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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/10/2003 SC minutes Glen R Andler Deputy D~rector Seen R D0rsey Village Engineer Jeffrey A Wulbecker Solid Waste Coordinator M. Lisa Angell Mount Prospect Public Works Department 1700 w. oencral Rosd, Mount F~rospect, illinois 80058-2229 Phone 847/870-5640 Fax 847/253-8377 Wator/Sewer SupeHntendent R0derick % O'D0n0van Streets/Buildings Superintendent Paul C. Bures Forestry/Grounds Superintendent Sandrs M. Clark Vehicle/Equipment Superintendent James E Gueqther TDD 847/392-1235 MINUTES OF THE MOUNT PROSPECT SAFETY COMMISSION DRAFT CALL TO ORDER The Regular Meeting of the Mount Prospect Safety Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 10, 2003. ROLL CALL Present upon roll call: John Keane Carol Tortorello John Dahlberg Buz Livingston Paul Bures Matt Lawrie Vice Chairman Commissioner Police Department Fire Department Public Works Public Works/Engineering Division Absent: Chuck Bencic Chairman Joan Bjork Commissioner See attached attendance sheet. Others in Attendance: APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Tortorello, seconded by Mr. Bures, moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Safety Commission held on November 11 2002. The minutes were approved by' a ¥ote of 5-0. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD No citizens came forth to discuss any topics that were not on the current agenda. ! Recycled Paper - Printed with Soy Ink OLD BUSINESS ^) CATHY LANE PARKING RESTRICTIONS Back~n'ound Information In June 2002, the Safety Commission and Village Board of Trustees voted to prohibit parking on both sides of Cathy Lane in front of the Central Community ~Center. Prior to this decision, vehicles were parking on the street out of convenience rather than in the parking lot. Prohibiting parking has forced motorists to park in the lot. This has helped to improve traffic movement and safety along Cathy Lane. Staff has periodically monitored the parking situation in the area since this issue was discussed., Over the past eight months, the Engineering Staff has not observed the parking lot completely full because of events at the Central Community Center. However, we recently received correspondence from the Police Department of three occurrences since the beginning of the year of vehicles parked on Cathy Lane because of a full l':t. Those who parked in front of the center either received a ticket or a warning. Others chose to park in the Millers Crossing Subdivision or south of Central Road and cross the street. 2) Because of this latest development, the Safety Commission was asked to review the issue once again and provides its recommendation to the Village Board of Trustees. The Park District and Board members of the Millers Crossing Subdivision were informed that this issue would again be discussed at 7:00 p.m., on Monday, March 10, 2003, at the Public Works Building. Staff Study The PoIice Department has indicated the peak parking time at the center is mid-a~rnoon on Saturdays. During this time they have observed the lot to be completely full. Staff' performed a week long investigation during February and never observed the lot to be completely full. The peak parking time was lpm on Saturday with l0 open parking spaces out of the 130-space lot. h is believed a couple of factors were the reason for the recent pattern of the parking lot becoming full. First, the Park District has indicated their peak period for visitors is on Saturdays during the winter months. During this time, the skating rink experiences a lot of activity. Second, there is a small time period during the day when visitors arrive for an event and the previous game has not ended. This transition period, which happens a fe~v times during the afternoon, causes a higher than average demand for parking. Staff would prefer motorists to not have to park in the neighboring subdivision or cross Central Road in order to get to the center when the parking lot becomes full. During this situation, Staff would rather allo,v parking on one side of Cathy Lane in front of the center. Allowing parking on the east side of the street would be preferred. Vehicles parked on the west side may obstruct motorists from seeing southbound vehicles when exiting the center. The need for on*street parking, however, doesn't appear to be a daily issue. From the information ~ve gathered, the need for on-street parking appears to be concentrated to Saturday afternoons during the winter months. At alt other times, it appears the lot can handle the parking demand. As part of the development of the center, land was dedicated for future parking lot 3) 4) expansion of I9 spaces. The Park District agreed to construct the additional spaces at the request of the Village should the need for more parking arise in the future. According to the Police Department, approximately 10-15 vehicles were seen parked illegally during the three occurrences. Requiring the Park District to construct the additional spaces this year may help to meet the parking demand during the peak periods. As an interim response until the Park District adds the parking spaces, allo~ving parking on the east