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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4. NEW BUSINESS 1/15/02Mount Prospect Public Works Department INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: VILLAGE MANAGER MICHAEL E. JANONIS PROJECT ENGINEER JANUARY 3, 2002 SUBJECT: DECEMBER SAFETY COMMISSION - REQUEST FOR PARKING RESTRICTIONS ALONG WALL STREET & STREET The Safety Commission transmits their recommendation to approve parking restrictions along both sides of Wall Street and LaSalle Street. Over the past few years, Mr. Harvey Alter, property supervisor of the industrial park, has been experiencing problems with trucks parking along Wall Street and LaSalle Street for long pedods of time. Often times the trucks are not occupied. Drivers are simply using the streets to store their vehicles. Until this issue was brought to the Village's attention, there were not any parking restrictions associated with the streets Other than the Village-wide requirement of no parking on Village streets between the hours of 2am and 6am. Staff did observe some trucks parked on both Wall Street and LaSalle Street dudng the couple of site visits even though there are ample parking spaces provided on each of the developed properties. While this didn't necessarily affect traffic safety, it did appear to be more of a nuisance for the management of the industrial park. As this issue did not affect any residents and Mr. Alter could speak on behalf of the businesses in the industrial park, you indicated that you had no objection to installing No Parking Any Time signs before formal approval by the Safety Commission and Village Board of Trustees. Staff also did not have an objection to installing the signs before being formally presented to the Safety Commission. The issue did not appear to be controversial and installing the signs right away would give Staff the opportunity to see their effectiveness before making a final recommendation to the Safety Commission. The signs were installed in November by Public Works. The Police Department was notified of the parking restrictions and asked to begin enforcement. Since then, Staff has not observed trucks parking along either street. Surveys were not sent to any of the businesses as Mr. Alter was able to speak on their behalf. Mr. Alter said in a subsequent phone conversation that the signs have been effective in addressing the problem. age two... December Safety Commission Sanuary 3, 2002 The Safety Commission formally discussed this issue at their December 10t~ meeting. I provided a presentation on this issue and answered questions from the Safety Commission members. A representative from The Alter Group, management of the industrial park~ was in attendance. By a vote of 7-0, the Safety Commission recommends to approve No Parking Any Time signs along both sides of Wall Street and LaSalle Street. Please include this item on the January 15th Village Board Meeting Agenda. Enclosed are the Safety Commission Minutes from the meeting as well as a location map for your reference. cc: Village Clerk Velma Lowe x:\filcskngineer~raffic~sa£ecommkcc s&minklecO 1 fcc.doc WALL ST & LASALLE ST LBCATIDN MAP ALGDNQUIN RD Glen R. Andler Phone 847/870-5640 Mount Prospect Public W°rks Department 1700 W. Central Road, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60058-2229 Fax 847/253-9377 Streets/Buildings Superintendent Paul C 8ures James E, Guenther T~ 847/382-1235 MINUTES OF TIlE MOUNT PROSPECT SAFETY COMMISSION DRAFT CALL TO ORDER The Regular Meeting of the Mount Prospect Safety Commission was called to order at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, December 10, 2001. ROLL CALL Present upon roi1 call: Absent: Others in Attendance: Check Bencic Lee Beening Joan Bjork John Keane Andy Mitchell Ken Lee Buz Livingston Paul Bures Matt Lawrie Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Police Department Fire Department Public Works Public Works/Engineering Division Nancy Bobike~vicz Commissioner See Attached Attendance Sheet. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Conunissioner Mitchell, seconded by Commissioner Keane, moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Safety Commission held on October 8, 2001. The minutes were approved by a vote of 8-0. 