City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission Agenda
November 5, 2007-7:00 PM
City Commission Room, City Hall
MEMBERS: Robert Hagen, Chair; Richard Heckler, Vice-Chair; Paul Graves; David Hamby; Ken Miller; Jason Novotny; Robin Smith; Jim Woods and John Ziegelmeyer Jr.
Anyone who wishes to be notified when
their item will be heard by the City Commission must provide their name and
a telephone number or an e-mail address.
ITEM NO. 1: Review and approve the minutes of the Traffic Safety Commission meeting, October 1, 2007.
ITEM NO. 2: Consider request to establish a MULTI-WAY STOP at the intersection of Overland Drive & Wakarusa Drive.
Facts:
1. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices provides guidance for the installation of a MULTI-WAY STOP; two of the criteria are currently met: 1) A crash problem, as indicated by 5 or more reported crashes in a 12-month period that are susceptible to correction by a multiway stop installation, and 2) Where no single criterion is satisfied, but where crashes and volume criteria are satisfied to 80 percent of the minimum values.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 3: Consider establishing NO PARKING on 4th Street adjacent to Maine Street.
Facts:
1. Parking is currently prohibited along the north side of 4th Street east of Maine Street and along the south side of 4th Street west of Maine Street.
2. The intersection was reconstructed this past summer in order to provide left-turn lanes for east-west traffic.
3. In order for the intersection to function properly, NO PARKING should be established along the north side of 4th Street between Maine Street and Missouri Street, and along the south side of 4th Street from Maine Street, east 170 feet.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 4: Consider an amendment to the SCHOOL CROSSING CONTROL POLICY.
Facts:
1. The City’s SCHOOL CROSSING CONTROL POLICY currently provides that an adult crossing guard may be provided if the average number of students is 10 or greater and the available safe gaps in the traffic is less than 1.0 per minute.
2. This criterion has worked well since the policy was first adopted in 1996; however, the policy does not take into consideration the existing speed limit or number of lanes of traffic; as an example, a recent request would have required that a student be able to see a vehicle approaching from almost 1600 ft. at a speed of 45 mph in order to cross the street within the generally accepted amount of time.
3. One option would be to add criteria for both speed limit considerations and the number of lanes of traffic.
ACTION: Provide recommendation to the City Commission.
ITEM NO. 5: Public Comment.
ITEM NO. 6: Commission Items.
ITEM NO. 7: Miscellaneous.
City Commission action on previous recommendations:
Concurred with the recommendation to deny the request for NO PARKING on 24th Street and on Brush Creek Drive; and
Concurred with the recommendation to deny the request for a FLASHING BEACON at the intersection of Arrowhead Drive & Princeton Boulevard.
City of Lawrence
Traffic Safety Commission
November 5, 2007 Minutes
MEMBERS PRESENT: Robert Hagen, Chair; Paul Graves; Ken Miller; Jason Novotny; Robin Smith; Jim Woods; and John Ziegelmeyer Jr.
MEMBERS ABSENT: Richard Heckler, Vice-Chair; David Hamby.
STAFF PRESENT: David Woosley, Public Works Department; Shoeb Uddin, Public Works Department
Chair Robert Hagen called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the City Commission Room, City Hall, 6 E. 6th Street.
Review and approve the minutes of the Traffic Safety Commission meeting, October 1, 2007.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER NOVOTNY, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SMITH, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING, OCTOBER 1, 2007; THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Consider request to establish a MULTI-WAY STOP at the intersection of Overland Drive & Wakarusa Drive.
David Woosley presented the information provided in the staff report.
Public comment:
None.
Commissioner Hagen asked if that was the original plan for the intersection. Woosley advised that the original plan was for a TWO-WAY STOP until another type of traffic control was warranted; at some point in time it is anticipated that a TRAFFIC SIGNAL will be warranted at the intersection.
Commissioner Smith asked if only one criterion had to be met to warrant a MULTI-WAY STOP; Woosley advised that was correct.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GRAVES, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MILLER, TO RECOMMEND ESTABLISHING A MULTI-WAY STOP AT THE INTERSECTION OF OVERLAND DRIVE & WAKARUSA DRIVE; THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0 .
Consider establishing NO PARKING on 4th Street adjacent to Maine Street.
Woosley presented the information provided in the staff report.
Public comment:
None.
Commissioner Ziegelmeyer asked how many parking spaces would be affected; Woosley estimated approximately 15.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ZIEGELMEYER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WOODS, TO RECOMMEND ESTABLISHING NO PARKING ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF 4TH STREET BETWEEN MAINE STREET & MISSOURI STREET AND ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF 4TH STREET FROM MAINE STREET, EAST 170 FEET; the motion carried 7-0.
Consider an amendment to the SCHOOL CROSSING CONTROL POLICY.
Woosley presented the information provided in the staff report.
Public comment:
None.
Commissioner Ziegelmeyer asked why the policy required a minimum of 10 students. Woosley advised that it was discretionary; when the policy was developed a number had to be decided upon; some cities use 10, some use 15.
Commissioner Graves asked what sight distance would be required to cross three lanes with a speed limit of 35mph; Woosley advised it would be approximately 720 feet.
Commissioner Ziegelmeyer: I like the addition of the option based on the speed limit; it gives us another way to solve a problem.
Commissioner Smith asked if there was a reason to pick three lanes instead of two; Woosley advised that every crossing has at least two lanes.
Commissioner Graves: I like the thinking on this and I support it, however, do we need to address available sight distance; Woosley advised that he had been thinking the same thing and had just written a draft of an additional criteria: If the sight distance at the crossing is less than the product of the crossing time in seconds and the speed limit in feet/second.
Commissioner Miller: I like the mathematical formula to back us up too.
Commissioner Woods: What about tabling this until the next meeting and adding the sight distance criteria.
Commissioner Ziegelmeyer: I would be in favor of tabling it and adding the sight distance criteria.
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER WOODS, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MILLER, TO TABLE CONSIDERATION OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE SCHOOL CROSSING CONTROL POLICY FOR ONE MONTH; THE MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Public Comment:
Commissioner Hagen noted that he had received a call from Betty Alderson advising that she would not be able to attend tonight’s meeting; however, she questioned why there wasn’t a left-turn lane on 9th Street to turn onto Tennessee Street. Woosley advised that there was not sufficient pavement without prohibiting parking along the south side of the street.
Commission Items:
Commissioner Smith asked if there hadn’t been an effort to put a traffic signal at 6th Street & Tennessee Street. Woosley advised that it had been discussed in the past, however it would probably increase congestion in the area due to the close proximity with three other traffic signals on 6th Street and there currently wasn’t any funding available.
Commissioner Woods asked when the 19th Street & Louisiana project was going to begin. Woosley advised that it was scheduled to be bid this winter or spring, but most of the work could not be started until school is out for the summer and must be completed before school starts next fall.
Miscellaneous.
None.
The meeting adjourned at 7:30 P.M.
The next meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission will be Monday, December 3, 2007.
Respectfully submitted,
David E. Woosley
Transportation/Traffic Engineer