CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A road in northern Cheyenne known by residents to be a safety concern will not be getting traffic control devices following action from the City Council last night, Oct. 9.
Councilmembers unanimously voted against authorizing a resolution that would support the implementation of temporary stop signs along Gardenia Drive, citing legal issues.
Gardenia Drive is a collector road that begins on Yellowstone Road and travels east through the neighborhoods of Monterey Heights, Bel Air Hills and The Pointe and ends at Powderhouse Road. A collector road serves as a connection between local streets and major roadways.
The road has a posted speed limit of 30 mph along the entirety of its route. In the last 10 years, residents in the neighborhood adjacent to Gardenia Drive have experienced an increased amount of vehicles speeding through the neighborhood.
“These speeding vehicles unreasonably disturb the quietude of this area and place the residents of these neighborhoods at an increased risk of physical danger,” the resolution states.
Some residents, including Bonnie Kruse, are deeply concerned that children attending the nearby gymnastics program, daycare center and dance center will get hit by cars.
“I want to say that there is no harder journey in life than the loss of a child,” Kruse said during Monday’s meeting. “My family has been down that road. Please don’t make us or any other family ever go down that road.”
The resolution, which was introduced to the council during its Sept. 25 meeting, gained support from councilmembers and residents alike. City Engineer Thomas Cobb, however, said it is illegal for the council to approve the implementation of traffic devices before getting a report and recommendation from the engineer’s office.
“We have to look at every facet,” Cobb said during Monday’s meeting. “We’ll make recommendations based on data and fact.”
Cobbs added that the office is already working with the Cheyenne Police Department to study areas within the city where occurrences of speeding vehicles and vehicles running red lights are most serious. The agencies will compile a report of their findings and provide recommendations for improvement, including implementing additional traffic control devices or automated enforcement systems such as speed and red light cameras. A list of the most appropriate devices and most qualified vendors and service providers will also be included, along with estimates on any associated costs. A separate resolution authorizing the entities to move forward with the report was approved Monday night.
Councilmember Bryan Cook said the legal issues of the Gardenia Drive resolution were first brought up by Cobb during the Oct. 3 Public Service Committee meeting. As a result, the committee had a no recommendation for the item.
“Even though this is likely to fail tonight, I am confident that we are going to finally — after myself [trying] 10 years to do something with this and being rather frustrated with the situation — we’re getting close to getting something done,” he said on Monday.
Councilmember Tom Segrave agreed with Cook, and encouraged the governing body to vote the resolution down.
“It’s probably a lame effort to try to get temporary relief for the neighbors,” he said. “Unfortunately it is illegal, and I therefore encourage the governing body to vote it down.”
