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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/08/2001 SC minutesGlen R Andler R0derick I 0 O0n0va~ Mount Prospect Public Works Department 1700 W. Central Road, Mount Prospect, Illimois 60056-2229 Phone 847/970-5640 Fax 847/253-9377 Paul 0. Bures TDO 847/392-1235 MINUTES OF TIlE MOUNT PROSPECT SAFETY COMMISSION CALL TO ORDER The Regular Meeting of the Mount Prospect Safety Commission was called to order at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, October 8, 2001. ROLL CALL Present upon roll call: Chuck Bencic Lee Beening John Keane Andy Mitchell Buz Livingston Paul Bures Matt Lawrie Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commigsioner Fire Department Public Works Public Works/Engineering Division Absent: Nancy Bobikewicz Joan Bjork Rich Eddington Commissioner Commissioner Police DePartment Others in Attendance: See Attached Attendance Sheet. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Beening, seconded by Commissioner Keane, moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Safety Commission held on September I0, 2001. The minutes were approved by a vote of 6-0. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD No citizens came forth to discuss any topics that were not on the current agenda. 1 Recycled Paper - Printed with Soy Ink NEW BUSINESS A) REVIEW OF PARKING RESTRICTIONS AROUND PROSPECT HIGH SCHOOL 1) Background Information The Village Board of Trustees at their September 18t~ meeting passed an ordinance that restricted parking on four Village Streets near Prospect High School. The Safety Commission and Village Board of Trustees indicated a desire for Staff to monitor the effect of the new parking restrictions on the streets in question and the rest of the neighborhood. The Safety Commission asked that this issue be brought before them again for further discussion. 2) Staff Study Before the recent parking restrictions were approved, Staffobserved 3045 vehicles parked along both sides of the 500 to 700 blocks of Fairview Avenue during the school day. Since enacting the new parking restrictions, student parking has not been seen on the affected streets. Before the recent parking restrictions were approved, Staff observed a total of approximately 60 vehicles parked on various Village streets. Over the past two weeks, Staff has observed approximately 20 vehicles parked on various Village streets that do not currently have parking restrictions. While some students may have elected to find other ways to get to school, it is believed many students have shifted back to parking on streets in Arlington Heights. Staff has observed appro~d, mately 45 vehicles parking on their streets during the school day. Staff has also observed that half of the vehicles parking on Village streets during the school day are doing so on the 400 block of Forest Avenue. The remaining vehicles are on the 400 blocks of Dale Avenue, MacArthur Boulevard, Oak Street, Fairview Avenue and Prospect Manor as well as the 500 and 600 blocks of Eastwood Avenue. Staff has received a few phone calls from residents on the 400 block of Forest Avenue concerning the amount of student parking on their block. As was discussed at the previous Safety Commission meeting, the long-term solution is for the school to provide a sufficient number of parking spaces on their property to accommodate the demand. A new parking lot is currently proposed to be built in 2004 and 2005. Also, approximately 140 spaces are currently not in use until the end of October due to band practice. The current parking issues around Prospect High School are much less in magnitude than compared to a month ago. Staff has not observed the amount of vehicles concentrated to one area like was seen on Fairview Avenue. Staff believes that at the end of October ~vhen the 140 parking spaces are made available, the issues on streets such as the 400 block of Forest Avenue will be resolved. Extending parking restrictions south and east would address recent concerns raised by some residents in the neighborhood. This would, in turn, hopefully cause some more students to find other alternatives to get to school. However, should students simply decide to continue to drive, Prospect High School parking now begins to encroach on Fairview Elementary School traffic. Staff spent a significant amount of time earlier this year correcting traffic problems associated with the school and does not want to create new problems. 2 3) 4) Recommendation Based on the study performed by Staff: The Village Traffic Engineer recommends to not enact any further parking restrictions around Prospect High School at this time. Discussion Traffic Engineer Lawrie made a brief presentation on this issue. Chairman Bencic opened up the discussion to the public. There was no one in the audience that wished to speak on this issue. Chairman Bencic asked if there were any measures that could be installed along the edge of streets that do not have curb and gutter to deter vehicles from parking on the grass. Mr. Bures stated that the Village has in the past installed plastic delineators at the comers of intersections but they don't always prove successful. Commissioner Beening asked if further parking restrictions were ever recommended, would residents be notified? Traffic Engineer Lawrie stated surveys would be sent to residents. Chairman Bencic asked that S. taff respond to those letters that were received from residents requesting additional parking restrictions notifying them of the SafeW Commission's and Village Board's decisions. Commissioner Beening, seconded by Mr. Bures, moved to not enact any further parking restrictions at this time and continue to monitor the neighborhood. Staff is to respond to those letters that were received from residents requesting additional parking restrictions. The motion was approved by a vote of 6-0. B) i) REQUEST FOR PARKING RESTRICTIONS AROUND LIONS PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Background Information The Village received a petition from the school with 120 signatures requesting parking restriction changes around the school. School attendance is at an all-time high (around 650 students) this year. Mobile classrooms were added this summer to address the increase in attendance. More and more students are being driven to school by parents. Also, at the suggestion of Village Staff, the school has closed the long~term parking lot off of Council Trail to parents for drop-off and pick-up. The congestion in the parking lot often spilled out onto Council Trail causing gridlock and an unsafe situation for students walking in the area. By closing the parking lot, traffic movement along Council Trail has greatly improved but has created congestion along the streets south of Council Trail. Also, the short-term parking lot off of School Street often times is filled and there is a need for additional short-term parking. 