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Home My WebLink AboutDTS-08-143-2 - Traffic Calming - Clark Avenue - AddendumT~HE~E Development & Technical Services REPORT Report To: Council Date of Meeting: 2008 October 6 Submitted By: John McBride, Director, Transportation Planning Prepared By: Jeramie Lewis, Traffic Technologist Ward(s~ Involved: Fairway-Gateway Ward ~3} Date of Report: 2008 September 30 Report No.: DTS-08-143 Subject: ADDENDUM -TRAFFIC CALMING CLARK AVENUE RECOMMENDATIONS: That five (5) speed humps be installed on Clark Avenue between Wilson Avenue and Siebert Avenue, and further That they be constructed with permanent materials on a temporary basis, until the completion of Clark Avenue reconstruction, at which time they will be reinstalled. BACKGROUND: The Development and Technical Services Committee discussed report DTS-08-143 Traffic Calming -Clark Avenue, on Monday, September 29, 2008. That report outlined the traffic calming review for Clark Avenue and also outlined the recommendation to install a series of five (5} speed humps along Clark Avenue. It was recommended that the speed humps be installed following the reconstruction of Clark Avenue, which is not scheduled to be completed until 2010. The traffic calming review was completed ahead of the reconstruction of Clark Avenue so that any changes to the curb lines were required, they could be accommodated as part of the reconstruction at a minimal cost. At the Development and Technical Services meeting, a concern was raised by an area resident regarding the implementation of the speed humps, and it was requested that a partial closure be considered along with speed humps. Based on the concerns raised by the delegate and the proposed timing for implementation, the Committee requested that Transportation Planning address the following issues: Review the "Partial Closure" alternative as opposed to "Speed Humps" as the best alternative approach to traffic calming on Clark Avenue, A cost analysis be conducted comparing the use of temporary materials versus permanent materials as an interim measure, until the permanent installation of speed humps can occur in 2010. REPORT Based on the analysis of existing traffic conditions, extensive public input and the City of Kitchener's Traffic Calming Policy, five ~5) potential alternatives were considered, including "do nothing" the "do nothing" alternative is used as a benchmark when conducting any formal traffic calming review). These alternatives were then evaluated by the project team based on a number of social, natural and economic criteria to develop a preferred option. The following is a list of the alternatives considered: • A series of five (5) speed humps -speed humps are vertical deflections in the roadway that force vehicles to slow down to negotiate the humps. Previous applications of speed humps within the City of Kitchener have proven effective in reducing speeds while moderately reducing volumes. • A series of three (3) speed humps and two (2) roadway narrowings -speed humps are vertical deflections in the roadway that force vehicles to slow down to negotiate the humps and roadway narrowings force vehicles to slow down when negotiating the reduced effective roadway width. Roadway narrowings are typically used within the City of Kitchener to assist with pedestrian crossings and assist in pedestrian safety while slightly reducing speeds. • A partial closure at the intersection of Wilson Avenue and Clark Avenue - A partial closure is a barrier or curb extension extending to the centreline of the roadway, which obstructs one direction of the roadway prohibiting vehicles from continuing along the roadway. Partial closures are effective at reducing through traffic volumes in one direction of travel. However, it limits access for all area residents as well. • A series of four (4) roadway narrowings and one (1) speed hump -speed humps are vertical deflections in the roadway that force vehicles to slow down to negotiate the humps and roadway narrowings force vehicles to slow down when negotiating the reduced effective roadway width. • Do nothing. Traffic Calming Evaluation A series of evaluation criteria were chosen by the project team, to systematically compare the alternatives. The criteria chosen were determined to be the most relevant to the project study area. The evaluation rated each of the criteria on a scale of 0 - 5 where 0 represents "least effective" and 5 "most effective". The following is the evaluation of these alternatives as considered by the project team: 2 ALTERNATIVES CRITERIA Speed Partial Humps and Do Humps