Mayor wonders why survey results were ignored
By Angie Landsverk
Stop signs will replace traffic signals at two downtown intersections when Waupaca’s Main Street is reconstructed in two years.
This will happen at the intersections of Main and Fulton streets and Main and Badger streets.
The common council voted 7-1-1 in favor of the idea when it met last month.
Paul Hagen voted no, Chuck Whitman abstained and Eric Olson was absent.
Whitman said he abstained because of differing opinions on the idea.
“The recommendation out of the downtown plan was to make these four-way stops,” said Brennan Kane, the city’s director of community and economic development.
The city contracted with Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH) to analyze the removal of the traffic lights.
Traffic counts out to 2040 were also forecast.
In addition, the city conducted two pilot studies at the intersections, temporarily turning them into four-way stops.
One took place in the fall of 2017 and the other last summer.
Randy Sanford, project manager with SEH, said the studies were actually demonstrations of what they think the public might do.
“The data shows it will function just as well with four-way stops as with signals,” said Justin Berrens, the city’s public works director.
He said they heard how it impacted the police and fire departments.
“The police department felt traffic was slower. The fire department was able to get to the fire barn and out of there as soon as possible,” Berrens said.
The city conducted two surveys.
People responded online, and filled out paper surveys at downtown businesses.
During the fall 2017 pilot study, the city received 288 survey responses.
Of that number, 169 said they had a positive or neutral experience to the four-way stop, and 114 said they had a negative experience.
A total of 158 respondents said the pilot changed their travel patterns.
Last summer, the city received 364 responses to the survey.
Of that number, 152 said they had a positive or neutral experience to the change, and 221 said they had a negative experience.
A total of 256 respondents identified the pilot as changing their travel patterns.
Kane said they also talked to downtown business owners, who thought the four-way stops improved pedestrian traffic and traffic flow downtown.
Mayor Brian Smith questioned why staff recommended making the intersections four-way stops when one survey was more negative.
“Let’s just stop doing surveys,” he said.
Ald. Scott Purchatzke said the staff had engineering and technical data the populace did not have.
“One survey was more positive,” said Ald. Alan Kjelland.
Berrens said, “When you read the comments, some said they used downtown more often when there was the four-way.”
Sanford said city staff did a great job, but they are not professional surveyors.
There are always errors both ways, he said.
The staff looked at cost, maintenance and what is best for the city, Sanford said.
He said they also went back to the downtown plan the council approved.
That plan includes making downtown a destination and more walkable, Sanford said.
Ald. Lori Chesnut said those she talked to felt safer and more respected as pedestrians when there were stop signs at the intersections.
The reconstruction of Main Street, from Badger to Granite streets, is scheduled to begin in April 2021 and be completed that November.