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HomeMy WebLinkAbout32. 13-279MAY 28, 2013 13 -279 ORDINANCE FIRST READING (CARRIED LOST LAID OVER WITHDRAW PURPOSE: APPROVAL OF PARKING REGULATION CHANGES ON HAZEL STREET, KNAPP STREET, LAKE SHORE DRIVE, PORTER AVENUE, SIEWERT TRAIL, 5TH AVENUE AND 10TH AVENUE INITIATED BY: TRAFFIC REVIEW ADVISORY BOARD A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTION 27A -11 OF THE OSHKOSH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS AND ALLEYS. The Common Council of the City of Oshkosh do ordain as follows: SECTION 1. 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 HAZELSTREET Remove Therefrom No parking, east side, from 205 feet south of Cleveland Avenue to 260 feet south thereof. KNAPP STREET Remove Therefrom No parking, east side, from 65 feet north of 6th Avenue to 75 feet south of 6th Avenue. Add Thereto No parking, east side, from 45 feet north of 6th Avenue to 75 feet south of 6th Avenue. LAKE SHORE DRIVE Remove Therefrom No parking, both sides, from Washington Avenue to 85 feet north of Washington Avenue. Remove Therefrom No parking, west sides, from 265 feet north of Washington Avenue to 430 feet north of Washington Avenue. Add Thereto No parking, west side, from Washington Avenue to Merritt Avenue. MAY 28, 2013 13 -279 ORDINANCE FIRST READING CONT'D Add Thereto No parking, east side, from Washington Avenue to 105 feet north of Washington Avenue. Add Thereto No parking, east side, from 230 feet north of Washington Avenue to 400 feet north of Washington Avenue. PORTER AVENUE Remove Therefrom No parking, south side, from North Sawyer Street to North Eagle Street. Remove Therefrom 2 -hour parking, north side, from Hawk Street to Dove Street between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on school days. Add Thereto No parking, south side, from Eagle Street to Hawk Street, except on weekends and holidays. Add Thereto 2 -hour parking, both sides, from Hawk Street to Dove Street between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on school days. Add Thereto No parking, south side, from Dove Street to North Sawyer Street. SIEWERT TRAIL Remove Therefrom No parking, stopping, standing, waiting, north side, from Hazel Street to Oak Street Add Thereto No parking, stopping, standing, waiting, south side, from Oak Street to Hazel Street. Add Thereto Loading zone, north side, from Oak Street to Hazel Street between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on school days. 5TH AVENUE Add Thereto No parking, south side, from Knapp Street to 40 feet east of Knapp Street. MAY 28, 2013 13 -279 ORDINANCE FIRST READING CONT'D 10TH AVENUE Remove Therefrom No parking, south side, from South Main Street to 76 feet east. Add Thereto No parking, south side, from South Main Street to 150 feet east of South Main Street. SECTION 2. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage, publication and placement of the appropriate signage. SECTION 3. Publication Notice. Please take notice that the City of Oshkosh enacted ordinance #13 -XXX (A GENERAL ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AMENDING SECTION 27A -11 OF THE OSHKOSH MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO PARKING REGULATIONS ON DESIGNATED STREETS AND ALLEYS) on June 11, 2013. The ordinance changes parking regulations on Hazel Street, Knapp Street, Lake Shore Drive, Porter Avenue, Siewert Trail, 5th Avenue and 10 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: 9201236 -5011. 0 OYHKOJH ON THE WATER MEMORANDUM TO: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager FROM: Christopher Strong, P.E., Transportation Director 1_�5 DATE: May 22, 2013 RE: Explanation of Traffic Regulations Ordinance Changes SECTION 1: SECTION 27A -11 DESIGNATED PARKING RESTRICTIONS A REQUEST TO ALLOW PARKING ON THE EAST SIDE OF HAZEL STREET FROM 205 FEET SOUTH OF CLEVELAND AVENUE TO 260 FEET SOUTH THEREOF. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING.) This is a Transportation Department request. This parking restriction was established to provide a clear area around a transit shelter. With the launch of new bus routes in April, there is no longer bus service northbound on this section of Hazel Street. Therefore, there is no reason to continue with this prohibition. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (4 -0) A REQUEST TO ALLOW PARKING ON THE EAST SIDE OF KNAPP STREET FROM 45 FEET NORTH OF 6Tx AVENUE TO 65 FEET NORTH OF 6" AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING.) This is a citizen request. At last month's meeting, a citizen requested to change parking regulations on 5 11' Avenue, adjacent to the parking lot at Mahoney's. The property owner of the restaurant was concerned about the potential impact of parking loss on this business. The property owner suggested parking regulations on Knapp Street between 5 °i and 6 Avenues could be examined to see whether parking could be added there as a trade-off. The existing parking restriction on the east side of Knapp Street, north and south of 6 Avenue, was established in 1993 in order to address concerns with sight distance for westbound traffic on 6 t11 Avenue at that intersection. The reconstruction of Knapp Street and 6 "' Avenue in 2011 and 2012, respectively, changed some of the intersection's geometry. It appears that the parking restriction can be safely reduced to accommodate one additional vehicle. Page 2 of 6 PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (4 -0) Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON THE WEST SIDE OF LAKE SHORE DRIVE FROM WASHINGTON AVENUE TO MERRITT AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: GENERALLY UNRESTRICTED PARKING, WITH SOME AREAS WHERE PARKING IS PROHIBITED.) A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON THE EAST SIDE OF LAKE SHORE DRIVE FROM WASHINGTON AVENUE TO 105 FEET NORTH OF WASHINGTON AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: UNRESTRICTED PARKING.) A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON THE EAST SIDE OF LAKE SHORE DRIVE FROM 230 FEET NORTH OF WASHINGTON AVENUE TO 400 FEET NORTH OF WASHINGTON AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: UNRESTRICTED PARKING.) These are Department of Public Works requests. Lake Shore Drive runs from Washington Avenue to Merritt Avenue between the city's water filtration plant and Lake Winnebago. The paved roadway width is relatively narrow (24 feet) within a right -of -way typical of a local street (60 feet). According to the guidelines the City uses for recommending local street parking restrictions (see Table 1), a parking prohibition for the entire length of the street would be appropriate. Table 1: 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 Based on Local Conditions 34 feet and over None Recommended While the street has no adjacent commercial or residential development, it is used by visitors to the lake. Perpendicular parking areas are provided within the right-of-way to accommodate these visitors. However, vehicles parked elsewhere on this street have been creating several operational challenges. For example, many vehicles use the grassed areas for parking, which is rutting the grass and is in some cases accelerating the deterioration of the pavement. The area is used during the winter for fishing access, and the on- street parking can make snow removal difficult. In addition, local streets are typically constructed with a 32 feet width in order to accommodate on- street parking and emergency vehicle access; the presence of on- street parking on a more narrow street could restrict this access. Finally, the water filtration plant receives regular truck deliveries that are currently accommodated through establishing no parking areas with traffic cones. A permanent restriction could help to address these issues. This is a popular street for fishing access, especially during the winter. These changes would help to protect the availability of the perpendicular spaces, and would still allow vehicles to park on Page 3 of 6 adjacent streets where it is safe and legal to do so. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (4 -0) Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes A REQUEST TO ALLOW UNRESTRICTED PARKING OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL HOURS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF PORTER AVENUE, FROM EAGLE STREET TO HAWK STREET. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING.) This is a Police Department request. A dated ordinance prohibits parking on the south side of this section of Porter Avenue through the entirety of the week. The prohibition seems to be appropriate in order to reduce spillover parking from Oshkosh West High School. However, this parking restriction may not be necessary on weekends, especially since the street is 36 feet wide, which is typically wide enough for a local street to support on- street parking on both sides of the street. The request would change the ordinance so that parking is prohibited between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on school days, as is done on the northern side of this block. Residents on streets adjacent to schools are often concerned with spillover parking during school hours but welcome on- street parking at other times of day or other days of the week. Allowing this parking in a manner consistent with the other side of the street would seem to make sense here. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD AS AMENDED BYDELETING "OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL HOURS" AND ADDING "ON WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS" (4 -0) A REQUEST FOR 2 -HOUR PARKING ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF PORTER AVENUE BETWEEN HAWK STREET AND DOVE STREET BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7:30 A.M. AND 4:30 P.M. ON SCHOOL DAYS. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING.) This is a Transportation Department request. The previous agenda item, if approved, would establish consistency in parking rules on both sides of Porter Avenue on a one -block segment from Eagle Street to Hawk Street. This request would extend that consistency over the next two blocks to the east. Here, the northbound restriction has been for 2 -hour parking on school days, which provides parking for residents' guests but would not work well for school - related parking. Staff is not aware of any adjacent property owners advocating for or against this request. Staff supports this request in order to promote simplicity and uniformity in the on- street parking regulations. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (4 -0) Page 4 of 6 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING, STOPPING, STANDING OR WAITING ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SIEWERT TRAIL FROM OAK STREET TO HAZEL STREET BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7:00 A.M. AND 4:00 P.M. ON SCHOOL DAYS. (CURRENT CONDITION: UNRESTRICTED PARKING.) A REQUEST FOR A LOADING ZONE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF SIEWERT TRAIL FROM OAK STREET TO HAZEL STREET BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7:00 A.M. AND 4:00 P.M. ON SCHOOL DAYS. (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING, STOPPING, STANDING OR WAITING.) These are school requests. The principal at Webster Stanley Middle School has expressed concern over pedestrian safety during times when students are dropped off at or picked up from Webster Stanley Middle School. Siewert Trail is used by many parents for this purpose. The board has looked at school - related congestion on this street before. The current no parking area on the north side of the street was established in 1987, in order to reduce congestion in the area. Congestion continued to persist so that, in 1999, the street was converted from two -way flow to one -way eastbound flow. I think there was concern at that time by some that parking rules were not being adequately enforced, so the no parking designation had limited value during the peak traffic times. The Traffic Review Advisory Board considered and rejected a proposal in 2009 to change the one -way flow to one- way westbound, instead of one -way eastbound. Several neighbors spoke in favor of preserving the existing eastbound flow. According to recent Police Department observations, many parents use the northern side of the street as a loading zone, contrary to existing signage, while other parents use the southern side of the street, requiring children to cross the street. In some cases, OPD has observed traffic moving between the lanes of stopped cars and nearly hitting children crossing the street. This is partly because the street is 30' wide, which can normally safely support one travel lane and two parking lanes. These requests are intended to work together to address these issues. Currently, the south side of the street is used by many school employees for parking on school days. The first of these requests would eliminate that ability, requiring employees to park elsewhere. Many of them may choose to park on Hazel Street south of Siewert Trail, where unrestricted parking is available on both sides of the street. With no vehicles parked on the south side of Siewert Trail during school hours, this would allow for a clear area for vehicles to move away from pedestrians. The second request would open up the northern side of the street as a loading and unloading zone. Because Siewert Trail is a one -way eastbound street, this would allow children to access their parents' vehicles without having to cross the street. These requests should help to reduce unexpected pedestrian crossings on this section of Siewert Trail, as well as provide better separation between moving traffic and stopped traffic. At the same time, it should not have an appreciable effect on the availability of parking to the neighborhood during the school day. Page 5 of 6 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEWBOARD ASAMENDED BYDELETING "BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7.00 AMAND 4 PM ON SCHOOL DAYS" (4 -0) A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF 5TH AVENUE FROM KNAPP STREET TO 40 FEET EAST OF KNAPP STREET. (CURRENT CONDITION: UNRESTRICTED PARKING.) This is a citizen request. This was laid over from the April meeting. The following is from the staff memo at that meeting. The citizen making this request expressed concern over congestion on the eastern leg of the intersection of Knapp Street and 5th Avenue. He reported that when vehicles park on both sides of 5th Avenue near the intersection and a vehicle is on 5th Avenue waiting to turn onto Knapp Street, it can be hard to turn onto 5th Avenue from Knapp Street. The street was reconstructed in 2011 to a 32 foot width. While this is a standard width for a local street, this was narrower than what had previously existed. As shown in Table 2, parking restrictions may be appropriate for a local street of this width, depending on local conditions. 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 Based on Local Conditions 34 feet and over None Recommended The proposed request would prohibit parking on the south side of 5th Avenue, from Knapp Street to the first driveway on the south side of the street. This would create an area of approximately 70 feet (three car lengths) on the intersection's east leg in which parking is allowed only on the north side of the street. This should be adequate to address these potential congestion issues, while having minimal impact on adjacent properties. PASSED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (4 -0) A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF 10 AVENUE FROM 76 FEET EAST OF MAIN STREET TO 150 FEET EAST OF�MAIN STREET. (CURRENT CONDITION: UNRESTRICTED PARKING.) This is a business request. Serwas Window Cleaning, on the southeast corner of Main Street and 10' Avenue, has driveways onto 10"' Avenue and Main Street. Serwas staff report that semi trucks are blocking their 10' Avenue driveway with increasing frequency, forcing Serwas' vehicles to back onto Page 6 of 6 Explanation of Traffic Ordinance Changes Main Street in order to exit the property. While blocking a driveway with a parked vehicle is not legal, the truck drivers may not be aware that their trucks are blocking the driveway, as the current driveway opening onto lo Avenue is poorly defined. This request would extend the existing no parking zone on the south side of 10 "' Avenue by one utility pole to the east, essentially ending at Serwas' eastern property line. This, in addition to the reconstruction of 10 Avenue later this year, should help to preserve Serwas' access to 10 Avenue. PASSED BY TRAFFIC RE [VIEW BOARD (4 -0) ( 0 OOHW0JU ON THE WATER MEMORANDUM TO: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager FROM: Christopher Strong, Transportation Director DATE: May 22, 2013 RE: Items Defeated by the Traffic Review Board at their May 14, 2013 Meeting A REQUEST FOR UNRESTRICTED PARKING ON THE WEST SIDE OF WISCONSIN STREET FROM LINWOOD AVENUE TO 80 FEET SOUTH OF LINWOOD AVENUE. (CURRENT CONDITION: UNRESTRICTED PARKING.) This is a citizen request. In e -mail correspondence with staff, the citizen making this request expressed concerned that spillover parking from adjacent apartments, especially during the winter, creates a number of issues, including snow removal, incidental damage to parked vehicles by moving traffic, and difficulty in refuse and brush removal. This request would create a no parking area on the west side of Wisconsin Street similar to what is currently on the east side of the street. At this location Wisconsin Street is a local street with a width of 36 feet. Under these conditions, our guidelines for local parking regulations would normally recommend against any parking restrictions. Although the presence of on- street parking can correlate with crashes, a review of crash records from 2002 -2011 did not identify any crashes involving parked vehicles on this block. By itself, introducing this short parking restriction may not create any specific problems. There appears to be ample off - street and on- street capacity to handle parking demand, even if this restriction were introduced. Moreover, removal of on- street parking could be consistent with bicycle facilities that may be included on this street in the future (Wisconsin Street is designated as a bicycle route in the 2011 Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation Plan). On the other hand, parked vehicles can have a positive effect to calm traffic on a relatively wide street like this one. If no vehicles are parked on the west side of the street for whatever reason, vehicle speeds may increase. (This potential speed effect for southbound traffic may be mitigated by the stop sign at Viola Avenue.) DEFEATED BY TRAFFIC REVIEW BOARD (0 -4)