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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/10/2003 SC minutes Director Glen R. Ar41er Deputy Director Sear R D0rsey Village Engineer Jeffrey A, Wulbecker Solid Waste Coordinator M Usa An§eI~ Water/Sewer Superintendent R0derick Y O'Oon0van Streets/Buildings Superintendent Pau! C. Bures Forestry/Grounds Superintendent Sa2dra M. Oark Vehicle/Equipment Superintendent James E. Guenther Mount Prospect Public Works Department 1700 w, Central Road, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60058-2229 Phone 847/870-5640 Fax 847/253-8377 TDD 847/382-1235 MINUTES OF THE MOUNT PROSPECT SAFETY COMMISSION DRAFT CALl. TO ORDER The Regular Meeting o£the Mount Prospect Safety Cornmission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 10, 2003. ROLl, CALL Present upon roll call: Chuck Bencic John Keane Joan Bjork Carol Tortorello John Dahlberg Buz Livingston Paul Bures Matt Lawrie Chairman Vice Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Police Department Fire Department Public Works Public Works/Engineering Division Absent: Susan Amdt Commissioner Kevin Orouwinkel Commissioner Odaers in Attendance: None AI~PI>.O\.'AL OF MINUTES Commissioner Keane, seconded by Commissioner Tortorello, moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Safety Commission held on September 8, 2003. The minutes were approved by a vote of 7-0. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD No citizens came forth to discuss any topics that were not on the current agenda. ] Recycled Paper - Printed with Soy Ink t)!.D BI.;SINESS No old business was discussed by the Commission. BUSINESS REQUEST FOR PARKING RESTRICTION CHANGES ALONG 300 BLOCK OF S. I-OKA AVENUE I ) Background Inibrmation Per a request from St. Raymond Church, some church and school related meetings last longer than the two-hour lin'fit posted on the east side of S. I-Oka Avenue. The parking lot is barricaded at the north and south entrances after 9:00am as students use a majority of the lot during the daF' as a playground. Therefore, St. Raymond Church is looking for long-term on-street parking by requesting that there be no parking restrictions along the east side of the street. St. Raymond's school and church property is bounded by Milburn Avenue to the north, Lincoln Street to the south, S. Elmhurst Avenue to the east and S. I-Oka Avenue to the west. There is a large parking lot south of Lincoln Street that also serves as a playground for students during the school day. Parking restrictions exist on many Village streets surrounding St. Raymond's. 'Fine street along the 300 block of S. I-Oka Avenue is 28' wide. Parking is prohibited along the west side of the street at al1 times. Parking along the east side of the street is prohibited near the intersection of Milburn Avenue from 7:00am-8:30am, limited along this same area to 2 hours fi'om 8:30arn-6:00pm, and limited to 2 hours from 7:00am-6:00pm along the remaining east side of the street. The parking restrictions on the west side of the street and the 2-hour limit on the east side of the street appear to have been enacted a long time ago. The only document found on these restrictions is minutes from a 1984 Village Board Meeting. It appears that the 2-hour restrictions were reviewed and voted to be retained. The prohibited parking area along the east side of the street near Milbum Avenue was enacted in 1993. It appears this was approved in order to provide needed drop-off and pick-up space for parents. The other parking restrictions ',~ ere ah'eady in place. Several site visits were made by Staff from October 13-24, 2003. Approximately 40 vehicles park at the north end of the school lot each day. Short-term and long-teton parking is evident throughout the day on Village streets surrounding the school. 5-10 vehicles are often seen on the east side of Elmhurst Avenue in front of the school and another 5-10 vehicles north of Milburn Avenue. 2-4 cars are often seen on Milbum Avenue east of Elmhurst Avenue, 5-10 vehicles on the south side in front of the school and 4-6 vehicles west of Milburn Avenue. 8-10 are consistently seen on the north side of Lincoln Street in front of the school. 6-12 vehicles are often seen on the east side of I-Oka Avenue in front of the school and another 1-3 vehicles north of Milburn Avenue. School begins shortly after 8:00am. During the drop-off period, parents primarily use tl~e parl,:ing lot, the east side of Elmhurst Avenue in fi'ont of the school and the west side north of 3~ M ilburn Avenue to drop-off their child. The west side of Elmhurst Avenue in fl'ont of the school ~s blocked-off to all traffic and Milburn Avenue is restricted to drop-off of preschool children only. As a result of these restrictions set up Dy St. Raymond School. I-Oka Avenue near Lin'coln Street and near Milbum Avenue are used by parents as a drop-off area During this time, teachers are able to park in the parking lot. Buses are not used at St. Raymond School. School ends just before 3:00pm. Parents are able to line t.lp in the parking lot to pick-up their child, Also, many of the same Village streets used for drop~offare used for pick-up. In addition. the south side of Milburn Avenue in front of the school is available to parents for pick-up. I-Oka Avenue is busy with vehicle traffic during this time period. According to St. Raymond Church, approximately 20 people per day visit the church or school after 9:00am and stay more than 2 hours. Since the parking lot is dosed, they look for on-street parking. The church offices are near I-Oka Avenue and Milbum Avenue and. therefore, most of the vehicles park near this intersection. 