By Sarah Lombardo
Baylor Avenue residents are feeling a little calmer these days. And, soon, the traffic that speeds by their homes each day might be calmer, too.
The Saratoga City Council gave its approval on Dec. 18 for a traffic-calming study to be performed on Baylor Avenue. The study will be performed by CCS Planning and Engineering, Inc., will cost $4,000 and is designed to study the way in which traffic-calming techniques might be applied to the street to reduce speeds.
Funding for the study was in question, but Public Works Director Larry Perlin told the council he thought he would be able to find the funds somewhere in his department. If not, he said, then he would recommend that the council use part of its contigency reserve.
Councilman Jim Shaw said he thought the matter should be acted upon urgently.
"I think we should direct Mr. Perlin to begin the study immediately, if not sooner," Shaw said.
The approval comes after months of complaints from residents who say their street has become a favorite shortcut for drivers since the opening of Highway 85. In August, Baylor Avenue residents first addressed the Public Safety Commission to ask that something be done about the traffic on the street. Many said they had seen cats get killed and feared for their children's safety. Perlin at that time suggested looking into new techniques called traffic calming that have been used successfully in other cities in reducing speed on residential streets.
Traffic calming involves the use of traffic circles and other techniques that slow the flow of traffic.
Plans for a study were moving along, but then were put on hold in the wake of the failure of Measure L.
"There were some real concerns about what the budgetary impacts would be, so the council was hestitant to approve anything that was a new expense. They wanted to first wait and get a sense of what the city's financial picture would look like," Perlin said.
When the council approved the study, applause broke out in the audience from Baylor Avenue residents.
"This is a nice Christmas present," one resident shouted out. "Thank you."
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, December 25, 1996.
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