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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-04-19 City Commission Packet Materials - SP1. WTI Pop-Up Traffic Calming Program“Pop-up” Traffic Calming Projects are community-based efforts to test out low-cost and temporary (1 week – 30 days) versions of traffic calming features such as curb extensions or bulb-outs, traffic circles, bicycle facilities, and pedestrian islands and crosswalks. Why: Many neighborhoods have concerns about speeding traffic and risks to the safety of their families, pets, and neighbors. Requests for increased law enforcement presence, speed radar signs, and stop signs are frequently heard by City staff. Limited availability of officers’ time, radar signs, and the lack of efficacy of stop signs to calm traffic and reduce vehicle speeds are frustrating barriers to addressing safety concerns for both residents and City staff. These projects are a way for the City to respond to residents’ concerns with a process that tests the efficacy of traffic calming features in low risk, low cost projects that engage the community in improving safety for walkers, bikers, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. The goal of these projects is to bring residents in to the process of improving the safety of their neighborhoods, collecting data, gathering public input, and building support for long term traffic calming solutions. How: 1. The City’s Neighborhoods Program coordinates with City Streets and WTI to present this concept at neighborhood association meetings and to other interested groups. 2. Interested groups are then convened for a “walk audit” of their neighborhood to experience and identify bike/pedestrian/vehicle issues that could be addressed through traffic calming design. Topics such as accessibility, age-friendly design, walkable/bikeable and transit-oriented development patterns and design are also discussed. 3. Walk audit participants then reach out to their neighbors in person, through neighborhood association contact lists, and NextDoor with information about the project and to solicit more input about perceived traffic and safety issues. 4. A neighborhood work group decides on designs, a data collection plan, continued outreach and recruitment of volunteers, and gathering materials for the project. 5. Communication with the City about approval of the designs, encroachment permits, ensuring safe passage by Emergency vehicles, Streamline, and other key stakeholders is coordinated by WTI. 6. Project is installed by WTI staff, neighborhood volunteers and City Streets staff who assist with traffic control and supplies from the City’s Traffic Calming Trailer. 7. Data is compiled by WTI and report is drafted and shared with the neighborhood. 8. Conversations are underway about how we can carry through on the successes of these projects with interim or permanent projects. Next steps: - Integrate pop-up traffic calming projects into the public engagement and design processes for local streets reconstructions. - Adopt Temporary Traffic Calming policy and application to allow neighborhood and community groups to propose and conduct pop-up traffic calming projects in their neighborhoods. - Explore the use of more durable interim materials that can be used to calm traffic on streets where timing or funding make permanent traffic calming projects unlikely in the near term (1-5 years). - Continue conversations regarding funding interim and permanent traffic calming projects. 197 Pop-up Traffic Calming projects are community-based efforts to address safety concerns in Bozeman neighborhoods. By using low-cost, temporary supplies to create safer pedestrian crossings, bike lanes, roundabouts and public art installations, we can demonstrate how street design can reduce drivers' speeds and increase awareness of bikes, pedestrians, parks and playgrounds. Participating in these projects is a great way to build cooperative relationships between residents and City of Bozeman staff, while helping community members put their ideas and energy into action. Pop-up traffic calming projects build momentum for longer term infrastructure and policy solutions in Bozeman so that all people can feel safe, comfortable and welcome on Bozeman's streets regardless of whether they get around by car, bus, bike, wheelchair, or on foot. POP-UP TRAFFIC CALMING PROJECTS Got ideas? Here's how to get started: a guide for neighborhoods The City of Bozeman's Pop-up Traffic Calming Trailer is a great resource available to Bozeman residents who are interested in working with the City to do a project in their neighborhood. It is equipped with the tools and materials you'll need to do a project! Consider the issue you'd like to address. Is it speeding car traffic, a pedestrian crossing with low visibility, missing bike lanes? It's your 'hood, you know best! Consider who else in your area shares these concerns. Neighbors, businesses, community groups or local organizations? Be inclusive! Invite people of all ages and abilities to share their input. Contact us - Dani Hess at Western Transportation Institute (daniellehess@montana.edu) can help arrange a Walk Audit to get outside and experience the area of concern on foot. We'll then work with you on creating a design, obtaining materials, collecting data, and implementing the project. 