A new Cedar Hills committee is looking to chuck stop signs and add speed tables -- basically elongated bumps -- in the name of improving livability for residents.

As part of approving the construction of Wal-Mart, City Council members ordered the creation of the Traffic Safety and Livability Oversight Committee. The committee met once, a year ago, and then met again on Thursday to, well, get serious.

In addition to recommending to the City Council the addition of a half-dozen speed tables to city streets, and voting on a request from a subdivision to loosen parking restrictions, the committee also explored what its job might be.

David Bunker, chairman of the Traffic Safety and Livability Oversight Committee, reported to the committee that the city is weighing plans to remove a handful of stop signs on some of the city's most used roads because they don't work.

"Anything that makes you slow down makes you want to speed up and that is why stop signs are ineffective traffic calming devices," Bunker said. "Your goal is to keep people at the speed limit but make them pay attention."

To that end, in addition to adding speed tables, the committee recommended adding red or yellow reflective striping to existing speed tables and to outline some intersections. The committee also asked the city to set out a speed trailer ¬ -- those machines that sit on the side of the road to tell you how fast you are going as a warning -- along various streets as a way of determining what streets need speed tables first.

The latest speed table will be installed near Wal-Mart within a month, committee members said. Wal-Mart is paying for that as part of its development agreement, but the city is likely to have to pay for others, and tight budgets mean that the committee needs to create a priority list.

"The people speeding are us, the people who live here," Bunker said.

Committee members also suggested putting a notice in the city newsletter saying that speed enforcement would be ramped up, especially in school zones.

In considering how to define "livability" and what the committee could do to make life better for residents, committee member Larry Locken said livability should be defined as "quality of lifestyle."

"And what the city would like to see in future development," said Councilman Ken Kirk, who is City Council liaison to the committee. "This committee should have some insight into roads, et cetera. I think we should have a plan put together as to what we would like to see as livability in this community."

Traffic flow, non-motorized access around the city, street replacement and general health and safety were among other suggestions the committee could work on. Committee members said they would also like to see public suggestions and comments on the issue of livability, and try to anticipate any complaints from residents, and how those complaints can be solved before Wal-Mart opens, an event which is likely to change traffic patterns and even the number of people walking and biking in the city, committee members said.

"If we can be proactive, we can say we are already aware" of potential issues and are working to resolve them, Locken said.

Kirk said he would like the committee to be able to report to the City Council at its Nov. 18 meeting that a draft document to guide how the committee approaches livability has been started.