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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/11/2023 TSC MinutesMAYOR Mount Prospect VILLAGE MANAGER Paul Wm. Hoefert Michael J. Cassady TRUSTEES DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS Agostino S. Filippone Sean Dorsey Terri Gens John J. Matuszak Michael A. Zadel Phone: 847/870-5640 Richard F. Rogers Fax: 847/253-9377 Colleen E. Saccotelli www.mountprospect.org Village of Mount Prospect Public Works 1700 W. Central Road, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 MINUTES OF THE MOUNT PROSPECT TRANSPORTATION SAFETY COMMISSION CALL TO ORDER The meeting of the Mount Prospect Transportation Safety Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, December 11, 2023. ROLL CALL Present upon roll call: Justin Kuehlthau Chairman Tina DeAragon Commissioner Jeffrey Nejdl Commissioner Joesph Vena Fire Department Representative Scott Moe Public Works Department Representative Luke Foresman Civil Engineer—Staff Liaison Absent: Jeffrey Nejdl Commissioner (Commissioner Nejdl arrived at 7:10 PM) Christopher Prosperi Vice Chairman Others in Attendance: Matthew Lawrie Village Engineer Vito Li Rosi Resident APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Kuehlthau, seconded by Representative Moe, moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Transportation Safety Commission held on November 13, 2023. The minutes were approved by a vote of 5-0. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD None. TSC Meeting Page 1 of 6 December 11, 2023 OLD BUSINESS No old business. NEW BUSINESS DRAFT Friendly Neighborhood Streets Program Staff Liaison Foresman presented the draft Friendly Neighborhood Streets Program to the Commission by highlighting the following items: Background: The Transportation Safety Commission charged Engineering Staff with updating the Village's Traffic Calming Program in the summer of 2023. This was in response to residents who have requested traffic calming measures but have been unable to pursue a project due to their streets not meeting the existing minimum criteria. Existing Program: The existing program was adopted in 2011 and was designed to address the streets with the highest recorded speeds and volumes. Since adoption, the Village has completed numerous traffic calming projects as shown in the included map. However, after addressing these streets, the eligibility criteria is too high for the next round of streets to be addressed. Proposed Program: The Engineering Division created the Friendly Neighborhood Streets Program as an update to the existing traffic calming program. The new name was chosen to reflect a more holistic approach to managing speeds on neighborhood streets and making them safer for pedestrians and bicyclists at the same time. The program includes best practices when it comes to managing speeds. Overall, the draft program makes 25.72 miles (19%) of Village streets eligible, up from 9.78 miles (7%) of Village streets with the existing program. Proposed Criteria: • 85th Percentile Speed 7 MPH over the speed limit, down from 9 MPH over the speed limit • Average Speed 3 MPH over the speed limit, down from 5 MPH over the speed limit • Traffic Volume criteria remains the same Additional changes and highlights in the Friendly Neighborhood Streets Program: • The primary outcome of this program is to increase safety for all users, including vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists, by reducing vehicle speeds and excessive volumes on neighborhood streets. • When a traffic calming project is being developed, pedestrian and bike facilities (if on a bike route) will be automatically considered and incorporated into the project as appropriate. • With this program, the Village will be more proactive in seeking traffic calming projects on streets that are part of the annual resurfacing program. These projects will still go through the same process, but the Village will initiate them. This will be the most cost effective and least disruptive way to construct traffic calming projects. TSC Meeting Page 2 of 6 December 11, 2023 • Residents who wish to initiate a traffic calming project will be required to show neighborhood support prior to the Engineering Division conducting a traffic study. As part of creating the Friendly Neighborhood Streets Program, the Engineering Division created a database and maps combining over 2000 traffic studies that have been conducted in the Village. Staff will be able to use this data to inform residents of the likelihood of the street qualifying for a traffic calming project when they reach out. As most of this data is from 2006 — 2010, a new traffic study will most likely be required to confirm existing