Sammamish City Council voted 5-1 Tuesday night to further investigate the safety issues related to the 42nd Street barricade.

Staff were also instructed to investigate the possible costs associated with addressing the barricade and a project timeline.

The original resolution on the council’s agenda simply stated the council would not allocate funds to the barricade during the 2015-16 year.

While council may not have the funding for the project, city staff have been directed to collect and present recent data to the council so it might consider the impact of maintaining or removing the barricade.

During the regular meeting, council member Nancy Whitten called the original resolution a “cop-out.” Council member Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo echoed Whitten’s statement.

“We’d be remiss now not to take a firm stance on this,” Valderrama-Aramayo said.

At least 50 Sammamish community members packed in the city hall Tuesday night, more than 20 of them speaking in favor of permanently maintaining the barricade.

The barricade separates the Timberline Park and WaterBrook neighborhoods and opens for emergency vehicles only. There are around 400 homes and 1,600 residents affected by the barricade, Valderrama-Aramayo said.

It was there when Sammamish incorporated into a city and has been a point of contention for the surrounding residents for more than a decade.

Concerned resident after concerned resident addressed the council during the public comment section of the meeting. Supporters of the barricade noted the safety concerns of thru-traffic, including steep hills, blind corners, speeding vehicles, frequent pedestrian activities and hazardous bus stops.

“It’s just a crazy hill,” Timberline Park resident Tom Rizzo said. “To make that thing safe, you’d have to put in a ton of speed bumps.”

Rizzo, who lives just a couple houses east of the barricade, admittedly should support the barricade’s removal. If it were removed, he could easily shave 15 minutes off his morning and evening commutes.

“I don’t mind driving around because it’s completely unsafe,” he said.

Rizzo’s 3-year-old and 9-year-old daughters play on the hill. In the winter time, he says it’s a great place to go sledding.

Most residents cite similar safety issues.

Timberline resident Greg Reynolds calls these “emotional” arguments.

“If it’s safe for you to drive on that hill, why is it unsafe for me to?” he asked another Timberline Park resident last week.

Citing mainly documentation from the 1996 hiring examiners report and city policies, Reynolds also protests the barrier’s legality.

Council member Kathleen Huckabay was the only council member opposed to having the city further investigate the issue.

She cautioned the audience and the council that pursuing this investigation casts an uncertain future for the barricade. The data could support removing the gate.