Nibley City Council held a workshop on the 1200 West traffic‑calming project during its Oct. 16 meeting after residents raised repeated safety and access concerns during the public comment period.

Residents who live near the new traffic devices told the council the mountable islands and bulb‑outs have reduced visibility, made turns difficult for buses and large trucks, and encouraged some drivers to drive onto bike paths or sidewalks to bypass the devices. Multiple speakers said the measures seemed to force more abrupt steering and could worsen safety, especially on school routes.

City engineering staff described what has changed since the council’s prior review. Staff said phase‑5 islands were lowered from about 6 inches to 4 inches, some islands were slid farther back to better align with protection walls, reflective tape and painted stop bars were added, and tapered ends were installed to improve crosswalk visibility. Staff also said barriers and temporary construction configurations have made some travel lanes narrower than the final alignment will be.

Engineering presented two speed studies taken after portions of the project were installed. Staff summarized the corridor 85th‑percentile speeds at 38 mph (85% of vehicles traveling at or below that speed) and reported isolated maximums of 56–73 mph in unfinished tail sections; staff also noted that the highest measured speeds occurred where barriers were not yet in place.

Council members and residents asked for more comparative and before‑and‑after data. Council asked staff to: (1) run paired speed studies north and south of 3200 South to compare sections with and without the traffic devices, (2) provide crash history for the corridor, broken down by location and year, (3) report on visibility at problem intersections and whether bollards or additional delineators could prevent drivers from cutting corners through bike lanes, and (4) summarize snow‑removal operations and equipment performance around bulb‑outs and mountable islands.

Staff said crash data showed roughly four crashes over five years on the corridor, with three involving injuries in 2020–2021 and one non‑injury crash after parts of the calming were installed. On snow removal, public works staff demonstrated that they can run a small tractor through the bike lane and negotiated spaces and that larger equipment has been harder to maneuver; staff said they will continue to refine procedures and equipment.

Council discussed short‑term fixes, including adding reflectors, re‑striking pavement striping when weather allows and installing physical bollards or “candlestick” posts where drivers are able to drive between islands and protection barriers. Some council members urged caution before further changes so staff can first collect comparative data and observe performance after the project opens fully.

Council directed staff to return with requested data and recommended options in roughly 3–6 weeks (and again after winter conditions) so the council can evaluate whether to modify the existing mountable islands installed in phases 1–4. Staff said phase work and final striping have been delayed by weather and construction; the remaining striping is scheduled weather permitting.

The workshop produced no vote; council agreed to schedule follow‑up discussion once staff supplies the requested speed comparisons, visibility assessments and options for physical deterrents to cutting corners.