HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/16/2026 Item 7d, Hinytzke
Chris Hinytzke <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Public Comment - South & King Signal
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
I'm writing as a daily user of the South Street and King Street crossing, as both a cyclist and pedestrian, to
offer public comment ahead of the Council's upcoming decision on signal installation at this location.
I understand the City has pivoted from the originally planned HAWK beacon to a full traffic signal in
response to concerns from King Court residents about left-turn access onto South Street. I want to be
clear: I sympathize with that concern. Left turns onto South Street can be difficult, particularly during
morning peak hours, and a full signalized intersection does solve that problem by providing a dedicated
phase for King Court traffic.
However, I'd like the Council to consider what this pivot means for the pedestrians and cyclists the
original HAWK was designed to serve, and to ensure their needs are explicitly addressed in the signal's
programming.
The HAWK beacon would have responded immediately when a pedestrian or cyclist pressed the button,
triggering a yellow light for South Street drivers within seconds. That responsiveness was the whole
point. A full traffic signal, if programmed as a standard actuated cycle, could require pedestrians and
cyclists to wait 90 seconds or more after pressing the button, potentially longer than the current
uncontrolled crossing. That would be a step backward, not forward.
The solution is straightforward: program the new signal with pedestrian recall, ensuring the walk phase is
activated promptly after the button is pressed, with minimal delay. This requires no additional hardware;
it is a configuration decision. Research from the Nation Cooperative Highway Research Program
(NCHRP Report 969) and the Highway Capacity Manual both document that pedestrian delays exceeding
60 seconds are strongly associated with signal non-compliance, meaning people cross against the light,
which is the safety outcome we are trying to prevent.
The King Court residents' concerns were heard and addressed in this pivot. I'm asking the Council to
extend the same consideration to pedestrians and cyclists: include pedestrian recall as an
explicit programming requirement in the signal specifications, so that this crossing serves all
users equitably.
South Street is a fast arterial with an established bike lane and a neighborhood greenway crossing at
King. The infrastructure investment being made here should reflect that. I support the full signal, with
the condition that it is programmed to respond to pedestrians and cyclists promptly, as the HAWK would
have.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
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Respectfully,
Chris Hinytzke
2250 King Ct
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