Traffic Engineering •
The width of Drake St. should allow for a turn lane and a possible central median.
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The five-point intersection at Drake St./Randall Ave./zoo entrance does not allow for efficient traffic movement.
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Drake St. is not at design capacity, which could allow for restriping to add bike lanes.
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The impact of traffic on Grant St. is of more concern than Drake St. City of Madison Traffic Engineering can analyze earlier tube counts vs. known neighborhood streets data and estimate impacts if Vilas Park Dr. were to be closed.
General Comments •
There was consensus on the importance of a connecting system of paths within the park and from the park to Vilas Zoo.
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Creation of a pedestrian connection around the north shore of Lake Wingra was discussed. The master plan document will discuss possible easements to create the connection.
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Opportunities and challenges were discussed in regards to making connections through the Kubly & Friday Trust parcels on the west side of Lake Wingra.
COMMUNITY INPUT MEETING On June 22, 2020 a virtual meeting was held via Zoom Webinar to publicly present the park concepts and provide time for discussion and questions in break-out rooms. While an exact count of attendees is not available, although registration to the meeting was requested by 204 unique users, some of whom had more than one participant on screen. The meeting began with a short presentation, which provided a description of the concepts broken down by the key design elements: •
Traffic on Vilas Park Drive
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Location of the main park shelter
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Parking layout
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Open space and recreation opportunities
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Playground location
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Lagoon (and ice skating) management
Following the presentation, two breakout sessions were held. In the first, participants were able to choose one of four rooms for a discussion on the following topics: •
Room A – Traffic, Access and Parking
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Room B – Lagoons, Natural Areas and Main Park Shelter VILAS PARK MASTER PLAN 2020
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