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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/09/2007 SC Minutes Director Glen R. Andler Mount Prospect ~ Deputy Director Sean P. Dorsey Mount Prospect Public Works Department 1700 W. Central Road, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056-2229 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 7:05 p.m. on Monday, July 9,2007. ROLL CALL Present upon roll call: Chuck Bencic John Keane Fred Pampel Carol Tortorello Mike Etemo Paul Bures Matt Lawrie Absent: Kevin Grouwinkel Marshall Petersen Buz Livingston Others in Attendance: Michael Landgraf Peter Leoschke Bill Reddy Jennifer Heinze APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Vice Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Police Department Representative Public Works Representative Traffic Engineer - Staff Liaison Commissioner Commissioner Fire Department Representative 21 S. School Street 101 S. Elm Street 105 S. Elm Street St. Paul Lutheran School, 18 S. School Street Commissioner Pampel, seconded by Commissioner Keane, moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Safety Commission held on March 12, 2007. The minutes were approved by a vote of 5-0 with Commissioner Tortorello abstaining. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD There was no one in attendance that spoke on an issue not on the agenda. Phone 847/870..5640 Fax 841/2;)].D3TI www.mountprospect.org OLD BUSINESS There was no old business to discuss. NEW BUSINESS A) TRAFFIC STUDY AT ST. PAUL LUTHERAN SCHOOL 1) Background Information Traffic-related concerns were communicated by the school to the Village in January 2007. The Village then observed the traffic patterns during the drop-off and pick-up times. From the Village's observations and subsequent meetings with the school, the school formally requested the Engineering Division's recommendations to improve pedestrian and vehicular safety. 2) Existing Conditions Current Traffic Regulations 1. According to the Village Code, Busse Avenue is one-way westbound between Elm Street and School Street during school hours. It is posted one-way westbound 8:00-9:00am and 2:30- 3:30pm on school days. 2. According to the Village Code, stopping, standing and parking is prohibited on both sides of Busse Avenue between Elm Street and School Street between the hours of 8:00am-4:00pm on school days. The north side, however, is stipulated as a loading zone. It is posted as No Parking during school hours. 3. According to the Village Code, stopping, standing and parking is prohibited on the west side of School Street between Central Road and Busse Avenue (excluding the first 150' south of Central Road and the first 196' north of Busse Avenue) between the hours of 8:00am-4:00pm on school days. It is posted as No Parking during school hours. 4. According to the Village Code, the first 196' north of Busse Avenue along the west side of School Street is designated as a fire lane. It is posted as such. 5. According to the Village Code, there are many streets in the neighborhood that have a parking limit of 2 hours. They are posted as such. 6. According to the Village Code, Busse Avenue is one-way westbound between Elm Street and Owen Street on Sundays between 7 :OOam-1 :OOpm. School Street is one-way southbound between Central Road and Evergreen Avenue during the same timeframe. School Street is posted as such but there are no signs on Busse Avenue. These traffic regulations are associated with the church activities rather than the school. Current Lavout 1. The streets in the neighborhood including Busse Avenue and School Street are all approximately 31' wide (back-of-curb to back-of-curb). 2. The primary entrances for students are the doors on Busse Avenue. Therefore, the primary drop-off/pick-up location is along both sides of Busse Avenue in front of the school. 3. There are painted crosswalks at the intersections of Busse Avenue & School Street and Busse Avenue & Elm Street. School crossing signs are also visible in advance of and at the crosswalks. 4. There is a 4-way Stop at Busse Avenue & School Street and a 2-way Stop at Busse Avenue & Elm Street (Stop signs on Elm Street). 5. The school's parking lot has approximately 50 spaces. Current Traffic Conditions 1. For kindergarten to 8th grade, school begins at 8:30am. Preschool begins at 8:45am. 2. The morning kindergarten and preschool ends at 11:15am. 3. The afternoon kindergarten and preschool begins at 12:30pm. 4. For afternoon preschool, school ends at 3:00pm. Afternoon kindergarten ends at 3:10pm. For 1st grade to 8th grade, school ends at 3:15pm. 5. There is no bus transportation at the school. Of the 250 students, most are driven to school by parents. Some students live in the neighborhood and walklbike to school. 6. During the morning drop-off, the traffic congestion is typically contained to Busse Avenue in front of the school. The north side is continually full (12-13 cars) and the south side experiences 3-8 cars at any time during drop-off. A smaller number of cars are observed to use School Street. And a couple of cars are seen using Elm Street. The parking lot has approximately 30 available spaces but is rarely used by parents as a drop-offlocation. 7. During the lunch drop-off/pick-up, there is not a significant amount of congestion. The north side of Busse A venue is the primary area of activity. 