HomeMy WebLinkAboutINS-17-059 - Rittenhouse Road Traffic Calming Review
REPORT TO: Community and Infrastructure Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING: August 21, 2017
SUBMITTED BY: Ken Carmichael,Interim Director Transportation Services
(519)741-2200 x7372
PREPARED BY: Steven Ryder, Traffic Technologist,(519)741-2200 x7152
WARD(S) INVOLVED: Ward 6
DATE OF REPORT: July 17, 2017
REPORT NO.: INS-17-059
SUBJECT: Rittenhouse Road Traffic Calming Review
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
That a pedestrian refuge island be installed onRittenhouse Road approximately 40
metres east of Brookfield Crescent at the trail crossing; and further,
That a raised crosswalk be installed at the trail crossing approximately 50 metres south
of Rosebank Crescent; and further,
That parking be prohibited at any time in the immediate area of the pedestrian refuge
island andthe raised crosswalk; and further,
That the Uniform Traffic By-Law be amended accordingly.
BACKGROUND:
Traffic volume and speeding are significant safety related issues frequently raised by residents
of affected neighbourhoods in the City of Kitchener. In response to these issues, Council
reviewed, updated and subsequently Traffic Calming Policy in 2014 and
established an annual budget to address traffic management issues in residential
neighbourhoods. The traffic calming policy outlines a number of evaluation criteria that provide a
fair and consistent review of streets and communities, while defining and prioritizing the
individual streets and/or communities that are most in need of traffic calming from a traffic safety
perspective.
In June 2015, Council approved report INS-15-040Traffic Calming Priority - 2015in which
staff recommended that a traffic calming review be conducted for Rittenhouse Road.
Rittenhouse Road has existing bike lanes in place between Block Line Road and McCabe
Court/Erinbrook Drive. This review proceeded with the intent to maintain these bike lanes.
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REPORT:
InSeptember 2015, Transportation Services initiated a traffic calming review for Rittenhouse
Road. Subsequently, two (2) public meetings were held in April 2016 and December 2016 to
discuss the traffic calming review process along with the current traffic conditions, alternative
design options as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each design alternative and
present the preferred design alternative option as determined by the traffic calming steering
committee.
In May 2017, Transportation Services staff mailed a final survey to all affected area residents
along Rittenhouse Road. The intent of the survey was to determine if there is sufficient support
for the implementation of the recommended traffic calming measures. As per the City of
Kitchener Traffic Calming policy, a minimum of 50% of directly affected residents must respond
to the survey and 60% of the respondents must support the recommended plan for staff to
recommend installation of the proposed measures.
There were a total of 434 properties surveyed within the boundaries of the study area. The
results of this survey are as follows:
Residents in favour of the recommended plan: 66(69%)
Residents opposed to the recommended plan: 30(31%)
Total 96 responded out of 434 (22%)
Based on the results above, the Rittenhouse Road traffic calming review did not meet the
required minimum community support having only 22% of residents respond to the survey when
a 50% response rate is required as outlined in the City of Kitchener Traffic Calming policy.
After further review of constituent responses, it is clear that the primary concern regarding the
preferred plan is the median island located at the intersection of Rittenhouse Road and McCabe
Court/Erinbrook Drive. Accordingly, Transportation Services recommends that a modified plan
of the original preferred traffic calming plan be implemented which removes the aforementioned
median island. The modified plan includes one (1) pedestrian refuge island located 40 metres
east of Brookfield Drive, one (1) raised midblock narrowing at the trail crossing between Julia
Crescent and Folkstone Crescent/Rosebank Crescent and improvements to the bike lane and
parking lane configurations between Block Line Road and Erinbrook Drive.
Local residents in the area of Rittenhouse Road and McCabe Court/Erinbrook Drive have been
advised, through a letter, of this revision to the final recommended plan.
While the minimum response rate was not met, a strong majority (69%) of responses support
the proposed traffic plan in general. The recommended measures can be considered effective
traffic engineering measures to create a safer roadway for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
Strategic Priority:3:Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods.
Strategy:3:2Create safer streets in our neighbourhoods through new
traffic calming approaches.
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Strategic Action:NB39 Traffic Calming
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The total cost of implementing the traffic calming plan is approximately $30,000 and will be
taken from Transportation Services Traffic Calming capital budget account.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM Directly affected residents of Rittenhouse Road have been involved in this traffic
calming review throughout the entire process. The review included confirmation by the residents
via a survey to initiate the review, two (2) public meetings to gain input on any issues or
concerns along Rittenhouse Road, as well as receive feedback on the proposed solution. The
approval plan was supported by the majority of responding residents through another formal
survey.
CONSULT - Residents were notified via letter regarding this report recommending the
implementation of the proposed traffic calming plan in July 2017.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Justin Readman, Interim Executive Director,
Infrastructure Services Department
Attached:
Appendix A Traffic Calming Plan
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Traffic Calming Plan
Rittenhouse Road Blockline Road to Erinbrook Drive
Typical Raised Crosswalk
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Typical Pedestrian Refuge Island
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Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
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