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Home My WebLink About2019-05-14 Traffic Parking Advisory Bd AgendaPlease contact the Traffic Review Advisory Board at TRAB@ci.oshkosh.wi.us with any questions or concerns. TRAFFIC AND PARKING ADVISORY BOARD AGENDA ITEMS MAY 14, 2019 NEW BUSINESS 1. A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON OTTER STREET, SOUTH SIDE, FROM MAIN STREET TO 244 FEET EAST OF STATE STREET (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING, SOUTH SIDE, FROM STATE STREET TO MAIN STREET; NO PARKING, SOUTH SIDE, FROM STATE STREET TO 30 FEET EAST OF STATE STREET; NO PARKING, SOUTH SIDE, FROM 72 FEET EAST OF STATE STREET TO 244 FEET EAST OF STATE STREET; 15-MINUTE PARKING, SOUTH SIDE, FROM 30 FEET EAST OF STATE STREET TO 72 FEET EAST OF STATE STREET) This is a request from the Transportation Department. The post office has recently reinstalled drop off mail boxes on Otter Street where previously 15 minute parking had been allowed. Parked vehicles now block access to the postal boxes. This slight adjustment is due to the reconstruction project completed last year. I recommend approval. 2. A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING IN THE CUL-DE-SAC BETWEEN LAKE POINTE DRIVE AND SUNNYBROOK DRIVE (WHERE THE GENERATOR AND LIFT STATION ARE LOCATED) (CURRENT CONDITION: UNRESTRICTED PARKING) This is a citizen request. The road in this cul-de-sac is only about 15 feet wide which allows room for only one vehicle to pass. When vehicles park here it makes residents’ driveways inaccessible. I recommend approval. 3. A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON CUSTER AVENUE, NORTH SIDE, FROM EASTMAN STREET TO 50 FEET WEST (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING RESTRICTION) TPAB AGENDA ITEMS 2 May 2019 Please contact the Traffic Review Advisory Board at TRAB@ci.oshkosh.wi.us with any questions or concerns. This is a request from the Transportation Department and Housing authority. Route #2 GO Transit buses heading north on Eastman Street turn left to head west on Custer Avenue. The Housing Authority recently redeveloped the former Waite rug factory and vehicles are now parked in this area making it difficult for buses to safely navigate their route in this area. There is still ample on street parking in the area with this restriction. I recommend approval. 4. A REQUEST FOR NO PARKING ON COURT STREET, EAST SIDE, FROM CEAPE AVENUE TO 50 FEET NORTH (CURRENT CONDITION: 4-HOUR PARALLEL PARKING) This is a request from the Transportation Department Court Street was narrowed when it was reconstructed in 2018. The narrower road is wide enough to allow parallel on street parking on both sides of the street. The GO Transit Route #1 bus is having difficulty turning from Ceape Avenue onto Court Street when vehicles are parked to the corner. There will still be ample parking in the area with this slight adjustment. I recommend approval. 5. A REQUEST FOR RELAXED OVERNIGHT PARKING IN THE 400 EAST AND LIBRARY PARKING LOTS 4-6 TIMES A YEAR FOR ADVENTURE GAMES OVERNIGHT EVENTS (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING: 2-5 A.M.) This is a request from Adventure Games. The owner of Adventure Games is writing an offer to purchase the former Paper Tiger building at 408 N. Main St. One of the contingencies of the sale is that city parking is available overnight 4-6 times a year for events from midnight until 6 a.m. We currently prohibit overnight parking in the free limited time stalls. Relaxing parking enforcement of a lot for a sporadic event can usually be accommodated however; this request is for multiple lots and days. I am concerned about setting a precedent. TPAB AGENDA ITEMS 3 May 2019 Please contact the Traffic Review Advisory Board at TRAB@ci.oshkosh.wi.us with any questions or concerns. 6. A REQUEST FOR A STOP SIGN AT THE INTERSECTION OF GREENFIELD TRAIL AND ABBEY AVENUE (CURRENT CONDITION: ABBEY AVENUE YIELDS TO GREENFIELD TRAIL) This is a citizen request. A citizen requested that this intersection be evaluated for a possible stop sign at the last TPAB meeting. The citizen making this request is concerned that vehicles on Abbey Avenue are reportedly traveling at high speeds and are not necessarily complying with the yield sign causing crashes and near misses. He also reports that it is difficult to see oncoming traffic on Greenfield Trail at this intersection. The request for a stop sign is intended to make sure that traffic on Abbey Avenue comes to a complete stop to check for oncoming traffic before entering the 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. A review of crash records at the intersection for the last few years shows only one