side of Cathy Lane on the weekends may help to address any potential high parking demands xvhile not forcing motorists to have to park far from the center. Recommendation To address the increase in parking demand at the Central Community Center, the Village Traffic Engineer recommends: · Request the Park District to construct the additional 19 parking spaces along the north end of the lot per their agreement with the Village during development of the center. A deadline of November 1, 2003 is recommended. · Amend the parking restrictions along the east side of Cathy Lane in front of the Central Community Center property to No Parking Monday-Friday · Maintain the parking restrictions along the west side of Cathy Lane in front of the Central Community Center property · Once the additional parking spaces have been opened, return the parking prohibition along both sides of Cathy Lane in front of the Central Community Center property · Monitor the parking situation after construction to determine if on-street parking is still necessary · Update the Safety Commission one year after construction or sooner if necessary Discussion Traffic Engineer Lawrie provided background on this issue and the latest parking situation as related by the Police Department and Park District. Vice Chairman Keane opened up the discussion to the commission members and audience. David Baker, 212 N. Cathy Lane, introduced himself as the President of the Millers Crossing Subdivision. He wondered if the Park District could spread out their activities to avoid the high demand for parking during Saturday afternoons. Lou Ennesser of the Mount Prospect Park District responded that because of the interest at the center, spreading out the activities would force hockey games to go late into the night or they woutd have to limit the number of participants and games. However, he agreed to look into this possibility for the fall schedule. Vice Chairman Keane asked if the Park District could use the parking lot to the east of Cathy Lane. Mr. Ennesser said the parking lot had no access to Cathy Lane and, therefore, would not be a good option. There was some discussion over which side of the street parking should be aIlowed. The east side of the street provides more parking spaces but causes people to have to cross the street to get to the center. Cars parked on the west side of street would limit drivers exiting the center from seeing southbound cars. Because of the low traffic volume along Cathy Lane, Deputy' Chief Dahlberg concurred that allowing parking on the east side of the street xvould be the better option. Mr. Ennesser supported allowing parking on the street during the weekends to address the latest parking situation. Constructing the additional parking spaces in 2003 most likely would not happen because the Park District annual budget has already been established. They would look to include the ~vork in the 2004 budget and hopefully have the work done in the spring or summer of 2004. Mr. Baker also supported allowing parking on one side of the street as an interim solution until the Park District could construct the additional spaces. Deputy Chief Dalhberg requested that ample space near the Central Road intersection remain No Parking if parking would be allowed on one side of the street so that motorists could easily enter and exit Cathy Lane. Commissioner Tortorello, seconded by Deputy Chief Dahlberg, moved to amend the parking restrictions along the east side of Cathy Lane in front of the Central Community Center property to No Parking Monday-Friday and require the Park District to constrnct the additional 19 parking spaces along the north end of the lot. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0. Mr. Baker requested that the Park District install Stop signs at their driveways. Mr. Ennesser a~eed to have the signs installed. NEW BUSINESS A) REQUEST FOR PARKING RESTRICTION CHANGE IN BRICKMAN MANOR SUBDIVISION 1 ) Back~ound Information Man>' years ago, a restaurant existed along Rand Road near this neighborhood. Due to the amount of traffic the restaurant generated during the evening hours, the Village prohibited parking on certain streets that experienced congestion. The streets include Windsor Drive, Garxxood Drive and Highland Avenue. Many vehicles were parking on these streets resulting in traffic safety concerns and nuisance issues. The restaurant no longer exists at this location and, therefore~ allowing on-street parking does not appear to present a concern. The Engineering Division requested this issue be reviewed to determine if it ~vould be appropriate to allowing evening parking again. 