By LESTER CHANG
The Sunnyvale City Council has stepped up efforts to ease the chronic problem of speeding and heavy traffic on neighborhood streets.
At a Feb. 4 meeting, the council directed the city's Public Works and Public Safety departments to study the possibility of more police patrols and having residents use radar guns to help catch violators.
The council also instructed those departments to work with residents to study the impact of putting in speed bumps and islands and closing streets.
In documents, staff members from the two city departments said they are worried about lawsuits that may arise. They noted the city could be sued for making improvements that could hinder emergency vehicles during disasters or accidents.
On the other hand, the city could also be sued by impatient residents who want improvements installed now, staff members said.
Part of the problem lies with motorists using side streets to get from one part of Sunnyvale to another part of the city, they said.
As a way to resolve the problem, officials suggested the council review the use of traffic signs in neighborhoods.
Some of the trouble spots are Inverness Way and Blair and Timberpine avenues.
Werner Gans, a Sunnyvale resident, cautioned that permanent structures will have longstanding impacts and that the city should evaluate their effectiveness.
"[The improvements] should only be done if neighbors want them," he said.
Dahl Phelps, another Sunnyvale resident, said drivers take up too much space on some roads and pose a hazard.
The city has tried to ease the problems through public education and police patrols, officials said.
But the police presence can't be maintained because the size of the city places other demands on officers, officials said.
The city has not considered putting in speed bumps and islands or closing streets because of the potential for negative impacts, officials said. Diverting traffic could create problems elsewhere, they added.
Some of these types of improvements are also costly. Closing a street, for instance, could cost up to $100,000, according to city documents.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, February 12, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.