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Residents want lower speed limits in Woodside Glens

by Dave Boyce

Vehicles should slow down for the sake of pedestrians on the streets of the Woodside Glens neighborhood, residents say. The narrow, curving streets have no sidewalks, the line-of-sight distances are inadequate, and pedestrians have few options for escape in a confrontation with a moving vehicle, according to a 2011 traffic study. The Town Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, and will consider a staff report proposing a lower speed limit: 20 mph, down from the current 25 mph.

The streets affected would be Alta Mesa Road, Glenwood Avenue, Highland Terrace, Hillside Drive, Otis Avenue, Ridge Court and Toyon Court. The discussion is the first item of new business on the agenda, but follows two public hearings. The council meets at Independence Hall near the corner of Whiskey Hill and Woodside roads.

The state vehicle code gives town councils the authority to lower a 25 mph limit if the street is no wider than 25 feet. The traffic study also recommends adding several signs — "Yield," "Stop," "Share the Road" and the pedestrian icon — at appropriate places, as well as 20-mph speed limit signs and a solar-powered speed detection device on Glenwood Avenue near the intersection with Canada Road.

Also on the council's agenda: a discussion of bridge repair and replacement on Kings Mountain, Mountain Home and Portola roads, and a continued discussion of the town's climate action plan to reduce greenhouse gases.