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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSpecial 2018-12-10 Item 2I - Resolution - Neighborhood Traffic Calming ProgramCOUNCIL AGENDA SYNOPSIS - Meeting Date Prepared by Mayor's re 'ew Council review 11/26/18 HH 12/10/18 HH ITEM INFORMATION ITEM No. 3.E. & Spec 2.1. S FAIT SPONSOR: HENRY HASH ORIGINAI, AGENDA DATE: 11/26/18 AGENDA ITEM TI 11,E Resolution adopting the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program CA fl,,GORY Discussion 11/26/18 Motion Date Resolution Ordinance Mtg Date ['Bid Award hits Date a Public Hearins [1] Other Mtg Date Mtg Date Mtg Mg Date 12/10 Mg Date SPONSOR Counc71 Mayor OFIR ODCD ELsnane EIP&R. EPolue fl6ourt EFtie •TS II Pr SPONSOR'S Council is being asked to adopt by Resolution the proposed Neighborhood Traffic Calming stimmARy Program (NTCP). The NTCP includes three levels for ease of implementation. Currently $400,000 is budgeted in the 2019 - 2024 Capital Improvement Program for Traffic Calming/Residential Safety. Council is being asked to adopt the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program by Resolution. RbVIkWED BY Ej C.O.W. Mtg D CDN Comm LI Arts Comm. 111 Finance Comm. Comm. E] Public Safety Comm. 11] Planning Comm. THOMAS MCLEOD K Trans &Infrastructure • Parks DATE: 11/13/18 COMmii 1EE CHAIR: RECOMMENDATIONS: SPONSOR/ADMIN. COMMI Public Works Department FrEE Unanimous Approval; Forward to Committee of the Whole COST IMPACT / FUND SOURCE EXPEND] TURE REQUIRED AMOUNT BUDGETED APPROPRIATION REQUIRED $0.00 $400,000.00 $ Fund Source: 103 RESIDENTIAL STREETS Comments: (page 8, Proposed 2019 CIP) MTG. DATE RECORD OF COUNCIL ACTION 11/26/18 Forward to next Regular Meeting with edits 1?/10/18 MTG. DATE ATTACHMENTS 11/26/18 Informational Memorandum dated 11/09/18 Draft Resolution Draft Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (revised after 1 T.I.C.) Minutes from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 11/13/18 Resolution with attachment in strike-thru underlined format _12/10/18 Updated Informational Memo 55 56 Allan Ekberg, Mayor Public Works Department - Henry Hash, Director INFOR ATIO AL E ORA DU TO: Transportation and Infrastructure Committee FROM: Henry Hash, Public Works Director BY: Cyndy Knighton, Senior Program Manager CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: November 9, 2018 (Revised December 7, 2018) SUBJECT: Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program Resolution for Adoption ISSUE Resolution to adopt the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (NTCP). BACKGROUND In June 2005, the Transportation Committee approved a Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (NTCP). At that time, no budget was established nor was staffing provided for managing the program. Two pilot projects, one in 2008 and one in 2017, have been completed. Since then, interest in the City providing a robust traffic calming program has increased significantly. In 2018, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has discussed and expressed the desire for a fair, equitable, and objective program. DISCUSSION Per the direction of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, staff is presenting an updated NTCP. Staff has formatted the NTCP to allow for ease of implementation with minimum hurdles, especially for Level I improvements. Level I improvements are passive traffic control treatments that can be implemented quickly and inexpensively and are often all that is needed to address neighborhood complaints. Level II treatments are physical devices, often permanently installed, which require more extensive design efforts and are costlier. Additionally, Level II treatments require coordination and concurrence with the Police and Fire departments and approval from the Council. Emergency services are included as Level II devices as they can negatively impact response times. The attached document includes changes to the draft plan as directed during the November 26, 2018 Committee of the Whole meeting. FINANCIAL IMPACT The recently adopted biennial budget includes a $400,000 annual budget for the Traffic Calming/Residential Safety Improvement Program. The budget will be shared between traffic calming efforts and other safety improvements in residential areas. Design of the improvements, purchasing of equipment, and construction and installation costs will all be funded through these budgeted capital funds. RECOMMENDATION Council is being asked to approve the Resolution adopting the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program and consider this item at the December 10, 2018 Committee of the Whole and the Special Meeting on the same evening. ATTACHMENT • Draft Resolution • Draft Neighborhood Traffic Control Program w:12018 info mernosIntcp resolution 12-7-18.docx 57 58 ILA iv 4d, Washington Resolution No. