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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/13/2004 SC minutes Director Water/Sewer Superintendent Glen R. AndlerRoderick T. O’Donovan Deputy Director Streets/Buildings Superintendent Sean P. DorseyPaul C. Bures Village Engineer Forestry/Grounds Superintendent Jeffrey A. WulbeckerSandra M. Clark Solid Waste Coordinator Vehicle/Equipment Superintendent M. Lisa AngellJames E. Guenther Mount Prospect Public Works Department 1700 W. Central Road, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056-2229 Phone 847/870-5640 Fax 847/253-9377 TDD 847/392-1235 MINUTES OF THE MOUNT PROSPECT SAFETY COMMISSION CALL TO ORDER The Regular Meeting of the Mount Prospect Safety Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, September 13, 2004. ROLL CALL Present upon roll call: Chuck Bencic Chairman John Keane Vice Chairman Susan Arndt Commissioner Mark Miller Commissioner Carol Tortorello Commissioner Ted Adamczyk Police Department Representative Buz Livingston Fire Department Representative Jeff Wulbecker Public Works Representative Matt Lawrie Traffic Engineer – Staff Liaison Absent: Kevin Grouwinkel Commissioner Others in Attendance: See attached list. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Keane, seconded by Commissioner Tortorello, moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Safety Commission held on June 14, 2004. The minutes were approved by a vote of 8-0. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD No citizens came forth to discuss any topics that were not on the current agenda. OLD BUSINESS A) UPDATE ON PARKING SITUATION AROUND PROSPECT HIGH SCHOOL 1) Background Information The Village has had to address parking problems around Prospect High School over the past few years as a result of students parking on Village streets rather than in the school parking lot. As opposed to continuing to send the issue back to the Safety Commission and Village Board of Trustees before installing parking restriction signs, the Village Board granted authority to the Village Manager in 2003 to take immediate action if necessary should new problems arise. Formal approval by the Village Board of Trustees would then be done at the next available Board meeting after the signs were installed. 2) Staff Study With the start of a new school year, the Engineering Staff has been monitoring student parking around the high school. Approximately 10 cars have consistently been parking on Mount Prospect streets and 40 cars on Arlington Heights streets that do not have parking restrictions. One area in Mount Prospect is along the east side of Oak Avenue south of Gregory Street. There is a dedicated parking lane and is adjacent to a park. This has not been a nuisance over the years to the neighborhood and, therefore, Staff has not recommended parking restrictions at this location. The other area in Mount Prospect where students are parking is along the south side of Gregory Street west of Dale Avenue. This is the first year students have been parking at this location. The primary area in Arlington Heights where students are parking is along Donald Avenue north of Kensington Road. In a conversation with the resident at the southwest corner of Gregory Street and Dale Avenue, he is in favor of parking restrictions along Gregory Street. Littering and noise are the primary complaints. Per the direction of the Village Manager, additional parking restrictions have been approved for the south side of Gregory Street between Dale Avenue and Evanston Avenue. Signs were installed the first week of September. The north side of the street is under the jurisdiction of Arlington Heights and already prohibits parking. As one travels further west on Gregory Street, Meadows Park begins. Staff decided to not continue the parking restrictions further west at this time so as to not cause an inconvenience to those who may be visiting the park. Staff has been monitoring the signs’ effectiveness and believes the new signs have addressed the latest parking problem. Students have not moved further down the street. Also, there are not any others at this time in Mount Prospect that appears to be a problem. The latest parking restrictions are scheduled to be st formally approved by the Village Board of Trustees at their September 21 meeting. No formal vote is necessary. 3) Discussion There was no one in the audience to speak on this issue. Chairman Bencic asked Traffic Engineer Lawrie to present the report to the Safety Commission. Traffic Engineer Lawrie provided an overview of Staff’s study of the issue. Chairman Bencic asked if the cars that were parking on Gregory Street near Dale Avenue moved further west outside the new parking restrictions. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said that Staff has been monitoring the area and there have not been any cars parking further west. Commissioner Tortorello asked if parking restrictions should be put up along the east side of Oak Avenue south of Gregory Street. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said that while there are about five student cars that park in this location it has not presented a problem. There is a dedicated parking lane and Village services have not been affected. The area is in front of a park and Staff has not wanted parking restrictions to affect those who may be visiting the park. There were no more questions from the Commission. NEW BUSINESS A) HIGHLAND STREET & RAND ROAD TURN RESTRICTION STUDY 1) Background Information The Village of Mount Prospect Planning & Zoning Commission requested that the Safety Commission recommend the appropriate access restrictions at the intersection of Highland Street and Rand Road in anticipation of upcoming improvements to Highland Street. A new town home development is under construction at the southwest corner of Highland Street and Rand Road. With this development, improvements to the Highland Street roadway will also be made. Highland Street between Elm