198 1 Report prepared by Western Transportation Institute Dani Hess - daniellehess@montana.edu December, 2018 Valley Unit Neighborhood Traffic Calming Project August 27th -September 23rd , 2018 Background The Valley Unit Neighborhood in West Bozeman is bordered by Ferguson Avenue to the west, Valley Drive to the east, Durston Road to the north, and Babcock Street and Hyalite Elementary School to the south. In the heart of the neighborhood is Valley Unit Park which spans two block lengths and intersects Toole Street. Many drivers choose to use Meagher Avenue and Yellowstone Avenue as north- south through streets, often ignoring uncontrolled intersections and the 25mph speed limit. A walk audit was facilitated by WTI staff and attended by several City staff and eight neighbors representing a broad range of ages and abilities. During the walk audit the group discussed and experienced the following key issues: - Speeding through traffic - Lack of awareness of how to navigate uncontrolled intersections - Variation in traffic volume with University schedules - Points of pedestrian access to the park - Principles of walkability and traffic calming design During the walk audit, the group discussed how street design and traffic calming features such as traffic circles and curb extensions could reduce drivers’ speed and make it safer for those on bike, foot, or with strollers and dogs to access the park. Valley Unit neighbors formulated the following goal for this project: “Our goal is to calm traffic and reduce the number of speeding vehicles that use Yellowstone and Meagher as through streets, as well as demonstrate the willingness of West Side residents to implement creative solutions to safety issues in our neighborhoods.” 199 2 Report prepared by Western Transportation Institute Dani Hess - daniellehess@montana.edu December, 2018 Designs Designs were selected based on the concerns regarding the number of crashes and near misses that neighbors reported seeing over the years at the uncontrolled intersections in this area. Traffic circles have been shown to be effective at reducing collisions and crash severity at uncontrolled intersections (Seattle DOT). Curb extensions were also selected to increase visibility of pedestrian crossings at Yellowstone & Cascade (near the southwest entrance to Valley Unit Park), and Yellowstone and Toole (the midblock entrance to the west side of Valley Unit Park). Using curb extensions in series to narrow the roadway at intersections shortens the crossing distance for pedestrians and provides visual cues to drivers to slow down by making it less comfortable to travel at higher speeds. 200 3 Report prepared by Western Transportation Institute Dani Hess - daniellehess@montana.edu December, 2018 Data collection Vehicle speed and traffic volume data was collected midblock on Yellowstone Avenue for seven days before and seven days during the project using a radar speed detection unit. • Average speed at midblock decreased by 1.3 mph • Average speed at the Yellowstone & Cascade intersection was 1.5 mph slower than at midblock • 85% of vehicles were traveling up to 30 mph before the installation and up to 28 mph during the project • The highest maximum speed recorded was 65 mph and occurred during the project • The percentage of vehicles traveling over the speed limit at midblock decreased from 54% to 40% during the project • Just 27% of vehicles passing through the intersection were speeding • Average weekday counts before and during the project were about 1,000 vehicles per day Public feedback A survey was conducted to collect feedback from people passing by on the designs and attitudes towards potential permanent traffic calming measures. The survey was advertised through the City’s NextDoor neighborhood social network platform and on signs posted at each of the three intersections. Twenty-nine respondents submitted feedback on the installation, noting the mode of transportation they used to pass through the area, their thoughts on the informational signs, what they liked about the project, what they didn’t like, and how the project could be improved. Feedback emphasized the desire for the projects to be implemented permanently, and over half of respondents left comments about how they noticed fewer people were speeding. Many also expressed that they felt Yellowstone Ave Pre-project (midblock) During (midblock) During (intersection) Avg speed 25.9 mph 24.6 mph 23.1 mph 85th percentile speed 30 mph 28 mph 27 mph Max speed 53 mph 65 mph 65 mph % traveling over speed limit 53.9% 40% 27.3% Avg daily vehicle volume 1,114 1,030 1,039 Bike Walk Car Other Most (79%) respondents said that they traveled through the intersection in a vehicle, with many reporting also traveling through the project on foot (76%) or bicycle (7%). Survey Feedback: Mode traveled (29 respondents) Speed data was collected midblock on Yellowstone Ave between two intersections where 5’ curb extensions and center tire “bollard” were installed Speed data 4 Report prepared by Western Transportation Institute Dani Hess - daniellehess@montana.edu December, 2018 the designs brought more awareness to the fact that the intersections were uncontrolled and effectively made access to the park safer for pedestrians. Several comments also alluded to the persistent desire for stop signs or yield signs to be installed to address the uncontrolled intersections, and concerns about the traffic calming features losing their efficacy over time as drivers get used to them. “It slowed traffic! They not only looked for pedestrians in the intersection… but it also helps drivers look for other vehicles…” “I would like to see something permanent at Meagher and Cascade. Currently people use it as a nice wide through street to Babcock or Durston.” “I think that there should be 4 way stop signs on most of the streets on N. Yellowstone Ave. instead” “Drivers slow somewhat at the intersection and then speed up again. In fact, now that the obstructions have been in place for a while, I'm noticing cars hardly slow down at all. I have a feeling that the residents on Yellowstone, between Cascade and Broadwater, may be trying their own kind of traffic calming by continually parking large vehicles and trailers in front of their houses for long periods