Closure Narrowin s Narrowin s Nothin SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT S eedin 5 1 4 3 0 Volume of cut-throu h traffic 2 4 2 2 0 vehicle safet /collision reduction 3 2 3 3 0 Pedestrian Safet 3 3 4 4 0 Resident accessibilit 5 2 5 5 5 On-Street parkin 5 5 4 3 5 Emer enc Response 2 5 3 4 5 Educational Requirements 4 2 4 4 5 Diversion to other nei hbourhood streets 3 1 3 4 5 NATURAL AND ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT Conforms to Cit polic 5 5 5 5 5 Re Tonal Road impacts 5 4 5 5 5 Private property impacts 5 5 4 3 5 Impacts on vegetation 5 5 5 5 5 Capital Cost 4 3 3 2 5 Enforcement requirements 5 3 5 4 0 Impacts on maintenance costs 4 4 4 4 5 Total 65 54 63 60 55 Based on the evaluation process, "Speed Humps" were chosen as the preferred traffic calming alternative for Clark Avenue, and presented to the public as the recommended plan at a Public Information Centre which was held on May 7, 2008. It should be noted that while a "Partial Closure" was considered and discussed it actually ranked lower than the "Do Nothing" alternative based on the factors evaluated. Residential response at the meeting supported the preferred alternative. Additionally, most residents in attendance were not in favour of a partial closure, as it would negatively impact their accessibility. Furthermore, the residents felt that the majority of through traffic is "arena traffic" (given the proximity of the Patrick Doherty arena on Wilson Avenue), and with the pending closure of the arena it was anticipated by most residents that through traffic would decrease significantly. However, the study team does not anticipate any significant changes in traffic patterns as a result of the closure of the arena, since the intention is to convert the facility to a community centre, along with the continued use of the sports fields. To implement a partial closure on Clark Avenue at Wilson Avenue would cost approximately $15,000 to $20,000. On May 29, 2008, Transportation Planning mailed a survey to all residents/property owners that abut or are adjacent to Clark Avenue, as well as to any other parties that had indicated interest in the study, outlining the recommended plan. The intent of the survey was to determine if there is sufficient support for the implementation of the recommended measures. As per the City of Kitchener Traffic Calming policy, a minimum of 50% of directly affected residents/property owners must respond to the survey and 60% of the respondents must support the recommended plan, in order for any further consideration of the plan. 3 There were a total of 86 properties surveyed within the boundaries of the study area. The results of the survey are as follows: In favour of the recommended plan 58 (77%) Opposed to the recommended plan 17 (23%) Total: 75 out of 86 responded (87%) Therefore, the Clark Avenue traffic calming review met the minimum required community support as outlined in the City of Kitchener Traffic Calming policy. Speed humps were supported by 77% of the respondents to the survey and directly address the primary concern of speeding as indicated by the majority of the residents. TEMPORARY INSTALLATION The City of Kitchener has installed permanent asphalt speed humps throughout the city alternatively there are temporary measures available for use. These temporary measures differ in design, impact, and function. The temporary measures are less than 1 metre in length, 50 millimetres in height, they are made of recycled rubber and have an interlocking design for installation on any roadway width. They reduce vehicle speeds to approximately 28 km/h while maintaining the flow of traffic. However, the design requires a rapid speed reduction which has an impact on all vehicles but especially on emergency and transit vehicles. The shortened ramp causes an abrupt and jarring affect on the road user, similar to the "speed bumps" that are typically used in private developments. In 2003, the City of Kitchener purchased temporary speed cushions for Grand River Blvd in order to address traffic issues that were a direct result of the Freeport Bridge Reconstruction that was occurring at that time. However, during that time the city experienced difficulties resulting from the theft of the speed cushion sections. The introduction of temporary traffic calming measures requires removal and reinstallation before and after each winter season due to snow removal. If the measures are not removed before the winter months snow plow blades will hit the measures at their base resulting in damages to the roads, the speed humps and potentially the snow