Agenda - Council - 05/26/1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CASE 149TH AVENUE TRAFFIC CALMING PLAN By: Steve Jankowski, City Engineer Background: Over the summer and fall of 1997, the citizens along 149th Avenue, between C.R. #56 and Uranimite Street, expressed a great deal of concern relative to speeding on that segment of roadway. Attempts to mitigate the speeding problem included increased police patrol, placement of an electronic speed display monitor and the installation of a temporary circle at the intersection of Peridot Street and 149th Avenue in late fall 1997. At the April 14, 1998 meeting, City Council directed that a feasibility study for the installation of a cul-de-sac be made. Subsequent discussion of the problem at the April 21, I998 Road and Bridge Committee meeting, resulted in the consensus that a "horseshoe" or diagonal barrier be placed across the intersection of 149th Lane and Uranimite Street. A feasibility study coveting both these alternatives was prepared and presented to the Council at the May 12, 1998 meeting, where it was received and determined that further discussion needed to occur on the subject. Project area citizens were invited to attend and give input at the Road and Bridge Committee meeting held on May 19, 1998. After a considerable amount of citizen input, staff was directed to prepare a plan which would utilize stop signs and Children at Play signs to slow down the traffic within the entire project neighborhood. This case responds to that directive. Observations: Attached are five references which all document that placement of stop signs are not recommended for speed control. Two of these references quantify the negative impacts of stops which are a considerable inconvenience to motorists in terms of lost time, increased fuel consumption, and additional emissions of chemical air. Finally, three of these references make specific mention that the use of stop signs for speed control has limited effectiveness. Reduced speeds can be anticipated between 100 and 200 feet from the intersection and higher speeds can be anticipated in mid-block areas. Nonetheless, the Committee did request a plan to be developed, and the attached figure illustrates staffs proposal. Staff believes all stops should be of the all-way type. Since it is likely that they will be violated a majority of the time, it will be safer to require all vehicles to stop rather than to allow some approaches to proceed without caution. The major pathway over which it is desired to slow traffic is the 150th Lane, Uranimite, 149th Avenue corridor. Slowing traffic on this corridor with stop signs makes the 150th Lane, Willemite, 152nd Lane corridor a likely alternative route. To discourage this alternative corridor, staff proposes placing an all-way stop at Rhinestone and 152nd Lane also. The placement of additional stops on Rhinestone at 152nd Avenue, 151st Lane, and 151st Avenue was also considered, however, it was felt that these streets would not serve as alternate routes to the 152nd Lane, Willemite, 150th Lane corridor since cut-through