Coronado residents work to fight traffic (Arizona Republic)

[Maureen]

Coronado residents work to fight traffic
Reprinted from
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 12, 2004
Meghan E. Moravcik

CENTRAL PHOENIX - Residents of the Coronado neighborhood are fighting back - against traffic.

In an area that once fought crime and drug houses, Coronado neighbors now are looking to rid their streets of an increasing amount of cut-through traffic and speeders.

"As downtown gets busier, our little neighborhood streets are gaining a lot more traffic," said Maureen Rooney, a member of the neighborhood's traffic committee. advertisement

The neighbors formed the traffic committee as part of their Coronado West Fight Back group, part of a citywide program that uses grant money to fix problems in targeted neighborhoods.

The neighborhood gets $54,000 to use during an 18-month period.

Coronado's fight-back area includes Seventh to 16th streets from Thomas to McDowell roads. This is only part of the Coronado neighborhood, but the split was necessary to complete traffic studies, Rooney said. East Coronado has a separate program.

Residents met recently to hear results of a traffic study completed by the city and to decide what action to take.

The study found that 12th and Oak streets might benefit from round-a-bouts at intersections, said Steve McKenzie, a Phoenix traffic engineer who met with residents. And Virginia Avenue could be narrowed in some way to make it look less like a collector street and more like a local street to discourage heavy cut-through traffic.

Speed humps and stops signs also could be useful in several places, he said.

"We came up with a wish list," said Wayne Murray, chairman of the traffic committee.

Murray said neighbors requested several stop signs and other traffic-controlling devices, such as center medians and speed humps.

One main concern in the neighborhood lies with the pick-up and drop-off areas at North High School.

"We would move the drop-off area from 12th Street onto Virginia (Avenue)," Murray said. "It will be safer, and there will be less congestion on 12th Street."

All major new devices will be tested before being permanently installed, McKenzie said.
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