1 Recycled Paper - Printed with Soy Ink CITIZENS TO BE HEARD Ms. Carol Tortorello, 223 S. Elmhurst Avenue, expressed a concern with the drive aisle in the parking lot near the new CVS at Golf Road and Busse Road. She explained that it is difficult to make the turn near the southwest corner of the building and stay in your lane. Even though it is private property, Traffic Engineer Lawrie said he would visit the site and determine if anything can be done to improve the situation. Ms. Tortorello aisc expressed a concern with the traffic island at the corner of Route 83 and Evergreen Avenue. The traff~c island was redone as part of the Route 83 Reconstruction Project. Apparently, sorne rnotorists have hit the new curb. She requested that the curb be painted yellow to warn rnotorists. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said that he would look into the matter and review the issue with Staff. No further citizens came forth to discuss any topics that were not on the current agenda. NEW BUSINESS A) REQUEST FOR STOP SIGNS AT THE INTERSECTION OF FOREST AVENUE & MEMORY LANE I) Background Information Mr. Dziadus, 501'*N. Forest Avenue, 'is concerned that.because of the offset legs of the intersection, the potential for a collision exists. He believes vehicles need to be forced to slow down when negotiating the unique configuration of the intersection. He also has expressed a concern for the number of school children who cross the street at this intersection. 2) Staff Study The intersection has a unique configuration. The north leg of Forest Avenue is offset 3' to the east from the south leg. The north leg of Forest Avenue is also 4' narrower than the south leg. Forest Avenue is one-way northbound north of Memory Lane, therefore, the offset configuration does not present a problern for Forest Avenue traffic. Also, northbound Forest Avenue traffic at Memory Lane is controlled by a Stop sign. The east leg of Memory Lane is 26' wide and offset 13' from the west leg. The west leg of Memory Lane is only 18' wide. This does not pose a significant adjustment for eastbound traffic when crossing Forest Avenue. Westbound traffic, however, must shift considerably. Chewon signs are posted on the northwest corner of the intersection for westbound traffic warning motorists the need to shift. A search of the accident reports indicated that there have been no reported accidents at this intersection over the past five years. Representative speed surveys were performed on Forest Avenue south of Memory Lane and on Memory Lane east of Forest Avenue between Novernber 13th and 16th. The average speeds varied between 22-23mph and the 85t~ percentile speeds varied between 27-29mph. The speed limit on 2 Forest Avenue south of Memory Lane is 30mph. The speed limit on Forest Avenue north of Memory Lane is 20mph. The speed limit on Memory Lane is 25mph. Based on the results, there doesn't appear to be a speeding problem. Traffic volume data was gathered in November, Based on the results, there are approximately 830 vehicles per day that enter the intersection. 270 vehicles travel on Forest Avenue and 560 vehicles on Memory Lane. The maximum total vehicular volume entering the intersection from all approaches for the peak eight hours during a recorded day was approximately 600. A total of 15 surveys were sent out in November 2001 including 1 to Prospect High School to collect the residents' comments on this request. 4 surveys (27%) were returned to the Village. Three surveys supported the additional Stop signs on Memory Lane and one did not. Existing pine trees are located near the southwest and southeast comers of the intersection. Based on Village Code guidelines, however, the landscaping falls outside the sight triangle. Crosswalks currently do not exist at the intersection. Prospect High School is to the north of the intersection and Fairview Elementary School is to the south. The intersection does experience students walking across the street during the school day. Sidewalk does not exist on the northwest comer of the intersection. Therefore, it would only be appropriate to install crosswalks and School Crossing signs along the east and south legs of the intersection. Stop signs are normally warranted at intersections where there is a consistent pattern of accidents, obstructed view for drivers or a significant amount of vehicles and pedestrians. Stop signs are not effective when used to control a Speeding problem. Based on the data, Stop signs are not warranted at this intersection. The~:e are.four.options, however,'which should receive consideration. First, leave the Stop sign in-place on Forest Avenue and add Stop signs for eastbound and westbound Memory Lane. This is the request made by the petitioner. However, the data shoxvs that a multi-way stop is not warranted. This option can lead to more motorists disobeying the signs which may lead to a greater potential of