Street and Rand Road is currently 16’ wide (back-of-curb to back-of-curb). It is one way eastbound for this block and right turns at Rand Road are only allowed. West of Elm Street, Highland Street is 29’ wide (back-of-curb to back-of-curb) to its intersection with Elmhurst Road. Two-way traffic is allowed for this section of the street. Rand Road is a five-lane road under the jurisdiction of IDOT. There are two northwestbound lanes, two southeastbound lanes and one shared left turn lane. The full 66’ wide right-of-way along Highland Street was never dedicated along the property under development. With only 33’, only a half-road could be constructed. In 1979, the Village Board voted to make the block one-way eastbound and restrict turns at Rand Road to right-turn only. It is uncertain the reason for this restricted turning movement but it may have been done to prevent cut through traffic into the neighborhood on the opposite side of Rand Road. The developer of the town homes has dedicated another 33’ of right-of-way allowing for a full road to be constructed that will match the other section of the street. The road improvement work is scheduled to take place this autumn. Two-way traffic on Highland Street at Rand Road will now be provided for. The Planning & Zoning Commission at their December 11, 2003 meeting the intersection access issue be discussed at a Safety Commission meeting. 2) Staff Study & Evaluation With the widening of the roadway, there are four primary turning movements to be considered for the intersection of Highland Street and Rand Road: right-in, right-out, left-in and left-out. When considering each turning movement, some questions that need to be asked include: Is this turning movement a benefit to the neighborhood? Is this turning movement safe? Will this turning movement promote a high level of cut through traffic? Right-in Allowing this turning movement would be safe and would appear to be a benefit to the neighborhood. As it is now, residents traveling southeast on Rand Road who live in the neighborhood must travel to Isabella Street or Henry Street and then head back north if they live at the north end of the neighborhood. During the evening peak travel time, turn restrictions prohibit access onto Isabella Street and Henry Street. These turn restrictions were enacted approximately eight years ago because many vehicles turning from Business Center Drive onto southeastbound Rand Road were then cutting through the neighborhood in order to get to westbound Central Road or southbound Route 83. As a result, residents of the neighborhood must instead turn south onto Route 83 and left onto Highland Street or any of the intersecting streets. Making this left turn from Route 83 can be difficult since it does not have a shared left turn lane. Right-out This turning movement is currently allowed and, therefore, would not present a change. There is adequate sight distance along Rand Road for motorists to safely make the right turn from Highland Street. Left-in Allowing this turning movement would be safe as there is a dedicated shared left turn lane along Rand Road. It may also reduce the number of left turning vehicles from Rand Road onto Isabella Street or Henry Street as those residents who live at the north end of the neighborhood and normally use these streets may choose Highland Street instead. One potential problem, however, may be cut through traffic. The Rand/Route 83/Kensington intersection has up to a 3 minute 50 second traffic signal cycle length. Impatient motorists, therefore, may look to Highland Street as an alternate route. A motorist coming from the Mount Prospect Plaza or traveling Rand Road from Des Plaines may live in the neighborhood west of Route 83 or may be looking to continue west on Kensington Road. If these motorists recognize the delay along Rand Road as they get closer to the Rand/Route 83/Kensington intersection, they may make a last minute decision to cut through the neighborhood via Highland Street. Another concern Staff has with cut through traffic on Highland Street would be the additional traffic generated from the Kensington Business Park. Many motorists turning from Business Center Drive onto Rand Road desire to head west on Central Road or northwest on Northwest Highway. Many years ago, motorists turning left onto Rand Road from Business Center Drive would then turn right onto Isabella Street or Henry Street and weave through the neighborhood to head west. Approximately eight years ago, turn restriction signs were installed prohibiting right turns during the evening peak travel time onto these local streets to prevent cut through traffic. By allowing the left-in turning movement at Highland Street and Rand Road, motorists from the business park may find it convenient to turn right onto Rand Road from Business Center Drive and then use Highland Street as a cut through route. Left-out Allowing this turning movement may not provide a significant benefit to the neighborhood. Residents who wish to head north on Route 83, northwest on Rand Road or west on Kensington Road can safely make a right turn onto Route 83 from any of the intersecting streets. To head east on Kensington Road, residents can either turn right onto Route 83 to Kensington Road or turn right onto Rand Road, left onto Business Center Drive, left onto Wheeling Road and right onto Kensington Road. While these series of turns may take time, they are safe and have been managed for 25 years. Allowing the left turn onto Rand Road would still require a motorist to negotiate the Rand/Route 83/Kensington intersection unless their destination is before the intersection. Therefore, there may not be a savings in time. Given the existing conditions at the intersection, Staff would not recommend allowing left turns from Highland Street onto Rand Road from a safety standpoint. There are three trees in the Rand Road parkway and one private property evergreen tree whose branches overhang the right-of-way that are sight