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, ADOPTING THE "CITY OF TUKWILA NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING PROGRAM." WHEREAS, one of the top concerns of Tukwila community members is speeding and other dangers associated with motor vehicles; and WHEREAS, the City of Tukwila desires to reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and improve conditions for non -motorized street users; and WHEREAS, the adopted Tukwila Comprehensive Plan recommends implementation of a neighborhood traffic calming program in both the Transportation Element and the Residential Neighborhoods Element; and WHEREAS, the City Council desires to document a transparent, predictable and equitable process for implementing effective traffic calming measures in neighborhoods throughout the City; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, HEREBY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS: The "City of Tukwila Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program," as evidenced in Exhibit A, is adopted. PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, at a Special Meeting thereof this day of , 2018. ATTEST/AUTHENTICATED: Christy O'Flaherty, MMC, City Clerk Verna Seal, Council President APPROVED AS TO FORM BY: Filed with the City Clerk: Passed by the City Council: Resolution Number: Rachel B. Turpin, City Attorney Attachment: Exhibit A — City of Tukwila Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program W:\Word Processing\Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program 11-30-18 LH:bjs Page 1 of 1 59 60 CITY OF TUKWILA PUBLIC WO S DEPARTMENT I CA Adopted December 310, 2018 By Resolution No. xxxx IC 61 | | | | Table of Contents OBJECTIVES 8 INITIATING REQUEST --.---.....-.--.-.-._-'..._.~.--'--_._.~._.-_~--~.l PRELIMINARY EVALUATION ............................................................................................. _ SOLUTION ALTERNATIVES ..-_-.-.'--'''.'--'.-.'-.'',-.-.----.---2 PROCESS FOR QUALIFYING FOR LEVEL iT TREATMENTS ..................................................3 PLAN DEVELOPMENT .,~__~-^~-.,.~.~..~_............................................................... PROJECT DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION .................... ................................................... 5-54 ^',AL"^.`"`, .......... '...... ................................................. 5 REMOVAL........................................................................................................................ 5 RE -ENROLLMENT ............................................................................................................. 5 APPENDICES APPENDix A: DEFINITIONS 0yTYPES VfSTREETS /\PyCNU|}{B: LEVEL lPOSSIBLE T0CATM[NTS 62 Introduction Traffic conditions on residential streets greatly affect neighborhood livability. Speeding and unnecessary through -traffic in neighborhoods create safety hazards on residential streets. The City of Tukwila Public Works Department has developed a Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (NTCP) to guide City staff and inform residents about the procedures for implementing traffic calming on residential streets and collector streets. The NTCP is designed for local residential streets and collector arterials only. The NTCP does not apply to local or arterial streets in commercial areas or to streets classified as principal or minor arterials. As defined by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), traffic calming is the application of measures which can be taken which reduces the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alters driver behavior and improves conditions for non -motorized street users. The City's NTCP outlines a process for staff and residents to carry out a traffic calming program. It provides a way to objectively prioritize traffic calming requests. These procedures incorporate prioritization, planning, evaluation, implementation, and maintenance of the traffic -calming devices in residential areas. It also combines the four E's — Education, Engineering, Enforcement and Emergency Services. Objectives The primary goal of the City's NTCP is to improve the livability of the local streets and residential collectors. The City has identified the following objectives: • Provide alternative solutions to reduce vehicular speeds and accidents on residential streets. • Endorse safe and pleasant conditions for motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and residents of neighborhood streets. • Provide a means for a collaborative working relationship between City staff and neighborhood residents in development of traffic calming measures. • Discourage use of residential streets for cut -through vehicular traffic. Process Steps Initiating a Request Request for traffic calming assistance can come from a resident's association or from concerned individuals. Requests can be made in writing by clearly stating the problem and location, accompanied with completed application which is provided by the City. The request can be made by either mailing or emailing the request to the Public Works Department. The request must include a contact name, address, phone number and email. 1 63 Staff will then acknowledge the completed application in writing to the resident's association or to the contact person listed in the application. An application fee could be implemented in the future to offset some of the costs involved. Preliminary Evaluation Each street in the community is a part of the larger roadway network that connects residents to each other, work, schools, goods, services and the countless destinations to which drivers and pedestrians travel daily. Common issues within neighborhoods include speeding, traffic volumes, and the utilization of neighborhood streets as a cut -through route, among others. In order to ensure that traffic calming concerns are addressed in an equitable manner, staff must assess the situation by reviewing the request and determining if the area qualifies for treatment using set criteria. The primary purpose of a preliminary evaluation is to determine whether the speeding or accident situation is significant enough to warrant further study. At this stage, staff collects data to analyze it to determine whether: The roadway is eligible for traffic calming treatment. o Only residential streets classified as collector arterial or local access are eligible. City recorded data supports the problem identified in the application. o Speeding: Traffic counts are taken to determine if 15% of the motorists travel at 5 mph or more above the posted speed limit. This is also referred to as the 85'1' percentile speed being at or above 5 mph over the speed limit. o Volume: Traffic counts also collect the number of daily vehicles on a street. This information is used to determine the best type of solution and is used to rank project priorities. o Traffic Accidents: The number of accidents for over a three-year period is collected and studied. 