1 I surveys were sent to the residents along the 300 block of S. I-Oka Avenue as well as St. Raymond Church to solicit their opinions on this issue. 5 surveys (4-5%) were returned to the Village including the one sent to the church. St. Rayrnond Church is in favor of changing the parking restrictions and residents oppose the request. Recommendations Staff believes changing the parking restrictions along the east side of S. I~Oka Avenue is not the best decision at this time for a few reasons. First, St. Raymond should explore options to better utilize their parking lot rather than looking for long-term on-street parking. With any typical development in the Village, the owner is to be able to provide sufficient off-street parking so as to not immdate Village streets with long-term parking. Often times with schools, however, parking lots are small and Village streets experience parking problems. Staff then has to manage the problems given the off-street parking limitations. In this case, there is a large parking tot that is available. St. Raymond, however, has decided to bmTicade the entrances during the school day to prevent the potential for vehicle/pedestrian accidents since the lot also serves as a playground. As a result, there is a si~'fificant amount of parking (both short-term and long-term) throughout the school day on Village streets. St. Raymond has cited student safety as the reason to close both entrances to the parking lot dm-ing the school day. Student safety is important to the Village as well, however. Staff believes there may be opportunities to better utilize the parking lot without compromising safety. One consideration is to barricade the south entrance and two-thirds of the lot. The playground can be sa~:'ely contained in this area. The north entrance can remain open and the north one-third of the lot used for parking. Long-term parking can then be provided off-street leaving more space for drop-off and pick-up near the school. This may aisc provide more space for short4errn resident parking on Village streets. A second reason the parking restrictions ought not to change is a concern for generating more traffic along the block. By eliminating the parking restrictions along the block, motorists who may normally park on surrounding streets may be inclined to park on S. I-Oka Avenne. On streets where there are currently no parking restrictions, motorists may want to move closer to the school. On streets where there are time limits on parking, motorists may move to S. l-Oka Avenue so they don't have to worry about moving their vehicle. For teachers who normally park in the lot, some may move to S. I-Oka Avenue to be closer to the building. Should long-term parking be approved and more traffic is generated a.s a result, the potential for accidents, dou'ble- parking during drop:off and pick-up, and traffic congestion also becomes greater. As the records show, some additional parking restrictions were enacted in 1993 in order to provide drop-off and pick-up space around St. Raymond School and to ease traffic congestion along S. I-Oka Avenue. Since St. Raymond School doses southbound EImhurst Avenue in front of the school during drop-off and pick-up, and Milburn Avenue in front of the school is limited to drop-off of preschool children only in the mornings, S. I-Oka Avenue becornes a desired location for parents to use for drop-off and pick-up. Alloxving long-term parking on S. i-Oka Avenue may reduce the availability of drop-off and pick-up space along the street. Another reason fbi- leaving the current parking restrictions is precedent. Earlier ~l,,is year, some of' the businesses along Prospect Avenue near the downtown area asked that the 2-hour parking limit be changed to provide long-term parking for visitors. After discussion, Staff decided to not change the restrictions. Long-term parking was to be provided on-site or other off-street locations such as a public parking lot. Also, a few weeks ago, St. Mark Church asked that the 2- hour parking limit on Evergreen Avenue be changed to provide long-term parking for employees. They have a parking lot nearby but apparently is not convenient for some employees. This request, too, was denied. The Village Traffic Engineer recommends: denial of any changes to the parking restrictions along the east side of tile 300 block of S. I- Oka Avenue. Discussion Chairman Bencic opened