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HomeMy WebLinkAboutINS-13-001 - All-Way Stop Traffic Control - Mill St at Heiman St REPORT TO: Community and Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: February 25, 2013 SUBMITTED BY: Ken Carmichael, Interim Director of Transportation Services PREPARED BY: Danny Pimentel, Traffic Technologist (741-2200 ext. 7371) WARD(S) INVOLVED: Ward 9 DATE OF REPORT: February 13, 2013 REPORT NO.: INS-13-001 ALL-WAY STOP TRAFFIC CONTROL – MILL STREET AT SUBJECT: HEIMAN STREET RECOMMENDATIONS: That an all-way stop be installed at the intersection of Mill Street and Heiman Street; and further, That the Uniform Traffic By-law be amended accordingly. BACKGROUND: Transportation Services has received numerous requests from both motorists and residents along Mill Street, to review the existing traffic control at the intersection of Mill Street and Heiman Street. The request cited safety concerns for residents fronting Mill Street when vehicles are traversing the curve immediately east of Heiman Street. It was requested that an all-way stop be considered to control traffic at this intersection in an effort to reduce the potential for collisions. REPORT: According to the City of Kitchener’s Official Plan, Mill Street is designated as a secondary arterial roadway; Heiman Street is designated as a local roadway. The primary function of Mill Street is to distribute large volumes of traffic between other arterial roads and major collector roads. It is intended to carry through traffic and permit access to abutting properties. In response to the request, a traffic study was conducted for the intersection of Mill Street and Heiman Street on March 31, 2011. The results of the study were compared to the City of Kitchener’s all-way stop warrant requirements. These requirements are a set of guidelines based on the all-way stop warrants established by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. The results are as follows: 2 - 1 All-Way Stop Warrant Analysis Mill Street and Heiman Street Warrant Factors - "Arterial/Major Results Warrant Met Collector" Intersection The total vehicle volume on all 500 intersection approaches averages 660 YES vehicles per hour for eight hours of the day AND A combined vehicular and pedestrian volume on the minor street averaging 200 units per hour (all vehicles plus 99 NO pedestrians wishing to enter the intersection) for the same eight hours and, AND Volume split that does not exceed 85% 70/30 . Volume on the major street is NO defined as vehicles only. Volume on the minor street includes all vehicles plus any pedestrians wishing to cross the major roadway. OR 2011 1 Collisions within a 12 month period YES 2010 2 averaged over 36 consecutive months (Warrant 2009 9 Value=4.0) that are susceptible to correction by an Average 4.00 All Way Stop All-Way Stop Warranted YES Transportation Services has analyzed the collision history of other similar all-way stop intersections within the City of Kitchener, to determine the effectiveness an all-way stop has in reducing the number of collisions at an intersection. This analysis indicates that collision rates are significantly lower (<1.0 per year) at all-way stop controls located on similar volume roadways. Please see attached collision analysis. The Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) on Mill Street is 7900 vehicles, while the AADT on Heiman Street is 2000 vehicles. The intersections selected in the attached document, share relatively similar volumes to both roadways. Of the six (6) intersections chosen, McGarry Drive and Westheights Drive exceed the AADT of Mill Street and Heiman Street. McGarry Drive has an AADT of 7084 vehicles, while Westheights Drive has an AADT of 6026 vehicles. This intersection has seen ten (10) collisions over the last seven (7) years, equating to 1.43 collisions per year. While the numbers of vehicles travelling through the intersection are higher than that of Mill Street and Heiman Street, the numbers of collisions occurring on a yearly basis are significantly lower at McGarry Drive and Westheights Drive. 2 - 2 Additionally, in assessing the number of collisions at each of the six (6) comparable intersections, the average number of collisions equates to 0.83 per year. It can be concluded that the existing collision rate of 4.0 per year at the intersection of Mill Street and Heiman Street, can be reduced with the implementation of an all-way stop. The residual benefit of the placement of an all-way stop control at this intersection will be reduced vehicle speeds through the curve on Mill Street immediately east of Heiman Street. Reduced speeds in this area will reduce the number of loss of control collisions that occur at this location. Based upon the all-way stop analysis completed for the intersection of Mill Street and Heiman Street, Transportation Services is recommending that an all-way stop be installed. The installation of an all-way stop at this location will properly allocate right-of-way within this intersection, while reducing the number of collisions and increasing safety for both vehicles and pedestrians. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: This initiative falls under the Community Priority of Quality of Life. “Work with partners, including all orders of government, to create a culture of safety in our community.” By working with the neighbourhood, traffic control concerns have been addressed. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The approximate cost for the installation of an all-way stop at Mill Street and Heiman Street is $1,500, including materials and installation and will be taken from the existing sign maintenance budget. COMMUNICATIONS: None. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jim Witmer, Interim Deputy CAO Infrastructure Services Department Attach: Plan of Intersection All-Way Stop Collision Comparison 2 - 3 Proposed All-Way Stop Mill Street and Heiman Street LEGEND Existing Stop Control Proposed Stop Control 2 - 4 2 - 5