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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-465SEPTEMBER 27, 2011 OCTOBER 11, 2011 11 -443 11 -465 ORDINANCE FIRST READING SECOND READING (CARRIED 7 -0 LOST LAID OVER WITHDRAWN ) PURPOSE: DESIGNATION OF BICYCLE LANE ON ELMWOOD AVENUE, AND APPROVAL OF PARKING REGULATION CHANGES ON FUGLEBERG TRAIL INITIATED BY: TRAFFIC REVIEW ADVISORY BOARD A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTIONS 27- 23(A -10.1) AND 27- 23(A -11) OF THE OSHKOSH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO DESIGNATED BICYCLE LANES 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 -23(A -10.1) of the Oshkosh Municipal Code pertaining to designation of bicycle lanes is hereby amended as follows: A -10.1 BICYCLE LANES DESIGNATED Add Thereto Elmwood Avenue, both sides, from Irving Avenue to Vine Avenue 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 A-11 PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS AND ALLEYS FUGLEBERG TRAIL Remove Therefrom No parking, north side, between South Main Street and Doty Street. 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 #11 -465 (A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTIONS 27 -23(A -10.1) AND 27- 23(A -11) OF THE OSHKOSH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO DESIGNATED BICYCLE LANES AND PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS AND ALLEYS) on October 11, 2011. The ordinance designates bicycle lanes on Elmwood Avenue and changes on- street parking regulations on Fugleberg Trail. 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. Of HKOf H ON THE WATER MEMORANDUM TO: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager FROM: Christopher Strong, Transportation Director DATE: September 19, 2011 RE: Explanation of Traffic Regulations Ordinance Changes SECTION 1: SECTION 27 -23(A -10.1) — BICYCLE LANES DESIGNATED A REQUEST FOR A DEDICATED BICYCLE LANE ON ELMWOOD AVENUE BETWEEN IRVING AVENUE AND VINE AVENUE. This is a Department of Public Works request. This section of Elmwood Avenue runs essentially along the eastern edge of the UWO campus, where there is a higher reliance on bicycle transportation than in other parts of the City. The recent designation of a pedestrian mall at the southern end of this section provides an opportunity to improve connectivity between campus destinations and residences off of Elmwood Avenue. Elmwood Avenue is being reconstructed this year, with the paved width of the street being widened from 30 feet to 32 feet. With parking already prohibited on both sides of the street, the 32 feet width is adequate to support two 11 -foot driving lanes and 5 -foot dedicated bicycle lanes in each direction. These widths are within the standards recommended for each type of lane. This section of Elmwood Avenue has no signalized intersections, so it should be relatively straightforward to implement this improvement. This is identified as a priority facility improvement in the draft 2011 City of Oshkosh Bicycle /Pedestrian Plan. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (5 -0) SECTION 2: SECTION 27- 23(A -11) —PARKING REGULATIONS A REQUEST FOR UNRESTRICTED PARKING ON THE NORTH SIDE OF FUGLEBERG TRAIL FROM SOUTH MAIN STREET TO DOTY STREET. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING.) This is a citizen request. Page 2 of 2 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes The parking restriction on the north side of Fugleberg Trail was established in 1983, when a condominium development was constructed on the north side of the street, across from the park. At that time, the condominium developer said the condominiums would have off - street parking and supported enacting that on- street parking restriction, since the paved width of the street was only 14' at that time. The current president of the condominium owners' association expressed concern that the off - street parking is no longer adequate for the development, as there are only a handful of common spaces which are available besides the parking garage spaces. They are interested in having the ability to park overnight on a street closer than the currently available options. The street width was widened to 30' in 2000, so on- street parking is less of a safety concern than it would have been in the 1980s. The following guidelines are used when evaluating parking restrictions on local streets: 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 If a street is between 25 to 33 feet in width, the guidelines note that a valid petition, signed by over 50 percent of the residents on a local street, should be the overriding factor in determining a parking restriction. In the absence of a petition, the following factors would support the prohibition of on- street parking on local streets between 25 feet and 33 feet: • Traffic exceeds 1,000 vehicles per day. Higher traffic volumes present more opportunities for vehicles to conflict, which increases the potential safety risk. • On- street parking exceeds 50% of available spaces. Higher parking utilization will tend to narrow the effective width of the street. • Significant curves, hills or sight restrictions. If present, these factors would support the removal of on- street parking. In this case, I do not believe any of these factors would be a compelling reason to continue to prohibit parking. While I do not have traffic volume data for this street, I believe it is well below 1,000 vehicles per day. The demand for on- street parking is anticipated to be relatively low, as the condominiums have off - street parking and use of on- street parking by park users is expected to be relatively infrequent. There are no sight distance restrictions on this street. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (5 -0) .........__.......