2) 3) 4) Residents along the affected streets were informed that this issue would be discussed at 7:00 p.m., on Monday, March 10, 2003, at the Public Works Building. Staff Study The Engineering Staffperformed a traffic study including inspecting the neighborhood, soliciting the opinions of the Police Department, Fire Department and Public Works Department, and surveying the residents. Windsor Drive, Garwood Drive and Highland Avenue are asphalt roads with curb and gutter. The width of the roads is approximately 30'. These streets currently prohibit parking between the hours of 10pm - 6am. The remaining streets in the neighborhood prohibit parking between the hours of 2am - 6am, consistent with the Village-wide ordinance. None of the Village Staff requested to provide their opinion objected to repealing the parking restrictions. Should the signs be removed, the streets would still be affected by the Village-wide ordinance that prohibits on-street parking between the hours of 2am - 6am. The change would simply allow on-street parking again betxveen the hours of 1 Opm- 2am. 34 surveys were distributed to the residents that live adjacent to the current 10pm - 6am parking ban. 7 surveys were returned to the Village. Of the returned surveys, all but one support the proposed change. Recommendation Based on the traffic study performed by Staff, Tile Village Traffic Engineer recommends: approval of removing the No Parking lOpm-6am signs along Windsor Drive from Highland Avenue to Garwood Drive, Garwood Drive from Windsor Drive to Wilshire Drive, and Highland Avenue from Rand Road to Wilshire Drive. Discussion Traffic Engineer Lawrie provided an overview of the report to the Commission. Vice Chairman Keane opened up the discussion to the commission members. Traffic Engineer Lawrie mentioned that preliminary dra~vings have been submitted for development of the property where the restaurant once existed but nothing has been approved at this point. Some discussion took place regarding development of the property. There was no one in the audience to speak on this issue. Mr. Bures, seconded by Deputy Chief Dahlberg, moved to approve removal of the No Parking l Opnt-6am signs. The motion was approved by a vote of S-0. l) 2) REQUEST FOR REMOVAL OF TURN RESTRICTIONS AND ONE-WAY DESIGNATION ALONG REDWOOD DRIVE Background Information According to the Village Code, Redwood Drive is designated one-way southbound during the hours of 4pm - 6pm. To reinforce this ordinance, tums onto northbound Redwood Drive from Dempster Street are prohibited during these same hours. However, upon inspection, the only signs in-place that reflects these ordinances are No Left Tz,'n signs along eastbound Dempster Street at Redwood Drive. Staff could not find a record as to when the one-way street designation and turn restriction ordinances were established. It is also unknown as to when some of the signs were removed and why the Village Code does not reflect this change. The petitioner, Helen McPhail, resident of the Alpine Apartments, has requested the No Left T,,v~ sig-ns be removed. She claims motorists are cutting through the Alpine Apartments parking lot to avoid the turn restriction at Redwood Drive. She was not aware of the other ordinances. Staff observed the traffic along Redwood Drive in an effort evaluate the one-way street designation and turn restrictions as established in the Village Code in addition to considering the request made by Ms. McPhail. The property management company of the complexes along Redwood Drive as we[I as Ms. McPhail were informed that this issue would be discussed at 7:00 p.m., on Monday, March 10. 2003, at the Public Works Building. Staff Study The Engineering Staff performed a traffic study including inspecting the neighborhood, soliciting the opinions of the Cook County Highway Department, Police Department, Fire Department and Public Works Department, and surveying the property management company. Dempster Street in this area is under the jurisdiction of the Cook County Highway Department (CCHD). It is a 4-lane road with a posted speed limit of 40mph. Redwood Drive is a Village Street. It is 24' wide including curb and gutter with a speed limit of 30mph. Con'espondences were sent to the CCHD, Police Department, Fire Department and the Public Works Streets Superintendent to get their input on this issue. The CCHD has responded they support the turn restrictions if there is a history of accidents or a concern with cut through traffic. Otherwise, they would support removing or installing any signs should the Village decide to do so. The Police Department has no objection to repealing the one-way street desi~ation and right turn restriction but would like to see the left turn restriction remain. The reason being that there is the potential for rear-end collisions by allowing the left turn movement. The Public Works Streets Superintendent has no objection to repealing the one-way street designation and turn restrictions but believes parking ought to be prohibited on one side of Redxvood Drive. Finally, the Fire Department does not see a significant impact on their operations whether the street is one-way or two-way. A review of the accident history shows there have been a total of 11 accidents at or near the intersection of Dempster Street and Redwood Drive over the past 5 years. 