2) Staff Study Site visits were conducted during the weeks of September 24t~ and October 1st. Visits were done at different times throughout the school day. School begins at 9am, lets out at 3:30pm and has kindergarten pick-up/drop-off at noon. In the morning, the drop-offoccurs from about 8:45am to 9:05am. There is a continuous flow of traffic during this time period. Parents primarily use the north side of Council Trail in front of the school for drop-off. The school places traffic cones down the center of the street to avoid double-parking and passing. The cones assist in making the drop-offtime orderly and safe. School Street, Elm Street and Maple Street are also used by parents for drop-off. These streets can become congested for a brief period of time when vehicles are parked on both sides making it difficult to maintain two-way traffic. Crossing guards (teachers and students) help students cross Council Trail at both Elm Street and School Street. Overall, the drop-off time runs smoothly except for some congestion along some of the streets south of Council Trail. Only kindergarten classes are dismissed to the School Street side of the school. Around lunchtime, drop-off and pick-up occurs for these classes. Congestion is not a problem during this time of the day. During the day, however, the short-term parking lot can become full making it difficult for parents to find parking in front of the school according to school administration. Parents often complain to the school that there is not enough short-term parking adjacent to the school. Teachers and volunteers who cannot find space in the long-term parking lot often park on Maple Street north of Council Trail and on Elm Street and School Street south of Council Trail. In the afternoon, pick-up occurs from about 3:25pm to 3:45pm. The congestion appears to be greatest in the afternoon as parents are parked in their vehicles and waiting for their children. At the time school lets out, Staff observed over 100 vehicles parked on Village streets around the school. Vehicles were observed to be parked on the north side of Council Trail between Emerson Street and Owen Street. The west side of School Street north of Council Trail was full of parked vehicles. Also, both sides of Elm Street for most of the block and School Street for half the block south of Council Trail were full of parked vehicles. Maple Street north of Council Trail had vehicles parked on both sides for the entire block. South of Council Trail, Maple Street only has experienced a few parked vehicles. The afternoon pick-up time runs smoothly with the exception of congestion on Elm Street and School Street south of Council Trail. Two-way traffic cannot be maintained for about 20 minutes along these streets. Parents were observed turning around in driveways and blocking driveways. Students were observed walking between parked cars and crossing the street not at a crosswalk. 61 surveys were distributed to those residents that live adjacent to the proposed parking restrictions. 29 surveys were returned to the Village. The question that was asked in the survey was, What insight can you provide or experiences can you share that would support or oppose the parking restrictions? 8 surveys opposed the proposed parking restrictions. The remaining surveys either supported the additional parking restrictions or provided other suggestions. Difficulty accessing driveways, traffic congestion and a need to improve children safety were a few comments. 4 .3) Parking restrictions should alleviate the congestion experienced on some of the streets around the school. Restricting parking only on one side of the street will allow two-way traffic to be maintained. Residents will still be able to use one side of the street for parking and should have an easier time accessing their driveways. Restricting parking on the east side of the streets was chosen for a reason. By allowing drop-off and pick-up on the west side, vehicles are facing away fi.om the school. The hope is that parents ~vill continue south and use Berkshire Lane to leave the area rather than turning around and further congesting Council Trail. While Elm Street experiences vehicles parked on both sides of the street for a majority of the block, Maple Street and School Street do not. By restricting parking to only one side of the street, many parents will have to find a new area to drop-off and pick-up their child. It is anticipated that Maple Street and School Street will experience more vehicles should the new parking restrictions be approved. Therefore, parking restrictions on these two streets would be necessary. Adjacent streets such as Berkshire Lane and Owen Street that do not have parking restrictions and are not experiencing problems now are not anticipated to see a large volume of parked vehicles and, therefore, were not included in the study. Even after this study, Staff will continue to monitor the area and address any other traffic-related issues as necessary. Restricting parking on the north side of Council Trail in front of the school will assure the area is only used for drop-off and pick-up during the school day. Allowing parking during the day will only further compound the congestion problem. The school has put up their own signs that state the north side of the street is a pick-up and drop-offzone only. Village Code, however, currently allows parking. Modifying the current parking restrictions along the west side of School Street north of Council Trail Should benefit both the school and residents. The school his expressed a need for additional short-term parking adjacent to the school. While not enthusiastic about it, Staff will support the request to assist the school with this parking need. By restricting parking during the peak hours