Magnolia Springs council talks traffic study finds

By Jessica Vaughn
Posted 12/2/20

MAGNOLIA SPRINGS - Earlier this year, the Town of Magnolia Springs entered into a contract with Skipper Consulting Inc. out of Birmingham to perform traffic studies within the town. Skipper …

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Magnolia Springs council talks traffic study finds

Posted

MAGNOLIA SPRINGS - Earlier this year, the Town of Magnolia Springs entered into a contract with Skipper Consulting Inc. out of Birmingham to perform traffic studies within the town. Skipper Consulting placed five traffic counters, four within town limits and one at County Road 26, to collect data on how much traffic travels through Magnolia Springs. The study took place during a Friday - Sunday period.

The study revealed the average speed of vehicles traveling into town past Village Green to be approximately 47 miles per hour. Skipper Consulting has now reached back out to the town council with their suggestions and potential traffic calming solutions.

Mayor Kim Koniar says the town has been recommended to proceed with lowering the speed limit through town to 30 miles per hour from the current 35 miles per hour, placing ‘No Through Trucks’ signs which can be enforced by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department, an additional radar speed display sign south of Village Green, and placing an additional speed bump south of Village Green to begin slowing traffic prior to reaching town limits.

Town council has decided to wait on the purchase of the speed hump south of Village Green in favor of adding it to a road grant the town is applying for. The town should know within two months if it has been approved for the grant. If denied, council said they would look into moving forward with the purchase of the speed hump.

A previous suggestion from the council was to consider stop signs on Magnolia Springs Highway at Oak Street and Village Green. Skipper Consulting Inc. looked into the possibility before recommending the council not move forward with the three-way stops.

“They did not recommend stop signs at Oak Street or Village Green, the reason being because traffic would back up,” said Koniar. “Most traffic is going south, not west, so it would cause a major backup. It was suggested we should do the other traffic calming suggestions first, and then if that doesn’t work look into other methods.”

For more information on Magnolia Springs, check out their website at www.townofmagnoliasprings.org and follow the town’s Facebook page.