conditions on a particular street, but we have found little change in speeds over the years unless there has been new development. • Once the traffic calming process is initiated and a design is chosen, the project area will be balloted for approval of the project. For this balloting process, more than 50% of the ballots will need to be returned against the project to prevent a recommendation to the Transportation Safety Commission. A non -response will be considered a vote for the traffic calming project. This is to prevent a vocal minority from stopping a project when studies have shown traffic calming has a positive effect on the livability of a neighborhood. • Speed humps have been removed from the traffic calming toolbox. They have been trialed in the Village in the past and were ultimately removed for various reasons. Since they are one of the first items residents request, Staff wants to be up front about them not being recommended in the Village. Raised crosswalks, which are like speed humps, are included in the toolbox as they have a positive impact on pedestrian safety as well as calming traffic. • The Village Board will have final approval on traffic calming projects. Comparison Table 2011 Traffic Calming Program 2023 Friendly Neighborhood Streets Program Street Eligibility 85 Percentile Speed 9 MPH above speed limit 85 Percentile Speed 7 MPH above speed limit Average Speed 5 MPH above speed limit Average Speed 3 MPH above speed limit Traffic Volume 1000 vehicles per day Traffic Volume 1000 vehicles per day 9.78 Miles (7%) of Village Streets eligible 25.72 Miles (19%) of Village Streets eligible Other Changes Includes pedestrian and bicycle safety Focus on reducing vehicle speed improvements along with reducing vehicle speed Requires 66% of ballots to be returned in favor of Requires 50% of ballots against a project to stop a project for a project to be approved a project. No response is considered a vote for the project Traffic Calming Process initiated at first resident Traffic Calming Process initiated after complaint demonstrated neighborhood support TSC Meeting Page 3 of 6 December 11, 2023 The Commission provided the following comments: • General discussion on what streets are eligible and what can be done on streets that are not included in the program. Liaison Foresman indicated the Village would review issues on non - neighborhood streets on a case-by-case basis and would need to work with IDOT or Cook County as most of the arterial roads in town are not under Village Jurisdiction. • General discussion on bikes and pedestrians being included in the program. Indication that bike routes need more than just signage to inform drivers that bicycles are present. • Benches being included was brought up. Liaison Foresman indicated the idea behind the benches is to try to incorporate pedestrian friendly infrastructure outside of downtown. They will need to be incorporated in the right project, but they were included in a program to be an option going forward. • Meetings were discussed. Liaison Foresman indicated meetings were intended to be held on site to be as accessible to residents as possible, but location could be varied based on the specific project. • The Commission questioned their role in the process. Liaison Foresman indicated their formal involvement will occur at the Transportation Safety Commission meeting when the ballots and project is discussed. Prior to this, it is staff's intention to keep the Commission informed of any traffic calming projects and what stage they are in, including inviting the Commission to any on- site meetings. On a project -by -project basis, a project can be added to a Commission Meeting's agenda to discuss the issue prior to balloting. • General discussion of maintenance with various traffic calming devices. Liaison Foresman and Public Works Representative Moe explained that any change in street geometry can increase maintenance costs, either by increasing staff time for snow removal, leaf removal and street sweeping, or repairs required when traffic calming measure are hit be vehicles. The Engineering Division works closely with the Streets Division when developing plans to ensure maintenance is taken into consideration. In general, the larger effect a traffic calming measure has on vehicle speed, the harder it is to maintain. • Comments to highlight collaboration with Police to address traffic issues. • Comment to review the education section to further describe tools to help educate the public. • Comment to include sustainability measures as appropriate. • Comment that some projects may not require temporary measures • Comment to try to shorten the process. Liaison Foresman then indicated the draft plan will