5 accidents occurred on Redwood Drive and 6 accidents occurred on Dempster Street. None of the accidents appear to be the result of a lack of signs enforcing the current ordinances. Parked vehicles on the street did appear to be a factor in one of the accidents. From Staff's observations, it appears one reason for the one-way desi=o-nation and turn restrictions is a history of cut through traffic generated from the United Airlines property on the south side of Dempster Street. A driveway exists opposite of Redwood Drive but a fence now prohibits access. At one time, United Airlines employees may have used Redwood Drive as a cut through route. Since the driveway is now closed, it appears cut through traffic does not appear to be a significant issue. However, United Airlines could at any time reopen the driveway resulting in the potential for cut through traffic. A survey was sent to the property management company to get their input on this issue. They have requested the one-way street designation and turn restrictions remain in effect to minimize traffic along Redwood Drive. They believe this will make it safer for the residents in the area. As mentioned above, the width of Redwood Drive is only 24' including curb and gutter. With parking currently allowed on both sides of the street, maintaining two-way traffic becomes difficult. When cars are parked on both sides of the street, it becomes difficult for even a single car to pass by. To address this issue as well as the Police Department's and property management company's concerns, Staff supports making Re&vood Drive southbound at all times and restricting parking to the west side of the street only. Therefore. both right and left turns from Dempster Street onto Redwood Drive would be prohibited. Staff supports this decision for a number of reasons. · First, it would elimina~e any cut through traffic and minimize traffic in general on this nan'ow street. Also, it will minimize unwanted vehicles cutting through the Alpine Apartments parking tot since they would not be able to travel north on Redwood Drive. · Second, since on-street parking is necessary for guests to the Redxvood Townhouses as observed by Stall; one travel lane and one parking lane is all that can be provided because of the width of the street. Third, time specific turn restrictions and a one-way street designation can cause some confusion to motorists depending on the time of day. With this recommendation, motorists know the block is a one-way street. Fourth, eliminating the left-turn from eastbound Dempster Street onto Redwood Drive should minimize the potential for rear end collisions. Fifth, with the street designated one-way and parking restricted to one side, this should provide easier access for emergency vehicles. Sixth, this should not have a negative impact on the residents of the Mt. Prospect Place Apartments, Alpine Apartments and Redwood Townhouses. Each of these developments has direct access to Cottonwood Lane, Busse Road, Dempster Street or Linneman Road in addition to Redwood Drive. Seventh, this should not have a negative impact on the residents to the north of this area. They would still be able to use Busse Road or Linnernan Road to access their neighborhood. 3) As mentioned above, the posted speed limit along Dempster Street is 40mph. The Village Code indicates the speed limit is 45mph. In order to be consistent, the Village Code should be amended to reflect a 40mph speed limit along Dempster Street. Should Redwood Drive bet~veen Cottonwood Lane and Dempster Street become one-way southbound, there would not be the need for the Stop sign on the south leg at the intersection of Redwood Drive and Cottonwood Lane. Recommendation Based on Staff's observations and input from various parties, Tl~e Village Traflic Engineer recommends: · approval of making Redwood Drive from Cottonwood Lane to Dempster Street one- way southbound at all times. · approval of prohibiting right and left turns from Dempster Street onto Redwood Drive at all times. · approval of prohibiting parking along the east side of Redwood Drive from Cottonwood Lane to Dempster Street at all times. approval of lowering the speed limit along Dempster Street from 45mph to 40mph. approval of removing the Stop sign on the south leg at the intersection of Redwood Drive and Cottonwood Lane. Discussion Traffic Engineer La~vrie provided an overview of the report to the Commission. Vice Chairnqan Keane opened up the discussion to the commission members. Commissioner Tortorelto asked if any of the residential complexes could expand their parking lots if necessary. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said that it does not appear oft-street parking over night is a concern and would not be necessary, to expand any of the lots. Based on observations made by Staff, there was parking along Redwood Drive during the day and evening. Since visitors may depend on parking along the street, Staff believed it would be important to still provide some on-street parking. There was some additional discussion concerning parking along Redwood Drive. Because of the narrowness of the street, commission members supported restricting parking to one side of the street. Traffic Engineer Lawrie mentioned that recommending one-way streets are typically not Staff's first option. However, in this case, a one-way street would not hinder access to each of the residential complexes in the area and it would address issues raised by the property, management company, the resident who brought this issue to the Village and the Police Department. Deputy Chief Dahlberg brought up a possible concern of having to go against traffic