4.-ft 1 he Public \A orkh Director hfah, t4ecthas the discretion id address ad>. salelh, isdueh tithed\ ered ouhide of the 11\ 1( 1) procehh. If the analysis confirms that a traffic problem exists based upon the above criteria, the Public Works Department will conduct a traffic calming study as explained in the following sections and staff calculates the priority score for the street segment using the Priority Worksheet in Appendix C. A written response back to the contact person with the findings of the preliminary evaluation is generally provided within 60 calendar days of the request. Solution Alternatives The solution alternatives are defined into three levels. 2 64 No Action After data collection and analysis is complete, any location not meeting the above criteria will be determined to not be eligible for any NTCP assistance. Staff will inform the applicant in writing that their request does not meet the City criteria for action and the request will be closed. Level I The first level improvement for traffic calming that should be considered are passive traffic control treatments, known as Level I. Level I improvements are less restrictive measures, and do not require a neighborhood vote of the affected property owners. The improvements used in Level I include: trimming bushes to allow better sight distance; pavement markings and striping; increased police enforcement; traffic speed display signs; neighborhood awareness campaigns; and education. This reduces the need for installing physical devices on every local street. If a marked crosswalk is recommended for installation where ADA-compliant ramps do not currently exist, the improvement will be automatically treated as a Level II solution. Level II Level II improvements should be considered only after Level I treatments have been in place for a minimum of 6 months and data collection and analysis indicate the problem(s) has not been resolved, or as determined by the Public Works Director. Level II improvements focus on physical devices such as speed cushions, traffic circles, and chicanes to calm traffic. These solution alternatives are much costlier than Level I and are generally permanent. Therefore, a more detailed evaluation is required and approval by key departments and impacted area residents is required before the implementation. The detailed evaluation includes as follows: • The speed, volume and accident history collected during the preliminary evaluation. • Collect new traffic speed and volume data and accident history for the past three consecutive years. • Other factors such as proximity to schools, parks and other pedestrian generators, lack of sidewalks, accessibility, presence of bicycle facilities, and other roadway characteristics. • Identify users of the affected streets. • Identify traffic and major pedestrian generators, such as schools, parks and shopping centers. • Analyze street use with respect to street classification. • Document any other relative factors. Process for Qualifying for Level II Treatments If the traffic problem(s) has not resolved with Level I treatments, an impact area is established by staff after identifying users of the affected street(s), identifying major traffic generators such as schools and parks, analyzing the actual street use with respect to roadway classification, and any other relative factors. The impact area includes the location requesting treatment as well as other streets in the immediate area that could be impacted by Level II treatment installation. 3 65 Plan Development Once an area has been selected for a traffic -calming project, steps need to be taken to determine solutions. The applications are prioritized based on the scores. The highest-ranking applications will be given priority in moving forward into Plan Development, as funding allows. Since Level I solutions are simpler in scope, the solution formulation process can usually be handled by staff Public meetings are not usually required, although some type of public communication is beneficial and recommended. Level II improvements require a more comprehensive plan development due to the higher cost and impact of the actions taken. A public meeting with all affected property owners may be held, as determined by the Public Works Director. The initial public meeting will: • Discuss the steps to develop a traffic -calming plan. • Gather additional information regarding traffic problems and related neighborhood needs. A ballot ffie-)Lwill be sent provided to each property owner, either in person or via the postal service, to vote to indicate support of the NTCP plan. The implementation plan must receive at least 74%2/3 approval of all property owners on the impacted street in order to proceed. In addition to the community support, the approval of the following public officials is required: • City Police and Fire Departments • City Council Once the necessary level of support is documented, projects may be funded and constructed according to their prioritization and as available staffing and budget permits. In cases where a Level II request does not receive sufficient support, the project is dropped from the list and the next highest ranked project can go through the same process. Residents in an area where a project has been dropped are able to resubmit their request for the following program year. Project Funding The number of traffic -calming projects undertaken each year depends on the City's budget and staffing availability. The City Council's Transportation and Infrastructure (or successor) Committee will be kept apprised of the status of the NTCP's progress and expenditures throughout the year on a regular basis. In some cases, landscaping, maintenance and necessary easement dedication may be the responsibility of the residents or the homeowner's association. If this is the case, an agreement must be signed between the City and residents before the project is implemented. 