up the discussion to the petitioner, Ed Dowling of St. Raymond Church. Mr. Dowling explained that earlier this year, the school decided to close the parking lot dttring school hot,~rs in art attempt to improve safety of the students playing in the lot during the day. Because of this, there is a need for long-term parking on the street. St. Raymond Church has no issue with the parking restrictions on Elmhurst Avenue, Lincoln Street and Milb~[rn Avenue. However, they have requested the parking restrictions be removed on the east side of I- Oka Avenue to provide tong-term parking. Chairman Bencic asked if there were any questions for the petitioner from the Commission. Commissioner Bjork questioned if the school had considered installing a gate to the parking lot at the north end for students and leaving the entrance solely for cars. Mr. Dowling responded that in the past there were some incidents involving motorists who did not follow this set-up that caused safety concerns for students. Mr. Bures asked if the school needed the entire parking lot for physical ed:~cation or could a section of the lot be secured and provide parking. Mr. Dowling responded that all school stat'f curt'early parks in the lot. Chairman Bencic asked if physical education activities could be moved indoors to the new gymnasium. Mr. Dowling said that they prefer to have the students outside for some activities while there is warm weather. During cold or rainy weather, activities are done inside. The gym. however, is not large enough to serve ali the classes during the day. Commissioner Tortorello asked if the school would consider separating the lot with barricades to separate parking and physical education. Mr. Dowling said that had been done in the past but some motorists removed the barricades and drove through the playground area. Chairman Bencic opened up the discussion to anyone in the audience who wished to speak on this issue. George Luteri, 302 S. I-Oka Avenue, is opposed to the request to remove the parking restrictions. He does not want to see any more traffic on the street and believes the school should use the parking lot for long-term parking. He believes more traffic will affect student safety on an already busy street. Commissioner Tortoretlo a~eed with Mr. Luteri's position and also questioned if the school has the authority to close southbound Elmhurst Avenue in front of the schooI. Deputy Chief Dahlberg is not aware of any ordinance that allows the school to do this. Atier some more discussion; Chairman Bencic asked Traffic Engineer Lawrie to provide an overview of StafFs report to the Commission. Traffic Engineer Lawrie shared Staf?s observations and recommendation to not remove the parking restrictions. Commissioner Keane wondered if parking should be prohibited on the both sides of I-Oka Avenue if there is a safety concern with students walking between cars. Commissioner Tortorello thought more strict parking restrictions were not necessary but did support leaving the current parking restrictions. Deputy Chief Dahlberg believes that the school needs to explore ways to better utilize their parking lot rather than using Village streets for tong-term parking. Chain'nan Bencic suggested that the lot be separated for physical education and parking with barricades that cannot be moved by parents or teachers. He, too, a~*eed that the parking lot should be better utilized. Cmnmissioner Keane, seconded by Commissioner Tortorello, moved to apl)rove the recommendations of the Village Traffic Engineer and deny the request to remove the parking restrictions along the east side of the 300 block ofS. I-Oka Avenne. The motion was al)proved by a vote of 7-0. B) REQUEST FOR PARKING RESTRICTIONS ALONG 300 BLOCK OF S. CAN-DOTA AVEN~tjE This item was the 3~ issue discussed by the Commission. Background Information Residents of the 300 block of Can-Dora Avenue petitioned the Village to add parking restrictions along the west side of the street in front of Lincoln Junior High School. The petitioner, Ms. Karen Blatti, 317 S. Can-Dora Avenue, claims that parked cars on the street make it difficuh for residents to exit their driveways. Also, she believes t~vo-way traffic cannot be maintained witln cars parked on the west side of the street. 1..incoh~ Junior High School is located at the northwest corner of Lincoln Street and Can-Dora ..