – some familiar and many new and creative! Thanks for including the clear drawing as this sort of thing is SO much easier to “get” with a visual! City leaders ought to be able to “test drive” many/most of the above proposals with minimal investment – i.e. put down temporary lane lines on the bridge (and provide some warm bodies to assist in traffic direction for a few days).

    I have a couple of clarifying questions.

    1. What would we gain by dead-ending Railroad Ave. as opposed to, say, forbidding left turns in and out? It looks like bottling up this access to parking could cause much heavier traffic through the residential section of this area (Railroad Ave/1st St “loop”).

    2. Are you proposing that all traffic from northbound Riverside Ave. at W. Loveland Ave. should turn right, go over the bridge, loop/turn around downtown somehow, and come back over the bridge in order to turn right on Riverside, Wall St., etc.? If so, it seems like a lot to ask. Alternately, left turns and thru traffic could be restricted during specific peak hours. This is a common enough practice elsewhere and seems to work well with a little friendly enforcement when first implemented (pull over & issue a warning, please, officers!)

    The W. Loveland Ave/Karl Brown Way intersection is a particular sore spot. This plan very elegant and doesn’t inconvenience patrons of any businesses/destinations. It sounds a lot like the earlier one proposed by Loveland Magazine, which got ZERO traction at City Hall (why??!!) The overhead traffic signal there appears to already be fitted with a 3rd (unused) set of lights that might be meant for a left turn signal – look closely next time you are stuck there behind a left-turner through a few light cycles 🙂 – so it may not even be necessary to purchase additional hardware for that intersection.

    It appears that the traffic problems in downtown Loveland will not solve themselves. Has City Council taken, authorized, and/or funded ANY concrete steps towards a solution other than commissioning the non-empowered Parking Committee and, more recently, promising to activate the sensors on the traffic signals? If the latter has been done, has it resulted in changes or in measurable impact of any kind? Is there even a PLAN?

    I have previously proposed that a traffic study is necessary and long overdue, to determine the most critical “hot points” and identify possible solutions. When I discussed this with city manager Dave Kennedy a year or so ago he agreed, and was not aware of one having been done in recent years. Based on the City’s actions to date, I don’t have any concern that such a study will be completed anytime soon (let alone significant changes in traffic flow implemented). But if they are, they may need to be adapted to accommodate the additional vehicles driven by the coming occupants of Loveland Station’s 90+ apartment units.

    If Loveland can prohibit left turns in & out of Cappy’s, surely we can throw in a few more left-turn bans to reduce our frustrated urges to stop at the liquor store in the first place!!

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