Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 99-08RESOLUTION NO.99-08 A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF APACHE JUNCTION,ARIZONA,ESTABLISHING A POLICY ON NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING FOR SELECTED PUBLIC STREETS IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS. WHEREAS,concerns about excessive traffic volumes and/or excessive traffic speeds along public streets in residential areas are becoming more frequent and widespread with continued development of the City and surrounding areas:and WHEREAS,the City desires to work with citizens who identify where frequent problems occur:and WHEREAS,the.City desires to participate with neighborhoods and citizens in the implementation of traffic calming measures to alleviate frequent problems. NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and City Council of the City of Apache Junction,Arizona,as follows: 1.The City of Apache Junction hereby establishes a policy on neighborhood traffic calming,as more fully set forth in Attachment A.for selected public streets in residential areas,as shown in Attachment A. 2.The City of Apache Junction may participate in the funding of traffic calming measures. 3.The City of Apache Junction will approve the design and installation of all traffic calming measures. 4.The Mayor and City Council has the sole discretion to approve,modify or deny implementation of any traffic calming measure,regardless of any support or lack thereof via the petition process. PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF APACHE JUNCTION,ARIZONA,THIS 18TH DAY OF MAY ,1999. RESOLUTION NO.99-08 PAGE 1 OF 2 SIGNED AND ATTESTED TO THE 18TH ATTEST: KATHLEEN CONNELLY City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: -99 RICHARD J.STERN City Attorney RESOLUTION NO.99-08 PAGE 2 OF 2 DAY OF MAY DOUGLAS C6LEMAN MAYOR ,1999. RESOLUTION 99-08 ATTACHMENT A POLICY ON NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING FOR PUBLIC STREETS IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS Policy The City of Apache Junction ("City") is interested in preserving the quality of life within its neighborhoods.Many residents believe that control of traffic volumes and traffic speeds along local streets are critical to maintaining an acceptable quality of life.The purpose of this policy is as follows: 1.Acknowledge the necessity for sound traffic calming design in the planning and development of new residential subdivisions. 2.Set forth the process and criteria by which a citizen request for measures designed to control traffic volumes and speeds will be evaluated and potentially implemented. This policy only applies to roadways functionally classified, in the Apache Junction City Code Volume II, Land Development Code Chapter 2, as local streets.This policy is applicable only to requests for traffic control measures initiated by residents of the subdivision.This policy is not applicable to design and evaluation of traffic signals, signs and markings based on City, State or Federal policies and guidelines, including the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Neighborhood Traffic Management Design City staff and residential subdivision developers must be sensitive to quality of life, safety, comfort and convenience issues when designing new residential subdivisions. Planning for residential or local streets is a critical government responsibility. Residential street design and traffic control should provide neighborhood protection and meet quality of life objectives by managing traffic volumes and speeds while simultaneously enhancing the aesthetic characteristics in planned subdivisions. Neighborhood Traffic Calming Measures Education, enforcement and engineering are the ingredients necessary to an effective traffic calming program.Education is important throughout this process.Enforcement is a low impact traffic calming method because it represents a short-term inexpensive solution.Engineering is a high impact traffic calming method because it is a permanent and expensive solution. There are varying degrees of traffic calming measures.Low impact measures may be implemented by a single citizen request.Low impact measures are: 1.Temporary placement of speed limit trailers. 2.Increased traffic enforcement presence. RESOLUTION 99-08 ATTACHMENT A PAGE 1 OF 6 3.Installation of speed limit signs at all entries to a neighborhood from arterial or collector streets. 4.Installation of all -way stop control at residential street intersections where conditions meet traffic count standards. 5.Marking bike lanes to reduce vehicular lane widths. High impact traffic calming measures require full neighborhood participation.This participation is demonstrated through a neighborhood petition process.Petitions must be circulated throughout the area that may be significantly impacted by the traffic calming device.Seventy-five percent or more of the property owners in the neighborhood must be in favor of the traffic calming measure.Additionally, 100% of the property owners located within 50 feet of the device, as measured in all directions, must be in favor of the traffic calming measure.High impact measures are: I.Turn prohibition signs (may be for selected times of day). 