To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
Through: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
From: Thomas Reiff, Transportation Planner
Title
Discussion/Direction: Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program - Appeal for Coltin Trail
Body
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this item is to approve or deny an appeal of a traffic calming request on a residential street. The appeal follows the process established in the Town’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (NTCP). Town Council is the approval authority for all appeals. The street does not meet speed thresholds to qualify, and the Public Works Commission unanimously recommends Town Council deny this appeal.
All roadways carry some level of risk for road users. Staff’s review of crash history and roadway geometry on Coltin Trail did not identify conditions warranting separate safety improvements at this time. The NTCP was established to accommodate quality of life concerns associated with traffic on neighborhood streets where safety issues do not exist.
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 speed data collection period was sufficient to represent the typical speeds on the roadway. The volume threshold was met, with an average daily volume of 538 vehicles.
The collected data is a statistical representation of the typical volume and speeds on this road. We checked with the Police Department, and their data confirms our speed measurements.
The Point of Contact (POC) has exercised the appeal provision contained within the adopted policy and submitted a written appeal of staff's determination. Residents believe the results of the study do not fully reflect the conditions they observe on the street and believe its unsafe. As mentioned above, this is not supported by collected data or review of accident history. Staff is presenting this appeal to the Town Council for action per the approved policy.
Discussion
The NTCP was established to address quality of life concerns related to speeding and cut through traffic on residential streets. Roadway safety is evaluated by the degree of risk to road users, recognizing that no roadway is risk-free. Identified conditions warranting safety improvements are addressed separately from the NTCP, regardless of program eligibility. This 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.
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.
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 a minority of vehicles are traveling above the posted speed limit and that this is detrimental to their quality of life.
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 vehicle speeds on Coltin Trail. Residents will then be asked if they still want to move into Phase 2. This phase is considered the engineering phase which will explore options with the neighborhood, such as speed humps, curb extensions, or chicanes.
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.
Budget Impact
There are no budget impacts at this time associated with the appeal or the Council's consideration of the request. The NTCP has an annual budget of $25,000. Any unused funds are returned to the Transportation Fund balance and can be utilized for other operations and maintenance purposes. The approved budget allows for about one project per year. On average the Town receives 7-8 requests for traffic calming with about one per year qualifying.
If the appeal is 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 proposed activities within the existing annual program budget.
Staff Recommendation
The recommendation at this time is to deny the appeal request because the street does not meet the minimum criteria for the 85th percentile speed of 30 mph or greater established in the Town Council approved NTCP policy. 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 recommended unanimously that Town Council deny the appeal request and uphold the determination that Coltin Trail does not meet the minimum eligibility criteria for the program.
Proposed Motion
“I move that the Town Council deny the appeal request and uphold the determination that Coltin Trail does not meet the minimum eligibility criteria for the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program.”
Alternative Motions
“I move 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