Submitted By
Bill McKenna, Village Engineer Kyle Eichenberger, Interim Transportation Commission Chairperson
Reviewed By
LKS
Agenda Item Title
Title
A Motion to Concur with the Transportation Commission’s Recommendation to Install Bike-Friendly Chokers on the 1200 Blocks of North Lombard Avenue and North Taylor Avenue
End
Overview
Overview
The Village of Oak Park received petitions to install traffic calming devices on the 1200 blocks of North Lombard and North Taylor Avenues. The Village conducted crash analysis and traffic studies for the petitioning and adjacent blocks. The Transportation Commission voted unanimously (4-0) to recommend the installation of bike-friendly chokers on the 1200 blocks of North Lombard and North Taylor Avenues at its September 24, 2018 meeting. Staff concurs with this recommendation.
Body
Staff Recommendation
Approve the Motion.
Fiscal Impact
Staff estimates it will cost approximately $8,000 to install temporary bike-friendly chokers on the two blocks. There are $19,962 of available funds for this work in the FY2108 Budget in the Capital Improvement Fund, Public Works - Engineering, account no. 3095-43780-101-570955 for Traffic Calming Improvements. The temporary delineators will be removed and reused at other locations once the permanent chockers are installed.
The recommended FY2019 Budget includes $47,000 of funds in the Capital Improvement Fund, Public Works - Engineering, account no. 3095-43780-101-570955 for Traffic Calming Improvements which will be used to fund the permanent installation of the chockers on the two blocks which is estimated to cost approximately $27,000.
Background
Village staff received petitions from 1200 blocks of North Taylor and Lombard for traffic calming. The Village conducted crash analysis and traffic studies for the petitioning and adjacent blocks. The Transportation Commission voted unanimously (4-0) to recommend the installation of bike-friendly chokers on the 1200 blocks of North Lombard and North Taylor Avenues at its September 24, 2018 meeting.
Village Staff supports the Transportation Commission’s recommendation. Pending Board concurrence, staff will install a temporary choker (pinch point) near the middle of the block for 1200 blocks of North Taylor and Lombard to reduce the width of the driving lanes to slow traffic using delineator posts since it is too late in the year to install the permanent version. The permanent chockers which include new curbs and grass parkways would then be installed as part of the 2019 local street resurfacing project next summer. Based on the Traffic Calming Toolbox, traffic chockers are paid for by the Village.
A detailed background for the petition process and traffic analysis is below.
Petition Submittal for the 1200 Block of Taylor Avenue
On September 5, 2017, the Village of Oak Park received a petition to install a traffic calming device on the 1200 block of North Taylor Avenue. Residents representing 51.39% of the street frontage on the petitioning block signed the petition. The petition was certified as a valid petition.
Reasons provided for the petition are: vehicles traveling on the block at speeds in excess of the speed limit, the volume of traffic on the block is higher than what is expected on a residential street, issues of bypass traffic using their alley, enforcement efforts have not been effective. See Attachment A, pages 1-2 for a copy of this petition and accompanying letter of explanation.
Petition Submittal for the 1200 Block of North Lombard Avenue
On May 29, 2018 the Village of Oak Park sent a notification letter to the residents on the 1200 block of North Lombard Avenue that the Village received a valid petition requesting a traffic calming device on the 1200 block of North Taylor Avenue. Further, the Village would prefer to look at the issue in a holistic manner and theirs is the only other 1200 block between Ridgeland Avenue and Austin Boulevard without some type of calming device. And if they feel their block should be considered they can submit a petition as well.
As a result of that letter, the Village received a petition to implement a traffic calming measure on the 1200 block of North Lombard Avenue on June 19, 2018. Residents representing 58.53% of the street frontage on the petitioning block signed the petition. The petition was certified as a valid petition.
Reasons provided for the petition was the Village’s notification letter that a nearby block is petitioning for a traffic calming measure and the belief if their block is the only open through block, traffic volumes would increase, also concern was expressed for the safety of the residents especially the children on the block. See Attachment A, pages 3-4 for a copy of this petition and accompanying letter of explanation.
See Attachment B for written public testimony received by the Village of Oak Park regarding this item. There are 7 emails in support of the petition, 1 email opposed to the petition and 1 email that is neutral (comment on items other than the petitions).
A directional twenty-four hour traffic volume and speed study was conducted on Tuesday, March 14, 2018 for the 1200 blocks of North Harvey, North Lombard, Hayes, North Taylor, and North Humphrey Avenues. Because of equipment issues, data collection needed to be repeated on the 1200 block of North Taylor Avenue. The second study was completed on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. Similar data was collected in 2005 for all blocks except the 1200 block of North Humphrey Avenue. The results were analyzed and then summarized (see Attachment D). Staff also reviewed the crash history of the intersections on each end of both blocks and generated a collision diagram based on the results (see Attachment E).
The petition was reviewed by the Transportation Commission at its September 24, 2018 meeting. Staff gave a presentation on the issue including: background on the petition, analysis of the collected traffic data and collision diagram. Area residents provided public testimony on the item. After hearing Staff’s presentation and public testimony, the Transportation Commission deliberated on the item. The approved minutes for the September 24, 2018 Transportation Commission meeting are included as Attachment F.
At the September 24, 2018 meeting, the Transportation Commission voted unanimously (4 to 0) to recommend installing a temporary bike-friendly choker on the 1200 blocks of North Lombard and North Taylor Avenues until permanent bike-friendly chokers can be constructed on those same blocks.
ANALYSIS SECTION
Geometry of the Petitioning Blocks and Neighborhood Context (Attachment C)
Attachment C shows the existing cul-de-sacs, diverters, one-way streets, etc. on the 1200 blocks along North Avenue between Harlem Avenue and Austin Boulevard. This exhibit shows the traffic limiting devices that have been employed along North Avenue.
