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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/10/1998 SC MinutesMount Prospect Public Works Department CALL TO ORDER INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM MINUTES OF THE MOUNT PROSPECT SAFETY COMMISSION TREE My USA The Regular Meeting of the Mount Prospect Safety Commission was called to order at 7:35 P.M. on Monday, August 10, 1998. ROLL CALL Upon roll call, each Safety Commission Member introduced themselves to the audience. Present upon roll call: Lee Beening Chuck Bencic Joan Bjork Andy Mitchell Phyllis Moliere George Steiner Paul Bures Matt Lawrie Absent: Others in Attendance: APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Police Department Public Works Public Works/Engineering Division Nancy Bobikewicz Commissioner Buz Livingston Fire Department See Attached List The Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Safety Commission held on April 13, 1998 was omitted from the packet of information provided to the Commissioners for the August agenda. The Minutes will be approved at the next regular meeting. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD No citizens came forth at this time to discuss any topics that were not on the current agenda. OLD BUSINESS None. IJ NEW BUSINESS A) STOP OR YIELD SIGNS REQUEST AT THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTRY LANE AND TOWER DRIVE 1) Background Information Ms. Barbara Wilk, 6 W. Orchard Place, requested Stop or Yield signs at the intersection of Country Lane and Tower Drive because she has experienced a number of "close calls" when driving through the intersection. Vehicles speed on Country Lane and usually do not slow down when approaching Tower Drive. Vehicles on Tower Drive do not always slow down which creates the potential for an accident. Also, landscaping at the intersection is a sight obstruction. The Engineering Staff performed a Stop sign study. The findings are as follows: a) b) C) Accidents A search of the accident reports indicated: Year 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 (Aug) Number of Accidents 1 0 0 0 0 0 The above accident records do not meet the Stop sign warrant (minimum five accidents per year) according to the Multi -Way Stop Sign Warrants. Speed Study Representative speed surveys were performed on Country Lane south of Tower Drive and on Tower Drive west of Country Lane between Tuesday, July 14, 1998 and Thursday, July 16, 1998. The 85th percentile speeds were as follows: Northbound Country 21-22 mph Southbound Country 23-24 mph Eastbound Tower 25-26 mph Westbound Tower 25-26 mph The speed limits on Country Lane and Tower Drive are 25 mph. Based on the results, there doesn't appear to be a speeding problem at this intersection. Traffic Volume The minimum traffic volume according to the Multi -Way Stop Sign Warrant is 500 vehicles/hour for an eight hour period (500 x 8 = 4000 2 cars/8 hrs). The traffic volume at this intersection (644 cars/8 hrs) is approximately 16% of the stop sign warrant. We recognize the Emerson Street bridge north of Hiawatha Trail is under reconstruction and may have lowered the number of vehicles entering the intersection. However, we believe even with the bridge open for traffic, the warrant will not be met. d) Sight Obstruction Tall pine trees exist on the northwest and southeast corners of the intersection. A hedge exists on the southwest comer. All landscaping is on private property but some trees and hedges are within the sight triangle (see attached map). A letter has been sent to the homeowners requesting they remove/trim the landscaping to eliminate the site obstruction. The owner at the southeast corner will be required to raise the branches that overhang the sidewalk to a minimum height of six feet above the road pavement. e) Survey Results A total of 16 surveys were sent out in July 1998 to collect and analyze the resident's opinion. 11 surveys were returned to the Village. 11 residents favored and 0 residents were against Stop signs at Country Lane and Tower Drive. f) Existing Traffic Control Signs Existing traffic control signs near this intersection are shown on the attached map. Yield Signs The study has shown Stop signs are not warranted at the intersection. However, because a majority of the traffic is on Country Lane and site obstructions exist at the intersection, Yield signs in the east/west direction are recommended in order to clarify the right of way. Staff Recommendation: Stop Sign Reguest Because the intersection of Country Lane and Tower Drive does not meet any of the Multi -Way Stop Sign Warrants and even though them is resident support for the Stop signs Staff recommends, 4 -way Stop signs at the intersection of Country Lane and Tower Drive not be installed. ki Yield Sign Request To clarify the right of way at this intersection Staff recommends 2 -way Yield signs on Tower Drive at Country Lane be installed. 