Commentary by Luci Snyder
On the table for the past several months has been the decision to keep or remove the STOP sign on 126th and Auman Drive.
Seems like an easy solution… pull the sign and allow rush hour traffic to move efficiently. This would benefit the greatest number of people.
However at rush hour, people who live in Auman/Newark cannot turn left to get out of their neighborhood on either 126th or Rangeline.
WHAT SHOULD THE COUNCIL DO ?– protect the egress and safety of the people in the neighborhood or ease the traffic congestion at rush hour?
Perhaps neither.
126th Street is a 40 year old, narrow street that, because of decisions made to build the Palladium and City Center, now has to handle traffic it was never designed to handle. Traffic counts are just on the cusp of a 4 lane road requirement. In addition to what is there now, we just approved City Center 2 with 575 ,000 sf. of new office/retail space coming on line; a new retirement community already approved next to the Methodist Church and Buckingham ( Mohawk Hills) is selling their vacant land to a home builder.
Will that affect 126th Street traffic ? Of course it will !
So the real question is, what’s wrong with that street and how do we fix it so that it can handle the increased future traffic and function as the Gateway into City Center?
- Install an on-demand stop light NOW….green at all times on 126th until triggered by someone needing to get out of Auman/Newark.
- Engineering Department asked to submit a redesign of the entire road from Keystone Parkway to Rangeline, understanding that this is the Gateway to City Center.
- Simultaneously continue negotiations with the various developers in play to effect a monetary buy-in.
- Place the rebuild costs into the City budget for 2016.
Since money may not be available for the immediate work, the Council will offer money from the Rainy Day fund to get this started.
Not just a band aid but a real, long term solution. Politics should not get in the way of governing.
Luci Snyder – Carmel City Council – SE District-Finance Chair –[email protected]