of time.” Next steps The data collected and the engagement and input from neighbors during this project lay an important foundation for continued traffic calming efforts in the Valley Unit Neighborhood. The City of Bozeman’s current traffic calming program is a 12-phase process that neighbors and City Engineering staff move through to implement and fund permanent traffic calming features. It consists of several petitioning processes requiring signatures from 40-70% of neighbors, multiple traffic studies, a pilot phase, final designs and ultimately funding that comes entirely from the neighborhood. This lengthy process is rightfully meant to ensure that the final designs are carefully planned and well thought-out, given that permanent reconstruction is costly. An “interim” traffic calming project is one way of taking the temporary or “pop-up” projects one step further, using more durable materials yet maintaining the ability to adjust designs as data and feedback are collected. The City of Burlington has implemented one such program, called “Quick Build” to implement 1-5 year installations to refine designs based on data and community input ahead of committing to long-term capital upgrades. One option for continuing efforts near Valley Unit Park could be to implement interim curb extensions on Yellowstone Avenue that could serve their purpose throughout the summer, and even into the winter depending on materials used and snow clearance considerations. Traffic circles are also easily implementable with more robust materials that could last year-round. Exploring the implementation of traffic circles in series or throughout the neighborhood is another possibility with an interim project. 202 1 Cooper Park Neighborhood Traffic Calming Project September 30th – October 15th, 2018 Background The Cooper Park Neighborhood is situated between Bozeman’s downtown core and Montana State University in a walkable, bike-friendly, and primarily residential neighborhood. Cooper Park itself is frequented by those who live nearby, as well as by those who arrive by car to socialize their dogs at this off-leash park. The park is bordered on the West by 8th Avenue, to the south by Story Street, the east by 6th Avenue, and the north by Koch Street. Koch is a collector street, where intersections are controlled by stop signs on cross streets west of 8th Avenue. Many vehicles continue east on Koch assuming intersections are still controlled, when in fact some are not. The intersection of 6th and Koch at the northeast corner of Cooper Park has high pedestrian/dog walker, and bike traffic, as well as significant east-west vehicle traffic. A walk audit of the Cooper Park area was facilitated by WTI staff with a group of seven neighbors and the City of Bozeman Neighborhoods Coordinator. The following issues stood out from conversation and observation of bike, pedestrian and vehicle issues around Cooper Park: - Speeding drivers at 6th & Koch and 5th & Curtiss, several near misses witnessed by neighbors - Parked cars limiting visibility at pedestrian crossings - Increased traffic and parking pressure from MSU students/staff/visitors and emergency vehicle passage constraints on 6th Avenue - Lack of awareness of how to navigate uncontrolled intersections The goals of the Cooper Park traffic calming project were: To increase safety and reduce vehicle speed through uncontrolled intersections, increase visibility of park entrances, and increase awareness of 15mph zones near the park and at uncontrolled intersections. 203 2 Designs Designs to address these concerns were discussed during the walk audit and included traffic cirlces to increase driver awareness of uncontrolled intersections and reduce speed. Traffic circles have been shown to be effective at reducing collisions and crash severity at uncontrolled intersections (Seattle DOT). The intersection of highest concern was Koch & 6th because it is at the Northeast entrance to the park where many pedestrians, children walking or biking to Irving School, and dog walkers enter the park. Many drivers on Koch fail to slow down to 15 mph before and at this intersection as per Bozeman Municipal Code (Sec. 36.07.020 Specific speed restriction areas). A second traffic circle was located at Curtiss & 5th, the intersection with the neighborhood’s highest number of crashes recorded by the City since 2010. Painted curb extensions (not pictured) on Koch offered an opportunity to bring more visibility to the midblock entrance of the park. This feature pushes the parking lane farther away from the pedestrian crossing and allows pedestrians to step past parked cars to see and be seen by oncoming traffic before crossing the street. 204 3 Data Vehicle speed and traffic volume data was collected at the intersection of Koch and 6th 15 days during and 13 days after the project. East-west traffic here travels above the 15 mph speed limit at about 20 mph, and would perhaps speed even more if it weren’t for an abrupt dip in the pavement running across Koch. • Average speed of vehicles traveling east-west on Koch decreased by 0.4 mph while the traffic circle was in place • 85% of the vehicles traveling through this intersection during and after the project were traveling more than 8 mph above the 15 mph speed limit • During the project, the percentage of people traveling above the 15 mph speed limit at uncontrolled intersections decreased from 90.7% to 89.2% (1.5% reduction) • The highest speed recorded was 54 mph after the traffic circle was taken down • Average weekday vehicle counts differed by about 50 vehicles Public feedback A survey was conducted to collect feedback on the designs and attitudes towards potentially permanent traffic calming measures. The survey was advertised through the City’s neighborhood social networking platform, NextDoor