New Signage At Police/Fire Department Lot Draws Concern
APR 14, 2024
BAR HARBOR—During councilor comments at the end of the April 2, Bar Harbor Town Council meeting, Councilor Earl Brechlin mentioned that he had to slam on his brakes as he was driving from Rodick Place, heading toward Firefly Lane via the police and fire departments’ parking lot due to some new signage.
Brechlin said, “One thing that I noticed on the parking lot side of the little parking lot next to the fire station is that there are two big giant signs that say, ‘do not enter.’”
Brechlin indicated that he had never seen these signs before and had taken the time to look at the traffic ordinance for one-way streets and did not see that spot listed within the ordinance as a one-way street.
He said, he was sure that someone had probably said, “This is a good idea, let’s not let traffic through. Let’s put up some signs.”
Brechlin added, “But, if you are going to declare something one-way, I think you should do it through the ordinance and go to parking and traffic and do that kind of stuff. Maybe it was just an administrative kind of thing.”
Town Manager James Smith responded, “No, not for me, but we will look into it and make sure that it is done properly.”
AUTHORIZING THE INSTALLATION OF NEW TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES
When it comes to the authorization of new traffic control devices, Section 194-5 of Bar Harbor’s Town Code says,
“The Police Chief and/or the Director of Public Works, with the approval of the Town Council, shall place and maintain, or cause to be placed and maintained, traffic control signs, signals, and devices required or authorized under this chapter and may place and maintain such additional traffic control devices as he or she may deem necessary to regulate traffic under this chapter or under state law or to guide or warn traffic, including angle parking signs and markings, turning markers, and signs prohibiting left, right or U-turns, the location of which he or she is authorized to determine. All signs or signals required or authorized hereunder shall, so far as practical, be uniform as to type and location throughout the Town. All traffic control signs, signals and devices so erected and not inconsistent with the provisions of state law or this chapter shall be official traffic control devices.”
In his comments, Brechlin mentioned, “parking and traffic.” Currently, there is no committee listed on the town website that is tasked with assisting the council on making decisions for traffic control devices that fall under the purview of the town rather than the state, there is only the Parking Solutions Task Force (PSTF).
The Parking Solutions Task Force bylaws states, “The mission of the Parking Solutions Task Force is to make recommendations to the town council to improve parking in the Bar Harbor downtown area. A town council goal has been to seek solutions to on-going parking problems in the summer season and coordinating where mutually beneficial with Acadia National Park as it completes its transportation plan.”
The task force is not assigned anything that relates to traffic (other than parking related) or traffic control devices. The bylaws of the task force says that it will “work with the Parking & Traffic Committee to review the permit system,” however, the Parking and Traffic Committee is no longer listed in section 31 of the Town Code, “Boards, Committees, and Commissions.”
A May 2018 public notice in the Mount Desert Islander gives notice regarding changes made to Town Code section 31-27 through 31-29 which was Article VI Parking and Traffic Committee. That public notice lists section 31-28 “Powers and duties” of the Parking and Traffic Committee.
ONE-WAY STREETS
One-way streets occupy their own section in the Town Code, section 194-34. This is what it says,
“A. Traffic movement restricted. Upon those streets and parts of streets designated in this section, vehicular traffic shall move only in the direction indicated by directional signs erected and maintained at every intersection where movement in the opposite direction is prohibited.
“[Amended 11-30-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-07]
“B. Designation of one-way streets. Upon the following streets or parts thereof, traffic shall move only in the following specified direction:
“[Amended 11-6-1990; 2-5-1991; 9-7-1993]”
The chart below is from section 194-34 and does not list that area as being an authorized one-way street.
WHY THE SIGNS WERE INSTALLED WITHOUT COUNCIL APPROVAL
An April 10 email inquiry to Smith and Public Works Director Bethany Leavitt asking for comment about why the signs were installed without Council approval went unanswered.
An April 12 email to Smith and Town Council Chair Val Peacock was answered by Smith. The email was seeking “confirmation that the Town Council did not authorize the installation of the ‘Do Not Enter’ signs facing Rodick Place at the PD/FD parking lot thruway prior to them being installed.”
Smith wrote, “You are correct; this did not go before the Town Council.”
In Smith’s response, he added a cc to Police Chief David Kerns. An April 12 email to Chief Kerns seeking comment on the installation of the signs has not garnered a response as of press time.
UPDATE (April 14, 4 p.m.)
Many thanks to Councilor Matthew Hochman who directed us to the Town Hall Stream from Nov. 19, 2019 (discussion begins about 20:50) below that discusses how the Parking and Traffic Committee was going to be disbanded and the duties sent to staff. The minutes from that meeting further specify that “With this amendment, the Parking & Traffic Committee is dissolved and the Communications and Technology Task Force becomes a standing committee.”
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