Canby resident urges action on speeding near fairgrounds; committee moves to collect speed data

Janine Bristol, a Canby resident, urged the committee to address long-standing speeding and visibility problems on Northeast 3rd and 4th near the fairgrounds and Emerald Gardens townhomes, saying children and pets were at risk. “People fly through that road,” Bristol said, and added that she had reported the problem multiple times to police.

Planner Brianna Adata told the group that a traffic study would determine what off‑site improvements, such as crosswalks or flashing signs, are required and that Transportation System Development Charge (SDC) funds are governed by specific parameters. “The traffic study would determine what sort of those are called off‑site improvements because they’re in the public right of way,” Adata said.

Committee members agreed objective counts were needed before recommending permanent infrastructure or policy changes. One member proposed measuring speeds with radar and using the police speed trailer to gather data; staff said the trailer is scheduled through the police and noted behavior changes when a trailer is present. Pastor Davis reported recent enforcement activity: “289 citations issued. There was seven DUI arrests, 12 total traffic related [arrests],” and he said the department recently ran a grant‑funded enforcement detail.

Staff described a near‑term plan to deploy the speed trailer on Holly this week and suggested a two‑week measurement approach—one week with the device and one week without—to compare behavior. The committee also discussed whether SDC charges or developer requirements could fund digital speed signs, but staff said changing what SDCs cover would require council action.

Next steps: staff will coordinate with police on the trailer schedule and place radar/counting devices at candidate locations (Ivy to Pine with a focus at Locust) to produce speed and volume data; the committee will use those counts to develop recommendations for signage, crosswalk enhancements or enforcement requests to council.