8. During the afternoon pick-up, there is traffic congestion for approximately 20-30 minutes because of the staggered dismissal times. The north side of Busse Avenue is full and the south side experiences 6-8 cars at any time during pick-up. The west side of School Street in front of the school is full (9-10 cars) and the east side experiences 2-4 cars near Busse Avenue. Busse A venue east of School Street, School Street south of Busse A venue, and Elm Street also experience 2-4 cars during pick-up. 3) Staff Study Issues 1. Disobedience by motorists to the one-way designation on Busse Avenue during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. 2. Double parking by parents during afternoon pick-up. 3. Students walking between cars and crossing Busse Avenue and School Street at non- crosswalk locations. 4. One narrow travel lane with cars parked on both sides of School Street. 5. Cars park close to crosswalks limiting visibility of students. 6. Parents and residents park in the opposite direction during one-way hours. 7. Parents park in the opposite direction during two-way hours (noon time drop-off/pick-up). 8. Under-utilized parking lot (20-30 available spaces throughout school day). Observation & Evaluation Bus Drop-offlPick-up Location - Ideally, the location for buses to drop-off and pick-up students should be separated from other vehicle traffic. For this school, there is no bus transportation. Short-Term Parking Location - Short-term parking would be for those parents who need to go into the school for no more than 10-15 minutes. Ideally, short-term parking should be separated from the drop-off and pick-up area. Otherwise, congestion increases and forces parents to drop-off and pick-up their child further from the school. For this school, there is availability in the parking lot for short-term parking even though it is not signed. Long-Term Parking Location - Long-term parking would be for teachers, administration and volunteers who are in school for most of the day. Ideally, there should be adequate spaces in a parking lot to accommodate the demand for long-term parking. Otherwise, the public streets become more congested. For this school, long-term parking is evident in the lot and not seen on public streets. Parent Drop-off / Pick-up Location - Ideally, the location for parents to drop-off and pick-up their child should be separated from the other three locations above. For this school, Busse Avenue and School Street are the preferred locations. With the primary doors on Busse Avenue and many preschool children attending the school, parents will often park on the street and walk their child to and from the school. There is availability in the parking lot but it is rarely used since it is not as close to the primary entrances. One-way Designation along Busse A venue - Busse Avenue between Elm Street and School Street is one-way westbound for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon on school days. This part-time one-way designation appears to lead to confusion and disobedience. During Staffs observations, cars were seen driving and parked in the wrong direction. At times when the one-way street was in effect, parents and residents had their cars parked facing eastbound. At times when the one-way designation was not in effect, parents and residents were parked on the south side of the street facing westbound. In most cases, public streets should be two-way to provide full access to the neighborhood and not burden one street over another. Busse Avenue is a collector street as it provides a connection between the neighborhood and downtown. As such, it tends to experience a greater vehicular volume than other neighborhood streets. A one-way designation along Busse A venue, therefore, adds traffic to other streets when it normally would not disperse traffic. On-street Parking - During the drop-off and pick-up times, cars were observed parked on both sides of Busse A venue and School Street. The width of the streets allows one travel lane with cars parked on both sides. Therefore, on School Street, two-way traffic could not be maintained. On Busse Avenue, double parking in the travel lane was observed and backed up traffic. Another issue with cars parked on both sides of the street is there is a greater tendency for students not to use the crosswalks. As observed, this presents a safety concern as students are walking between cars and drivers may not see them. Prohibiting parking on one side of the street creates two travel lanes. It also reduces the potential for students to cross at non-crosswalk locations if the parking restrictions are on the side opposite the school. Another issue with on-street parking is cars parking close to the crosswalks. Village Code prohibits parking within 30' on approach to a Stop sign and 20' from a crosswalk. Signs are currently not posted so, as a result, parents park near and sometimes on top of crosswalks. As observed, this forces students to walk around cars and creates a sight obstruction making it difficult for them to cross the street. Intersection Control & Speed Limits - The Neighborhood Traffic Study involves reviewing all Village intersections for proper traffic control and all Village streets for proper speed limits. This particular neighborhood was studied in 2006 with changes made in January 2007. Based on the latest school study, the Engineering Staff does not believe it to be necessary to change any existing intersection control or speed limit signs. Busse A venue and School Street is a 4-way Stop since it is the primary pedestrian crossing for both the school and church. There is also a park adjacent to the intersection. Busse A venue and Elm Street is a 2-way Stop with Stop signs on Elm Street. Even though the intersection is adjacent to the school, the pedestrian activity is minimal. Plus, with Busse A venue being a collector street, mobility is a primary function. There are 4-way Stops