2.One-way traffic signs. 3.Diverters or barriers constructed to restrict selected traffic movements at intersections. 4.Speed humps. 5.Traffic circles. 6.Street closures. 7.Chicanes or narrowed street sections to force curvilinear movement along an existing straight street. 8.Chokers or narrowed street sections to reduce vehicular lane widths. 9.Other options suggested by residents of the neighborhood or City staff. Traffic Calming Process The process for initiating a traffic calming request is as follows: 1.A resident shall contact the Police Department or the Public Works Department to report a neighborhood traffic problem. 2.If the traffic problem requires Public Works Department intervention, the City Engineer shall schedule a survey of the conditions, including a review of street type, street design, land uses, traffic volume and/or speeds. 3.Based on the survey of conditions, low impact traffic calming measures are suggested to the resident. 4.If the low impact measures have been implemented in the neighborhood, but are ineffective based upon follow-up surveys by the City Engineer, more significant traffic calming measures shall be pursued upon request of the resident. 5.The resident shall complete a Traffic Calming Request form provided by the City Engineer.The form must include the names of at least five residents, from separate households in the neighborhood, who will assist City staff with the neighborhood participation process. 6.Public Works Department staff shall help the five member resident's group organize and distribute notification about a neighborhood meeting on traffic calming. RESOLUTION 99-08 ATTACHMENT A PAGE 2 OF 6 7.A neighborhood meeting shall be held to identify traffic -related concerns, to focus on the area of greatest concern, and to form a committee of residents willing to work on identification and evaluation of traffic calming measures. 8.Through a series of meetings, Public Works and Public Safety staff shall assist the citizen committee in evaluating the positive and negative aspects of proposed traffic calming measures. 9.A follow-up neighborhood meeting shall be held by the committee to obtain comments on their proposed traffic calming solution.If the proposed measures are not favored by a majority of residents, the committee may choose to work on alternative measures, circulate petition forms, or discontinue the project. 10. When the committee's proposed traffic calming solution is acceptable to the residents, petition forms provided by the City Engineer shall be circulated among the neighborhood residents. Petition Requirements 1.The committee circulating petitions must attempt to contact 100% of the neighborhood residents including tenants, property and business owners. 2.Completed petitions must contain signatures from not less than 90% of the property owners or businesses in the neighborhood, including persons in favor of or in opposition to the proposed traffic calming measure(s). 3.The City Engineer shall provide the petition forms and other documents, which shall include an exhibit showing the placement of the traffic calming device(s). 4.The petition form shall discuss the implementation cost and how the device shall be funded. 5.The City Engineer shall provide the boundary of the neighborhood area for which the petition is to be circulated by the committee.The petition area boundary must include streets to which traffic may be diverted due to implementation of the measure. 6.Any high impact traffic calming measure must receive support by not less than 75% of the property owners signing the petition.Only one signature per household or business shall be counted to determine 75% approval. 7.One hundred percent (100%) of the property owners located within 50 feet, in any direction, of the high impact traffic calming measure, to be constructed in a public street, must be in favor of the traffic calming measure. 8.Completed petitions must be returned to the City Engineer no later than ninety calendar days from the date they were obtained from the City Engineer. 9.The City Engineer shall review the completed petition forms to verify property ownership.The Public Works Director shall not accept petitions that exceed ninety calendar days. Evaluation Proposed traffic calming methods shall be evaluated as follows: 1.The City Engineer shall maintain a list of criteria justifying the implementation of each type of traffic calming device. RESOLUTION 99-08 ATTACHMENT A PAGE 3 OF 6 2.Traffic calming measures shall not be implemented unless traffic count standards are met. 3.Petition requirements shall be met as outlined above. 4.Traffic calming measures shall not be implemented if a majority of the emergency service providers identified as police, fire and ambulance service citing adverse impacts, do not approve the proposed measure. 