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HomeMy WebLinkAbout49. 12-294 MAY 22, 2012 12-294 ORDINANCE FIRST READING (CARRIED LOST LAID OVER WITHDRAWN ) PURPOSE: APPROVAL OF SPEED LIMIT CHANGE FOR OREGON STREET; AND PARKING REGULATION CHANGES ON CENTRAL STREET, COLUMBIA AVENUE AND ELMWOOD AVENUE INITIATED BY: TRAFFIC REVIEW ADVISORY BOARD A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTIONS 27-8, AND 27-23(A-11) OF THE OSHKOSH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO SPEED LIMITS, 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 Waukau Avenue. Add Thereto: Oregon Street from 24th Avenue to 28th Avenue. (3) Thirty-five (35) miles per hour for all vehicles on the following specified City streets: Add Thereto: Oregon Street from 28th Avenue to Waukau 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 CENTRAL STREET Remove Therefrom: No parking, west side, from Prospect Avenue to West New York Avenue. COLUMBIA AVENUE Add Thereto: No parking, north side, from Algoma Boulevard to 50 feet east of Algoma Boulevard. MAY 22, 2012 12-294 ORDINANCE FIRST READING CONT'D Add Thereto: No parking, south side, from Algoma Boulevard to Hamilton Street. ELMWOOD AVENUE Remove Therefrom: No parking, both sides, from Algoma Boulevard to West Irving Avenue. Remove Therefrom: No parking, west side, from Irving Avenue to 80 feet north of New York Avenue. Remove Therefrom: No parking, east side, from 207 feet north of Irving Avenue to Congress Avenue. Remove Therefrom: 30-minute parking, east side, from Irving Avenue to 207 feet north of Irving Avenue. Add Thereto: No parking, east side, from Algoma Boulevard to Congress Avenue. Add Thereto: No parking, west side, from Algoma Boulevard to 190 feet south of Irving Avenue. A dd Thereto: No parking, west side, from 85 feet south of Irving Avenue to 80 feet north of New York Avenue. Add Thereto: 15-minute parking, west side, from 85 feet south of Irving Avenue to 190 feet south of Irving Avenue. 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 #12-XXX (A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTIONS 27-8 AND 27-23(A-11) OF THE OSHKOSH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO SPEED LIMITS, AND PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS AND ALLEYS) on June 12, 2012. The ordinance raises the speed limit on a section of Oregon Street, and changes parking regulations on Central Street, Columbia Avenue and Elmwood 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. OfHKOIH ON THE WATER MEMORANDUM TO: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager FROM: Christopher Strong, Transportation Director DATE: May 16, 2012 RE: Explanation of Traffic Regulations Ordinance Changes SECTION 1: SECTION 27-8 —SPEED LIMITS A REQUEST TO RAISE THE SPEED LIMIT ON OREGON STRET (CTH I) FROM WAUKAU AVENUE TO 28TH AVENUE TO 35 MPH. (CURRENT CNDITION: 30 MPH SPEED LIMIT.) This is a Transportation Department request. At March's meeting, the Board considered and recommended against a request to lower the speed limit on Oregon Street (CTH I) between Waukau Avenue and 35th Avenue from 45 mph to 40 mph. One reason the request was made was to provide for a more gradual transition in driving speeds at Waukau Avenue, where the posted speed limit currently drops from 45 mph to 30 mph. (The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Speed Management Guidelines recommend that changes of speed limit be made in increments of 10 mph.) Lowering the speed limit south of Waukau Avenue was not warranted for a variety of reasons. However, it may be appropriate to raise the speed limit north of Waukau Avenue to 35 mph. This would accomplish the goal of having a more incremental change in the posted speed limit. Before analyzing this particular request, it is important to note that the posted speed limit on Oregon Street was changed in 2010. The speed limit on Oregon Street was reduced on the following sections: • A reduction in the posted speed limit from 24th Avenue to 28th Avenue from 30 mph to 25 mph • A reduction in the posted speed limit from 28th Avenue to Waukau Avenue from 35 mph to 30 mph The request was made with the goal of reducing driving speeds on this part of Oregon Street. Lower driving speeds are perceived to be safer than higher driving speeds. It is true that lower driving speeds tend to result in a less severe crash than if driving speeds were higher. However, Page 2 of 5 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes numerous studies have suggested that the crash frequency can increase when there is greater variance in speeds. Greater variance in speeds happens when a posted speed limit differs significantly from what motorists expect to drive. To what extent did the lower posted speed limit affect actual driving speeds? To measure this, speed data were collected before the speed limit change was enacted (in March 2010) and after (in January 2012, under bare pavement conditions). The median speeds shown in each location are in Table 1. As can be seen, the average speed was reduced between 28th Avenue and Waukau Avenue in both directions by a little less than 3 mph. This difference is less than the change in the speed limit. Between 24th Avenue and 28th Avenue, there was a reduction by more than 5 mph in the northbound direction but no change in the southbound direction. In general, the 5 mph reduction in the posted speed limit did not result in a 5 mph reduction in driving speeds. Table 1: Median Speeds on Oregon Street, Before and After May 2010 Speed Limit Change NB SB Location _ Before After Change Before After Change 24th Avenue to 28th Avenue 38.0 32.7 -5.3 35.1 35.1 0.0 28th Avenue to Waukau Avenue 38.0 35.1 -2.9 37.2 34.5 -2.7 The 85th percentile speeds (the speed which is faster than 85 percent of vehicles) at these locations are shown in Table 2. The changes here are similar to those observed when looking at median speeds. The state of Wisconsin's recommended practice is to set the speed limit at the 85th percentile of actual driving speeds. With this as a standard, the posted speed limit on this section of Oregon Street appears to be set too low. Table 2: 85th Percentile Speeds on Oregon Street, Before and After May 2010 Speed Limit Change NB SB Location Before After Change Before After Change 24th Avenue to 28th Avenue 42.3 36.5 -5.8 39.6 38.8 -0.8 28th Avenue to Waukau Avenue 42.3 39.6 -2.7 42.3 38.8 -3.5 Another way to look at the data is to compare the percent of vehicles which were exceeding the posted speed limit before and after the speed limit change. This is shown in Table 3, which looks at the percentage of vehicles which are traveling at least 5 mph over the posted speed limit. As can be seen, the change in the posted speed limit corresponded with reduced driver compliance with posted speed limits. Table 3: Percent of Vehicles Driving At Least 5 mph Over Posted Speed Limit, Before and After May 2010 Speed Limit Change NB SB Location Before After Change Before After Change 24th Avenue to 28th Avenue 73.3% 81.8% 8.5% 52.8% 93.9% 41.1% 28th Avenue to Waukau Avenue 32.7% 56.2% 23.5% 26.7% 44.0% 17.3% It is difficult to determine whether the speed limit change had any effect on the frequency of crashes. Of the 20 crashes which occurred on this segment of road between 2008 and 2011, half Page 3 of 5 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes occurred after the speed limit change, even though the speed change occurred early in 2010 (i.e. more than half way through the four-year analysis period). However, Oshkosh Corporation, a major trip generator in the area, reconfigured its employee parking lot access during this time, which shifted traffic volumes and makes it more difficult to make an equitable comparison. Regardless, the data does not suggest that the reduced speed limit improved safety. Another method was used to analyze the appropriateness of speed limits on this section of roadway. Researchers have developed a tool called USLIMITS which compiles the results of numerous safety studies to make recommendations on appropriate speed limits for a section of roadway. This expert system tool considers observed vehicle speeds, traffic volumes, density of driveways, crash history, and other factors. USLIMITS recommended a speed limit of 40 mph for this section. In summary, the posted speed limit change did not reduce speeds as much as the speed limit change. Its primary speed-related effect was to reduce compliance with the posted speed limit. There also does not appear to have been any crash reduction benefit in the change. This portion of Oregon Street is under Winnebago County jurisdiction. The Winnebago County Highway Commissioner has reviewed the information compiled by staff and supports the Board's recommendation. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (4-0) SECTION 2: SECTION 27-23(A-11 —PARKING REGULATIONS A REQUEST FOR UNRESTRICTED PARKING ON THE WEST SIDE OF CENTRAL STREET FROM PROSPECT AVENUE TO NEW YORK AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING.) This is a school district request. Merrill Middle School is interested in reducing congestion at times when children are dropped off at and picked up from school. In order to do this, the school wants to provide better parking options for employees, who have limited off-street parking options. The two streets on this request(Central Street and Merrill Street) are currently used by employees for on-street parking. Both streets were recently reconstructed to a wider street width: Merrill Street is now 30 feet, and Central Street is now 32 feet. Table 4 shows the City's guidelines for on-street parking restrictions on local streets. Table 4: Parking Restriction Guidelines on Local Streets Street Width Parking Restrictions Less than 17 feet Both Sides (All cases) Page 4 of 5 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes 17 to 24 feet One Side (All cases) 25 to 33 feet Valid Petition 34 feet and over None Our guidelines would permit parking on both sides of the street in either case. Since local street parking restrictions typically have the biggest impact on local property owners, their input should be a key consideration in determining whether to allow this parking. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (3-2) A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON BOTH SIDES OF COLUMBIA AVENUE FROM ALGOMA BOULEVARD TO 50 FEET EAST OF ALGOMA BOULEVARD. (CURRENT CONDITION: UNRESTRICTED PARKING.) This is a citizen request. The citizen making this request (and the following request) reports that employees from nearby businesses are parking on various local streets in this area during business hours, which makes it difficult for trucks to make deliveries and City vehicles to perform their services, such as leaf pick-up and snow plowing. This request would limit parking near the intersection of Algoma Boulevard and Columbia Avenue. The citizen was concerned that parking too close to this intersection can make it harder for trucks to turn on to and off of Columbia Avenue. Due to a driveway on the north side of the street, this restriction would actually only limit parking on the south side of this portion of the street. Columbia Street is a local street; Table 5 lists the parking restrictions typically applied to local streets. At 32 feet in width, parking restrictions on Columbia Street may be appropriate based on the needs of adjacent property owners, but are not required. A review of crashes did not indicate any reportable crashes at this intersection in recent years which were connected to on-street parking near the intersection. However, given the availability of off-street parking and numerous other on-street parking options, I do not believe this request would present a particular hardship on adjacent properties. Table 5: Parking Restriction Guidelines 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 Page 5 of 5 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes AMENDED AND PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (5-0) A REQUEST FOR 15-MINUTE PARKING ON THE WEST SIDE OF ELMWOOD AVENUE FROM 55 FEET NORTH OF AMHERST AVENUE TO 145 FEET NORTH OF AMHERST AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING.) This is a University request. The Plan Commission recently approved construction of a new residence hall at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The new building would occupy land currently occupied by three other residence halls and off-street parking. The new residence hall is scheduled to open before fall classes start in 2012. The site design proposes adding a parking bay on Elmwood Avenue, which the University would intend to be used for high-turnover, short-term parking. A 15-minute parking duration would be consistent with what exists in similar parking bays on the east side of Algoma Boulevard through campus. This request is being made well in advance of the residence hall's opening date because the University's architectural consultant would like to secure all approvals for this project before proceeding further in design and construction. This allows any Board or Council member concerns to be addressed earlier in the site design process. The paved width of the street is currently 28', a width at which parking restrictions are allowed to be considered (but are not mandated) for at least one side of the street. The street is scheduled for reconstruction in 2011, which may result in the street being widened slightly. At the bay, the paved width is eight feet wider, which makes it easier to accommodate the parking without interfering with traffic flow. The spaces allocated do not compensate for the spaces removed with the construction of the new residence hall. However, they can provide some short-term parking access for the residence hall, and they do so in a way that should have minimal impact on vehicular traffic. PASSED BY TRAFFICE REVIEW BOARD (5-0) #114 Of <OJH ON THE WATER MEMORANDUM TO: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager FROM: Christopher Strong, Transportation Director DATE: May 16, 2012 RE: Items Defeated by the Traffic Review Board at their May 8, 2012 Meeting A REQUEST FOR A STOP SIGN AT THE INTERSECTION OF MINNESOTA STREET AND 12TH AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: YIELD SIGN.) This is a citizen request. The citizen making this request expressed two concerns about this intersection: vehicles on Minnesota Street reportedly fail to observe the posted yield sign, and vehicles on 12th Avenue reportedly exceed the speed limit on a regular basis. The citizen was concerned about crashes that could occur when these behaviors occur at the same time. The purpose of this request is to provide more stringent traffic control on Minnesota Street, to reduce the potential for crashes at this intersection. The following are the warrants for converting a yield sign controlled intersection to a stop sign- controlled intersection: • Three or more right angle accidents in a twelve-month period, or five or more right angle accidents in a 2-year period. • 3,000 or more vehicles per day entering the intersection. • A severe sight distance problem. The number of crashes at this intersection by year from 2008 to 2011 is shown in Table 1. The highest number of crashes in a year since 2008 has been two. All three crashes since 2008 involved northbound vehicles failing to yield the right of way, and colliding with a vehicle traveling on 12th Avenue. ITEMS DEFEATED 2 MAY 2012 Table 1: Number of Crashes at Minnesota Street and 12th Avenue, 2008-2011 Year #of Crashes 2008 2 2009 0 2010 1 2011 0 Traffic counts conducted in March 2012,just prior to this year's reconstruction, showed approximately 920 vehicles per weekday entering the intersection(540 vehicles on 12th Avenue, 380 vehicles on Minnesota Street). The crash rate over the last four years is 2.2 per million vehicles entering the intersection, which is over the 2.0 per million entering vehicles (MEV)threshold that is sometimes used in accident analysis to identify high crash locations. The elevated crash rate and the sight distance restrictions in the southeast quadrant of the intersection could support changing the traffic control to stop signs. However, relatively low traffic volumes and crash frequency at this intersection could lead to a lack of compliance with the stop sign. At the same time, stop signs can