obstructions and would make it difficult for vehicles to safely turn onto Rand Road. The construction drawings for the town homes show the three parkway trees to be removed in order to construct a sidewalk. Removal of these trees and trimming of the evergreen tree should provide adequate sight distance should the left turn be allowed. Even with adequate sight distance, the left turn onto Rand Road from Highland Street may still be a difficult turn because the amount of traffic. According to IDOT data, Rand Road experiences approximately 30,000 vehicles per day. Especially during peak travel times, motorists waiting to turn onto Rand Road may experience significant delay as they wait for an acceptable gap in the traffic. This issue may result in an increase of accidents at the intersection making this turning movement not a benefit to the neighborhood. Another reason that allowing the left-out turning movement may not be beneficial is the potential for cut through traffic into the subdivision on the opposite side of Rand Road. It is believed because of past cut through problems the right-turn only requirement was implemented many years ago. By requiring only right turns from Highland Street onto Rand Road supplemented with signing, striping and/or physical barriers, the cut through traffic issue would continued to be addressed. This is further discussed in the following section. Cross traffic In addition to the four primary turning movements to be considered when evaluating any access restrictions for the intersection, addressing the possibility of cross traffic should also be considered. Highland Avenue on the opposite side of Rand Road is approximately 50’ offset from Highland Street. There are currently no turn restrictions for Highland Avenue at Rand Road. Staff’s concern is that a majority of traffic crossing Rand Road from Highland Street to Highland Avenue and vice-versa would be cut through traffic. Westbound Kensington Road traffic could turn left onto Wilshire Drive to Highland Avenue, cross over Rand Road and use Highland Street to get to southbound Route 83 thus avoiding the Rand/Route 83/Kensington intersection. The opposite route could also be used by northbound Route 83 traffic looking to head east on Kensington Road. In addition to cut through traffic generated by arterial streets, residents along Highland Avenue and that subdivision (Little Brickman) could use Highland Street as a cut through route. On the other hand, residents in the subdivision on the opposite side of Rand Road could use Highland Avenue as a cut through route. Residents of Little Brickman Subdivision have expressed concern in the past over cut through traffic traveling to Home Depot and Randhurst Mall. Generating any additional traffic in the subdivision would not be supported by the residents. 4) Recommendation In reviewing each of the turning movement options for the Highland Street and Rand Road intersection, it is the Village Traffic Engineer’s recommendation that the right-in and right-out turning movements be allowed and the left-out turning movement be prohibited. With respect to the left-in turning movement, it is the Village Traffic Engineer’s recommendation that it be allowed with the condition that it be re-evaluated next summer by the Engineering Staff and Safety Commission. If cut through traffic has become a problem and the residents would like the Village to consider prohibiting the left-in turning movement, Staff may make this recommendation upon further study. Finally, it is the Village Traffic Engineer’s recommendation that traffic on Highland Avenue be prohibited from crossing Rand Road onto westbound Highland Street and vice-versa. Specific field work and Village Code changes include: ??removing the one-way eastbound street designation along Highland Street between Elm Street and Rand Road in the Village Code (Section 18.2003) and the corresponding signage ??requesting IDOT to remove the No Left Turn signs for northwestbound Rand Road onto westbound Highland Street – turn restriction currently not in the Village Code ??requesting IDOT to remove the No Right Turn signs for southeastbound Rand Road onto westbound Highland Street – turn restriction currently not in the Village Code ??adding the prohibition of crossing Rand Road from westbound Highland Avenue to westbound Highland Street in the Village Code (Section 18.2017) and appropriate signage and striping ??maintaining the existing Right Turn Only sign for eastbound Highland Street at Rand Road 5) Discussion Chairman Bencic opened up the discussion to the audience. Mr. Mark Scarlato, 601 Eastman Drive, asked if a traffic impact analysis has been performed as part of the study. Traffic Engineer Lawrie stated that Staff took into consideration the pros and cons of each of the turning movements and the impact it may have on the neighborhoods on the either side of Rand Road. Mr. Scarlato had some additional questions about the need to widen Highland Street. Chairman Bencic said that it’s not Village policy to keep a street one-way if a full-width street can be built. Traffic Engineer Lawrie explained that with only 33’ of right-of-way a full-width street could never be built. With the town home development, the full 66’ of right-of-way has been dedicated and the street will be brought up to Village standards. Mr. Scarlato explained his concern with cut through traffic into the Little Brickman subdivision where he lives. He believes allowing for two-way traffic will increase cut through traffic. Village Engineer Wulbecker explained that with the town home development, Village Code requires that the road be built to full-width. There was no discussion on the widening of Highland Street as the Village Code was being applied to a substandard street. Mr. Steve Polit, 601 Wilshire Drive, is concerned with allowing right-turns from Rand Road onto westbound Highland Street. He believes this will generate cut through traffic in his neighborhood as cars will be able to cross Rand Road