2) Discussion Ms. Barbara Wilk of 6 W. Orchard Place said that she is concerned with the heavy traffic volume at the intersection with no identification of who has the right-of-way. Motorists speed along Country Lane and do not slow down when passing through the intersection. She has lived at the same house for thirty-nine years and believes the intersection has become dangerous and is concerned for her safety. Police Officer George Steiner explained that at any unmarked intersection the vehicle to the left must yield the right-of-way. Ms. Irene Wilk of 6 W. Orchard Place said that there is a sight obstruction at the intersection that makes it difficult to see other motorists and believes Stop signs should be installed. Matt Lawrie stated that Staff performed a Stop sign study at the intersection and found that the minimum Stop sign warrants had not been met based on the traffic volume and number of accidents. Matt Lawrie recognized the Emerson Street Bridge to be under reconstruction that may have lowered the traffic volume. However, even with the bridge open to traffic, it is believed the Stop sign warrants would not be met. With respect to the sight obstruction, letters have been sent out to the residents whose landscaping creates the obstruction requesting they trim or remove the landscaping. Matt Lawrie recommended that yield signs on Tower Drive at Country Lane be installed due to the sight obstructions at the intersection and that the Yield signs will clearly identify who has the right-of-way. Commissioner Mitchell stated that he believed Yield signs are warranted because of the sight obstructions. Commissioner Mitchell, seconded by Commissioner Bencic, moved to approve installing Yield signs on eastbound Tower Drive and westbound Emerson Street at Country Lane. The motion was approved by a vote of 7-0. B) NO PARKING REQUEST WITHIN THE CUL-DE-SAC AND ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF CARBOY ROAD EAST OF NORDIC ROAD 1) Background Information Officer Tony Halachoulis, Mount Prospect Police Department, requested No Parking at any time within the Carboy Road cul-de-sac and the north side of Carboy Road east of Nordic Road. He has observed vehicles from Frank's Nursery (1002 Elmhurst Road) frequently parked in the cul-de-sac and semi -trailers parked in front of the vacant property (500 Carboy Road). This situation makes it difficult to maintain two-way traffic, and vehicles must use driveways to the businesses in order to tum around. n The Engineering Staff made the following observations: a) Carboy Road east of Nordic Road is a 32 -foot wide asphalt road with a cul-de-sac. Metal posts are located around a majority of the cul-de-sac to prevent vehicles from entering the Frank's Nursery parking lot. It appears, though, four metal posts have been removed to allow access to Frank's Nursery. Vehicles have been observed to be parked within the cul-de-sac, along the north side of Carboy Road and even on the grass on the vacant property (500 Carboy Road). b) In 1983, Frank's Nursery approached the Village complaining of °cut through" traffic. Traffic was bypassing the signal at Elmhurst and Algonquin by using Nordic to Carboy, then through the parking lot to Elmhurst. The Village approved the proposal and Frank's Nursery installed metal posts around the cul-de-sac to eliminate the problem. Some posts have been removed, however, a letter has been sent to Frank's Nursery requesting reinstallation of the missing posts. c) A portion of Carboy Road, immediately west of the Nordic Road intersection, is located in unincorporated Cook County. The Village, therefore, does not have jurisdiction over this area. The cul-de-sac west of Nordic Road and the south side of Carboy Road east of Nordic Road does have signs restricting parking. Also, the southern third and far north end of Nordic Road has signs on both sides of the road restricting parking. The signs state "No Parking Any Time." d) With semi -trailers and other large vehicles continually using Nordic and Carboy, parked vehicles on the streets should be limited. No Parking Any Time signs are located in the business area along both sides of Nordic and Carboy. Attached is a map showing the locations of the signs currently restricting parking. A majority of the signs are on Carboy and the south end of Nordic. Parking should not be allowed in this area in order to allow for turn around in the cul-de-sacs and easy vehicle maneuvering along Carboy and at the intersection of Carboy and Nordic. Upon review of the Village Code, it was discovered Nordic and Carboy do not have any parking restrictions except from 2am — 6am, even though existing No Parking signs are posted. Therefore, in order to be consistent with the existing signage and the proposed parking restrictions, the Village Code should reflect no parking along Carboy for the portion of the street within the Village limits and the south 233 feet of Nordic north of Carboy (length of 600 Carboy frontage). e) The Fire Department recommends no parking in the area. According to their investigation, the cul-de-sac measures 90' in diameter. Village Code requires the bulb in the cul-de-sac to have a minimum pavement diameter of 100'. Allowing parking in this area would make a substandard situation even worse. 