CITY COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM

Department:	Municipal Services & Operations Department		Commission Meeting Date: Dec 4, 2018
Staff Contact:	Amanda Sahin, Transportation Engineer
Recommendations/Options/Action Requested:
Adopt on first reading, Ordinances 9576 through 9606 and Ordinance 9609 to modify the existing traffic code.
Executive Summary:		Background Chapter 17 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, the Traffic Code, regulates traffic, parking meters, vehicle parking, traffic control, bicycles and skateboards, overweight vehicles, etc.  Annually the city adopts the Standard Traffic Ordinance for Kansas Cities (STO) which makes up a bulk of the Traffic Code, although certain sections of the STO are deleted or amended.  The code is also made up of local traffic regulations that have been adopted by ordinance.  This code requires ordinances for a majority of new signage and also requires that a schedule of signs be maintained in the office of the City Engineer.  The ordinances that added these requirements were adopted over 20 years ago and don’t provide a streamlined decision-making process for resident requests. Details Staff proposes revising the current traffic code to allow for an administrative process for most requests.  Some examples are: stop signs, yield signs, one-way streets, loading zones and no parking zones. All of the items are outlined in the attached document. This change in process will result in a substantial improvement in response time to requests for these traffic controls (from approximately four months currently to 1-2 months with the new process).  An administrative process will be established to handle resident requests. This process will generally include the following steps: Staff collects data as needed and evaluates requests against established criteria Staff notifies the requestor of decision Staff installs stop signs or yield signs if warranted If no parking is approved, then staff will notify impacted residents before signs are installed Residents will have 30 days to provide additional info for staff to consider Staff will make the final determination and install no parking signs if appropriate The criteria that the most common requests are evaluated against are: No parking will be evaluated using the guidelines in the STO which allows for no parking in the following conditions: No parking on one side - street width less than 30’ No parking on both sides - street width less than 20’ Adjacent to schools Other congested areas Stop signs will be evaluated using the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) 2B.06 and 2B.07 Yield signs will be evaluated using the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) 2B.09 All signage locations will be available upon request through the City Clerk’s office.  The code will not dictate the specific format of the information. This will allow flexibility as the City continues to expand the use of GIS and asset management software.  Transportation Commission Recommendation This item was presented to the Transportation Commission on Nov 5, 2018, and they voted 9-0 to support staff recommendations to modify the existing City of Lawrence Traffic Code.
Strategic Plan Critical Success Factor		Effective Governance and Professional Administration Safe, Healthy, and Welcoming Neighborhoods Innovative Infrastructure and Asset Management Commitment to Core Services
Fiscal Impact (Amount/Source):		There is no fiscal impact to the City.
Attachments:		November 5, 2018 Transportation Commission Meeting Video Summary of Recommended Changes to City of Lawrence Traffic Code Ordinances 9576-9606 and Ordinance 9609

Reviewed By: (for CMO use only)

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