provide motorists on the through street with a greater level of confidence, so that they may travel at higher speeds (expecting cross-street traffic to stop). The March 2012 traffic count data showed average vehicle speeds of 16-17 mph on 12th Avenue. An increase in speed on 12th Avenue, combined with no change in compliance with traffic control devices on Minnesota Street, could lead to an increase in the number and severity of crashes. DEFEATED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (0-5) A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON THE WEST SIDE OF HAMILTON STREET FROM COLUMBIA AVENUE TO LINWOOD AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: UNRESTRICTED PARKING.) This is a citizen request. The citizen making the earlier request noted that Hamilton Street and Columbia Avenue are often used for employee parking in this area. This request would take the west side of one block of Hamilton Street, which fronts C-1 (Commercial) zoned properties, and designate it as no parking. This request seems to be a reasonable way to respond to the citizen's concerns, given that Hamilton Street is slightly narrower in width (30 feet) than Columbia Avenue. Based on a field review, I confirmed the on-street parking activity reported by the citizen; however, I also observed that there was ample space for vehicles in opposing directions of travel to pass each other. Given that traffic volumes are relatively low in this area, I do not believe that preserving the parking will create any major safety issues. DEFEATED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD(0-5) ITEMS DEFEATED 3 MAY 2012 A REQUEST FOR UNRESTRICTED PARKING ON THE WEST SIDE OF MERRILL STREET FROM PROSPECT AVENUE TO 25 FEET SOUTH OF NEW YORK AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING.) This is a school district request. Merrill Middle School is interested in reducing congestion at times when children are dropped off at and picked up from school. In order to do this,the school wants to provide better parking options for employees, who have limited off-street parking options. The two streets (Central Street and Merrill Street) on this request are currently used by employees for on-street parking. Both streets were recently reconstructed to a wider street width: Merrill Street is now 30 feet, and Central Street is now 32 feet. Table 2 shows the City's guidelines for on-street parking restrictions on local streets. Table 2: Parking Restriction Guidelines 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 Our guidelines would permit parking on both sides of the street in either case. Since local street parking restrictions typically have the biggest impact on local property owners, their input should be a key consideration in determining whether to allow this parking. DEFEATED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD(0-5) A REQUEST FOR A MID-BLOCK CROSSWALK ON WESTHAVEN DRIVE APPROXIMATELY 350 FEET NORTH OF PATRIOT LANE. This is a citizen request. Westhaven Drive has seen increases in traffic volumes during this year's reconstruction of the US 41/STH 21 interchange. The increase in traffic has made it more difficult for pedestrians to find gaps in traffic in order to cross the street. This specific location goes between Aurora Hospital and medical clinics on the east side of the street. At this location, it is reported that there is a significant amount of pedestrian traffic. The following warrants have been used for mid-block crosswalks: ITEMS DEFEATED 4 MAY 2012 • Fifty (50)pedestrians crossing per day. • A minimum of 4,000 vehicles per day. • There is no other crossing within 180 feet of the proposed mid-block location. • When the posted speed limit is higher than 30 mph, the previous warrants may be waived, or significantly reduced. Pedestrian traffic volumes here are unknown; however, it is possible that the threshold is satisfied. According to Wisconsin DOT traffic volume maps, traffic volumes on this section of Westhaven Drive, prior to construction, were 8,000 to 9,000 vehicles per day. The nearest crosswalk is at Patriot Lane, which is 350 feet away. Therefore,the warrants appear to be satisfied at this location. Moreover,the City's bicycle and pedestrian plan supports consideration of mid-block crosswalks where feasible on longer blocks, of which this is one. However, there are at least a couple of reasons why a mid-block crosswalk here might not be appropriate. • The mid-block crosswalk would not connect with internal pedestrian circulation on either side of the road. Therefore, it is not clear whether this crosswalk would help pedestrians get between their ultimate origins and destinations. • If pedestrians do not find the crosswalk convenient to get between their origins and destinations, they will likely not use it. If the crosswalk is not used, motorists may be less likely to yield to pedestrians who are present. • This request came during a time of higher than normal traffic volumes on Westhaven Drive. It may be that the primary reason for this request will take care of itself by the end of the year, when the reconstructed interchange opens. • The City's contractor is expected to upgrade the crosswalk at Patriot Lane later this month to an accessible crossing. This crosswalk, along with plans to upgrade a similar crosswalk at Westowne Avenue, may help to lessen the pedestrian demand at this location. DEFEATED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD(0-5)