5 Survey Results: A total- of 34 surveys were sent out to collect and analyze the businesses opinion. 18 surveys were returned to the Village. 12 businesses favored, 1 was against and 5 had no opinion. By a large majority, the businesses favored the parking restrictions. The owner at 555 Carboy indicated this area has been troublesome for a long time. Trailers are occasionally left on the north side of Carboy for a long period of time making it difficult for trucks to make the tum to enter his property. 501 Carboy indicated they have limited on-site parking and believe limiting on -street parking further would not be a good idea. Summary: Parking restrictions along Carboy and the south end of Nordic will allow for emergency vehicles to better access the properties in the business area. Parking restrictions will also allow for delivery trucks to maneuver in and out of the properties safely. No Parking Any Time signs currently exist along Carboy and Nordic. In order to be consistent with the surrounding area, parking should be restricted within the cul-de-sac and along the north side of Carboy east of Nordic as requested. Staff Recommendation: • No Parking at any time within the cul-de-sac and along the north side of Carboy Road east of Nordic Road as shown on the map. • Revise the Village Code to reflect No Parking at any time along both sides of Carboy Road and the south 233 feet of Nordic Road north of Carboy Road in order to be consistent with the current parking restriction signs. 2) Discussion Mr. Bob Bary, a representative of Wilkin Insulation Company, 501 Carboy Road, explained that their company was the only affected business by the no parking request. Limited on-site parking forces them to use the cul-de-sac for temporary parking. Also, trailers from the neighboring businesses occasionally are parked overnight along Carboy Road. This situation has existed for years without any objection. Commissioner Beening stated the no parking. request came from the Police Department. Also, he said the Fire Department supported the request since the radius of the cul-de-sac does not meet the minimum requirements and allowing parking would make the situation worse. Commissioner Bencic inquired about the metal posts that have been removed around the cul-de-sac. Mr. Barry explained they have an arrangement with Frank's Nursery to park trailers on their property. Mr. Barry was unsure whether the trailers accessed through the cul-de-sac or Elmhurst Road. Paul Bures explained the metal posts were installed to eliminate "cut through" traffic. One of the posts was removable so that the Fire Departments could access the site in the event of an emergency. C1 Paul Bures explained the geometrics of the cul-de-sac are substandard and are a problem for the fire trucks. Also, with vehicles parked in the cul-de-sac, snow plowing becomes very difficult. The Village would not have time to go to the different businesses in the event of an emergency or snow plowing to ask people to move their vehicles. Officer Steiner said there wouldn't be a problem if vehicles were parked for a few minutes and the driver was available in the event of an emergency. There was further discussion on supporting no parking for emergency purposes and to maintain two-way traffic. Commissioner Bencic, seconded by Paul Bures, moved to approve No Parking at any time within the cul-de-sac and along the north side of Carboy Road east of Nordic Road and revise the Village Code to reflect No Parking at any time along both sides of Carboy Road and the south 233 feet of Nordic Road north of Carboy Road in order to be consistent with the current parking restriction signs. The motion was approved by a vote of 7-0. Mr. Barry asked if the Village Board could overrule the Safety Commission's decision and allow parking along a portion of Carboy Road. Commissioner Beening said that their decision is a recommendation to the Village Board and he is welcome to go to the Village Board meeting and protest the recommendation. Adioumment With no further business to discuss, the Safety Commission voted 8-0 to adjourn at 8:15 p.m. upon the motion of Commission Bjork. Commissioner Moliere seconded the motion. x:\ ileslengineerlsa(ecomm\ira(ficlrecs&minlaugg8min.doc Respectfully submitted, Matthew P. Lawrie �� Project Engineer 7 NAME 2. 3. —lqa L 9 5. 11 7. 10. SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING AUGUST 10, 1998 7:30 P.M. SIGNET -IN SHEET ADDRESS -0,W. 0\ Rchgrrhto SrI �✓. CQ`so� ��'. 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