Measure calls for stop signs at Capitol intersection

The Executive Board heard testimony March 18 on a proposal intended to improve pedestrian safety near the state Capitol.

If approved by lawmakers, LR40, introduced by Plymouth Sen. Tom Brandt, would call on the city of Lincoln and the Nebraska State Capitol Environs Commission to place stop signs on the corners of 14th Street and Lincoln Mall for northbound and southbound traffic.

Copies of the resolution would be sent to Lincoln’s mayor and city council as well as the commission.

Brandt said in recent years the city removed a stop sign for northbound 14th Street traffic at the intersection and changed the flow of traffic on 14th Street between Lincoln Mall and K Street from one-way to two-way.

He said the two crosswalks at the intersection, which is near the Capitol’s west entrance, see heavy use by senators, staff and lobbyists as well as students and other Capitol visitors.

“I have personally witnessed people in the crosswalk nearly getting hit because traffic is not paying attention to the crosswalk,” Brandt said. “Plus, the parking on both sides of the street really block[s] a driver’s ability to see someone entering the crosswalk.”

Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director Elizabeth Elliott testified in support of LR40. The city wants to improve pedestrian safety at the intersection, Elliott said, but drivers frequently disregarded the stop sign previously located there, making the proposal “well-intended but ineffective.”

She said the city instead proposes installing bumpouts that extend the curb into the street at each crosswalk, which would shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians and make stop signs placed there more visible to drivers while also preserving parking spaces.

The commission denied the city’s previous request to install bumpouts at the intersection, Elliot said, but the city intends to present its design to the commission again later this month.

“It would be extremely beneficial to have legislative support in doing so this time around,” she said. “A comprehensive, well-designed approach will do far more to improve the pedestrian safety that we’re all concerned about than simply placing a stop sign in the ground, which will likely not be effective.”

No one testified in opposition to the measure and the committee took no immediate action on it.