crash this year on April 8 which involved a westbound vehicle violating the yield sign. The crash history is not sufficient to satisfy this warrant. Traffic volume data was not collected however; it is unlikely that the traffic at this intersection would reach the levels required by the warrant. A field review reveals possible sight distance issues. It is necessary to slow down near the yield sign to adequately see oncoming traffic. The location of houses and some landscaping features block some view from a further distance from the sign however; if you slow and yield near the sign, like one is supposed to, the view is clear. This yield intersection is in a residential neighborhood where motorists don’t necessarily expect one which may be part of the issue. Replacing the yield sign with an unwarranted stop sign is unlikely to improve the situation, as the yield sign is not warranted here either. Unwarranted signs tend to be disobeyed however; motorists may be more likely to slow for a stop sign. I do not have a recommendation. TPAB AGENDA ITEMS 4 May 2019 Please contact the Traffic Review Advisory Board at TRAB@ci.oshkosh.wi.us with any questions or concerns. 7. A REQUEST FOR BIKE LANES ON OAKWOOD ROAD FROM 9TH AVENUE TO 20TH AVENUE (CURRENT CONDITION: NO PARKING, BOTH SIDES, FROM 20TH AVENUE TO 9TH AVENUE 5:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. ON WEEKDAYS EXCEPT ON NEW YEAR’S DAY, MEMORIAL DAY, FOURTH OF JULY, LABOR DAY, THANKSGIVING DAY, AND CHRISTMAS DAY) This is a request from the Bike and Pedestrian Committee. Oakwood Road is a 48 foot wide road with no parking from 5 AM to 6 PM on weekdays except holidays. These restrictions were enacted in 2000 following a reconstruction of Oakwood Road to a 48-foot width. Oakwood Road is designated in the 2005 Comprehensive Plan as a collector street, for which the Comprehensive Plan proposes a minimum pavement width of 36 feet. The wider street reflects the 1993 Comprehensive Plan, which called for Oakwood Road to be wide enough for a four-lane street. The situation here has some similarities to 9th Avenue east of Highway 41, which was recently converted to a 3 lane street. Parking was prohibited most times which allowed two lanes of vehicular travel in each direction. Parking was allowed during times of day when less traffic demand was anticipated. Because parking was allowed at times, white dashed lane lines were not marked on the roadway. From a crash history or congestion perspective, there does not appear to be a problem here. However, citizens have expressed concern about driver confusion in areas like this, where the roadway is wide enough to support two lanes of traffic each direction but the occasional presence of parked vehicles prevent the road from being marked as such. There are at least three options available. (These options are pictured in Figure 1.)  Option 1: Stripe the roadway as a 4-lane roadway. This would require removal of existing on-street parking. From a traffic perspective, Oakwood Road does need to be marked for this type of capacity.  Option 2: Convert the roadway to a 3-lane roadway/road diet, with designated bicycle lanes. This would require removal of existing on-street parking. This option would agree with the 2011 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan recommendation. It is likely that this roadway can comfortably handle its existing traffic loading on a 3-lane configuration, especially since the two-way left turn lane provides additional capacity at intersections.  Option 3: Convert the roadway to a 2-lane roadway with designated bicycle and parking lanes. It is possible within the 48-foot width to have one 11’ driving lane, one 5’ bike lane, and one 8’ parking lane in each direction. This option agrees with both the 2011 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and the 2005 Comprehensive Plan. However, there is currently limited parking demand on Oakwood Road. Therefore, at many times of day, this 13’ wide area (parking and bike lane) may appear to be a second driving lane. TPAB AGENDA ITEMS 5 May 2019 Please contact the Traffic Review Advisory Board at TRAB@ci.oshkosh.wi.us with any questions or concerns. However; the bike lane would help organize traffic and this option preserves on street parking for residents and their guests on Oakwood Road. Due to the likely demand by residents for on street parking and to better organize traffic and follow the 2011 council approved Bike and Pedestrian Plan, I recommend option 3 to preserve on street parking and add bike lanes. I recommend approval. STAFF STATEMENTS 8. ANNUAL CITY CRASH ANALYSIS See attached memo. Figure 1: Alternate Configurations for Oakwood Road