4 66 Project Design and Construction Once traffic -calming treatments have been determined, the City's staff or a consultant develops the detailed plan, based on the study and the residents' input. The traffic calming device will be installed. In some situations, a test installation may be warranted to assure that the device is both effective and truly desired by the community. In this case, within three to twelve months after installation, staff evaluates how well the test installation performed in terms of the defined problems. Evaluation An evaluation shall be conducted between six months to one year after the implementation of any permanent traffic calming devices. Speed, volume and collision data is collected and compared with the data collected before the installation of the traffic -calming device. The data collection should be done at approximately the same time of year as the original data collection. If the impacted neighborhood is dissatisfied with the outcome of the implementation, a petitior 0 the traffic calming device(s), they must also pay the cos City's standard. If the Public Works Director determir east: Re -enrollment If additional traffic calming treatments become necessary in the future due to changes in traffic patterns unrelated to the NTCP treatments, requests can be made for a new enrollment 12 months or more after the last evaluation period has been completed. The submission will be treated as a new request beginning with preliminary evaluation and will follow the NTCP process. Any future traffic calming treatments will be scored and ranked along with all other active requests and are subject to funding and staffing availability. 5 67 Appendices 68 Appendix A: Definitions of types of streets The City's Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan defines the street functional classifications. For the sake of this program, only residential local streets and collector arterials are eligible for NTCP treatments. Streets in commercial areas or which are classified as principal or minor arterials are not eligible for treatments under this program. Traffic calming on principal and minor arterials is very different than on residential streets, requiring substantial design, permitting, environmental approval, and budget in order to construct. These calming projects are developed into standalone capital improvement projects. Local streets (typical speed limit 25 mph) serve local circulation needs for motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrian traffic and provide access to residences and some businesses. Local streets are not intended to carry significant volumes of through traffic. Sixty to 80 percent of the roadway network is considered local streets. Collector arterials (typical speed limit 30-35 mph) are typically streets that provide access between local service streets or from local streets to thorough -fares. Collectors often carry some through traffic. Collectors in residential areas are eligible for NTCP treatments whereas collectors in commercial areas are not. Five to 10 percent of the roadway network is classified as collector arterials. Minor arterials (typical speed limit 30-40 mph) are streets which are typically wider and may have more lanes than collectors which connect the smaller arterial streets to destinations or to the regional roadway network. Minor arterials carry a large percentage of through traffic as well as traffic from the local area. Ten to 20 percent of the streets in network are minor arterials. Principal arterials (typical speed limit 35-50 mph) are major streets and highways that provide regional connections between major destinations. Speeds are higher, access and traffic control favors providing fast and smooth movement on the arterial over the lower classified streets. Five to 10 percent of a roadway network is classified as principal arterials. 69 --- Collector tz, City onukwila CZPotential Annexation Area 70 ROADWAY CLASSIFICATION 9 7 s 71 Appendix CB: Priority Ranking Worksheet Location: Date: Staff Name: Category Data Score Accidents: Five points for each recorded accident over the past three years. Three additional points will be added for each accident with a recorded injury. Volume: Average weekday traffic volume divided by 100, rounded up to the nearest whole number. Maximum of 7 points possible. Speed: Five points for every mph greater than 5mph above the posted speed or (85th percentile speed - posted speed limit - 5) x 5 points. Sidewalks: Five points if there is not a continuous sidewalk on one side of residential streets or both sides of collectors. Pedestrian Generators: Five points for every K-12 school on and 2 points for school property within 500 ft of the subject street. Three points for other major pedestrian generator on the subject street. Major pedestrian generators may include parks, community centers, senior housing, or other uses with significant pedestrian traffic. Total Points: 72