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HomeMy WebLinkAbout34. 13-156 MARCH 26, 2013 13-156 ORDINANCE FIRST READING (CARRIED LOST LAID OVER WITHDRAWN ) PURPOSE: APPROVAL OF BICYCLE LANE AND PARKING REGULATION CHANGES ON ALGOMA BOULEVARD INITIATED BY: TRAFFIC REVIEW ADVISORY BOARD A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTIONS 27A- 10.1 AND 27A-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 27A-10.1 of the Oshkosh Municipal Code pertaining to designated bicycle lanes is hereby amended as follows: A-10.1 BICYCLE LANES DESIGNATED Remove Therefrom: Algoma Boulevard, southerly side, from Wisconsin Street to Woodland Avenue. Add Thereto: Algoma Boulevard, northerly side, from Jackson Street to Woodland Avenue. SECTION 2. That Section 27A-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 ALGOMA BOULEVARD Remove Therefrom: No parking, north side, from Jackson Street to Wisconsin Street except in front of Indian Trail Apartments and also excepting the portion commencing at the westerly property line of 504 Algoma Boulevard and extending in an easterly direction for a distance of 180 feet. Add Thereto: No parking, north side, from Jackson Street to Wisconsin Street. MARCH 26, 2013 13-156 ORDINANCE FIRST READING CONT'D 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 #13-156 (A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTIONS 27A-10.1 AND 27A-11 OF THE OSHKOSH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO DESIGNATED BICYCLE LANES AND PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS AND ALLEYS) on April 9, 2013. The ordinance relocates and extends a bicycle lane and changes parking regulations on Algoma Boulevard. 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. Cfr* O.IHKOIH ON THE WATER MEMORANDUM TO: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager FROM Christopher Strong, P.E., Transportation Director (fir DATE: March 20, 2013 RE: Explanation of Traffic Regulations Ordinance Changes SECTION 1: SECTION 27A-10.1 DESIGNATED BICYCLE LANES A REQUEST FOR A BICYCLE LANE ON THE NORTHEASTERLY SIDE OF ALGOMA BOULEVARD FROM JACKSON STREET TO NEW YORK AVENUE. This is a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee request. (This request was considered by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee at its January 17, 2013 meeting; please find the staff memo and meeting minutes attached.) In 2011, the Traffic Review Advisory Board recommended, and the Common Council approved, the designation of a bicycle lane on High Avenue from Congress Avenue to Jackson Street. Since High Avenue is a one-way street, the bicycle lane is only on one side of the street and is intended to have bicycles travel in the same direction as traffic. Algoma Boulevard matches with High Avenue to form a one-way pair; therefore, it makes sense to examine the potential for bicycle accommodations on this streetl. The 2011 Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation Plan recommends a signed and striped bicycle lane on Algoma Boulevard. In consistency with the plan's design recommendations,the bicycle lane should be on the right (northeasterly) side of the street. There is currently a bicycle lane designated on the left(southwesterly) side of the street from Wisconsin Street to Woodland Avenue. Table 1 summarizes key geometric and operational characteristics of different sections of this street. The details for individual blocks are presented in the following sections. a. Jackson Street to Dawes Street 1 The 2011 Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation Plan includes recommendations for signed and striped bicycle lanes on High Avenue and Algoma Boulevard from New York Avenue to Commerce Street/Main Street. There was the opportunity to extend the High Avenue bicycle lane to Congress Avenue based on street width,existing parking regulations,and a concurrent paving project. TRA AGENDA ITEMS 2 FEBRUARY 2013 This block currently has parking primarily but not exclusively on the south side, which is appropriate given the land use. The dedicated bicycle lane will require removal of on-street parking from one side or the other. Design guidelines are generally silent as to which side of the road should have on-street parking on a one-way street with a bicycle lane. Two scenarios are presented for consideration: • Keep parking on the south side. For a 36' paved width, a recommended lane configuration is, from left to right, an 8' parking lane,two 11' driving lanes, and a 6' bicycle lane. The existing north side parking area would need to be removed. • Shift parking to the north side. For a 36' paved width, a recommended lane configuration is, from left to right, a 12' driving lane, an 11' driving lane, a 5' bicycle lane, and a 8' parking