\¥enue. I,incoln Street .is approximately 35' wide with curb and gutter and is classified as a collector street. According to the Village Code, parking is prohibited on the north side of tlne street fi'cnn Can-Dora Avenue to See-Gwun Avenue. Can-Dora Avenue is approximately 28' wide with curb and gutter and is classified as a local street. Near the intersection of Lincoln Street. the street widens to 34-'. According to the Village Code, parking is prohibited on ttne east side of the street during school hours from Lincoln Street to Milburn Avenue. There are two parking lots on school property. The lot with access to Lincoln Street has 32 standard parking spaces and 1 handicap space. In the back of the lot, close to the school, buses drop-off and pick-up the students. The lot with access to Can-Dora Avenue has 26 standard parking spaces and 1 handicap space. There are also 2 off-street bus lanes. Parents use the bus lane off of Lincoln Street to drop-off and pick-up students. The bus lane with access to Can- Dora Avenue sees little use. A bus for special education students is parked in the bus lane in tine afternoon but does not leave until well after school is out. Staff Study :qcvcral s~tc visits were made by Staff from October 13-2'4, 2003. It was observed tlnat both pat-king lots were full tlwoughout the day. Also, vehicles were parked on Village streets as a result of the lots being fulh 2-4 vehicles were routinely parked on the south side of Lincoln S!rcet betx~een Can-Dora Avenue and Na-Wa-Ta Avenue all day. 10-20 vehicles were often seen on tlne west side of Can-Dora Avenue between Lincoln Street and Milburn Avenue. Half the vclniclcs were there ail day while the other half for a short period of time. Also, I-3 vehicles were routinely parked on Mitburn Avenue east of Can~Dota Avenue ali day. Sctnool begins shortly after 8:00am. During the drop-off period, both parking lots are nearly full or completely full. On-street parking is already evident. A majority of parents drop-off their child on Lincoln Street with a few using Can-Dota Avenue. Many students were observed walking or riding bikes to school. The amount of vehicular activity appears to be less than typically seen at an elementary school. This, along with Lincoln Street being a wide street, does not appear to cause sig-nificant traffic congestion. Two-way traffic is maintained on both Lincoln Street and Can-Dora Avenue. School ends shortly after 3:00pm. Both parking lots are lkdl. Buses pick-up students in ttne back o1' the parking lot oft' of Lincoln Street. A majority of parents pick-up their child using the bus lane offof Lincoln Street or on both sides of Lincoln Street. A few parents pick-up their child on ('tm-Dora Avenue. Very little traffic congestion was observed. Thc junior high school shares its facility with a preschool. This is located at the northeast corner of tine building. The preschool begins late morning and ends before 3:00pm. Parents were observed parking on Can-Dota Avenue and Milburn Avenue to drop-off and pick-up their children. Approximately 10-15 vehicles associated with the preschool were parked on Village streets during drop-off and pick-up time. Village Code prohibits parking within 30' upon approach to a Stop sign. Typically, signs are only posted to enforce this when a problem persists. There are no such si=runs posted at any of tine legs ct' tlne intersection of Lincoln Street and Can-Dora Avenue. lo surveys were sent to the residents along the 300 block of Can-Dora Avenue as xxelI as the school to solicit tlneir opinions on this issue. 3 surveys (30%) were returned to the Village. The ='csidents are in favor of' the additional parking restrictions as indicated on tlne attached comments. Based on a conversation Staff had with Lincoln Junior High School. they oppose the re?dost. I{cconqmertdations Comments received fi-om residents focused on two issues. First, it is difficult for residents to exit their driveway with vehicles parked on the west side of the street. Can-Dora Avenue is of' standard width for a local street. The situation of backing out cfa driveway has little difference when compared to otlner local streets in Mount Prospect. The only difference is that the fi'equency of vehicles parked across from a driveway is greater. Regardless, residents should be able to safely negotiate exiting their driveway. According to Police Department records, there has been one accident associated with residents backing out of their driveway along the 300 block of Can-Dora Avenue within the past five years. Second, residents contend two-way traffic cannot be maintained. A vast majority of local streets ~n :\lount Prospect allow parking on both sides. Should two vehicles park opposite each other. txx o-way ira!Tic cannot be maintained. In most cases, however, this situation is not seen over an c~ti~'e block involving many vehicles. There/bre, there is not a significant concern or history ~xith emergency vehicles being affected. Along the 300 block of Can-Dora Avenue, parking is prohibited on the east side of the street. Many years ago, the Village realized that with parking o~: both sides of this street two-way traffic could not be maintained. Since this affected an entire block throughout the day, parking restrictions were enacted so that two-way traff/c could bc maintained. On the days Staff observed traffic, vehicles were parked on one side of the street and this did not hinder two-way traffic. Based on these two resident issues alone, Staff would not recommend additional parking restrictions. Enacting parking restrictions because a difficulty with exiting a driveway on a typical local street would set a precedent for future complaints. Also, Staff