and on signs posted at each of the project sites (Koch & 6th, Curtiss & 5th, and Koch & 7th). Respondents noted that they felt the project was effective, although a permanent solution would be more impactful with larger radius traffic circles and more of them in nearby intersections. The following comments were left by respondents and represent themes of effectiveness of slowing vehicle traffic, the persistent desire for permanent solutions, enforcement and signage, as well as the positivity of participating in neighborhood-led and City-supported traffic calming efforts. “IT WORKS! I live at the intersection of 5th and Curtiss and saw an immediate effect. It was incredible. I've lived here for 17 years and watched car after car whiz through the intersection without looking for oncoming vehicles, pedestrians, or bikes.” “Great, but we need permanent solutions and actual law enforcement. No sooner had the calming device disappeared (matter of hours), I saw a car drive past Cooper park at probably 35 mph.” “Living so close to campus, newcomers seem to assume that the lack of a stop sign for them means there must be one for the cross street” Koch St. & 6th Ave. No traffic circle Traffic circle Average speed 20.3 mph 19.9 mph 85th percentile speed 24 mph 23 mph Max speed recorded 54.0 mph 41.0 mph % of vehicles traveling over the speed limit (15 mph) 90.7% 89.2% Avg daily vehicle volume 787 839 Speed data was collected at the intersection of Koch and 6th targeting vehicles traveling east-west on Koch. Speed data 205 4 “Thought it was a positive effort by residents in an attempt to utilize "polite" means to deal with inconsiderate speeding drivers.” Next steps Koch Street is on the City’s Capital Improvement Project list for reconstruction in the coming years and this project can help determine what kind of traffic calming features could be integrated into the permanent reconstruction. The original designs for the traffic circles were reduced from 15’ in diameter to 10’ in diameter due to local concerns about larger vehicles making left hand turns. Making the traffic circles smaller may have impacted the extent to which they reduced vehicle speeds. The City of Seattle’s guidance on traffic circle design outlines dimensions for a ’16 wide traffic circle on a street that is 25’ wide. To address concerns and FAQs about how to navigate neighborhood traffic circles, the City of Seattle publicized the following guidance: A driver turning left at a neighborhood traffic circle must proceed counterclockwise around the traffic circle. However, we recognize that there are instances when drivers may need to turn left before a traffic circle, such as when cars park too closely to the right side of a circle or when a driver can't maneuver a larger vehicle around to the right. Turning left in front of a traffic circle in those instances can be safely performed if the driver exercises reasonable care and yields to pedestrians, bicyclists, and oncoming traffic. In addition to testing larger diameter circles, testing a series of traffic circles on Koch is an opportunity for further refining designs. Vehicle counts from this project suggest that vehicles were not diverted to alternate routes as a result of the traffic circles, therefore installing “interim” traffic circles at other uncontrolled intersections on Koch (at 5th Ave) could contribute to data regarding vehicle speeds and crash incidence. An “interim” traffic calming project takes temporary or pop-up projects one step further, using more durable materials yet maintaining the ability to adjust designs as data and feedback are collected. The City of Burlington’s Quick Build uses flexible materials to implement 1-5 year installations that can be adjusted and refined based on data collection and community input ahead of committing to long-term capital upgrades. 206 5 Cooper Park neighbors also expressed interest in a campaign to reduce the speed limit to 20 mph in residential neighborhoods. Changing the speed limit for residential streets in Bozeman is a jurisdictional issue handled between the City and State. This initiative is not currently being explored by the City. As citizen interest in this issue grows, traffic calming projects and neighborhood outreach can lay the groundwork for policy to reduce speed and bring about awareness of the importance of slowing down to keep our neighborhoods safe. The idea of bringing the neighborhood together each spring to paint a street mural at an intersection near the park was another idea that garnered interest from the Cooper Park neighborhood. This has been done before in the Northeast neighborhood, and is a great opportunity to combine participatory placemaking, traffic calming and public art in other Bozeman neighborhoods. Kitchener, Ontario’s Love My Hood program has a guide for neighborhood groups looking to lead their own traffic calming and placemaking projects. Report prepared by Western Transportation Institute December, 2018 Dani Hess - daniellehess@montana.edu 207 Neighborhood feedback I think the project is HUGELY important. I have a young son at home, and I've always been extremely concerned with how fast people drive down Meagher Avenue. Anything that can curb high speed traffic and force cars to slow down is necessary in this neighborhood (a neighborhood with many young “I think the project is HUGELY important. I have a young son at home, and I've always been extremely concerned with how fast people drive down Meagher Avenue. Anything that can curb high speed traffic and force cars to slow down is necessary in this neighborhood (a neighborhood with many young children). Thanks for making this happen!” “I'm so happy to see real effort being made to understand creative ways to calm traffic and the addition of roundabouts get my endorsement.” 208 201