lane. Table 1: Geometric/Parking Characteristics of Algoma Boulevard from Jackson Street to New York Avenue Current Current Parking Availability Start Right- Paved Lane Configuration Left(southwest) Right(northe Point End Point of-Way Width (from left to right) Jackson St Dawes St 55' 36' Two 18'driving/parking 2-hour parking except 60 No parking,except lanes feet near Dawes Street Dawes Street inter Dawes St Wisconsin 58' 36' Two 18'driving/parking No parking No parking, except St lanes unrestricted parkir feet in front of Indi Apartments Wisconsin St N/A 36' One 10' dedicated left turn NA NA Intersection lane,one 12'through lane, one 14'shared through- right lane Wisconsin Elmwood 53' 35' One 5' bike lane,one 11' No parking No parking St Ave driving lane,one 19' driving/parking lane Elmwood Woodland 60' 32' One 5' bike lane,one 11' No parking No parking,except Ave Ave driving lane,one 16' minute parking in ' driving/parking lane Woodland Vine Ave 63' 32' One 12'driving lane,one No parking 1-hour parking,exc Ave 20'driving/parking lane no parking near intersections Vine Ave New York 66' 32' No parking Mix of 1-hour park Ave loading zone,excel parking near inters Page 2 of 8 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes Both options are consistent with the Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation Plan. The second option would be more consistent with expectations on two-way streets, where the bicycle lane is between a moving traffic lane and the parking lane. That said, shifting the parking to the north side would introduce a couple of potential issues from a traffic perspective. First, the users of on-street parking in this block are more likely to frequent the land uses on the south side of the street rather than the north side. Winnebago County offices have the north side on this side of the street, and generally have ample off-street parking. The properties on the south side of this street typically have less off-street parking, and therefore may rely more heavily on on-street parking. This means that there would be increased pedestrian activity crossing the street, much of which may not use a marked crosswalk. Second, the southbound right turn lane off Jackson Street is a free flow movement which must yield to Algoma Boulevard traffic before merging. Since Algoma Boulevard is a one-way street, it is likely that this turning traffic will tend to focus on the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic from the east and will pay less attention to potential use of on-street parking that they may need to avoid. The best way to handle this would be to restrict parking close to the intersection. However, this would tend to reduce the availability of on-street parking in this area. Finally, there have been cases in other communities where cyclists have been injured by colliding with open car doors from cars in the parking lane. Keeping the parking on the south side of the street would eliminate this risk. For these reasons, staff recommends that existing parking be removed from the north side of the street in order to accommodate the bicycle lane. b. Dawes Street to Wisconsin Street When it is not necessary for bicycles to stop, due to a traffic signal or other traffic control device, it is desirable to minimize how much the lane configuration changes from one block to another. Therefore, the recommendations for the block from Jackson Street to Dawes Street and this block influence each other. For this block, on-street parking is only on the right side of the road. While the parking can be shifted to the south side of the road, this would increase mid-block pedestrian crossings between parked cars and the apartment complex on the north side of the street. Nonetheless, this is a relatively small portion of the block. For the sake of consistency, staff recommends that existing north side parking be moved to the south side of the street. c. Wisconsin Street intersection The lane configuration at this intersection currently includes one 10' left turn lane, one 12' through lane, and a 14' shared through-right lane. It is still possible to accommodate three driving lanes at this intersection, provided they are narrowed to allow for a bicycle lane to carry Page 3 of 8 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes through. The following are potential configurations: • Keep the current configuration, and have the bicycle lane merge into the through-right lane prior to the intersection • One 11' left-through lane, one 10' through lane, one 5' bicycle lane, one 10' right turn lane. This would be a similar configuration to eastbound High Avenue approaching Wisconsin Street. The shared left-through lane would mean that pedestrians crossing the south leg of the