only, drop-off and pickmp spaces are not lost and short-term parking during the day is provided. Parking is also currently not allowed on the east side of the sti'eet. By relaxing the parking restrictions on the west side of the street, residents can also now take advantage of the street parking during the day. However, should the Village find parents or residents continually parking on the street during drop-off and pick-up times, Staff may consider replacing the signs with the original ones. The current timeframe for the one-way designation on School Street is too restrictive in Staff's opinion. Slightly modifying the times will not have a negative affect on drop-off and pick-up. The new times will also be consistent with the new parking restrictions along the west side of School Street should they be approved. Recommendation In order to address the congestion problems and need for additional short-term parking in the vicinity of Lions Park Elementary School, The Village Traffic Engineer recommends approval of new parking restrictions on Maple Street, Elm Street, School Street and Council Trail; amend current parking restrictions on School Street; and amend the current timeframe for the one-way designation on School Street. 4) Discussion Traffic Engineer Lawrie made a brief presentation on this issue. Chairman Bencic opened up the discussion to the public. Mary Muscarello, 712 S. Hi-Lusi Avenue; Cyndie Spudic, 103 W. Orchard Place; Ricki Sajbel, 616 S. Edward Street; Karen Wabik, 114 S. Elmhurst Avenue are all part of the Traffic Safety Committee at the school. Each person was given the opportunity to share her opinion. They were in support of the school's request except for a couple of issues. First, they would like to see the parking restrictions on the west side of School Street in front of the school entirely lifted. Parents, especially kindergarten parents, have expressed a desire to be able to leave their vehicles to walk their children to and from the school. Second, they would like to see no left turn and no right mm si,o-ns for southbound School Street at Council Trail during the drop-off and pick-up times of the school day. Because of the congestion along Council Trail, the Traffic Safety Committee believes the mm restrictions would help to reduce the amount of vehicles on Council Trail. Imre and Sally Soos, 201 E. Moehling Drive, suggested a sticker system for residents so that they could park on the street. Chairman Bencic responded that a sticker system is too difficult for the Police Department to manage and the Village does support that suggestion. Mr. Soos asked if consideration would be given should they have a special circumstance once in a while where they needed to park on the street. Chairman Bencic said the Police Department would relax the parking restrictions if it were'for a legitimate reason. No one from the school was in attendance. The Safety Commission and representatives of the Traffic Safety Committee interacted in a lengthy discussion. Traffic Engineer Lawrie responded to the issues raised by the women at the beginning of the discussion. He stated that the block in front of the school on School Street needs to be kept available for drop-off and pick-up. By allo~ving parking on the street at all times, parents, teachers and residents could potentially occupy much of the block during the afternoon pick-up forcing parents to find other locations to pick-up their child. This, in turn, could create problems on adjacent streets. The compromise was to allow parking except for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon to ensure available drop-off and pick-up space on the street. The women seemed to be in favor of the compromise rather than leaving the current parking restrictions as they are. With respect to the proposed mm restrictions, Traffic Engineer Lawrie said that the turn restrictions would probably deter parents from using the street for drop-off and pick-up because it would be too inconvenient. Chairman Bencic said it would cause School Street south of Council Trail and Berkshire Lane to experience more traffic by not allowing parents to turn onto Council Trail. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said that many parents already continue through the intersection rather than turning when Council Trail becomes congested. Additional discussion took place among the Safety Comnfission members. Traffic Engineer Lawrie responded to more questions and provided clarification on the requests. After over an hour of discussion, Chairman Bencic summarized the discussion and asked if there was a motion. 6 ommissioner Beening, seconded by Mr. Bures, moved to approve the recommendations of the Village Traffic Engineer which are to: approve No Stopping Standing Parking 8am - 4pm School Days signs along the: east side of Maple Street bet~veen Moehling Drive and Berkshire Lane east side of Elm Street between Council Trail and Berkshire Lane east side of School Street between Council Trail and Berkshire Lane approve No Parking (Drop-off/Pick-up Zone) 8am - 4pm School Days signs along the north side of Council Trail between Elm Street and School Street repeal No Parking (Drop-off/Pick-up Zone) 8am - 4pm School Days signs along the west side of School Street between Shabonee Trail and Council Trail approve No Parking (Drop-off/Pick-up Zone) 8:30-9:30am & 3-4pm School Days signs along the west side of School Street between Shabonee Trail and Council Trail repeal the current timeframe of 8am-4pm school days for the one-way southbound designation along School Street between Shabonee Trail and Council Trail approve the timeframe of 8:30-9:30am and 3-4pm school days for the one-way southbound designation along School Street between Shabonee Trail and Council Trail The motion was approved by a vote of 6-0. OTHER COMMISSION ISSUES Chairman Bencic asked the other Safety Commission members to consider their vote for a Vice Chairman. If all members are present at the next meeting, a vote will be taken. No other Safety Commission items were brought forth at this time. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to discuss, the Safety Commission voted 6-0 to adjourn at 9:05 p.m. upon the motion of Mr. Bures. Commissioner Beening seconded the motion. Respectfully submitted, Traffic Engineer x:kfiles\eng/neerksafecoram\traffickrecs&min\oct01 min.doc