in the event of an emergency if Redwood Drive became a one-way street. Capt.a/n Livingston said that the one-way street should not affect the Fire Department's operations since they would be coming from the north. If necessary, they would go against traffic as to not delay response to an emergency. There was no one in the audience to speak on this issue. Commissioner Tortorello, seconded by Mr. Bures, moved to concur with the recommendations made by the Village Traffic Engineer which includes: · making Redwood Drive from Cotton~vood Lane to Dempster Street one-way southbound at all times. · prohibiting right and left turns from Dempster Street onto Redwood Drive at all times. · prohibiting parking along the east side of Red~vood Drive from Cottonwood Lane to Dempster Street at all times. · lowering the speed limit along Dempster Street from 45mph to 40mph. · removing the Stop sign on the south leg at the intersection of Redwood Drive anti Cotton~vood Lane. The motion was approved by avote of 5-0. c) 2) REQUEST FOR SPEED LIMIT CHANGE ALONG BUSSE ROAD Background Information Busse Road between Algonquin Road and Oakton Street is under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of Transportation ([DOT). It is primarily a 5-1ane cross-section. The Village Code currently reflects the speed limit along this stretch of the road to be 45mph. North of Alqonquin Road, the speed limit is 35mph. South of Oakton Street (Elk Grove Village), the speed limit is 45mph. In September 2002, the Village received a letter from/DOT stating that an engineering speed study had been performed along Busse Road. The results indicated the current 45mph speed limit should be reduced to 40mph. The letter also mentioned new speed limit signs would be installed shortly. Staff Study Staff requested a copy of the study shortly after receiving notice of/DOT's intentions. The study was received in December 2002. From our reviexv, it appears the speed limit adjustment was made because of two factors: accident history and access conflicts. The west side of the street has a significant amount of multi-family housing. The east side of the street is mostly zoned industrial. Therefore, there are a lot of cars and large trucks turning onto and from Busse Road in this area at several different driveways. This apparently has lead to a lot of right-angle crashes. Through a series of calculations considering these factors,/DOT determined the speed limit should be reduced to 40mph. The 85°' percentile speed along Busse Road was observed to be 49mph. With a speed limit of 40mph, DOT has anticipated the violation rate to be 70%. The Police Department has been notified of this in an effort to lower overall speeds. 4) Staff supports this speed limit reduction in hopes this wilt reduce the number of accidents along Busse Road. Driving at a lower speed will give motorists more time to react to large trucks and other vehicles entering and exiting Busse Road. The louver speed limit is also more consistent with the speed limit north of Algonquin Road. The new 40mph speed limit signs have been installed by IDOT. In order to be consistent, the Village Code needs to be modified to reflect this change. Recommendation Based on the study performed by IDOT and Staff's observations, Tile Village Traffic Engineer reco~nmends: approval of lowering the speed limit along Busse Road between Alqonquin Road and Oakton Street l¥om 4$mph to 40mph. Discussion Traffic Engineer Lawrie provided an overvie~v of the report to the Commission. Vice Chairman Keane opened up the discussion to the commission members. Deputy Chief Dahlberg mentioned there are many pedestrians that cross Busse Road in this area and there are school buses that travel the road. He supports lowering the speed limit. There was no one in the audience to speak on this issue. Commissioner Tortorello, seconded by Deputy ChiefDahlberg, moved to approve lowering the speed limit along Busse Road between Alqonquin Road and Oakton Street from 45mph to 40mph. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0. COMMISSION ISSUES Commissioner Tortorello has noticed often times vehicles in the left turn lane on Northwest Highway at Central Road Will block eastbound vehicles in the curb lane. She xvondered if the stop bar could be moved back or a sign installed to indicate the point where vehicles are to stop. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said he would mention it to IDOT when it comes time to restripe the road. Commissioner Tortorello questioned when Douglas Avenue betxveen Lincoln Street and Whiteoak Street would be opened to traffic. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said the street has been approved to be a public road and will be opened prior to issuing a Certificate of Occupany for the house under construction. Deputy Chief Dahlberg said that Staff is working toxvard having the street opened as soon as possible. 10 DJOURNMENT With no further business to discuss, the Safety Commission voted 5-0 .m adjourn at 8:15 p.m. upon the motion of Deputy Chief Dahlberg. Commissioner Tortoretlo seconded the motion. Respectfully submitted, Traffic Engineer :: Ii lc:, cn.~ ineer\sa feconlm\tra fll c\recs& mh~\marc h03 mln.doc