from his neighborhood and then make a quick right onto westbound Highland Street. To address his concerns, he would like to see the streets in his neighborhood have a 20mph speed limit. He also recommended making Highland Avenue in Little Brickman a cul-de-sac at Rand Road and extend Holly Avenue to Wheeling Road. Chairman Bencic indicated to Mr. Polit that these issues are separate from the decision before the Commission tonight and that they could be discussed at a future meeting. Mr. Polit suggested Highland Street remain one-way eastbound even with the full-width street until there could be further discussion on the issue. Mr. John Michaels, 505 Highland Avenue, expressed a concern about generating cut through traffic in his neighborhood. Ms. Ola Subomi-Laja, 600 Windsor Drive, also expressed a concern about generating cut through traffic in her neighborhood. Mr. Marty Krumske, 701 Windsor Drive, does not want to see more traffic in his neighborhood. Chairman Bencic brought the issue back to the Commission. He asked Traffic Engineer Lawrie to present the report to the Safety Commission. Traffic Engineer Lawrie provided an overview of Staff’s study of the issue and the recommendations to the Safety Commission. Chairman Bencic asked if there were any questions from the Commission. Commissioner Tortorello supported building Highland Street to full-width and asked if there could be time specific restrictions similar to Isabella Street and a “porkchop” built on Highland Avenue to prevent cut through traffic. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said that this could be a decision made by the Commission but there may be some drawbacks. It is unknown the amount of cut through traffic that will occur and it may be better to study this before going forward with physical barriers. Also, a “porkchop” design may still not prevent cut through traffic. There was some general discussion among the Commission about cut through traffic and ways to prevent it. Chairman Bencic reiterated his position that the measures the residents are requesting in Little Brickman are a separate issue and should be discussed later. The Planning and Zoning Commission has asked the Safety Commission to make a decision with respect to access restrictions at Highland Street and Rand Road in front of the new development. He does support gathering before and after data to try to measure the amount of cut through traffic. This data could then be used in future studies. There was additional discussion among the Commission and residents about the residents concern with dealing with cut through traffic. Mr. Scarlato suggested not making a decision until a traffic impact study could be completed. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said that a traffic impact study looks at the potential direction of traffic to and from a development using primary routes and its impact on the primary routes. The study would not take into account driver behavior in taking cut through routes. Traffic Engineer Lawrie reiterated his position that the issue should be further studied and discussed in the future once the street is opened to two-way to see the impact before making any drastic changes. Commander Adamczyk supported implementing the recommendations as a first step to determine its impact on the neighborhoods. The Police Department would be out there as much as possible to enforce the restrictions. After some time, another study can be performed to determine if cut through traffic is a significant problem and then consider measures like physical barriers. Commissioner Miller asked if the street could remain one-way even with the widening. Village Engineer Wulbecker believes it would encourage even more traffic to go the wrong way if the street could handle two-way traffic but wasn’t allowed. He suggested to the Commission that a decision be made tonight so that it can be forwarded to the Village Board for their consideration before the street is widened. There was some additional discussion among the Commission and residents about the turn restrictions at Isabella Street and Henry Street and the potential cut through traffic on Highland Street because of them. Commissioner Arndt thought it would be valuable to find out if Highland Street could be widened and remain one-way. Village Engineer Wulbecker said this could be the Commission’s decision if that’s what they wanted to do. Commissioner Miller, seconded by Commissioner Keane, move to approve the recommendations of the Village Traffic Engineer which included: ??allowing the right-in, right-out & left-in turning movements ??prohibiting the left-out turning movement ??prohibiting westbound traffic on Highland Avenue from crossing Rand Road to Highland Street ??prohibiting eastbound traffic on Highland Street from crossing Rand Road to Highland Avenue The motion also included reviewing the issue after implementation of the recommendations to determine the layout’s effectiveness and whether modifications should be considered to address any cut through traffic issues that may arise. The motion was approved by a vote of 6-2. Commissioner Tortorello and Commissioner Arndt opposed the motion. The residents were informed that the Safety Commission’s recommendation would be forwarded to the st Village Board for a final decision at the September 21 meeting. They were invited to attend. COMMISSION ISSUES Commissioner Tortorello pointed out the height of the grass on the old Butch McGuire’s site and the fly dumping are a problem. Village Engineer Wulbecker said he would bring the issue to the Forestry Division’s attention. No other Safety Commission items were brought forth at this time. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to discuss, the Safety Commission voted 8-0 to adjourn at 8:20 p.m. upon the motion of Commissioner Tortorello. Commission Keane seconded the motion. Respectfully submitted, Matthew P. Lawrie, P.E. Traffic Engineer x:\engineering\traffic\safecomm\recs&min\sept04min.doc