believes two~way traffic can be maintained as long as motorists obey the current parking restrictions. From a Staff standpoint, ~ve examined whether the current on-street parking situation af£ects safety in a manner that would warrant additional parking restrictions. Ideally. the school should bc able to provide enough parking on their property so that on-street parking tbr an extended period of time is not necessary. There does appear to be green space xvest of the school in which the parking lot could be extended to provide additional spaces. By doing so, this would provide some relief for the residents along Can-Dota Avenue. From a conversation Staff had witln Dist~qct 57, si:,: parking spaces were added to the parking lot at the beginning of the school year and anotlner five spaces are expected to be added in November. This ,,,,'ill help to reduce long- teton on-street parking around the school and free up space for drop-off and pick-up in f¥ont of thc school. Whether or not the school adds anymore parking spaces in the lot, allowing parking on the west side of the street does not appear to compromise pedestrian safety. Since vehicles are not aliowed to park on the east side of the street, students were not observed crossing the stre& at non-crossxxa!k locations. Also, the current lack of parking restrictions on the xxest side of the street alloxx s students to be safely dropped-off and picked:up in front of the school. Irrcma a vehicle safety standpoint, Staff observed xvhether allowing on-street parking makes it dil'i'icult for motorists exiting the lot from seeing vehicles traveling on Can-Dota Avenue. From ~tr obserYa~ions, only one bus uses the bus lane oft' of Can-Dora Avenue. This bus does not Icczvc Ltntil well a2er school ends and does not appear' to have difficulty exiting the lot. With respect to teachers exiting tine lot, they too do not typically leave until well aher school ends. !e:rxing tater, teachers are not in conflict with parents picking-up their children or students walking hon,.e fi'om school. When teachers do leave, the few remaining vehicles parked on Can- I)t:ta Avenue and the low volume of traffic does not appear to cause teachers difficulty exiting the lot. According to Police Departrnent records, there have not been any accidents associated witln vehicles exiting the parking lot. Staff visited four elementary schools (Lions Park, Robert Frost South, John Jay and Forest View) and one junior high school (Holmes) to see if other Village streets have parking restrictions adjacent ~o parking lots as a result of teachers or parents having difficulty exiting a school lot. An inspection of the schools shows that the Village does not have parking restrictions on the portion of street adjacent to the parking lots except along School Street at [.ions Park E!enaentarv Sch<>ol. tlere, beca<~se of the large number of parents who drop-off and pick-up their child, on- st~'ect parkir~.g adjacent to the parking lot is limited to drop-off and pick-up only from 8:30- 9:30an~ and 3:00-4:00pnn. At other- times of the day, parking is allowed. [:ntil more parking spaces are added on school property, long-lerm on-street parking will remain. t~,,.· cnactin~ more parking restrictions, on-street parking will simply move to other Village streets p~ssibly creating new problems. New problems include forcing teachers and parents to park l'artlacr from the school generating complaints from the school and creating traffic congestion on o[!~er streets generating complaints lrom residen'cs. Since the potential problems created with displacing 5-15 vehicles (depending on the limits of any new parking restrictions) appear to outweigh the inconvenience experienced by a few with allowing parking, it does not seem in the Village's best interests to make any changes at this time except for one. The distance from the Stop sign on Can-Dora Avenue at Lincoln Street to the southern most school driveway is al,proximately 30'. On occasion, a vehicle will park here even though it is protnibited. A posted sign at this location should help to keep this area free from parked vehicles innproving thc xisibility for other motorists to see pedestrians at this intersection. Thc Village Traffic Engineer recommends: · denial of reqnest for additional parking restrictions along the ~x'est side of the 300 block of S. Cnu-Dota Avenue; · approval of No Parkittg Here to Corner sign at a point 30' from the Stop sign for southbou,ld Can-Dora Avenne at Lincoln Street; · periodic Police enforcement of the current parking restrictions; · request Lincoln Junior High School to review their parking needs and expand their parking lot if necessary to provide a sufficient amount of spaces to relieve Village streets of long-term parking. Discussion I'here ',,,'as no one in the audience to speak on this issue. Chairman Bencic asked Traffic Engineer Lawrie to provide a brief overview of Staff's report. Traffic Engineer Lawrie shared StufFs observations and recommendation to not add parking restrictions. ( 'ommissioner Bjork asked if teachers and principals share with parents the parking restnctiN~s around the schools in their newsletters. Traffic Engineer Lawrie is aware of one schooI and [)cputy ('Thiet' Dahlberg is axx are of another. ('i~am~Tan Bencic expressed a concern with allowing parking on the west side of Can-Do~a ..