TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Adam Lindsay, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Sheila Thomas-Ambat, PE, CCM, CFM, Public Services Director
Brian McGill, PE, PTOE, City Traffic Engineer
DATE: June 24, 2024
RE:
Title
Residential Traffic Management Program - Traffic Calming Measures
end
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
All
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal I: Be a safe and secure community.
Goal II: Be a responsive city government supporting a diverse and viable economy.
Goal III: Be invested in today and tomorrow.
Goal IV: Be a highly desirable place to live, work, and recreate.
Goal VI: Have a collaborative citizen and business engagement base.
Executive Summary:
This administrative report is to provide summary responses to Council’s comments from the November 6th, 2023 work session, where a presentation on Traffic Calming Measures was made. In addition to responding to Council’s comments, staff wanted to inform Council of the Safe Streets and Roadways For All (SS4A) project. This project includes the consultant recommending improvements to the City’s Residential Traffic Management Program (RTMP) based on a peer review against similar-sized Cities programs. Staff are preparing to recommend revisions to the RTMP, however we currently recommend revisions be deferred until after SS4A concludes.
Background:
- 8/7/2023 - City Council requested staff review traffic calming measures outside of speed bumps at the conclusion of the City Council Work Session.
- 9/25/203 - Staff presented City Council with an administrative report at the City Council Regular Meeting. City Council moved to hear the Report as a presentation during a City Council Work Session.
- 11/6/2023 - Staff presented City Council with a presentation on traffic calming measures at the City Council Work Session. City Council directed staff to return with recommendations for an update to the Residential Traffic Management Program (RTMP).
There are multiple contributing factors to speeding, with a large component being driver comfort and confidence in their ability to navigate the road. Successful attempts to effectively reduce speeds have been collectively called traffic calming measures. Traffic calming measures reduce speeds by making drivers uncomfortable when they speed across the installed treatment. Our current Residential Traffic Management Program (RTMP) has a process that allows for citizens to request speed humps, a vertical deflection traffic calming measure. The RTMP also has a process for citizens to request the installation of stop signs, however, it should be noted that signage is not considered a traffic calming measure. The RTMP has been attached to this administrative report for reference.
City Council provided comments at the November 6th, 2023 work session regarding the suitability of traffic calming measures and possible inclusion into future revisions to the RTMP. What follows is staff’s understanding of Council’s comments from that work session and staff’s response.
Comment: Council asked for more options besides speed bumps/humps.
Response: The funding provided for the RTMP allows for the limited installation of speed humps following a data-driven process. As outlined in the presentation provided on November 6th, 2023, nearly all traffic calming devices are more expensive than a single speed hump, and with less efficacy on the reduction of speeding. That is to say, speed humps are one of the most traffic calming measures when attempting to reduce speeding. While there are traffic calming measures without the emergency response concerns that speed humps have, they require greater funding to install. Additionally, many of those measures are less effective at reducing speeding or have their own challenges for implementation. Depending on the type of traffic calming measure chosen for implementation, liability can also be a concern if the treatment is designed in-house, such as with a roundabout. Should options for traffic calming measures increase, the complexity and time for the RTMP program would also be expected to increase, which would increase the strain on the City’s limited budget and personnel resources for this program. As part of reviewing information for the RTMP, the City has begun the Safe Streets and Roadways For All (SS4A) project, which is intended to provide recommendations for revisions to the RTMP. SS4A is discussed further at the end of this administrative report.
Comment: Council asked if stop signs could assist on the main roads of neighborhoods to reduce speeding, and not have them installed on just the side streets.
Response: The City follows the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), a reference book provided by the Federal Highway Administration which standardizes the signs that are used throughout the Country. Section 2B.06, Line 06, states that “YIELD or STOP signs shall not be used for speed control.” This is considered best practice as studies have shown that drivers ignore signs that have been used for speed control, leading to drivers ignoring stop signs. Drivers begin to ignore signs they consider “unnecessary”, whether it is from a history of encountering roadway conditions where there was no opposing traffic, over-signing of a road causing drivers to “tune out” important ones, a lack of enforcement for disobeying traffic control devices, or a perception of being on the “main” road and being entitled to having the right-of-way. An excerpt showing this section of the MUTCD, with the relevant line highlighted, is included as an attachment to this report.
Comment: Council asked for more information on the RTMP since they were not familiar with the program / process.
Response: Included with this administrative report is the RTMP as well as a workflow summary sheet of the process to request speed humps. As you’re aware, the RTMP is a very technical document, and staff would be happy to meet individually or at a future work session to discuss the RTMP process further.
Comment: Council asked how do new developers decide where to put stop signs and / or speed humps in new developments.
Response: Developers typically understand what could be considered a “main” road in their proposed development and follow a common-sense approach to the installation of proposed stop sign locations. During staff review of development site plans, if City staff disagree with a proposed traffic control device then we coordinate with developers for a resolution. After development is complete and roads are under the maintenance and responsibility of the City, intersection changes can be made through requests to Traffic Services. With regards to traffic calming devices inside of proposed developments, the City’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) has Article 30-5.F.4.h, Traffic Calming Measures. The UDO encourages the use of traffic calming measures and requires their inclusion on linear street segments when over 800 linear feet. The specific article from the UDO is included as an attachment to this report. Additionally, SS4A will have the consultant assess the City’s Code of Ordinances and UDO for opportunities to prioritize where safety should be addressed in an effort to reduce the occurrence of serious and fatal crashes. SS4A is discussed further at the end of this administrative report.
Comment: The City Manager asked if the presentation and RTMP was based on regional, national, or international information?
Response: The traffic calming administrative report and subsequent presentation provided on November 6th, 2023 was based on national information which itself may have drawn from international studies. The SS4A recommendations discussed at the end of this administrative report are intended to be based on national information.
Comment: Council asked if the City can use Bond funds for traffic calming measures.
Response: It was stated during the November 6th, 2023 meeting that bonds could be used for traffic calming measures.
Safe Streets and Roadways For All (SS4A): The City has initiated the SS4A project which is intended to address locations with a history of crashes. As part of our RFQ process and scope of work, we are requiring the consultant to conduct a peer review of the City’s RTMP against similar-sized Cities neighborhood traffic calming and speed reduction programs. We are asking that the consultant recommend improvements to the City RTMP based on the results of the peer review, best practices comparison, and their knowledge of traffic calming measures. Their recommendations should include proposed thresholds for any new countermeasures. The new countermeasures can include, but are not limited to, the traffic calming measures that were previously presented to City Council in the administrative report and presentation. SS4A also includes the consultant assessing current City standards, guidelines, and plans, including the UDO and City Code of Ordinances, for opportunities to prioritize where safety can be addressed to reduce the occurrence of serious and fatal crashes. Staff recommend that additional revisions to the RTMP be deferred until completion and adoption of the SS4A recommendations. The tentative schedule for SS4A completion is late Spring 2025.
Staff is preparing to recommend revisions to the RTMP at a future work session. In order to maintain design standard uniformity, apply best practices, and work within current City funding and personnel capabilities, staff recommends that revisions to the RTMP be deferred until after the SS4A project is complete.
Issues/Analysis:
The City’s current RTMP provides a process for speed humps and stop signs to be requested, and other traffic calming measures may be desired by the City. The project “Safe Streets and Roadways For All” (SS4A) has begun and will include RTMP recommendations upon completion.
Budget Impact:
N/A
Options:
As this is an administrative report, no options are presented for action.
Recommended Action:
As this is an administrative report, no options are presented for action.
Attachments:
MUTCD Excerpt
UDO Article 30-5F4h
Residential Traffic Management Program
Speed Hump Request Summary Workflow