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Home My WebLink About10-148APRIL 27, 2010 10 -148 ORDINANCE FIRST READING (CARRIED LOST LAID OVER WITHDRAW PURPOSE: APPROVAL OF SPEED LIMIT CHANGE ON OREGON STREET, ONE -WAY STREET DESIGNATION FOR WAUGOO AVENUE AND PARKING REGULATIONS CHANGE ON 9TH AVENUE INITIATED BY: TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTIONS 27 -8, 23(A -9) AND 27- 23(A -11) OF THE OSHKOSH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO SPEED LIMITS, ONE WAY STREETS, AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS, AND PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS AND ALLEYS. The Common Council of the City of Oshkosh do ordain as follows: SECTION 1. That Section 27 -8 of the Oshkosh Municipal Code pertaining to speed limits is hereby amended as follows: (B) Exceptions (2.1) Thirty (30) miles per hour for all vehicles on the following named streets: Remove Therefrom Oregon Street from 24th Avenue to 28th Avenue. Add Thereto Oregon Street from 24th Avenue to Waukau Avenue. (3) Thirty -five (35) miles per hour for all vehicles on the following specified City streets: Remove Therefrom Oregon Street from 28th Avenue to Waukau Avenue. SECTION 2. That Section 27- 23(A -9) of the Oshkosh Municipal Code pertaining to one way streets, avenues and boulevards is hereby amended as follows: A -9 ONE WAY STREETS, AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS Remove Therefrom Waugoo Avenue, from North Main Street to Bowen Street, for westbound traffic. Add Thereto Waugoo Avenue, from North Main Street to Bowen Street, for eastbound traffic. APRIL 27, 2010 10 -148 ORDINANCE FIRST READING CONT'D SECTION 3. 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: A -11 PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS AND ALLEYS 9TH AVENUE Remove Therefrom No parking, both sides, from Reichow Street to Oakwood Road. Add Thereto No parking, both sides, from Reichow Street to Fox Fire Drive. SECTION 4. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage, publication and placement of the appropriate signage. SECTION 5. Publication Notice. Please take notice that the City of Oshkosh enacted ordinance #10 -XXX (A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTIONS 27-8,23(A-9) AND 27- 23(A -11) OF THE OSHKOSH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO SPEED LIMITS, ONE WAY STREETS, AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS, AND PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS AND ALLEYS) on May 11, 2010. The ordinance changes the speed limit on Oregon Street between 28th Avenue and Waukau Avenue, the designated direction of one -way travel on Waugoo Avenue, and parking regulations on 9 th 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. OfHKOlH ON THE WATER MEMORANDUM TO: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager FROM: Christopher Strong, Transportation Director DATE: April 21, 2010 RE: Explanation of Traffic Regulations Ordinance Changes SECTION 1: SECTION 27 -8 - SPEED LIMITS A REQUEST TO REDUCE THE SPEED LIMIT ON OREGON STREET TO 30 MPH BETWEEN WAUKAU AVENUE AND 24 AVENUE. This is a citizen request. A speed limit is posted on a roadway as a regulatory tool for controlling vehicle speeds. Speed limits are typically set according to a variety of factors, including the amount of traffic on the roadway, the likelihood of vehicles or pedestrians entering from intersecting streets or driveways, the roadway width, statutory guidelines, and other factors. Unless there is external or internal motivation to obey the speed limit, drivers will often drive the speed at which they are most comfortable. This may be above or below the posted speed limit, depending on local circumstances. The citizen making this request is concerned about vehicle speeds on Oregon Street. She noted that increased development in this portion of the City, with an increased volume of traffic and density of driveways, means that reducing the speed limit is important to preserve safety. Prior to 1989, the speed limit on this section of Oregon Street was 35 mph. In 1989, the Traffic Review Advisory Board considered a request to lower the speed limit on this entire section to 30 mph. Upon deliberation, the Board accepted an amended request to lower the speed limit to 30 mph for the section between 24 Avenue and 28 Avenue. To determine a recommended speed limit for this roadway, I used an expert system called USLIMITS2. This computer tool uses a variety of factors for a roadway segment, such as state statutory limits, 85 percentile speed, 50 percentile speed, segment length, traffic volumes, area type, number of driveways, crash history, pedestrian /bicycle activity, and presence of on- street parking, to develop a recommended speed limit for the roadway. In particular, the system puts great emphasis on actual driving speeds, the number of driveways /access points, and crash history. Page 2 of 3 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes For the segment from 24 Avenue to 28 Avenue, the existing 50 percentile speed is 37 mph, and the existing 85 percentile speed is 42 mph. Even though these speeds are well above the posted 30 mph speed limit, crash data collected from 2002 -09 shows a crash rate of 171 per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, which is well below the average of 395 per 100 million vehicle miles of travel for similar segments. Together, these data shows that drivers are comfortable driving well above the posted speed limit and, over the long -term, there has not been a sustained safety problem in this area. For the segment from 28 Avenue to Waukau Avenue, the existinp speed profile is essentially identical to that of 24 Avenue to 28 Avenue. The 50 percentile speed is 38 mph, and the 85 percentile speed is 42 mph. The crash data for this segment — 88 per 100 million vehicle -miles of travel — is lower than that of the northern segment, and is still well below that of comparable facilities. In both cases, the recommendation of the expert system analysis was to have the speed limit at no less than 35 mph. Given the speed profile of current road users and the crash history on this road segment, I believe this recommendation is reasonable. Given that the request is for lowering the speed limit, I would not recommend increasing the speed limit unless this were proposed as a separate request in a future board meeting. Because of its jurisdiction over the roadway, the Winnebago County Highway Commission is considering a resolution which would allow the City to lower and enforce the changed speed limit. They will be voting on this resolution at their May 3 rd meeting. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (5 -0) SECTION 2• SECTION 27- 230 -9) - ONE -WAY STREETS, AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS This is technical correction. SECTION 3: SECTION 27- 230 -11) - PARKING REGULATIONS A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON 9 Th AVENUE FROM OAKWOOD ROAD TO FOX FIRE DRIVE. (CURRENT CONDITION: UNRESTRICTED PARKING.) This is a Police Department request. According to the 2005 Comprehensive Plan, 9 th Avenue west of Westhaven Drive is designated as a local collector street. The street has a newer four -lane, undivided cross - section from Oakwood Road to US 41, and parking is prohibited along this entire length. West of Oakwood Road, the street is an unstriped, narrower facility where parking is permitted. The pavement width is typically 21 -22 feet. As the western part of the City has developed, there has been increased growth in Page 3 of 3 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes traffic volumes. In 2000, the average daily traffic (ADT) volume on 9 th Avenue, just west of Oakwood Road, was about 2,500 vehicles per day. In 2009, the ADT on 9 th Avenue at Fox Fire Drive was about 3,700 vehicles per day. These data suggest that traffic has rown on this road at 8 -10 percent per year. As traffic volumes continue to grow, it will make it harder for this road to safely service traffic when parking is permitted. The request would prohibit on- street parking at all times. The Police Department has expressed particular concern over traffic during morning and evening commutes, and over parking on Saturdays when there are rummage sales. While a request could be targeted toward those times, I believe a better long -term approach is to prohibit on- street parking altogether. This would be easier to sign and would be consistent with other gateway roads into the City. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (5 -0).