\xenue between the two school driveways. Pulling out the driveway, he said it was difficult to sec moving cars on Can-Dora Avenue because of the parked cars on the street. Traffic Engineer Lawrte said Staff did consider recommending parking restrictions between the two driveways. However, parents and buses do not use this lot to pick-up or drop-off students. Only teaches use finis lot and by the time they leave school most of the parked cars on Can-Dota Avenue are gone and there isn't a visibility concern. There was some discussion about the area that would be affected with posting a No Pczr/~i;t~ He~'e ~(; Cog',er sign 30' from the Stop sign at Lincoln Street. Village Code already prohibits parking xxithin 30' on approach to a Stop si~wa. Traffic Engineer Lawrie it would essentially eliminate parking on the west side of the street from Lincoln Street to the school's southern driveway. Commissioner Keane, seconded by Mr. Bures, moved to apl)rove the recommendations of the Village Traffic Engineer and deny the request to add parking restrictions along the west side of the 300 block of S. Can-Dota Avenue except to install a ;¥o Parki,g Here to ('or, er sign per an existing ordinance. The motion was al}proved by a vote of 7-0. t) REQUEST FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNS AT THE INTERSECTION OF ALBERT STREET & LINCOLN STREET This item was the 2''a issue discussed by the Commission. Background Information Residents petitioned the Village to consider installing Stop or Yield signs at tine intersection of :\Ibcrt Street and Lincoln Street. Ms. Susan Eyles, 320 S. Albert Street. lives near t]qis uncontrolled intersection and believes it is unsafe. She called the Viltage after a recent accident at the intersection and is concerned for the safety of motorists and pedestrians in the area. Sta l'i' Study T!~e Engineering Staffperformed a traffic study. The findings are as follows: Accidents A search of the accident reports indicated: Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 (Oct) Number of Accidents 0 0 2 0 0 1 c) Speed Study Representative speed st~rveys were performed at all four legs of the intersection between October 21~' and 28~]'. The average and 85t~, percentile speeds are as follows: Northbound Albert Street Southbound Albert Street Eastbound Lincoln Street Westbound Lincoln Street Average 85tI' % 23 mph 29 mpb 23 mph 28 mph 23 mph 28 mph 25 mph 29 mph The speed limit on Albert Street and Lincoln Street is 25mph. Based on the results, there doesn't appear to be an overall speeding problem, ltowever, the data dSd show some motorists did drive above tlqe speed limit as is evident 0n nqost residentia! streets. ']'ratTic Volume d) TratTic volume data was gathered in October. Based on the results, there are approximately 480 vehicles per day that enter the intersection. 250 vehicles travel on Albert Street and 230 vehicles on Lincoln Street. The peak hour of the day (typically 5pm-6pm) experiences approximately 60 vehicles that enter the intersection. Survey Results A total of 20 surveys ,,,,'ere sent out in October 2003 to collect the residents' comments on this request. 6 surveys (30%) were returned to the Village. Man), of the respo~qses indicated there are many motorists who cut through the neigl~borhood to avoid ttqe trafl'ic signals at Nit. Prospect Road and Northwest Highway. ]0 Existing Traffic Control Signs Traffic control signs adjacent to the intersection are as follows: Albert Street & Milbum Avenue (north) - uncontrolled Albert Street & Northwest HxW. (south)- 1-way Stop sign on Albert Street Lincoln Street & Mt. Prospect Rd. (east)- 1-way Stop sign on Albert Street I.incoln Street & George Street (west) - uncontrolled i') Sight Obstructions Based on an inspecuon of the area, only the northeast corner bas landscaping (evergreen trees) close to the intersection that may cause a sight obstruction for motorists (2 of the 3 accidents involved a soutbbound vehicle and westbound vehicle). The lowest branches are approximately 3' above the ground. Since this is an uncontrolled intersection, there is to be sufficienl stopping sight distance for all four legs of the intersection. Stopping sight distance is the distance a vehicle travels from the point when a motorist sees an approaching vehicle on the cross street, reacts and comes to a full stop. A motorist should have enough clear vision to be able to stop, if necessary, before reaching the intersection. Landscaping near the homes and even the homes themselves at the intersection do no: provide sufficient stopping sight distance for motorists. Therefore. Stop or Yield signs would assist in clarifying the right-of-way and possibly reduce the potential tbr an