Public Letter On Marshall Street Traffic

The efforts to improve the traffic/congestion/speeding situation on Marshall Street has begun with the letter posted here. I am showing it publicly so that everything is above board, so to speak, and so that the responses, or lack of responses, from city officials will be monitored as well. Hopefully this, along with the recent improvements to the park brought about by hardworking HPLA folks, will mark the beginning of a larger movement to make Poplar Lawn the premier place in Petersburg. Enough alliteration. Here's the letter for all to see:
Thanks! Jeff Abugel


June 27, 2006

From: Historic Poplar Lawn Association
Marshall Street Traffic Improvement Committee

To: Brian Moore, 4th Ward City Councilman; David Canada, City Manager; Marvin Rollins, Petersburg Area Transit

We, the residents of Poplar Lawn’s Marshall and Adams Streets, are unified in seeking an immediate solution to two problems in our area: speeding and bus traffic.

The speeding on Marshall Street, and the periodic traffic congestion at the intersection of Marshall and Adams have become intolerable (and dangerous) for what should be a quiet residential historic neighborhood. There have been a number of accidents in recent months, attributable to speeding or ignoring stop signs. People using the intersection to make U-turns presents a regular, additional hazard.

Cars often are lined up at the southbound stop sign on Adams, apparently to avoid lengthy traffic lights where Sycamore and Wythe intersect. Cars and city buses drive down Marshall Street at excessive speeds putting residents, including children, the elderly, and library patrons at risk.

Residents have noted that the buses, because of their size and high rate of speed, often cause windows in homes to vibrate. There have also been specific instances of cracked and falling plaster directly attributable to passing buses. The buses must be re-routed; they are threatening the very integrity of the area’s historic homes.

The leasing of the commercial building at the corner of Marshall and Adams has resulted in increased traffic and on-street parking which has decreased the visibility of oncoming traffic. People working within or visiting this building often park right up to the corner, disregarding parking regulations.

This is a nationally designated historic district. Yet only the buildings themselves and the substantial capital investment being put into them by their owners give any indication of this. Homes in this area appear in the guide for walking tours, Christmas tours, and garden tours of Petersburg. Taxes for several individual homeowners’ have risen dramatically. Yet despite National Register status, and the efforts of said homeowners, the area has been subjected to indifference, even abuse, for decades. This must stop. We have joined together as neighbors, and will enlist the aid of national and state historical societies, to develop a long-term plan for the beautification and increased safety of our neighborhood.

The process of reclaiming our neighborhood and protecting its residents requires that several steps be taken quickly. These include:

1. Stop Signs. The addition of a four-way stop sign at the corner of Marshall and Adams Streets.
2. Speed Limit Posting. Posting of speed limits on Marshall Street. (While signs on Sycamore and elsewhere indicate a 25 mph speed limit, they are completely ignored, especially by buses.) Violators need to be ticketed here and elsewhere.
3. Traffic Light Timing. Serious study and retiming of the traffic lights at nearby intersections must be undertaken. People are clearly coming down Adams, then turning right or left on Marshall Street to avoid the long waits at the lights elsewhere. This situation must be remedied.
4. Ban buses. Buses need to be re-routed to avoid Marshall Street completely. They put residents, visitors and entire buildings at risk.
5. Speed bumps. Even with 4-way stop signs at the corner of Marshall and Adams, people will continue to accelerate as they drive down Marshall to Jefferson, or vice versa. In Richmond, new speed bumps, and posted warnings of $200 fines, effectively slow down traffic in several residential areas. These techniques must be used here, for the safety of the residents, and to make it clear that this is a residential street, not a main thoroughfare.

As stated, these are preliminary, low-cost steps, designed first and foremost for the improved safety of our neighborhood. In a larger sense, these suggestions mark the beginning of increased neighborhood involvement in working toward the goal of bringing individual historic areas of Petersburg up to the level of safety and aesthetics enjoyed by other historic districts around the state. Please contact us as soon as possible so we may work together to implement these simple solutions for these persistent problems.

Committee chairs: Jeff Abugel phone: 722-0252, email: Jeffabu@aol.com, and Linas Kojelis, phone: 733-7837, email: lk1876@yahoo.com.

Thank you for your prompt attention to these matters.