Traffic Study - Volume and Speed (Attachment D)
Reviewing the 24-hour volumes for all five blocks studied in 2018 (Attachment D), the two-way average daily traffic (ADT) ranged from a low of 84 vehicles (1200 block of Hayes Ave) to a high of 740 vehicles (1200 block of North Lombard Ave). All volumes fall below the 800 to 1,200 vehicle range for typical daily volume on residential streets within the Village of Oak Park. As a result, there does not appear to be an issue with the volume of traffic traveling on the 1200 blocks of North Taylor Avenue and North Lombard Avenue. The 2018 volumes for each of the blocks are lower than the 2005 volumes. This is consistent with what the Village has found on many of its streets since 2008. The lower volumes are due in part to the 2008 financial crisis.
Regarding vehicular speeds, it is an accepted traffic engineering practice to set the speed limit to the 5 mile per hour (mph) increment above or below the 85th percentile speed. Village Staff holds the opinion that the majority of drivers will drive at or near the posted speed limit. In addition, it is an accepted fact that the speed indicated on speedometers can vary up to 2 percent above or below the actual speed of the vehicle.
By definition, the 85th percentile speed is the speed at which 85 percent of the vehicles are traveling at or less than. Conversely, 15 percent of the vehicles will be traveling faster than the 85th percentile speed. It has already been stated that speed limits are typically set to the 5 mph increment above or below the 85th percentile speed. This implies that it is expected that approximately 15 percent of vehicles will be traveling faster than the speed limit, if the speed limit is in the 5 mph increment below the 85th percentile speed.
Turning to vehicle speeds on the 1200 block of North Taylor Avenue, the 85th percentile speeds ranged between 27 mph and 30 mph. The 85th percentile speeds on the 1200 block of North Lombard Avenue ranged between 27 mph and 28 mph. Based on the collected data, the 85th percentile speeds on both blocks is higher than the posted speed limit of 25 mph.
Looking at the 85th percentile speeds on the 1200 block of Hayes Avenue, the speeds range between 19 mph and 21 mph while the 85th percentile speeds on the 1200 block of North Humphrey Avenue range between 23 mph and 24 mph. All 85th percentile speeds on these two blocks are below the posted speed limit of 25 mph. The 85th percentile speeds on the 1200 block of North Harvey Avenue range between 22 mph and 26 mph. This range is considered acceptable. The 85th percentile speed of 26 mph could be due to a number of factors including the speed indicated in a vehicle’s on speedometers can vary and rounding of the data set.
Comparing the 2018 results to the 2005 study results, all blocks but the 1200 block of North Harvey Avenue are consistently within one mile per hour when looking at the 85th percentile speeds.
Based on the collected data, it appears there may be a speeding issue on the 1200 blocks of North Taylor Avenue and North Lombard Avenue.
Crash History - Collision Diagrams (Attachment E)
Next, thirty-six months of vehicle crash reports covering the period of August 2015 through July 2018 were reviewed for the 1200 block of North Taylor Avenue and the 1200 block of North Lombard Avenue. Please see Attachment E for the collision diagrams.
The number of reported crashes that occurred at the LeMoyne Parkway and Taylor Avenue intersection for the thirty-six months ended July 31, 2018 totaled one, a vehicle attempting to parallel park struck a parked vehicle in 2016. The average daily traffic for the intersection as determined as part of the 1998 traffic study was 1,166 vehicles. From this data, the 2018 crash rate for the LeMoyne Parkway and Taylor Avenue intersection is calculated to be 0.783 accidents per million entering vehicles (Acc/MEV).
This crash rate is above the critical crash as determined in the area-wide traffic study of 1998 (0.686 Acc/MEV). If an actual accident rate exceeds the critical crash rate then it is highly probable that the accidents were caused by factors other than chance. Although the 2018 crash rate for the intersection is above the critical crash rate for the area (0.686 Acc/MEV), this is due to the low volume of traffic at the intersection rather than the probability the accident was caused by factors other than chance.
The number of reported crashes that occurred at the LeMoyne Parkway and Lombard Avenue intersection for the thirty-six months ended July 31, 2018 totaled zero. The crash rate for the LeMoyne Parkway and Lombard Avenue intersection is 0.000 accidents per million entering vehicles (Acc/MEV) which is below the critical crash rate of 0.686 Acc/MEV.
The number of reported crashes that occurred on North Avenue at the intersections of Taylor Avenue and Lombard Avenue for the same time period totaled four crashes and four crashes, respectively. The average daily traffic for the North Avenue & Taylor Avenue and North Avenue & Lombard Avenue intersections as determined as part of the 1998 traffic study were 31,796 vehicles and 31,718 vehicles, respectively. The crash rates for these two intersections are calculated to both be 0.115 Acc/MEV which lower than the critical crash rate of 0.686 Acc/MEV.
In conclusion, there does not seem to be a problem with vehicle crashes on either the 1200 block of North Taylor Avenue or the 1200 block of North Lombard Avenue.
Based on the studies conducted by the Village, it appears there’s a speeding issue only on the 1200 blocks of North Taylor Avenue and North Lombard Avenue.
Alternatives
The alternative to this recommendation could be to delay action to gain additional information.
Previous Board Action
N/A.
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
The Transportation Commission recommended the following at its September 24, 2018 meeting:
The installation of a temporary bike-friendly choker on the 1200 block of North Lombard Avenue and the 1200 block of North Taylor Avenue until permanent bike-friendly chokers can be installed.
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
None at this time.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
N/A.
Performance Management (MAP) Alignment
N/A.