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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-409OCTOBER 28, 2008 08 -409 ORDINANCE FIRST READING (CARRIED LOST LAID OVER WITHDRAWN ) PURPOSE: APPROVAL OF SPEED LIMIT CHANGES ON ALGOMA BOULEVARD AND PARKING REGULATIONS CHANGES ON BAUMAN STREET, BISMARCK AVENUE, LOGAN DRIVE, SMITH AVENUE AND 5TH AVENUE INITIATED BY: TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTIONS 27- 8(6) AND 27- 23(A -11) OF THE OSHKOSH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO SPEED LIMITS AND PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS. The Common Council of the City of Oshkosh do ordain as follows: SECTION 1. That Section 27 -8(B) of the Oshkosh Municipal Code pertaining to speed limits is hereby amended as follows: FORTY (40) MILES PER HOUR FOR ALL VEHICLES ON THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIED CITY STREETS: Delete Therefrom Add Thereto Algoma Boulevard, (STH 110), from Roosevelt Avenue to .7 miles north for that portion in the city limits. Algoma Boulevard, (US Highway 45), from Roosevelt Avenue to .7 miles north for that portion in the city limits. FORTY -FIVE (45) MILES PER HOUR FOR ALL VEHICLES ON THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIED CITY STREETS: Delete Therefrom Algoma Boulevard, (STH 110), from .7 miles north of Roosevelt Avenue north for that portion in the city limits. Add Thereto Algoma Boulevard, (US Highway 45), from .7 miles north of Roosevelt Avenue north for that portion in the city limits. SECTION 2. That Section 27- 23(A -11) of the Oshkosh Municipal Code pertaining to parking regulations on designated streets and alleys is hereby amended as follows: OCTOBER 28, 2008 08 -409 ORDINANCE FIRST READING CONT'D A -11 PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS AND ALLEYS BAUMAN STREET Add Thereto No parking, west side, from Taft Avenue to 47 feet north of Taft Avenue. BISMARCK AVENUE Delete Therefrom LOGAN DRIVE No parking, stopping, standing, waiting — bus loading zone, north side, from 148 feet west of Eagle Street to 288 feet west of Eagle Street between 3:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on school days. Add Thereto No parking, west side, from 1,018 feet north to 1,065 feet north of its southern intersection with Jackson Street. Add Thereto No parking, east side, from 1,005 feet north to 1,055 feet north of its southern intersection with Jackson Street. SMITH AVENUE Delete Therefrom No parking, south side, from Ontario Street to Walnut Street during the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on schooldays. Add Thereto No parking, south side, from Ontario Street to Vinland Street during the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on schooldays. 5TH AVENUE Delete Therefrom No parking, south side, from 136 feet east of Eagle Street to 446 feet east of Eagle Street between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 pm. on school days. Add Thereto No parking, stopping, standing, waiting, south side, from 136 feet east of Eagle Street to 446 feet east of Eagle Street between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 pm. on schooldays. OCTOBER 28, 2008 08 -409 ORDINANCE FIRST READING CONT'D Add Thereto No parking, stopping, standing, waiting, north side, from Meadow Street to 77 feet east of Meadow Street between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 pm. on school days SECTION 3. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage, publication, and placement of the appropriate signage. SECTION 4. Publication Notice. Please take notice that the City of Oshkosh enacted ordinance #08 -XXX (A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTION 27 -8(B) AND SECTION 27- 23(A -11) OF THE OSHKOSH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO SPEED LIMITS AND PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS AND ALLEYS, on November 11, 2008. The ordinance pertains to speed limit changes on Algoma Boulevard and parking regulations changes on Bauman Street, Bismarck Avenue, Logan Drive, Smith Avenue and 5th Avenue. The full text of the ordinance may be obtained at the Office of the City Clerk, 215 Church Avenue and through the City's website at www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us Clerk's phone 920/236-5011. O.fHKO.fH ON THE WATER MEMORANDUM TO: Mark Rohloff, City Manager FROM: Christopher Strong, Transportation Director DATE: Ocober 22, 2008 RE: Explanation of Traffic Regulations Ordinance Changes SECTION 1: SECTION 27 -8(B) SPEED LMIT Ordinance correction to reflect change in highway name. SECTION 2: SECTION 27 -23 04) —PARKING REGULATIONS A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON THE WEST SIDE OF BAUMAN STREET FROM TAFT AVENUE TO 47 FEET NORTH OF TAFT AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO RESTRICTIONS.) This is a citizen request. Events at the Oshkosh Sports Center attract a significant amount of vehicle traffic. In many cases, spectator traffic and parking extends to and beyond the intersection of Bauman and Taft. There have been reports of close calls between vehicles and other vehicles, and between vehicles and pedestrians. It was suggested that removing parking from the west side of Bauman Street, just north of its intersection with Taft Avenue, would improve sight distance near the intersection. As there have been no crashes reported at this intersection in the last several years, I would view this as a request with a potential safety benefit. I also believe that its benefit will be limited to a few events per year, as traffic at other times is relatively low. The Police Department has expressed its support for this request, and I have no concerns with it either. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW (7 -0) A REQUEST TO REMOVE THE PARKING RESTRICTION ON THE NORTH SIDE OF BISMARCK STREET FROM 148 WEST OF EAGLE STREET TO 288 FEET WEST OF EAGLE STREET. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING, STOPPING, STANDING, WAITING — BUS LOADING ZONE, BETWEEN 3:30 P.M. AND 4:00 P.M. ON SCHOOL DAYS.) This is a request from the school system. This parking restriction was instituted in 2003 because students from Sunset School, now since closed, were attending Perry Tipler Middle School. The elementary school students exited school on the Bismarck Avenue side of the property, and the parking restriction allowed for a bus loading zone to be located there. With students who would have formerly attended Sunset now going to Read Elementary, there is no need for this restriction. This removal would allow for improved staging of vehicles picking up students from Tipler Middle School, which should reduce congestion around the school in the afternoons. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW (7 -0) A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON THE WEST SIDE OF LOGAN DRIVE FROM 1,018 FEET NORTH TO 1,065 FEET NORTH OF ITS SOUTHERN INTERSECTION WITH JACKSON STREET. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO RESTRICTIONS.) A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON THE EAST SIDE OF LOGAN DRIVE FROM 1,005 FEET NORTH TO 1,055 FEET NORTH OF ITS SOUTHERN INTERSECTION WITH JACKSON STREET. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO RESTRICTIONS.) These are Transportation Department requests. Oshkosh Transit System's Route 10 (Neenah) travels on Logan Drive as a part of its service. The route includes a marked stop near one of the entrances to the Summerfield Place apartment complex. Route 10 drivers have reported that vehicles will park on the west side of Logan Drive blocking access to the transit stop. This makes it difficult for passengers to access the vehicle. On my field visit, I found that there was some usage of on- street parking on the west side of Logan Drive, probably from guests of residents at Summerfield Place. While on- street parking is permitted on the east side of Logan Drive, I did not observe any vehicles parked along the entire east side of the roadway. I believe this request would have negligible impact on the guest parking needs of Summerfield Place, and would help to protect the safety of transit system users. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW (7 -0) A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING DURING THE HOURS OF 7:30 A.M. TO 3:30 P.M. ON SCHOOL DAYS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SMITH AVENUE FROM VINLAND STREET TO WALNUT STREET. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO RESTRICTIONS.) This is a citizen request. Increased vehicular traffic to Oshkosh North High School in recent years has been correlated with parking problems in areas near the high school. For example, in October 2006, the Traffic Review Advisory Board approved the institution of 1 -hour parking on Walnut Street from Smith Avenue to Alden Avenue from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM on school days. This change was motivated by Oshkosh North High School students parking on Walnut Street during school days. On Smith Avenue, which runs across the front of Oshkosh North High School, the only area where parking is allowed during school days is on the south side of the one -block section from Vinland Street to Walnut Street. This parking area is heavily used during school hours, even though there are parking spaces available in the high school's parking lots. There are two properties that have frontage on this one -block section. One of these two properties has its lone driveway access onto Smith Avenue. The high frequency of parking on this section of Smith Avenue makes it difficult to safely back out of the driveway, since sight distance is limited. It also creates problems with postal delivery. In addition to the safety benefits, approval of this request would provide for more consistent parking regulations on Smith Avenue in front of Oshkosh North High School. If this request is approved, parking would be prohibited on the entire south side of Smith Avenue between Vinland Street and Ontario Street on school days from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM. This would simplify enforcement and prevent motorist confusion. It should be noted that there are a couple of other areas near Oshkosh North High School where on- street parking is allowed during school days: Ontario Street south of Smith Avenue, and Morgan Avenue, east of Vinland Street. Of these, only Ontario Street shows meaningful availability of on- street parking. Given the distance between Walnut Street and Ontario Street, I doubt this change would simply shift the parking from one street to another. Instead, I anticipate that this would shift parking to campus, where there is already sufficient off - street parking available. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW (7 -0) A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING, STOPPING, STANDING, WAITING ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF 5TH AVENUE FROM 136 FEET EAST OF EAGLE STREET TO 446 FEET EAST OF EAGLE STREET, BETWEEN 7:00 A.M. AND 4:00 P.M. ON SCHOOL DAYS.' (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING.) A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING, STOPPING, STANDING, WAITING ON THE NORTH SIDE OF 5 TH AVENUE FROM MEADOW STREET TO 77 FEET EAST OF MEADOW STREET, BETWEEN 7:00 A.M. AND 4:00 P.M. ON SCHOOL DAYS. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO RESTRICTIONS.) These requests are from the Police and Transportation Departments. This section of 5 th Avenue is on the north side of Franklin School, and is currently heavily used by vehicles transporting children to and from school. Field observation has shown numerous vehicles failing to observe the parking restrictions. This is a safety concern for elementary school -aged children who may wish to cross 5 th Avenue, and may not be seen by motorists due to the presence of parked vehicles. The Transportation Department recognizes that signage alone will not solve congestion or safety problems. However, I believe that the signage, when supported with education of parents transporting children to and from school and appropriate enforcement, can be quite effective. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW (7 -0) 10 MEMORANDUM 4 OJHKOJH ON THE WATER TO: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager FROM: Christopher Strong, Transportation Director DATE: October 22, 2008 RE: Items Defeated by the Traffic Review Board at their October 14, 2008 Meeting A REQUEST TO REMOVE THE NO PARKING RESTRICTION ON CENTRAL STREET BETWEEN IRVING AVENUE AND SCOTT AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING, EAST SIDE, DURING THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER, JANUARY AND FEBRUARY.) A REQUEST TO REMOVE THE NO PARKING RESTRICTION ON FREDERICK STREET BETWEEN IRVING AVENUE AND SCOTT AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING, EAST SIDE, IRVING AVENUE TO 126 FEET NORTH OF LINCOLN AVENUE; AND NO PARKING, EAST SIDE, 253 FEET NORTH OF LINCOLN AVENUE TO SCOTT AVENUE.) These requests are from the Department of Public Works. Both of these streets have been reconstructed this year. Prior to reconstruction, the street widths were 27 to 28 feet. Reconstruction will change the widths to 32 feet, which is the City's standard width for reconstruction of local streets. The Department of Transportation's guidelines for considering parking restrictions on local streets are as follows: Street Width Parking_ Restrictions Less than 17 feet Both Sides (All cases) 17 to 24 feet One Side (All cases) 25 to 33 feet Valid Petition 34 feet and over None In the absence of a valid petition, the following factors should be considered in removing parking on local streets between 25 feet and 33 feet: 1. Traffic exceeds 1,000 vehicles per day. 2. On- street parking exceeds 50% of available spaces. 3. Significant curves, hills or sight restrictions. While we do not have current traffic counts on either Central Street or Frederick Street, I believe that traffic volumes are less than 1,000 vehicles per day. Board discussion related to parking restrictions on these streets in previous years indicated that there was a high demand for on- street parking from local residents, especially given the lack of off - street parking. Further, there are no significant sight distance restrictions near these intersections. Based on our current guidelines, there does not seem to be a compelling need to preserve the parking restrictions. Parking restrictions on the east side of these streets were adopted in 1986, due primarily to challenges during snow events. Reconstruction and widening of the street should alleviate those concerns. I have noted previously that the presence of on- street parking is correlated with a higher number of crashes. Since 2005, there has been one crash on each street (Central Street and Frederick Street) involving parked vehicles. Both cases were hit and run incidents, so it is unclear whether a narrower street width contributed to these crashes, or whether having parking on the other side of the street would increase the frequency of crashes. Given that both streets have relatively low traffic volumes and operating speeds, I doubt that the reinstitution of on- street parking will have adverse safety impacts. Item RE: Central Street DEFEATED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (1 -6) Item RE: Frederick Street DEFEATED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (0 -7)