intersection could delay both left-turning traffic as well as through traffic using the leftmost lane. • One 10' left turn lane, one 10' through lane, one 5' bicycle lane, one 11' through-right lane. If parking is on the south side of the street, the parking lane could disappear as the left turn lane appears, which would result in relatively straight vehicle travel paths through this area. However, having a bicycle lane between two vehicle travel lanes is not a safe condition for the bicyclist. Current traffic counts are not available at this time to compare the operational effectiveness of these alternatives. At this point, it appears that the first two options are workable for accommodating bicycle traffic. The second option would be preferred in order to provide for a continuous bicycle lane. d. Wisconsin Street to Elmwood Avenue This section of the street has an existing bicycle lane on the west side of the street, which conflicts with the recommended facility design practice of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation Plan. Parking is not permitted on either side of this street. Staff would support establishing parking on one side of this section of street as a method of traffic calming in the UWO area. UWO has indicated their support for on-street parking. The following are a couple of options that may be available: • Two 11' driving lanes and 13' shared bike/parking lane. This would put parking adjacent to the former Lincoln School. If this parking is underutilized, however, the shared bike/parking lane may come to be used as an additional driving lane. • One 8' parking lane,two 11' driving lanes, and one 5' bike lane. The demand for parking may be higher on the left(southwest) side of the street, given its proximity to campus residences. However, the curbside bike lane would be substandard at this width. • One 15' driving lane, one 14' driving lane, and one 6' bike lane. This would create a standard width curbside bicycle lane, but would not allow on-street parking. It should be noted that the road section narrows from 35 feet at Wisconsin Street to 32 feet at Elmwood Avenue. Since parking would not be continued north of Elmwood Avenue (see below section), the third option may be an appropriate way of accommodate a bicycle lane without dramatic shifts in the alignment of travel lanes. Page 4 of 8 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes e. Elmwood Avenue to Woodland Avenue This section has an existing bicycle lane on the west side of the street. Parking is permitted only in "bays" on the east side of the road, where the ordinance permits very short, high turnover parking. The following are a couple of options within the 32' road width: • Two 12' driving lanes and an 8' bicycle lane. The wider bicycle lane could be mistaken as a parking lane, although it would allow for greater capacity in this core area of campus. • One 14' driving lane, one 12' driving lane and a 6' bicycle lane. This would allow more separation from vehicles traveling in the left lane and the curb. While both options could work, the second option may be a preferred alternative. f. Woodland Avenue to Vine Avenue While this section has the same roadway width as the previous section, parking is currently allowed here. The options for accommodating parking and bicycle facilities in this section are not appealing: • Two 10' driving lanes and a shared 12' bike/parking lane. While 10' driving lanes are allowable within roadway design guidelines, no comparable street in Oshkosh with multiple adjacent lanes traveling in the same direction is as narrow. For comparison, Jackson Street has 11.5' wide lanes and 9th Avenue west of Knapp Street, used as a four- lane facility, has 10.5' wide lanes. The curbside 10' lane will feel yet smaller because motorists will want to stay away from the curb, and snow could reduce the effective width. While the driving lanes would be tight, the bike/parking lane would also be tight, leaving a 4' wide bike lane next to an 8' parking lane. The road would not be comfortable for any vehicular users, and the close proximity of traffic may increase the likelihood of sideswipe or lane drift crashes. • One 11' driving lane, one 13' driving/bike lane, and one 8' parking lane. While the driving lanes would be more comfortable, the 13' shared driving/bike lane is below the recommended 14' minimum for such lanes. In a split vote, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee supported the first alternative, with the suggestion that the best solution is to reconstruct this section of street to provide additional road width. Staff's recommendation is to pursue neither alternative at this time, due to the narrow roadway width. g. Vine Avenue to New York Avenue This section has