Traffic Commission Removes Parking Spaces
WARSAW — The Warsaw Traffic Commission met Wednesday, Aug. 3, to discuss parking spaces and access plans.
Richard Hebard of Hebard & Hebard Architects Inc, from South Bend, presented to the board plans for 1st Source Bank’s “right in only” access point from Buffalo Street. The bank has purchased a corner parcel at Buffalo and Winona to provide the bank with an opportunity for access off South Buffalo Street for customers and staff going to the bank. With this access no one would have to loop around all the way around the area to get to the bank.
The board denied this request and made the suggestion of using an alley that is behind the bank’s parcel. Unfortunately, this area is owned by another business. Hebard also said it would be difficult to use the alley because of the narrow width.
In the last meeting, June 1, Dana Hewitt, parking officer, discussed an issue at the intersection of Main Street and Indiana. A person making a left or crossing at the intersection on Indiana Street from Main Street has vehicles in parking spaces that could possibly block the sightline of oncoming traffic.
Ideas that were tossed around at that meeting as a possible solution would be to remove two of the parking spaces, make a four-way stop or make it a right turn only. The board voted to wait until Warsaw Police Lt. Kip Shuter could compile a two-to three-year crash data analysis.
The analysis reported that the intersection only met one of the criteria to allow a four-way stop to be implemented, which was restricted view. The other criteria that the intersection needed to see at least 6,000 vehicles a day and more than five accidents in a 12 month period.
The board approved removing two parking spaces to potentially improve visibility.
In other business:
- The board will be looking into golf cart ordinances for the city of Warsaw.
- The board is encouraging the owner of Freedom Express, at South Reed Street and north of Main Street. to have large semitrailers that fuel at the station to loop around the building to come out on Center Street.
The next regular scheduled meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 7.