MONROE - Signs, signs, everywhere a sign. Except in Monroe, apparently.
The city of Monroe's signage problem became the focal point Thursday as community members and business representatives met at the University of Wisconsin-Extensions office to develop potential solutions to transportation issues in the city. The meeting, hosted by the Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, was the second discussion centering on transportation issues, part of a series of on-going meetings to help shape the city's comprehensive plan.
Mike Johnson, Green County Development Corporation executive director, said the meeting was intended to get a specific vision on addressing transportation problems in Monroe.
"We need to develop a strategy" to address the lack of clear signs, he said.
Colin Simpson, the director of public works, said the city should focus on making it easier to navigate for out-of-town visitors.
"We're missing a main arterial route through town." he said.
Building a direct road through town for people will keep them out of the residential neighborhoods, but it won't keep people from leaving the city.
"Most towns are designed for (visitors) to get in and get them out," he said. "I want them to come in and get lost."
Simpson said by building a arterial route, visitors may not want to stop and explore the city more. But by building the route, many people won't slow down - another problem the city faces.
Simpson said many people enter the city driving over the speed limit. Some residents have asked to have speed bumps installed, but that poses a problem for emergency-response vehicles, he said.
"We don't really have a solution at this time," he said.
Adding more signs may help a little bit but doesn't fully fix the problem, he said.
Johnson said another problem is noise from industrial trucks traveling through residential areas - especially for downtown businesses such as Minhas Craft Brewery.
Limiting truck traffic can impede business, however.
"We need to make sure we serve the needs of our job-
creators," he said.
City Administrator Phil Rath said the Monroe Common Council looked at the issue of trucks driving through residential neighborhood in the past, and is still looking at the problem.
A potential solution proposed by both Rath and Simpson is creating a specific truck route that doesn't enter residential neighborhoods.
While the issues for motor transportation seemed to have found some potential resolution, the plan for foot and bicycle traffic shows other problems.
Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said the downtown Square was never designed for bicycle traffic. Originally designed in the 1880s for horse-drawn carriages, he said bicycle traffic has not been a big concern until recent years as interest in biking has increased.
The city installed some signs for people on bicycles to get to and from the trail, Kelley said. But for Monroe citizen Tom Rygh and others, those signs are not enough.
Rygh said some of the city's double-lane one-way streets with parking on both sides could be converted to allow space for a bike lane.
"I'd give up parking on one side of one of those streets," he said.
Others have suggested making a designed route from the trail to the downtown area.
While bicycle traffic seems to be a cheap fix, making the city more walkable with more sidewalks will not be, Simpson said.
"Sidewalks are very expensive and hard to maintain," he said
Simpson added that sidewalks cause a lot of problems because erosion shifts them out of place, they wear down quickly and tree roots may sprout up under them, causing unwanted humps. He said it may be cheaper just to expand the width of the road and assign a designated walking and biking portion on the far edges.
"If the city wants sidewalks," Simpson said, "citizens need to make an aggressive push for it."
The city of Monroe's signage problem became the focal point Thursday as community members and business representatives met at the University of Wisconsin-Extensions office to develop potential solutions to transportation issues in the city. The meeting, hosted by the Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, was the second discussion centering on transportation issues, part of a series of on-going meetings to help shape the city's comprehensive plan.
Mike Johnson, Green County Development Corporation executive director, said the meeting was intended to get a specific vision on addressing transportation problems in Monroe.
"We need to develop a strategy" to address the lack of clear signs, he said.
Colin Simpson, the director of public works, said the city should focus on making it easier to navigate for out-of-town visitors.
"We're missing a main arterial route through town." he said.
Building a direct road through town for people will keep them out of the residential neighborhoods, but it won't keep people from leaving the city.
"Most towns are designed for (visitors) to get in and get them out," he said. "I want them to come in and get lost."
Simpson said by building a arterial route, visitors may not want to stop and explore the city more. But by building the route, many people won't slow down - another problem the city faces.
Simpson said many people enter the city driving over the speed limit. Some residents have asked to have speed bumps installed, but that poses a problem for emergency-response vehicles, he said.
"We don't really have a solution at this time," he said.
Adding more signs may help a little bit but doesn't fully fix the problem, he said.
Johnson said another problem is noise from industrial trucks traveling through residential areas - especially for downtown businesses such as Minhas Craft Brewery.
Limiting truck traffic can impede business, however.
"We need to make sure we serve the needs of our job-
creators," he said.
City Administrator Phil Rath said the Monroe Common Council looked at the issue of trucks driving through residential neighborhood in the past, and is still looking at the problem.
A potential solution proposed by both Rath and Simpson is creating a specific truck route that doesn't enter residential neighborhoods.
While the issues for motor transportation seemed to have found some potential resolution, the plan for foot and bicycle traffic shows other problems.
Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said the downtown Square was never designed for bicycle traffic. Originally designed in the 1880s for horse-drawn carriages, he said bicycle traffic has not been a big concern until recent years as interest in biking has increased.
The city installed some signs for people on bicycles to get to and from the trail, Kelley said. But for Monroe citizen Tom Rygh and others, those signs are not enough.
Rygh said some of the city's double-lane one-way streets with parking on both sides could be converted to allow space for a bike lane.
"I'd give up parking on one side of one of those streets," he said.
Others have suggested making a designed route from the trail to the downtown area.
While bicycle traffic seems to be a cheap fix, making the city more walkable with more sidewalks will not be, Simpson said.
"Sidewalks are very expensive and hard to maintain," he said
Simpson added that sidewalks cause a lot of problems because erosion shifts them out of place, they wear down quickly and tree roots may sprout up under them, causing unwanted humps. He said it may be cheaper just to expand the width of the road and assign a designated walking and biking portion on the far edges.
"If the city wants sidewalks," Simpson said, "citizens need to make an aggressive push for it."