endangering other motorists and pedestrians. Also, speeds may actually increase on Memory Lane beyond the Stop sign which defeats the purpose of trying to slow down motorists. A second option is to remove the existing Stop sign on Forest Avenue. However, simply removing the Stop sign may not be the best solution. By doing so, the pine trees at the southeast comer may become a factor in creating a sight obstruction for northbound and westbound motorists as neither direction would be required to slow dov~a. It is, therefore, best to clarify the right-of-way in order to avoid increasing the chances of an accident. When clarifying the right- of-way, the street xvith the lesser amount of traffic should be the one controlled with a sign. This would be Forest Avenue. A Yield sign would be less restrictive than a Stop sign, however, because of the close proximity of the pine trees to the intersection, a Stop sign would be more appropriate. A third option is to remove the Stop sign on Forest Avenue and install Stop signs on Memory Lane. This, too, would clarify the right-of-way. Westbound motorists would also be forced to slow down and stop before crossing over Forest Avenue. This would give drivers more time to adjust to the offset configuration of the road. However, the street with a greater volume would 3 3) 4) now be forced to stop. This would lead to a greater potential of drivers disobeying the Stop signs. Also, it should be noted based on Staff's observations, that a majority of westbound motorists turn right onto Forest Avenue. Not many vehicles actually continue west on Memory Lane past Forest Avenue. And for those motorists who do, two chevron signs are visible guiding the motorist to the westbound lane west of Forest Avenue. With a low volume of vehicles entering the intersection over the course of the day and no recorded accidents within the past five years, it appears that there hasn't been a problem with drivers negotiating the offset configuration. The final option is to leave in-place the Stop sign on Forest Avenue and not add Stop signs on Memory Lane. The Stop sign does clarify the right-of-way and is installed on the minor street. Also, a large percentage of traffic on the major street, Memory Lane, are turning north onto Forest Avenue. These motorists are already slowing down when approaching the intersection in order to make the turn. Even the speed data does not reveal a speeding problem at the intersection. For thbse westbound motorists continuing on Memory Lane when crossing Forest Avenue, the chevron signs assist motorists in negotiating the offset road configuration. Recommendation Based on the study performed by Staff: The Village Traffic Engineer recommends denial of the additional Stop signs on Memory Lane at Forest Avenue. Crosswalks and School Crossing signs are recommended at the intersection to warn motorists of the .potential of pedestrians crossing the street. Selective Police enforcement is recommended to address the speeding concern along Memory Lane. Discussion Traffic Engineer Lawrie made a presentation on this issue. Chairman Bencic asked if any of the homeowners with pine trees near the intersection have been contacted about trimming the trees even though they fall outside the sight triangle. Traffic Engineer Lawrie responded by saying they have not. With Forest Avenue controlled by a Stop sign, the pine trees do not appear to be an obstruction for motorists. Chairman Bencic opened up the discussion to the public. Mr. Mike Dziadus, 501 N. Forest Avenue, stated that his primary concern is speeding along Memory Lane. He understands the criteria necessary to warrant Stop signs and realizes Stop signs may not be the best solution. Commissioner Beening, seconded by Commissioner Keane, moved to deny additional Stop signs on Memory Lane at Forest Avenue but rather install crosswalks and School Crossing signs at the intersection and provide selective Police enforcement to address the speeding concern along Memory Lane. The motion was approved by a vote of 8-0. Mr. Dziadus added that the best times to provide speed enforcement is in the morning before school begins and also during the evening rush hour. Commissioner Keane asked if Staff considers addressing these offset road configurations ~vhen it comes time to resurface the roads. Mr. Bures responded that Staff does look to straighten offset roads, however, this often requires obtaining additional right-of-way. Sometimes, property owners are unwilling to grant the necessary right-of-way. Traffic Engineer Laxvrie said that when the time comes for Memory Lane to