POULSBO Residents of Liberty Road off Viking Avenue are showing no sign of halting their opposition to North Kitsap Fishlines use of the road, and maintain that the added traffic will pose a safety hazard, among other complications.

I think the city of Poulsbo is required to look out for the safety of the residents of Poulsbo, said Tom Wenning at the City Council meeting Jan. 15.

You cannot have 150 cars a day on Liberty Road and expect it to be just as safe as it is now, he said.

North Kitsap Fishline, a non-profit food bank, is in the process of moving into a location at Viking Avenue and Liberty Road a 1.7-acre site formerly home to Poulsbo RV.

To access Fishline, drivers would turn off of Viking Avenue onto Liberty Road, and then immediately into the food banks parking lot. There is access to the lot directly off of Viking Avenue, however, it has been blocked.

Wenning came to the City Council meeting, along with nine of his Liberty Road neighbors, to continue opposition to Fishlines access to the road. Wenning initially sent a letter to the city on Dec. 4, complaining that the added traffic equals a safety risk and arguing that emergency service personnel will have difficulty accessing the neighborhood.

Responding to Wennings letter, the city engineering department launched an investigation into the matter and determined that no deficiencies would result from Fishlines use of the road and that the roads are sufficient for emergency services to use.

The engineering department also noted that the city has no legal nexus to impose conditions on Fishline, meaning that the food banks access on Liberty Road is part of its property, and it therefore has a right to access the road.

But the findings did not deter residents.

Len Toyne read a statement from his neighbor who could not attend the meeting.

Originally posted here:

Liberty Road residents press council on Fishline