Several roadways in Old Town may become a little easier to traverse after a study by the City of Noblesville’s Engineering Dept. shows four intersections need traffic sign changes.
City Engineer John Beery said the city looked at traffic movements for 11 stops on Maple, Cherry and Hannibal streets. Stop sign placement in this area was determined several years ago based on the heavy vehicular traffic generated by the former Firestone plant. Since the plant’s demolition, traffic patterns in the area have changed.
Beery said traffic movement studies show four intersections have backwards traffic control signs:
• Maple Avenue and 17th Street. While traffic stops on Maple Avenue, the roadway averages 651 daily motorists compared to 17th Street’s 318 vehicles.
• Cherry Street and 17th Street. Again, 17th Street is free moving through the intersection while it averages just 310 vehicles. Berry said Cherry Street’s 24-hour average is 1,449 motorists. “I was surprised that it was this big,” he said.
• Cherry Street and 18th Street. Beery said Cherry Street, which stops, has 1,479 motorists each day while 18th Street averages just 87. “It’s a pretty drastic difference,” he said. “We might do resurfacing and fixes due to the dip in the road if the change is made.”
• Hannibal Street and 17th Street. The least traveled of the four, Hannibal Street averages 632 vehicles and 17th Street has 194.
With stop signs, Beery said minor roads have less traffic and posted signs when intersecting major roads. When the traffic is equal in each direction of intersecting roads, Beery said a four-way stop sign is needed.
“We prefer roundabouts because they are better for fuel efficiency and lower exhausts. We also can receive federal funds,” Beery said, adding the cost for roundabouts is $500,000 to $1.5 million.
The traffic movement studies also show that motorists are obeying posted speed limits.
“The majority of traffic is going between 20 to 29 mph, the speed limit is 25 mph,” Beery said.
Since 2006, Beery said there have been two pedestrian deaths from motor vehicle accidents in Noblesville – both occurred on Conner Street. Beery said the national average is three pedestrian death every four years and Indiana’s average is one every two years.
“This is statistically a safe city,” he said.
Beery said the recommendations will be introduced to the Noblesville Common Council later this month or in early June.