similar characteristics as the previous one, except there is likely greater reliance on on-street parking, as this is the primary loading/unloading area for Read Elementary School. Staff therefore recommends pursuing neither alternative at this time. Page 5 of 8 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes Summary Here is the summary of staff recommendations with their impacts: Propsoed Lane Configuration Parking Impact Start Point End Point (from left to right) Jackson St Dawes St One 8' parking lane Eliminate parking on north Two 11'driving lanes side of street One 6'bike lane Dawes St Wisconsin St One 8' parking lane Eliminate parking on north Two 11'driving lanes side of street One 6'bike lane Wisconsin St Intersection One 11' left-through lane None One 10'through lane One 5' bike lane One 10' right turn lane Wisconsin St Elmwood Ave One 15'driving lane None One 14'driving lane One 6' bike lane Elmwood Ave Woodland One 14'driving lane None Ave One 12'driving lane One 6' bike lane Woodland Ave Vine Ave One 12'driving lane None One 20'driving/parking lane No bike lane Vine Ave New York Ave One 12'driving lane None One 20'driving/parking lane No bike lane a. Option 1: Remove parking on the north side of Algoma Boulevard from 230 feet west of Dawes Street to 70 feet east of Dawes Street. (Current condition: Unrestricted parking.) b. Option 2: Remove parking on the south side of Algoma Boulevard from Jackson Street to 60 feet east of Dawes Street. (Current condition: 2 hour parking, between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.) c. Option 3: No changes in parking. At last month's meeting, the Board supported the creation of a bicycle lane on Algoma Boulevard from Jackson Street to Wisconsin Street. It was noted in the staff memo that there is on-street parking in this area. The current locations of on-street parking restrictions and allowances are shown in Figure 1. The roadway geometry allows parking to be retained on one side of the street and support appropriate widths for the driving lanes and bicycle lane. As can be seen, there is an area east of Dawes Street where the current parking allowance changes from one side of the street to the other. Staff has identified at least three basic options for dealing with this parking. Under Option 1, the on-street parking would be only on the south side of the street. This would leave the bicycle lane Page 6 of 8 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes on the north side of.the street, next to the curb. Under Option 2, the on-street parking would be only on the north side of the street. This would leave the bicycle lane on the north side of the street, separated from the curb by parking (where available). Under Option 3, no changes in parking are made. While the bicycle lane would be on the north side of the street, it would change its position in the road based on whether parking is provided. Driving lanes would experience a similar change in position. • 14044 , / •— No parking --- 2-hour parking, 8 AM to 6 PM — Unrestricted parking Figure 1: On-Street Parking Regulations on Algoma Boulevard, between Wisconsin Street and Jackson Street Options 1 and 2 provide for the most consistent driving and bicycling experience, minimizing weaving within the roadway. Between Options 1 and 2, Option 1 would seem to be preferable for a few reasons. First, the users of on-street parking in the block between Dawes and Jackson Streets are more likely to frequent the properties on the south frontage of the street rather than the north frontage. The properties on the south frontage of this street typically have less off-street parking, and therefore may rely more heavily on on-street parking. Second, the southbound right turn lane off Jackson Street is a free flow movement which must yield to Algoma Boulevard traffic before merging. Since Algoma Boulevard is a one-way street, it is likely that this turning traffic will tend to focus on the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic from the east and will pay less attention to potential use of on-street parking that they may Page 7 of 8 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes need to avoid. Option 1 would keep parking off of the north side of Algoma Boulevard. Third, parking on the south side of Algoma Boulevard would allow drivers to exit vehicles without entering into traffic, since Algoma is a one-way street. Parking on the north side of the road would cause doors to open into traffic and, more specifically, into the bicycle lane. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (5-0) SECTION 2: SECTION 27A-11 DESIGNATED PARKING RESTRICTIONS ALGOMA BOULEVARD These changes are the result of the previous request for a bicycle lane. (See previous explanation)