To: Members of the Public Works Commission
From: Thomas Reiff, Project Manager
Title
Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program - Appeal for Coltin Trail
Body
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this item is to request a formal recommendation to Town Council on a submitted appeal to a traffic calming request on a residential street. This appeal is following the process established within the Town’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program.
Town staff received a traffic calming request for Coltin Trail to be considered for the Town's Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (NTCP). A vicinity map is attached (Attachment A). Following an evaluation of the street, staff determined that the street does not meet the minimum eligibility criteria established in the Town Council approved NTCP policy.
To qualify for the program, a street must meet both of the following minimum thresholds:
• 85th percentile speed of 30 mph or greater; and
• Average daily traffic (ADT) volume of 500 vehicles or more.
Coltin Trail is a residential local street with a posted speed limit of 25 mph. Based on the traffic evaluation, the street did not meet the minimum 30 mph speed criteria required to advance into the program. The measured 85th percentile speed for westbound traffic is 25.0 mph and eastbound is 27.5 mph. The collection time period is statistically significant to represent the typical speeds on the roadway. The volume threshold was met, with an average daily volume of 538 vehicles.
The Point of Contact (POC) has exercised the appeal provision contained within the adopted policy and submitted a written appeal of staff's determination. Staff is presenting this appeal to the Public Works Commission for review and recommendation to Town Council.
At this time, staff recommends that the Public Works Commission deny the appeal based on the established eligibility criteria in the Town Council approved NTCP policy. The Town has a $25,000 budget in 2026 for this program. This typically allows for one project per year. On average the Town receives 7-8 requests for traffic calming per year. About one project each year qualifies for the program. Project costs can range upwards of $50,000 to $70,000 depending on the traffic calming plan created by the neighborhood, but most typically cost between $15,000 to $20,000.
Discussion
The NTCP was established to address quality of life issues related to speeding and cut through traffic concerns on residential streets. The program is intended to provide a consistent and objective method for identifying locations where traffic calming measures may be appropriate while taking into account limited Town financial resources. The program is not intended to address safety issues. If a hazard is identified, or accident trends indicate that the driving environment is contributing to accidents, these are handled separately. There is no evidence of an unsafe roadway environment along Coltin Trail.
The street is classified as a residential local street and has a posted speed limit of 25 mph. Based on the results of the traffic evaluation, staff determined that the street does not meet the minimum eligibility criteria established by the program. Because the minimum criteria were not met, staff notified the POC that the street was not eligible to proceed into the NTCP. This notification letter is attached (Attachment B).
The POC subsequently elected to appeal staff's determination. The appeal process is specifically addressed in the Town's adopted NTCP policy and allows a POC to request review of staff's decision. The policy requires that an appeal be submitted in writing and signed by at least five individuals who signed the initial petition. The petition is attached (Attachment C). The appeal is submitted to the Director of Public Works for evaluation and is then presented to the Public Works Commission for review and recommendation.
Following the Public Works Commission's review, staff will present the appeal, along with the recommendations of staff and the Commission, to the Town Council for final consideration per the approved appeal process.
Appeal Request
The POC has submitted an appeal requesting that Coltin Trail be allowed to proceed in the NTCP despite staff's determination that the street does not meet the established minimum eligibility criteria. We have verified that the submitted signatures are from the original petition. The primary reason for the appeal is that the petitioners still feel that the minority of cars that are driving above the speed limit is still detrimental to their quality of life.
The next step in the appeal process is for the Public Works Commission to review the appeal and provide a recommendation to the Town Council to either approve or deny the request.
If the appeal is ultimately approved by Town Council, Coltin Trail would move into Phase 1 of the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program. Phase 1 includes:
1. Establishing the study area;
2. Contacting residents within the study area;
3. Initiating an educational phase to inform residents and motorists about traffic concerns and appropriate driving behavior; and
4. Initiating an enforcement phase intended to help reduce vehicle speeds and improve compliance with the posted speed limit.
After four months, the speed and volume will be measured to see if Phase 1 strategies reduced the speed on Coltin Trail. If speeds are reduced then Phase 1 will be considered a success and the traffic calming plan will be concluded. If speeds did not drop then the plan will move into Phase 2 and engineering approaches will be explored with the neighborhood.
If the appeal is denied by Town Council, the NTCP process for the street will end. Under the adopted policy, the street would then be eligible for reevaluation after one year.
Staff's recommendation at this time is to deny the appeal request because the street does not meet the minimum criteria established in the Town Council approved NTCP policy. Staff believes applying the adopted criteria consistently provides an objective and equitable process for evaluating traffic calming requests throughout the Town. It also preserves program funding for other streets that may become eligible during the year.
The Public Works Commission may consider the information presented by staff, the appeal submitted by the POC, and any public testimony before making its recommendation to Town Council.
Budget Impacts
There are no budget impacts at this time associated with the appeal or the Commission's consideration of the request. The NTCP has an annual budget of $25,000. No program funds would be expended as a result of the appeal at this stage. Any unused funds are returned to the Transportation Fund balance and can be utilized for other operations and maintenance purposes. Town Council annually allocates a new budget for the program each year, and this has historically been $25,000 per year.
However, if the appeal is ultimately approved by Town Council and the project proceeds into Phase 1 and potentially into Phase 2, expenditures are likely and staff would evaluate the resources and funding necessary to implement the activities in Phase 1 and Phase 2 within the existing annual program budget.
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Public Works Commission deny the appeal request and recommend that Town Council uphold staff's determination that Coltin Trail does not meet the minimum eligibility criteria for the program.
The recommendation is based on the Town Council-approved NTCP policy, which establishes an 85th percentile speed of 30 mph or greater to be eligible for the program.
Proposed Motion
“I move to recommend that the Town Council deny the appeal of staff's determination that Coltin Trail does not meet the minimum eligibility criteria for the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program and uphold staff's decision pursuant to the Town Council approved Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program policy.”
Alternative motions:
“I move to recommend that Town Council approve the appeal for Coltin Trail and proceed to Phase 1 of the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program.
Attachments
Attachment A: Vicinity Map
Attachment B: Staff Determination Letter to POC
Attachment C: POC Written Appeal Request