plow blades. Consequently, it is imperative that the measures are removed prior to snow clearing operations, since any damage to the roadway and snow clearing equipment would magnify the associated costs for this type of temporary measure. The cost to purchase, install and remove the temporary speed cushions along Clark Avenue is itemized below: Removable Speed Cushions -Costs Speed Cushion Costs ($3,410 per unit, 5 units needed) $17,050 Speed Cushion Installation Costs fall units) $ 5,570 Speed Cushion Removal Costs (all units) $ 2,425 Total Cost $25,045 There may be a benefit to purchasing these temporary speed cushions, as they may be reused on future "Traffic Calming" projects on a temporary basis and other City developments which may require the need for such devices. 4 PERMANENT SPEED HUMPS The City of Kitchener has installed permanent asphalt speed humps on many streets within the City. The design has remained consistent with minimal impact on vehicles, including emergency and transit. Our design follows the recommended design from the "Neighbourhood Traffic Calming Guide" Transportation Association of Canada; December 1998. The recommended design has a 2 metre incline on either side of a 3 metre flat top with a height of 80 millimetres. This design minimizes the abrupt and jarring impact felt by the road user traversing typical "speed bumps" and reduces the speed of traffic to an acceptable level. Experience shows that the 85th percentile speed traversing the speed hump is approximately 45 km/h with minimal delays to emergency response times and transit scheduling. The costs to install the speed humps in asphalt (on a temporary basis) would require their removal and reinstallation when the top layer of asphalt is put in place. This is required to maintain consistency with our speed hump design. The cost is outlined in the table below: Permanent Speed Hump -Costs Speed Hump Cost ($3,950 per unit, 5 units installed) $19,750 Speed Hump Removal Costs (all units) $1,775 Speed Cushion Reinstallation Costs (all units) $19,750 Total Cost $41,275 Below is a comparison of using the temporary speed cushions and the final installation of permanent speed humps versus the installation removal and reinstallation of our permanent speed hump design: Purchase Costs $17,050 Installation Cost $ 5,570 Temporary Speed Cushions Removal Costs $ 2,425 Installation Permanent Costs $19,750 Total Cost $44,791 Permanent Speed Humps in 11 in rm vl rin 11 i n (sta at o, e o a, e sta at o Total Cost 41275 ~ ' CONCLUSION: The installation of five (5} speed humps on Clark Avenue, as outlined in the DTS-08-143 report, provides the best technical solution to problems indicated through the traffic calming review. The installation of the speed humps on Clark Avenue should be constructed using the permanent asphalt application, and removed and replaced during the installation of the final layer of asphalt. Through acost-benefit analysis, it was concluded that it would be more cost effective to install asphalt speed humps as part of the reconstruction process in 2009 and remove and reinstall the asphalt speed humps once the final asphalt layer is laid in 2010. Installing the temporary rubber speed cushions provides a less desirable technical solution to addressing speed-related problems on Clark Avenue, at a slightly higher cost. 5 While we recognize that the temporary "speed cushions" are reusable, and could potentially save money in other similar situations their design is too abrupt to be used for extended periods of time. Therefore, implementing the permanent asphalt speed hump design, both on a temporary and permanent basis, will ensure a consistent design and effect which will minimize the impacts on the vehicles and residents of Clark Avenue. The costs associated with implementing the speed humps on a temporary and final basis would be approximately $41,275. Transportation Planning feels that the recommendations outlined in the report DTS-08-143 Traffic Calming -Clark Avenue and related addendum will improve general traffic conditions, as well as improve pedestrian safety, for users of Clark Avenue. John McBride, Director Transportation Planning Jeramie Lewis, Traffic Technologist Transportation Planning JL Attach. Ken Carmichael, C.E.T. Supervisor of Traffic & Parking 6 1 K:~TCH~.N~;R Development& Technical Services CLARK AVENUE TRAFFIC CALMING PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE ~•. ~ - m ,~; ~:: ~_ ~ ~~ -m ~; ~ _ ~ m ~ -~, -m • J•' m TAI ;•J II±I - II I -~~ ~_ ~~ - - ; ~__ ~ __ I:-- ~-- 111 ~' ~ -. 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