Dear Mayor Theaker and Mansfield City Council Members: Thank you for your diligent review of the ongoing projects in the Downtown area. As a Main Street business owner, St. Peter’s parent and Central Park Project advocate, I am very much opposed to the 2-Way conversion of both Main and Diamond Streets. My concerns are outlined below.
Safety: Most would agree that converting Main and Diamond Streets to 2-Way corridors would likely increase traffic on Mulberry and Walnut Streets. This would increase traffic in front of St Peter’s Elementary School, First English Lutheran Church Daycare and Richland Academy School of Excellence. Movement of students at these schools, particularly St Peter’s, depends heavily on morning and afternoon street crossings.
Central Park Project: The2-Way conversion of Main and Diamond Streets would likely make Central Park reunification very difficult. Central Park and Public Square restoration would have a transformative effect on Greater Mansfield. The positive economic, quality-of-life and even psychological effects on the city would be significant.
Loss of Statewide Traffic Exposure, Economic activity and Tax Revenue, Mansfield does not have a North-South Freeway. One-Way Main and Diamond Streets serve this purpose moving traffic through the Downtown area. SR13 is a major north-south corridor connecting I-71 to the Ohio turnpike and Lake Erie Shore. SR13 carries significant statewide traffic into Richland county and Downtown Mansfield every day. With this traffic volume comes opportunity, consumers and exposure. Fuel, food and service purchases bring revenue into the city along with wide exposure to local business and attractions.
The 2-Way conversion would likely push local traffic volume west to Trimble Road, Ontario and away from Downtown while pushing statewide traffic away from Mansfield and SR13 to rival routes such as US23, SR4, I-71 and others. Discouraging traffic from going through Downtown would also discourage exposure to new and repeat motoring consumers and their spending dollars.
Six state and Federal routes run into and around the Downtown area, providing exceptional opportunity that should not be discouraged.
Lind Media Company: Parking On-Street Parking would likely be reduced or eliminated creating a parking monopoly for owners of private lots adjoining Main Street. Merchants and consumers depend greatly on street parking spaces which enable store front parking. The proximity of these spaces provides an advantage to Downtown Merchants over suburban shopping centers.
Truck Traffic: SR13 carries significant truck and business traffic through town from I-71 to US30 and points northward. The SR13 Truck routes in the Downtown areas are located on Main Street south of First and north of Second Streets. Most of Main Street being considered for conversion to 2-way is a major truck route. If these streets are converted to 2-way corridors, truck traffic would add to congestion, causing delays to local business and auto traffic. The negative effect on efficiency and convenience would be profound.
Local Commuter Traffic: Main and Diamond Streets handle heavy local morning and afternoon traffic. Employment growth near the Airport has increased dependency on SR13 to deliver traffic to and from the area. The current configuration, while stressed at rush hours, seems to work well.
Wooster: The comparisons to Wooster have been prominent in the advocacy of the 2-way conversion. The differences between the two Downtowns are key. The converted streets in Wooster are wider and the traffic volumes lower. Wooster has a North-South Freeway (SR83 Dix Expressway) and an East-West Freeway (US 30) serving the city as an alternative to going thru downtown Wooster. Five state routes (SR13, SR39, US42, SR430, SR545) run through Downtown Mansfield. One state route (SR302) runs through Downtown Wooster.
Public Support: Community support for 2-Way conversion appears to be limited. At the same time, support for continuing the Central Park project is very strong. Moving forward with the 2-Way initiative would effectively derail the Central Park project without regard for documented public support and benefit to Mansfield.
In the best interest of our city, I respectfully ask that Mansfield City Council vote against the proposal to convert Main and Diamond Streets to 2-way corridors.
Sincerely,
John L. Siegenthaler President Lind Media Company
Mansfield, OH