5.All traffic calming measures involving reconstruction in the roadway such as barriers, speed humps, traffic circles and street closures, may affect stormwater runoff.The City Engineer shall evaluate the drainage impact of the proposed measure. Financing 1.The residents shall contract with a registered professional civil engineer to design the traffic calming measure and revise the subdivision drainage report.These documents shall be stamped by the civil engineer and submitted to the City Engineer for review and approval. 2.The residents shall be responsible for contracting and funding the installation work when the vehicle traffic count is recorded at less than 500 trips per day.When a vehicle traffic count of between 500 and 999 trips per day is recorded, the installation cost of the traffic calming measure will be equally split between the neighborhood and the City.The City will be responsible for retaining the contractor.The work shall not be performed until the neighborhood share of the installation cost is provided to the City Engineer.When vehicle traffic counts exceed 1,000 trips per day, the Public Works Department will contract for and fund the installation of the traffic calming measure. 3.The work shall be subject to all applicable plan review, permitting and inspection requirements of the City. 4.The Public Works Department shall provide and install the necessary advance warning signs and pavement markings. 5.The City shall be responsible for the perpetual maintenance of the traffic calming measure, once accepted by the City Engineer. Traffic Calming Measure Design The City Engineer shall be responsible for approving the design of all traffic calming measures.This design shall serve as the approved plan for construction by the installation contractor. Traffic Calming Device Removal If, in the future, the neighborhood wants to remove any traffic calming measure, a petition indicating not less than 51% approval must be submitted to the City Engineer.If approved, the neighborhood shall be responsible for removal costs and associated street repairs. RESOLUTION 99-08 ATTACHMENT A PAGE 4 OF 6 PROCEDURE FOR REQUESTING SPEED HUMPS Purpose Due to the increasing demand for speed control devices on residential streets, the City of Apache Junction has established a mechanism by which speed humps can be installed to address speeding and cut -through traffic concerns on residential streets.Speed humps are raised areas in the pavement surface extending from curb -to -curb.They are 3 inches in height and 14 feet in width. Criteria for Speed Hump Qualification Speed humps shall be considered for installation only when a location meets ALL of the qualification criteria listed below: I.Must be a paved, residential street with a speed limit of 30 miles per hour or less. There are no fewer than six houses per one -eighth mile with driveways onto the street.The street must be a minimum of 600 feet in length with a maximum length of one mile. 2.Streets must have a crown or high point in the center of the street that enables water to flow toward and to drain along the sides of the street. 3.Street drainage must be addressed by the hired civil engineer responsible for designing the speed humps. 4.The street must have vertical curb abutting the ends of the proposed speed humps or some natural or man-made obstruction near the edge of the pavement, which will keep traffic on the roadway.If these constraints do not exist, the speed hump construction shall include the installation of vertical curb on both sides of the street perpendicular to the ends of the speed humps, for a total distance of 100 feet. 5.Vehicle traffic counts must be met as described below. 6.Surveyed speeds must show at least 15% of the motorists exceeding the speed limit by at least eight miles per hour. 7.Speed humps shall not be implemented if a majority of the emergency service providers identified as police, fire and ambulance service citing adverse impacts do not approve them. 8.Speed humps will not be installed on unpaved streets, on grades of more than 3%; within 200 feet of a stop sign; within 200 feet of a curve; on a curve; over manholes, water valves, junction boxes or other appurtenances; or where the logical result would be to divert traffic to a parallel residential street. 9.The petition requirements shall be met. RESOLUTION 99-08 ATTACHMENT A PAGE 5 OF 6 Process The City of Apache Junction needs to be assured that strong neighborhood support exists, particularly by residents living nearest the speed humps.The neighborhood residents need to be aware that they are financially responsible for the speed hump design and may be responsible for all installation costs depending on the vehicle traffic counts.The Traffic Calming Process section of the Policy on Neighborhood Traffic Calming for Public Streets in Residential Areas shall guide residents through the process to request speed humps. Questions about this process should be directed to the City Engineer at 982-1055. RESOLUTION 99-08 ATTACHMENT A PAGE 6 OF 6