accident. Recommendations -4~\\'ay Stop Signs 4-',ray Stop signs are no,'mally wan'anted at intersections where there is a condition or' severely restricted xiew, accidents or a significant amount of vehicles and pedestrians. Based on inspection, there are no sight obstructions immediately at the intersection that would cause a full stop to be necessary for all four directions. In addition, there have been 3 accidents over the past 3 years. In order to meet the criterion for a multiway stop sign installation, there is to be 5 accidents in a t2-month period. Finally, the peak hour of the day experiences approximately 60 vehicles entering the intersection. In order to meet the criterion, the volume entering the intersection from the major street approaches (total of both approaches) is to average 300 vehicles per hour for any 8 hours of the day and 200 vehicles per hour for the same 8 hours fi'om the minor street approaches. Based on the data, 4-way Stop signs are not warranted at this intersection. 2-Way Stop Signs 2-xxav Stop s;gns are normally warranted at intersections where the criteria for a 4-v, a.v Stop s~gn msmllation is not met but where a £ull stop is necessary at all times on one street in order to claritS' the right-of-way. As stated above, there are evergreen trees located near the northeast corner of the intersection. The bases of the trees are on private property but some of the branches overhang the parkway. When considering 2-way Stop or Yield signs, typical engineering practice is to determine the safe approach speed for the direction to be controlled. If 1! a motorist must slow down to lower than 15mph when approaching an intersection because of a sight obstruction, Stop signs slnould be used rather than Yield signs. Else, Yield signs should be used. For this case, a portion of the evergreen tree falls within the area that is to be free of any sight obstructions for a westbound motorist traveling at 15mph. Either the sight obstrtiction must be removed or 2~way Stop signs should be installed. The portion of evergreen tree that falls within the sight obstruction area are the branches that overhang the parkway. Village Code requires branches that overhang tlne public right-of-way be a n-dh[mum of 8' above tine ground. Since tine csu'rent condition of the tree does not comply, a letter xvill be sent to tine homeowner requiring tritnmilqg within 30 days. 1[' no action is taken, the Village Forestry Division wilt remoxe the N':mches at the cost of the homeowner. Once this work is completed, there will be sttf[icient si,,zl~t distance 1-'o1' westbound motorists approaching the intersection to not warrant Stop signs. h'icht Signs \t imcrsecnons where a full stop is not necessary at ali times, consideration should be g/yen to using less restrictive measures such as Yield signs. Yield signs assign riglnt-of*way to traffic when tine nomqal right-of-way rule appears to not be effective. 3 accidents in the past 3 years l'oreal rials may be the case. Also, the speed data shows that because of the proximity of the homes and landscaping to the intersection, motorists may not have enough time to see other vehicles on the cross street, react and stop before reaching the intersection. Motorists controlled by Yield signs would need to slow down before reaching the intersection resulting in a shorter distance to come to a full stop if necessary. Finally, when installed, Yield signs should be placed on the minor street. Since the traffic volurne is similar on both streets, Staff reviewed the tra[fic ¢(/ntrol signs on adjacent intersections and the recorded speeds on both streets to determine thc appropriate street to be given the right-of-way. Based on StafFs analysis, Yield signs on Lincoln >;t t-oct are recommended at finis intersection. The Village Traffic Engineer recommends: rcnloval of sight obstruction at the northeast corner klli([ npprl)val of Yield signs on Lincoln Street at Albert Street. Discussion C'i:airman Bencic opened up the discussion to the audience. Ms. Susan Eyles, 320 S. Albert Street, said she contacted the Village after a recent accident. The residents in the area would like to see either Stop or Yield signs at the intersection to control the cars traveling througtn tlne intersection. C'hairman Bencic asked tine Commission if there ~vere any questions .for the petitioner. There ~cre none. ','hairman Benoit asked ii' there were anyone in tine audience who would like to speak in o;,pos~tion to tine request. Tlnere were none. t"iudrman Bencic asked tlnat Traffic Engineer Lawrie provide a brief overview of Staff's report to the Commission. Traffic Engineer Lawrie explained the results of the study. He also said tlnat 12 his recommendation at this time xvas different from the report. His recommendation was to first work with the tnomeowner at I000 E. Lincoln Street to remove the lox,,, branches or'the evergreen tree near the intersection. Based on the amount of trimming done by the homeowner, grafT xx ouId then be in a position to recommend either 2-way