be widened, Staff will most likely approach the school to negotiate obtaining additional right-of-way so that a full-width street can be constructed. Traffic Engineer Lawrie mentioned to Mr. Dziadus that this issue would not be presented to the Village Board of Trustees unless he requested in writing that they hear the issue. He does have the opportunity to pursue this issue should he desire. If Mr. Dziadus decided not to pursue the issue any further, the Safety Commission's decision would be the final one. B) l) 2) REQUEST FOR PARKING RESTRICTIONS ALONG WALL STP,.EET & LASALLE STREET Background Information In the past few years, Mr. Harvey Alter, property supervisor of the industrial park, has been experiencing problems with tracks parking along Wall Street and LaSalle Street for long periods of time. Often times the trucks are not occupied. Drivers are simply using the streets to store their vehicles. Staff Study Wall Street and LaSalle Street are 40' wide asphalt streets. Wall Street has access to Algonquin Road and LaSalle Street has access to Elmhurst Road. Only a few of the lots in the industrial park are developed. Ample parking spaces are provided on each of the developed properties. Until this issue was brought to the Village's attention, there were not an? parking restrictions associated with the streets other than the Village-wide requirement of no parking on Village streets between 2am and 6am. Staff did observe some trucks parked on both Wall Street and LaSalle Street during the couple of site visits. While this didn't necessarily affect traffic safety, it did appear to be more of a nuisance. The Village Manager asked that this issue be addressed as soon as possible. As this issue did not affect any residents and Mr. Alter could speak on behalf of the businesses in the industrial park. the Village Manager had no objection to installing the signs before formal approval by the Safety Commission and Village Board. Staff also did not have an objection to installing No Parki,g Any Time signs before being formally presented to the Safety Commission. The issue does not appear to be controversial and installing the signs right away xvould give Staff the opportunity to see their effectiveness before making a final recommendation to the Safety Commission. The signs were installed in November by Public Works. The Police Department was notified of the parking restrictions and asked to begin enforcement. Since then, Staff has not observed 5 trucks parking along either street. Surveys were not sent to any of the businesses as Mr. Alter was able to speak on their behalf. Mr. Alter has said in a recent phone conversation that the signs have been effective in addressing the problem. 3) Recommendation Based on the parking problems experienced in the industrial park, The Village Traffic Engineer recommends approval of No Parking Any Time signs along both sides of Wall Street and LaSalle Street. 4) Discussion Traffic Engineer Lawrie made a brief presentation on this issue. Chairman Bencic opened up the discussion to the public. Ms. Sarah Plummer, representing the industrial park, asked that the parking restrictions be approved. Vehicles park on the streets for long periods of time. When they park near the intersection of Wall Street and LaSalle Street, the trucks often create a sight obstruction. Chairman Bencic noted that The Alter Group is his employer and, therefore, will abstain from voting on this issue. Commissioner Mii6hell wanted to confirm that both Wall Street and LaSalle Street are public streets. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said they were. Commissioner Keane, seconded by Commissioner Beening, moved to approve No Parking Any Time signs along both sides of Wall Street and LaSalle Street. The motion was approved by a vote of 7-0. Chairman Bencic abstained. OTHER COMMISSION ISSUES Chairman Bencic asked the Safety Commission to choose a Vice Chairman. After some discussion, it was recommended that Commissioner Beening fill the position. Commissioner Beening accepted the nomination. By a vote of 7-0, Commissioner Beening was voted Vice Chairman of the Safety Commission. Traffic Engineer Lawrie thanked the Commission members for their commitment to making it a successful year and on behalf of the Village Board of Trustees he presented a gift to each of the members. No other Safety Commission items were brought forth at this time. 6 DJOURNMENT With no further business to discuss, the Safety Commission voted 8-0 to adjourn at 8:05 p.m. upon the motion of Commissioner Keane. Commissioner Beening seconded the