one block to the east and west of the intersection. Given these circumstances, additional Stop signs are not believed to be necessary. With respect to speed limits, appropriate school speed limit zones are in place. Church & Park Activities - The Engineering Staff also considered the impact of any changes on nearby traffic generators. St. Paul Lutheran Church and Owen Park are both adjacent to the school. The church is currently in the middle of building addition project. It was, therefore, difficult to forecast traffic issues related to the church. With respect to the park, there did not appear to be any traffic issues associated with the playground or the Park District basebaIllsoftball program based on Staffs observations. Resident/Parent Survey- As part of the study, 15 surveys were sent to nearby properties (including the school) soliciting their opinion on removing the one-way street designation and adding parking restrictions. 2 surveys (13%) were returned. Both surveys supported the proposed changes. 4) Recommendations 1. At one time, the part-time one-way designation along Busse Avenue served the school well. However, motorists today are continually disobeying the posted signs. This creates a false sense of security for pedestrians and creates confusion along the street. The one-way designation also adds more traffic to streets like Elm Street by forcing traffic around the block. While converting the street back to two-way would be a significant change, the Engineering Staff believes it would be safer than the continual disobedience to the current one-way designation. As an example, the Engineering Staff found success in eliminating the part-time one-way designation at Forest View Elementary. The environment around the school is much safer for students now. Recommendation: Remove the one-way westbound designation along Busse Avenue between Elm Street and School Street, converting it back to a two-way street. 2. With preschool students, it cannot be expected that parents will simply drop-off their child without escorting him/her to the classroom. As a result, parents need to leave their vehicle for a short time. Since the doors along Busse Avenue are the primary entrances, allowing parents the ability to leave their vehicle on the street is important to the school. Recommendation: Enact IS-Minute Parking School Days 8:00am-4:00pm along the north side of Busse Avenue between Elm Street and School Street. 3. The area in front of the school on School Street is a primary location for drop-off and pick- up. The first 196' north of Busse Avenue is a designated fire lane. According to the Fire Department, this designation should not be altered. Parents can drop-off and pick-up their child as long as they remain in the vehicle. The middle of the block prohibits drop-off and pick-up according to the Village Code and the first 150' south of Central Road limits parking to 2-hours. Recommendation: Enact No Parking Drop-Off / Pick-Up Zone School Days 8:00am-4:00pm along the west side of School Street between Busse Avenue and Central Road excluding the first 196' north of Busse Avenue and first 150' south of Central Road. 4. Parking along both sides of Busse A venue and School Street in front of the school is a concern. It prevents two-way traffic and encourages students to cross at non-crosswalk locations to waiting parents. The Engineering Staff has found success in prohibiting parking on the side of the street opposite the school at other schools such as Lions Park Elementary, Fairview Elementary and Forest View Elementary to address these issues. Recommendation: Enact No Stopping, Standing, Parking School Days 8:00am-4:00pm along the south side of Busse A venue between Elm Street and School Street, and along the east side of School Street between Busse Avenue and Central Road. 5. The 2-hour parking limit on many of the neighborhood streets surrounding the downtown was enacted many years ago to discourage commuters and business patrons from parking in the neighborhoods. With more downtown parking now available, the 2-hour parking limit is not an issue for those street already affected by parking regulations associated with the school. Recommendation: Remove 2-Hour Parking along the south side of Busse Avenue between Elm Street and School Street, and along the east side of School Street between Busse Avenue and Central Road. 6. Cars parked on or adjacent to crosswalks limit the visibility of pedestrians crossing the street. Village Code prohibits parking within 30' on approach to a Stop sign and within 20' of a crosswalk. Recommendation: Install No Parking Here To Corner signs as appropriate at Busse Avenue & School Street and Busse Avenue & Elm Street. 7. On any given day, the Engineering Staff observed 20-30 available spaces in the parking lot. These spaces could be used for short-term parking as well as drop-off and pick-up. Recommendation: The school should consider ways to better utilize the parking lot to relieve congestion experienced on the public streets. 8. If any changes are approved, they should be done during the summer months before school resumes in order to avoid any confusion. Notification to parents in August and police presence during the first week of school will be important to provide a smooth transition. Recommendation: Complete any changes before school resumes in the fall, provide notification to parents, and have the Police Department educate parents and enforce the new traffic regulations during the first week of school. 