MOUNT VERNON — In a recent ride-along, Councilman Matt Starr viewed the city’s main arteries from the perspective of a tractor-trailer driver. He shared that perspective with other council members during a Streets and Public Buildings Committee meeting on Wednesday.
Trucks wandering into residential neighborhoods and down South Main Street have long been a problem. The goal of the ride-along was to understand how drivers navigate city streets and thus make a plan to keep drivers on designated routes while enabling them to conduct commerce efficiently.
In his background research, Starr discovered several things that contribute to the problem of off-route drivers:
- That Google Maps and Mapquest update their software regularly, automatically, and for free. Qualcomm, Garmin, TomTom, and Rand McNally update every three to five years, and it can be an expensive update to purchase.
- When South Main Street was removed in 1967 as the designated route for state routes 13 and 229, city and state maps changed but the county map did not. Under the algorithm used for population areas under 50,000, GPS uses county maps.
- City ordinance 339.02 sets a limit of 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. This means an F350 pick-up truck violates the weight limit, making it very hard to enforce.
On his ride-along, Starr traveled Route 13 northbound to Route 36 at Walmart (Coshocton Avenue), Route 36 westbound from Walmart to Route 13 north (Sandusky Street), and Route 13 south to the industrial park. Highlights from a trucker’s perspective include:
- Signs partially obscured by trees
- Signs not at eye level for truckers
- Little or no advance warning of turns, leaving drivers having to switch lanes at the last minute
- Signs on the far side of the intersection, after the driver was to make the turn
- Signs reading vertically vs horizontally
- Lack of wide turning radii
- Too much distance between some signs
One example of a problem area is Route 13 north, turning southbound onto Route 586. One sign on 13 signals the upcoming junction of 586, but there are no signs denoting a turn or identifying 586 at the actual intersection.
Another example is traveling Route 13 south. There is a sign noting Route 13 at the curve at Mulberry and South Main streets but no other signage through two traffic lights. The next sign is at the junction of 586, 13, and 661, which leaves drivers little time to get in the correct lane.
Starr said the ride-along provided several suggestions:
- Update ordinance 339.02 regarding weight limits.
- Add signs in the gaps.
- Add signs to give adequate notice of upcoming turns in advance of the intersection.
- Make signage consistent throughout the city, preferably horizontal vs. vertical.
- Consider East Chestnut Street as designated route for 36/13 vs. High Street.
- Continue the Sandusky Corridor development.
- Continue with plans to widen the East Chestnut/North Main intersection.
- Get more information from drivers who are stopped for violations, such as which GPS system do they use, origin/destination, why/how did they get off the designated route.
Mayor Richard Mavis said the state has final authority on signage for state routes, but he added the state has been cooperative with the city’s suggestions. Signage could be addressed in 2019, perhaps early in the year, but traffic patterns will take awhile to address.
