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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Sounds of Crater Lake ... Ashland council hopes to shift some meals tax funds ... Bybee fire in Crater Lake National Park closes Pacific Crest Trail ... Sounds of Crater Lake ... Ashland council hopes to shift some meals tax funds ... Bybee fire in Crater Lake National Park closes Pacific Crest Trail ... CITY OF ASHLAND Right — or wrong? — of way Unpermitted guardrail makes road safer, engineers say Comment By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jul. 26, 2016 at 2:00 AM By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jul. 26, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Social News Grandview Drive is one of Ashland’s steep and winding roads tracing the way between the picturesque hills and the quaint streets of town. One of its newer features along its switchbacks is a freeway style guardrail erected to keep cars from falling off the edge of the roadway into the yard of a new home being constructed there. Here a guardrail a conundrum becomes. The guardrail was not permitted, approved or put in by the city of Ashland, even though it is on their property, in the public right-of-way. It was constructed at the behest and expense of an individual land-owner. The city administrators office brought the issue forward to the Ashland City Council at their July 19 meeting, after receiving complaints about the guardrail. It was actually the second time the issue was brought forward, but councilors ran out of time on June 21 to make any decisions about it. The same thing happened again on July 19. Wasn't permitted? Take it out. But the city’s engineering and public works staff have looked at the guardrail and say that it’s correctly built and installed and improves the safety of Grandview Drive. They do not suggest having it taken out. So, even though it was not put in under proper authority, Public Works Director Mike Faught says it improves safety and should remain. The City Council has collectively and individually expressed concern about a precedent being set. However, since the guardrail is estimated to cost between 20 and 30 thousand dollars and can be removed at any time, city staff argues it is doubtful that many people will be coming forward to do something similar. In fact, it has never happened before, according to Faught. City Administrator Dave Kanner urged councilors to consider only one question regarding the guardrail. “Of the options you have been presented, which provides the greatest measure of safety for the citizens of Ashland?” “We have an individual who installed a guardrail which improves the safety of the road and all of our engineers say it should be there,” said Faught, who also told councilors, “We were confronted with a code violation we’ve never faced before.” “When we started building (our home), we were told of two instances, one was that a car flew off the corner and into our lot. Another car flew off and was stopped by a tree. That lead us to thinking there should be some kind of barrier. There were no trees lining the area,” said Zac Ali, who had the guardrail built outside his property. “If a similar incident of the car rolling down happened, it would be in our home. It would be like a missile going down to our house.” Katie Ali, co-owner of the property, told the council, “When we established the guardrail, it made sense for us, for the neighbors and the pedestrians. We also strongly support the shared road project and a slower speed limit.” Among concepts being considered for Grandview is a “shared road” project which would mean creating a five-foot buffer on each side so that pedestrians and bike riders would have space. There is also talk of lowering the speed limit, but the Public Works department says it’s better to change the road environment to cause cars to slow before changing the speed limit. If they add a buffer using different materials such as gravel, cars slow down on their own and then the limit could be changed according to engineers working on the project. Changing the limit without changing the road becomes a “speed trap” according to public works. The council made no decisions on the July 19 meeting, but has scheduled the issue to be raised again. The options are to leave the guardrail, remove it or to modify it. If councilors decide to keep the guardrail, the homeowner may have to submit an application and pay the fees that would have been paid had the process been handled properly, according to Faught. Email Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ @julieakins. By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jul. 26, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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