be published on the Village website. Communication will go out to the public informing them of the revisions and requesting their comments. Staff will revise the draft program incorporating changes from comments we receive. The revised program will then be presented to the Transportation Safety Commission for approval. After the Commission approves the program, it will be sent to the Village Board for adoption. No action is required by the Commission at this time. Complete Streets Annual Summary The Village of Mount Prospect adopted a Complete Streets Policy on February 4, 2020. As part of the policy, the Engineering Division will annually present to the Commission the results of eight performance measures as outlined in the policy. These performance measures were compared to 2021 and 2022 as presented in the table below: TSC Meeting Page 4 of 6 December 11, 2023 Complete Streets Annual Summary Numbers Performance Measure Unit 2021 2022 2023 Miles of On Street Bike Routes Miles 15 29 29 Number of New Bike Parking Spaces Each 0 0 0 Linear Feet of New or Reconstructed Sidewalk Feet 38,731 48,405 50,836 Number of New or Reconstructed Curb Rams Each 178 176 231 Number of New! Improved or Repainted Crosswalks Each 627 216 379 Number of New Parkway Trees Each 505 631 580 Number of New or Rehabilitated Transit Stops Each 0 0 4 ADA Complaint Upgrades Sidewalk Squares 11,775 11,126 914 Liaison Foresman provided a brief presentation on the issues. He summarized efforts of the Public Works Department in 2023 as it relates to the Complete Streets Policy. No formal action was necessary or taken. Update on Various Village Transportation Projects Liaison Foresman provided a brief overview of the following projects to the Commission: Projects Completed or Under Construction in 2023: • Central Road and Cathy Lane Crosswalk—Substantially Complete • Annual Resurfacing Program • Annual Sidewalk Program • Central Road — Mount Prospect Road — Rand Road — Intersection Project — Under Construction • Business Center Drive Road Diet • IL 83 Resurfacing (At Prospect Avenue) • Mount Prospect Road — Northwest Highway — Prospect Road — UPRR Intersection Improvements 2024 Tentative Project Studies and Design • Arterial Bike Network Study • Kensington Road SRTS Project (CN Railroad Crossing Upgrade) — Construction 2025 • Algonquin Road Shared -Use Path, Sidewalk and Street Lighting — Construction 2026 • Rand -IL 83 -Kensington Phase II Design — Construction 2026 • Melas — Meadows Bridge Phase II Design — Construction 2026 • Schoenbeck Road Sidewalk and Resurfacing — Construction 2025 • Northwest Highway— CentralRoad— Prospect Avenue— UPRR Intersection Study — PhaseIDesign • Wolf Road Long Term Study— Phase I Design 2024 Tentative Construction Projects • Rand -Central -Mount Prospect Finish Construction • Central Road and Cathy Lane Mast Arm Installation • Central Road STP Resurfacing — Rand Road to Wolf Road • IL 83 — Busse Road Crosswalk (Future TSC) • Street Resurfacing • New Sidewalk Program —Wolf Road (ComEd ROW) TSC Meeting Page 5 of 6 December 11, 2023 • Business Center Drive Off Street Bike Improvements Other Projects • Busse Road Reconstruction — Construction 2025 Recent Grant Awards • Melas — Meadows Bridge Phase II & Phase III — ITEP - $3,000,000 • Melas — Meadows Bridge Phase II & Phase III — STP - $2,033,824 • Rand — IL 83 — Kensington — Congressional Appropriation - $7,000,000 • Kensington Road — Federal Local Rail -Highway Crossing Safety Program - $294,500 • Arterial Bike Network Study - $280,000 No formal action was necessary or taken. COMMISSION ISSUES Commissioner Nejdl brought up an item that was discussed at Coffee with the Council, a gap in sidewalk along the north side of Lonnquist Boulevard between Busse Road and 1904 W. Lonnquist. Liaison Foresman indicated Public Works was made aware of the item this morning and will be looking into it. The Village typically fills in sidewalk gaps as part of the annual Street Resurfacing Program. Staff Liaison Foresman indicated the Village investigated speed limit signs on Hunt Club Drive and found them to be installed with acceptable spacing. The new traffic calming program, when approved, may provide additional ways for the neighborhood to work with the Village to address traffic issues on the street. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to discuss, the Transportation Safety Commission voted 6-0 to adjourn at 8:30 p.m. upon the motion of Chairman Kuehlthau. Commissioner Nejdl seconded the motion. Respectfully submitted, � w Luke Foresman, P.E. Civil Engineer H:\Engineering\Traffic\safety_commission\_MINUTES\2023\12-December TCS Traffic Calming\TSC-12-December 2023 Minutes. docx TSC Meeting Page 6 of 6 December 11, 2023