The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About07/11/2011 TSC MinutesDirector 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 Deputy Director Jason H. Leib The regular meeting of the Mount Prospect Safety Commission was called to order at 7:01 p.m. on Monday, July 11, 2011. ROLL CALL Present upon roll call: John Keane Chuck Bencic Angel Campos Robert Fisher Fred Pampel Carol Tortorello Dane Phenegar Jeff Wulbecker Matt Lawrie Absent: Bob Smith Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Fire Department Representative Public Works Representative Traffic Engineer —Staff Liaison Police Department Representative Others in Attendance: Richard Benson Jason Leib APPROVAL OF MINUTES 220 Autumn Lane Deputy Director of Public Works Commissioner Fisher, seconded by Commissioner Bencic, moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Safety Commission held on April 11, 2011. The minutes were approved by a vote of 8 -0. Commissioner Bencic, seconded by Commissioner Tortorello, moved to approve the minutes of the traffic workshop held on June 13, 2011. The minutes were approved by a vote of 8 -0. Safety Commission Meeting Page 1 of 4 July 11, 2011 CITIZENS TO BE HEARD There was no one in attendance that spoke on an issue not on the agenda. OLD BUSINESS There was no Id business to discuss. NEW BUSINESS A. HARVEST LANE / ALDI DRIVE TRAFFIC POST -STUDY 1) Background Information A No Right Turn sign exiting the Aldi site was installed approximately 10 years ago during construction of the Menards building. It was not an original condition of plan approval by the Village Board of Trustees. Rather, after the start of construction a group of residents representing the Harvest Heights Subdivision asked that the sign be installed to deter construction traffic and future cut through traffic into the neighborhood. The Village Board of Trustees agreed and Public Works was directed to install the sign. The No Right Turn sign was not part of the Village Code as it was a regulation from a private drive. The Village Code prohibits turns from public streets. As part of the original traffic study, traffic volume and accident data were collected and residents of the subdivision were surveyed to determine whether they supported or opposed removal of the No Right Turn sign. The Safety Commission voted to remove the sign last fall and agreed to revisit the issue this spring to determine the effect on the neighborhood. 2) Post -Study As part of the restudy, Staff again gathered 24 -hour traffic volume & speed data, manual turning movement data, accident data and surveyed the subdivision. Below are the results. 24 -Hour Tra ffic Volume Data along Harvest Lane East of Aldi Drive Before sign removal (spring 2008) 1235 vehicles per day Before sign removal (fall 2009) 944 vehicles per day Before sign removal (spring 2010) 1027 vehicles per day After sign removal (spring 2011) 1021 vehicles per day Average Traffic Speed Data (Eastboun along Harvest Lane East of Aldi Drive Before sign removal (spring 2008) 18 mph Before sign removal (fall 2009) 24 mph Before sign removal (spring 2010) 23 mph After sign removal (spring 2011) 24 mph Safety Commission Meeting Page 2 of 4 July 11, 2011 Manual Turning Movement Data Midweek 11:00am — 1:00pm number of right turning vehicles from Aldi drive Before sign removal (fall 2010) 9 After sign removal (spring (2011) 7 3) 4) Midweek 4:00pm — 6:00pm number of right turning vehicles from Aldi drive Before sign removal (fall 2010) 5 After sign removal (spring (2011) 15 number of eastbound vehicles on Harvest I number of eastbound vehicles on Harvest 73 99 Saturday 12:00pm — 2:00pm number of right turning number of eastbound vehicles from Aldi drive vehicles on Harvest Before sign removal (fall 2010) 10 89 After sign removal (spring (2011) 13 73 Accident Data number of accidents Before sign removal (Jan 2008 — Sept 2010) 2 After sign removal (Oct 2010 — May 2011) 0 Survev Results number of residents number of residents supporting no sign opposing no sign no response Before sign removal 31 24 12 After sign removal 38 9 20 Recommendation The results of the restudy show little change comparing the traffic volume and speed data before and after the sign removal. Further, there have been no reported crashes since removal of the No Right Turn sign. And finally, residents of the Harvest Heights Subdivision continue to support not having the sign in place. As stated in our previous study, the Engineering Division supports not having the sign in place as it is more convenient and safer for residents to access their homes coming from Aldi's or Menards. And with the overwhelming support by the subdivision to not reinstall the sign, Staff continues to support the way it is currently without the No Right Turn sign. Discussion Traffic Engineer Lawrie provided background information on the subject and highlighted the results of the original traffic study. He then presented the results of the post -study including the survey sent to the neighborhood. With no questions from the Commission, Chairman Keane opened the discussion to the public. Richard Benson, 220 Autumn Lane, is the President of the Harvest Heights Subdivision Association. Mr. Benson believes that residents along Autumn Lane may not be supportive of the recent change because they often experience vehicles travelling above the speed limit. However, he does recognize that a majority of the neighborhood favors the current arrangement. It is his opinion that residents favor convenience of accessing the neighborhood Safety Commission Meeting Page 3 of 4 July 11, 2011 from Aldi drive over diminished safety along the streets within the neighborhood. He requested a copy of the traffic study results. Traffic Engineer Lawrie suggested the Police Department could provide selective speed limit enforcement along Autumn Lane. Mr. Benson was open to the offer. There was some general discussion on traffic along the streets within the neighborhood. Commissioner Bencic made a motion to concur with the recommendation of the traffic engineer to leave the signage as it is currently posted and do not reinstall the No Right Turn sign. It was seconded by Commissioner Pampel. The motion was approved by a vote of 8 -0. COMMISSION ISSUES Commissioner Campos said that vehicles are often parked on both sides of Hatlen Avenue near its curve north of Lincoln Street. This situation can make it difficult for motorists to see oncoming vehicles. Also, he mentioned there is a person that often walks in the middle of the street in his neighborhood. He asked if there was an ordinance prohibiting this as he sees this as a safety issue. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said he would speak to the Police Department and respond to Commissioner Campos. Traffic Engineer Lawrie mentioned that the traffic calming program and redefining the Safety Commission will go before the Village Board of Trustees for approval at the July 19 Village Board Meeting. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to discuss, the Safety Commission voted 8 -0 to adjourn at 7:33 p.m. upon the motion of Commissioner Tortorello. Commissioner Bencic seconded the motion. Respectfully submitted, �A F Matthew P. Lawrie, P.E. ^ �') Traffic Engineer h:\ engi nee ring\ traffic\ safety_ commission \recs & min s\julyIImin.doc Safety Commission Meeting Page 4 of 4 July 11, 2011