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Nov 235 min read

Crown Rd. Neighbors call for Citizen involvement. City is making Road changes contrary to City promises.


Summary: The changes the Council is set to approve at the 26 November Council Meeting will affect ALL Willow Park Citizens. The City hired an engineer, who recommended 7 speed bumps to calm the excessive speeding on the new, cement Crown Rd, which the City approved. Then the City Administration arbitrarily changed the number of necessary speed bumps to 3. Plan to attend or to send a copy of your concerns to the City and to the Crown Road Neighborhood Street Project, whose message to Willow Park Neighbors is included.

• Latest Update: posted 23 November 2024

• Tags: #Streets #Civics

• Note: Willow Park Civics is about Willow Park but is NOT associated with or managed by the City of Willow Park.





 

Crown Rd. Neighbors call for Citizen involvement. City is making Road changes contrary to City promises.


The changes the Council is set to approve, at the Tuesday, 26 November 2024 Council Meeting*, will affect ALL Willow Park Citizens. The City hired an engineer*, who recommended 7 speed bumps to calm the excessive speeding on the new, cement Crown Rd, which the City approved*. Then the City Administration arbitrarily changed the number of necessary speed bumps to 3*. Plan to attend or to send a copy of your concerns to the City AND to the Citizens of the Crown Road Neighborhood Street Project, whose message to Willow Park Neighbors and graphic are below. Willow Park Civics Editorial.

*See Index: Crown Rd Neighbors Group for Street Repairs for sources, journal, and documents.

* 26 November 2024 Council Meeting, Willow Park Civics Blog, posted 22 November 2024, Agenda Item: 8. Discussion/Action: Crown Road Update.


Email from Samuel Minnich

On Nov 23, 2024


Neighbors –


I want to join [E & T] in capturing your comments and taking them to City Council personally. This is unacceptable by any standard of public service. The City is yet again pursuing their own agenda and not giving us a fair shake. They apply standards when and where they want to, then disregard those same standards when it benefits their agenda. This is WRONG. They need to hear from ALL of us. I don’t care whether you’re for or against speed humps, the bigger problem is that the City is operating completely in their own best interest and entirely disregarding the residents who they are supposed to serve. It is time we let our voices be heard and remind them they are public servants. I am ready, willing, and able to assist in this endeavor and ensure we are being accurately and honestly represented.


Please also include me in your replies and I will take your concerns to Council with [others].


Here is my message I will be delivering to Council Members for the upcoming Meeting on Tuesday night:


Council and Staff –


I am outraged at the thought that staff would present the speed data in the Agenda Packet to Council for consideration to close out the Crown Road Speed agenda item. I’m not a statistics expert or an engineer, but it doesn’t take an expert to see how the data was manipulated to serve the City’s interests. There is no standard between the two sets of data to compare apples to apples. In fact, it’s entirely obvious that the data was manipulated to paint the picture that staff wants to show and absolutely does not reflect reality.


Speaking of standards, what the City actually agreed to was to install measures to ensure the 85th percentile of speed on Crown was at 30 MPH or less. By definition, the 85th percentile speed is the speed at or below which 85% of drivers travel on a road segment. Even the skewed data in the reports shows that the 80 Crown Road location only achieved 73%, not the 85% that Council agreed to.


The 30 Crown Road location did achieve an 88.5% at 30 MPH or less, which only proves that the humps are working in that area, but more are needed on the North section in vicinity of 80 Crown. It’s obvious from the City’s data that they HAVE NOT met the goal that they promised us, yet they’re in a rush to try and close it out without any regard for the people who live here. And they’re doing this in spite of all the email feedback from residents simply asking them to keep their promise. Yet another example of failed service to our community.


I strongly urge a second study to be done before closing out the agenda item – and recommend that the same standards of time and speed thresholds that were applied to the “Pre-Hump Survey” be applied to the next data set so a true comparison can be made. This is an opportunity for the City to demonstrate its commitment to its residents and costs nothing to keep it on the agenda until more data can be captured that paints an accurate picture.


Ultimately, we only want what Council promised us.


Sam Minnich 35 Crown Rd

Portfolio Manager


• 85th Percentile Speed Standard for Crown Road Speed Humps in .pdf


Willow Park Sources and Resources

• Index: Crown Rd Neighbors Group for Street Repairs, Willow Park Civics Blog, 01 October 2024


The neighbors who live on Crown Road and adjacent Ranch House Road in Willow Park have spent most of 2024, speaking during a half dozen Council Meetings, submitting several petitions, and demanding attention from the City, all to restore the form and function of their properties damaged or changed by the City's Street Improvement Project. Here are October - September 2024 emails from neighbors to neighbors, updating the City's actions. Details in linked blog.


On 26 September, 2024, the City of Willow Park posted a Road Work Notice indicating the installation of the Crown Road Speed Humps will be started and completed on 27 September, 2024. The original plan was to install seven Crown Road Speed Humps in order to calm the traffic speed to the posted 30 mph.  However, the City subsequently changed the number of Crown Road Speed Humps from seven to three, and then monitor and reevaluate as needed.


• Brake It or Break It. New Speed Humps for Willow Park., Willow Park Civics Blog, posted 17 June 2024

The new cement streets in Willow Park are tempting drivers beyond that which they can bear -- and some bear down our 30 mph residential streets at 80 mph. Thanks to Willow Park Citizens, who keep bringing the problem to the City, the Willow Park Council has approved a new Speed Hump Policy and are starting installation of Speed Humps on Crown Road.


• 2. Discussion/Action: to consider installation of speed humps on Crown Road.

• 3. Discussion/Action: to consider maintenance on city right-of-ways on Crown and Ranch House Road.

• 4. Discussion/Action: to consider the expansion of driveway approaches for the 2022 Street Projects.

• 5. Discussion/Action: to approve a Speed Hump Installation Policy



• 28 May 2024 Council Meeting, Agenda Item 2. Discussion/Action: to accept the presentations from Staff regarding the 2022 Street Projects




• 14 May 2024 Council Meeting, Public Comments




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