Stop or Yield signs on Lincoln Street. Ms. Eyles expressed a concern with the speeding that occurs on the street. Traffic Engineer Lawrie explained that the Village does not install Stop or Yield signs to address a speeding probIem. The signs serve to clarify the right-of-way at an intersection and do not necessarily have an affect on drivers' speeds near the intersection. He explained that Police enforcement is used to address a speeding concern. Mr. Hans Lira, 324 S. Albert Street, expressed a concern with motorists who do not stow down when entering this uncontrolled intersection. Deputy Chief Dahlberg explained the efforts of the Police Department controlling speeding along Albert Street near Oentral Road. He is willing to have an officer perform speed enforcement in the area as time allows. Commissioner Keane, seconded by .Mr. Bures, moved to approve the recommendations of the Village Traffic Engineer and work with the homeowner at 1000 E. Lincoln Street over the next month to remove the sight obstrnction and then bring this issne back to Safety Commission for a final decision as to whether Stop or Yield signs are recommended. The motion was approved by a vote of 7-0, D) I) REQUEST FOR SPEED LLMIT CHANGE ALONG EUCLID AVENUE Background Infornaation In January 2003, the Village received a complaint from a resident concerning safeV around Euclid Elementary School. The Village contacted the Cook County Highway Department (CCHD) as they have jurisdiction of the road and requested they perform a speed study. They agreed to and then hired a consultant to do the study. Euclid Avenue is a 4-lane cross-section with left turn left turn lanes at Wheeling Road. Crabtree Lane, Sycamore Lane and Wolf Road. The area bordered by this portion of Euclid Avenue is primarily residential. Rob Roy Golf Course and Woodland Trails Park borders the north side oe' the road. Also, Euclid Elementary School is located at the corner of Euclid Avenue and Wtneeling Road. The Village Code currently reflects the speed Iimit along this stretch of the road to be 45mph. West of Wheeling Road, the speed limit is 40mph. East of Wolf Road, the speed limit is 35mph. The Village recently received word that the CCHD completed a speed study this month and determined that the speed limit should be lowered to 40mph. Staff supports this speed limit reduction since it is more consistent with the speed limit east and west. In addition, even though there are school speed limit signs posted near the elementary school, a lower speed limit may cause drivers to be more cautious when traveling near the elementary school and park when pedestrians are present at times when school is not in session. 13 According to the CCI-1D, the lower speed limit is to be formally approved by the County Board at their December 2. 2003 meeting. Signs reflecting the new speed limit are expected to be installed mid-December. In order to be consistent, the Village Code needs to be modit'i&t to reflect tlqis change. 2 > Rccomn:endation Based on the study performed by the CCHD and StaWs observations, Thc Village Traffic Engineer recommends: npproxal of lowering the speed limit along Euclid Avenue bemeen Wheeling P, oad and \Volf Rend frorn 45mph to 40mph. . ;. [)iscussion was no one in the audience to speak on this issue. Chairman Bencic asked Traffic lingineer Lawrie to provide a brief overview of Staff's report. Traffic Engineer Laxvrie provided overvie~ and recommended to approve the 40mph speed limit. Lit'. Bures asked if the CCHD would install the new speed limit signs. Traffic Engineer Lawrie said tlwy would. Commissioner Tortorello, seconded by Deputy Chief Dahlberg, moved to npprove the recommendations of the Village Traffic Engineer and lower the speed limit along Euclid Avenne between Wheeling Road and Wolf Road frown 45mph to 40mph. The inotion was apl)roved by a vote of 7-0. ~,',m'mqisstoner Tortorelto brought up an issue with the parking restriction signs along Milbktn3 .\venLte between Elmhurst Avenue and Main Street. The north side of the street has signs that ~t',,tc No Parki~g A%: Time. The Village Code, however, indicates ~Xb Pw'/ci,g o~t Su,&O's 6'30~,~-1.'30mz. The current signs have been up for many )'ears. Captain Livingston supported only allowing parking on one side of the street in the event emergency vehicles needed to travel down the street. At~er some discussion, the consensus was the Village Code should be updated to reflect the existing signage. Staff will look to take this issue to a t~tture Village Board Meeting. Commissioner Keane made the Commission aware that he has noticed new speed humps installed as traffic calming measures in Park Ridge. ]4 \'it}a no further business to discuss, the Safety Commission voted 7-0 to adjom-n at 8:45 p.nx. upon thc motion of Commissioner Bjork. Deputy Chief Dahlbcrg seconded the motion. Respectfully submitted, Matthew P. Lawrie, P.E. Traffic Engineer VILLABE rif MOUNT PRrlSPEOT SAFETY P. nMMISSIflN MEETINB ATTENDANCE SHEET November 10, 2003 7:00 P.M. NAME ADDRESS PHONE NUMBER