motion. Respectfully submitted, Traffic Engineer x:\files\en gineer~sa fecomm\traffich-ecs&min\dec01 rain.doc NAME VILLAP-E OF MOUNT PI~I::]E~PEP-T E~AFETY P-FIMMIE~EiInN MEETINr4~ ATTENDANCE SHEET December 10, 2001 7:30 P.M. ADDRESS PHONE NUMBER ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 18 ENTITLED 'TRAFFIC CODE' OF THE VILLAGE CODE OF MOUNT PROSPECT BE IT ORDAINED BY THE PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF MOUNT PROSPECT, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS: SECTION ONE: That Section 18.2006 of "SCHEDULE VI - NO PARKING ANY TIME" of Chapter 18 of the Village Code of Mount Prospect, as amended, is hereby further amended by adding, in alphabetical sequence, the following: "Name of Street LaSalle Street Wall Street Side of Street North and south East and west Description Entire jurisdiction Entire jurisdiction." SECTION TWO: That this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage, approval and publication in pamphlet form in the manner provided by law. AYES: NAYS: ABSENT: PASSED and APPROVED this day of ,2002. ATTEST: Gerald L. Farley Village President Velma W. Lowe Village Clerk ount Prospect Public Works Department INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: VILLAGER MANAGER MICHAEL E. JANONIS VILLAGE CLERK VELMA LOWE VILLAGE ENGINEER JANUARY 7, 2002 CHICAGO ASSEMBLY OF GOD 618 EAST GOLF ROAD Attached please find the Village Board Approval and Acceptance form for the subject project. The project has been satisfactorily completed and ! recommend approval of this project. Please place this in line for inclusion at the January 15, 2002 Village Board Meeting. Cc: Glen R. Andler, Public Works Director X:\files\engineer\dev\lc\devgua r\chiaogmm VILLAGE BOARD ACCEPTANCE OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT AND/OR PRIVATE IMPROVEMENT APPROVAL PROJECT: CHICA(~O A~q,qEMBI,¥ OF LOCATION: DATE: lammry 4; ~002 RTAFF APPROVAI~ ENGINEERING DRAWINGS APPROVED: PLAT OF SUBDMSION RECEIVED: PLAT OF SUBDMSION RECORDED: N/A AS BUILT PLANS REVIEWED AND APPROVED: PUBLIC WORKS APPROVAL: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL: FIRE DEPARTMENT APPROVAL: ENGINEER CLERK CLERK ENGINEER PUB.WKS.DIR. COMM.DEV.DIR. FIRE PREVENTION PIlBI ,lC IMPROVEMENT~q FOR ACCEPTANCE R¥ VII,I ,AGF, WATER MAIN N/A SANITARY SEWER N/A STORM SEWER N/A ROADWAYS N/A SIDEWALKS N/A STREET REGULATORY SIGNS N/A_ STREET LIGHTS N/A PARKWAY TREES N/A PARKWAY LANDSCAPING N/A RETENTION/DETENTION AREAS N/A PRIVATE IMPROyEMENTS APPROVED WATER MAIN SANITARY SEWER STORM SEWER PARKING LOT SIDEWALK SITE LIGHTING LANDSCAPING NtA _ 210 I',.F -6;"/1901,F - 12" N/A Complete, N/A N/A_ Complete APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF MOUNT PROSPECT, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, TI-IlS DAY OF. ,2002. Village Clerk ount Prospect Public Works Department INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: VILLAGER MANAGER MICHAEL E. JANONIS VILLAGE CLERK VELMA LOWE VILLAGE ENGINEER JANUARY 7, 2002 COUNTRY INN AND SUITES 2200 SOUTH ELMHURST ROAD Attached please find the Village Board Approval and Acceptance form for the subject project. The project has been satisfactorily completed and ! recommend approval of this project. Please place this in line for inclusion at the January 15, 2002 Village Board Meeting. Cc: Glen R, Andler, Public Works Director X:\files\engineer\dev\lc\devguar\countryinnmm VILLAGE BOARD ACCEPTANCE OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT AND/OR PRIVATE IMPROVEMENT APPROVAL PROJECT: COIINTR¥ INN ANI~ SITITES LOCATION: . 2200 .~nni-~ F, lmhnmt Road DATE: larnlary 4; 20(~2 STAFF APPROVAl, ENGINEERING DRAWINGS APPROVED: I~\ PLAT OF SUBDIVISION RECEIVED: ~d N/A PLAT OF SUBDIVISION RECORDED: N/A AS BUILT PLANS REVIEWED AND APPROVED: PUBLIC WORKS APPROVAL: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL: FIRE DEPARTMENT APPROVAL: ENGINEER CLERK CLERK ENGINEER PUB.WKS.DIR. COMM.DEV.DIR. FIRE PREVENTION PITRI ,lC I1VIPROVEMENTS FOR ACCEPTANCE 1~¥ VII ,I ,AGE WATER MAIN N/A SANITARY SEWER N/^ STORM SEWER N/A ROADWAYS N/A SIDEWALKS N/A STREET REGULATORY SIGNS N/A STREET LIGHTS N/A PARKWAY TREES N/A PARKWAY LANDSCAPING N/A RETENTION/DETENTION AREAS N/A PRIVATE IMPROVEMENTS APPROVED WATER MAIN SANITARY SEWER STORM SEWER PARKING LOT SIDEWALK SITE LIGHTING LANDSCAPING RETENTION/DETENTION AREAS 210 T,F. - 8" 59 T,F -g" lgTT,F.-6" /2761.F.-W' /710 ¥.F 12" Complete Complete Complete Complete APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF MOUNT PROSPECT, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, THIS DAY OF ,2002. Village Clerk