Two main thoroughfares in the city of Manitowoc have been one-way since 1960. If supporters of a plan to change 8th and 10th streets, and a portion of North 11th to two-way traffic can gain approval, a changeover could happen as early as 2022.
Residents and business owners were invited to air their views on the subject last night (Monday evening) at a special Committee of the Whole meeting.
Dennis Harrigan of Harrigan-Parkside Funeral Home, 628 Water Street, said he has observed numerous speeding incidents taking place on North 11th. Harrigan says, “Not only motorcycles but other vehicles as well. Police officers do sit in our parking lot at different times of the day and they try to control that (speeding) just with their presence. They can’t be there all the time but know there’s a lot of speed that goes by there.”
Another northside resident, Lincoln High School Assistant Principal Kyle Korinek, also believes too much speeding is happening on those one-way streets. “We’re at the corner of New York and North 8th Street and it’s a great place for officers to sit. But we can’t put that all on them to control the speed. It is a great place for them to (be) because there are a lot of folks that do drive very fast, as everybody’s pointed out, down 8th Street.”
Nobody appearing before the council Monday night opposed the traffic changeover.
Manitowoc City Planner Nick Mueller made a detailed, informative presentation of why the change should be made soon while also pointing out cities like Sheboygan, Green Bay, and Eau Claire have already made the move and are reporting major success stories since the switch to two-way traffic flow.
City officials plan to share the information with the public in July, and a decision by the common council is expected in August.
Click here to see the report on the proposed change.