9. The church is in the middle of a building addition project. Therefore, it was difficult to forecast any potential traffic issues after the project is completed. In order to provide a comprehensive traffic study and to monitor any approved changes associated with the school, performing a post-study after completion of the church project will benefit the neighborhood. Recommendation: Observe the traffic once the church project is completed to identify/correct any issues associated with the church and/or school. 5) Discussion Since some in the audience were not familiar with the topic, Chairman Bencic asked Traffic Engineer Lawrie to present Staffs study and recommendations. Traffic Engineer Lawrie then provided a presentation on the issue. Chairman Bencic opened the discussion to the public. Bill Reddy, 105 S. Elm Street, agreed with the recommendation that Busse Avenue should be a two-way street at all times. However, he believes there is a parking problem on Elm Street north of Busse A venue during drop-off and pick-up. He suggested similar parking restrictions as proposed on other streets around the school. He also pointed out that cars park on both sides of Elm Street on Sunday mornings. Peter Leoschke, 101 S. Elm Street, commented that it is difficult to travel down the street with the construction activities associated with the church. He is also concerned about limited parking around his house as he lives at the comer of Elm Street and Busse Avenue. Michael Landgraf, 21 S. School Street, is in support of anything that will improve safety for the students. He would also like to see a review of the church and park traffic. Jennifer Heinze, principal at St. Paul Lutheran School, is interested in making changes that will improve safety while accommodating parents during drop-off and pick-up. She acknowledged some the problems and supports the recommendations made by the Village. She wants the school to be a good neighbor and wants a workable plan for everyone. Ms. Heinze also commented on the ongoing construction at the church. Chairman Bencic brought the issue back to the Commission. Vice Chairman Keane believes it is a good idea to review the church and park traffic at a later date but a decision ought to be made on the school traffic. He supports the recommendations as there has been success at other schools with similar traffic issues. Commissioner Tortorello asked if any changes needed to be made to the fire lane on School Street. Traffic Engineer Lawrie stated that he spoke with the Fire Marshal and that the current fire lane is acceptable and should not be modified. There was some general discussion about the parking restrictions on School Street. Mr. Reddy then commented that similar restrictions should be considered on Elm Street north of Busse Avenue. Traffic Engineer Lawrie responded to the Commission that Staff did not observe a lot of traffic on Elm Street and did not believe restrictions were necessary at this time. Those residents were not notified of the meeting since they were not directly impacted. He provided three options: to recommend parking restrictions on Elm Street at tonight's meeting, to notify the Elm Street residents and bring the issue back in August, or to observe the traffic after school begins and make further changes if necessary. There was general consensus from the Commission to include parking restrictions on Elm Street as part of tonight's recommendation. Chairman Bencic asked if the IS-minute parking on Busse Avenue would be enforced. Officer Eterno said that it would if it was obvious they were violating the sign. The intent of the north side of Busse Avenue is for drop-off and pick-up. Chairman Bencic wondered if the time limit was too long and would cause congestion. It was discussed that parents with pre-school aged children needed to be escorted into the school. There was some discussion about the church construction schedule. The parking lot is currently closed, therefore, there is more traffic on the street during church and park activities. Ms. Heinze said it is anticipated that the renovation project would be completed in November and the church parking lot would then be reopened. There currently is no schedule for the next phase which would include expanding the parking lot. There was consensus to perform a follow-up study in the Spring 2008 when the parking lot is reopened and the park district's baseball/softball program is underway. Commissioner Tortorello, seconded by Commissioner Pampel, moved to approve the recommendations of the Village Traffic Engineer along with prohibiting stopping, standing, parking from 8:00am-4:00pm on school days along the west side of Elm Street from Busse Avenue to a point ISO' north. She also recommended that a follow-up traffic study be performed in Spring 2008 focusing on the church and park traffic as well as evaluating the changes around the school. The motion was approved by a vote of 6-0. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said he would notify those in attendance as well as those properties on Elm Street that would be affected by the recommended parking restrictions of the Village Board Meeting. COMMISSION ISSUES Officer Eterno informed the Safety Commission about the new Police Traffic Unit and its role in the community. There was some general discussion on its role of addressing neighborhood traffic complaints made by residents and its aggressive enforcement of speed limits on Village streets. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to discuss, the Safety Commission voted 6-0 to adjourn at 8:25 p.m. upon the motion of Commissioner Pampel. Commissioner Keane seconded the motion. Respectfully submitted, Matthew P. Lawrie, P .E. Traffic Engineer h: lengineeringltraffic \safety_commission \recs&mins \j uly07 min .doc