Traffic and Transportation Committee

COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION January 10, 2017 A meeting of the Committee on Traffic and Transportation was held this date beginning at 3:31 p.m., at City Hall, First Floor Conference Room, 80 Broad Street. Notice of this meeting was sent to all local news media. PRESENT Councilmember Seekings, Chair; Councilmembers Moody, Wagner, and Wilson, and Mayor Tecklenburg (arrived at 3:39 p.m.) Staff: Robert Somerville, Interim Director of Traffic and Transportation, Janie Borden, Assistant Corporation Counsel, Rick Jerue, Senior Advisor to the Mayor, Matt Compton, Special Projects Administrator, and Bethany Whitaker, Council Secretary Also Present: Robert Ballard The meeting was opened with an invocation by Councilmember Moody. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of the September 27, 2016 Committee on Traffic and Transportation meeting were deferred on the agenda. On the motion of Councilmember Moody, seconded by Councilmember Wilson, the Committee voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the December 20, 2016 meeting. APPROVAL OF RAISED CROSSWALKS (WEST ASHLEY GREENWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT)  Arlington Drive  Croghan Landing Drive  Mutual Drive  Parkdale Drive  Stinson Drive Matt Compton stated that they were proposing to install raised crosswalks at 5 intersections on the Greenway. Three of the intersections were SCDOT and the other two were City Streets. These would be the same type of crosswalks that had already been installed at Betsy Road and Markfield Drive. They would be raised crosswalks that were sometimes called speed tables. The raised crosswalks would limit speed to 20 mph. He said that the humps in West Ashley Park were similar. With the crosswalks, if a car was going 15 mph, it would be comfortable. At 20 mph a person would come out of their seat when you hit them and at 25 mph, a person’s head would hit the ceiling of their car. They thought it was necessary for improved safety throughout the Greenway. Traffic and Transportation did the required traffic studies for it, which showed that the traffic levels were below the DOT’s 4,000 cars per day limit. In all locations, more than half of drivers within a 24 hour period were exceeding the 25 mph speed limit. In one location, 91.6% of drivers exceeded the 25 mph speed limit. In every tested location, there were multiple drivers who exceeded 55 mph in a 25 mph zone. For information purposes, if a pedestrian was hit by a car at 20 mph or less, they had a 5% chance of dying. At 30 mph, it was a 45% chance and at 40 mph they had an 85% chance. A lot of that depended on the vehicle and the age of the person. As a car went over 45 mph, the chance of dying got much closer to 100%. They will still require a stop of the person using the greenway, whether bicyclist or car, because there was not enough site distance that would be required for non-stop intersections. Even with that, they wanted to be able to bring the cars down to a safe speed, so the users of the greenway would be able to get across. Chairman Seekings recognized Councilmember Moody. Councilmember Moody stated that he would be supporting this. This was the two additional miles from Stinson Drive to Croghan’s Landing that would be completed this year. He then asked if there would also be flashing lights in addition to the signage. Mr. Compton stated that there would be signage, but not necessarily flashing lights. If it would be required, they would put them in but there would be signage that said there were raised crosswalks. Councilmember Moody said that most of those poles on Betsy and Wappoo roads had a solar panel with a light. Mr. Compton said that he would check and that he didn’t have that in the program, but if it was required, they would figure out how to get them in. Councilmember Wagner stated that Markfield Drive didn’t have the flashing lights and Councilmember Moody said that Markfield, Betsy, and Wappoo have the flashing lights. He was not sure about some of them in the subdivisions, but all of those listed were going into an area, and not into a subdivision. Mutual Drive goes into a subdivision, but he would like to have the flashing lights if they could get them. Robert Somerville stated that the pedestrian flashes were added at a later date. When they initially put them in, it was just the raised crosswalk and signage. He said they could continue to look at it to see if they could add the flashers. Chairman Seekings asked if the flashes were 24/7 and were on 365 days a year. This was confirmed. Chairman Seekings then stated that along the Greenway there were some residential areas, where there was a flashing light in someone’s backyard all day and every day. Councilmember Moody stated that the flashes were on the street, and that he had never heard a complaint. In addition to that, there was a barrier on each side of the greenway. There was a stop sign internally, and any person using the Greenway was supposed to stop, but this would keep cars from zooming right past. Chairman Seekings asked who was paying for this and Mr. Compton stated that it was coming from the Project budget for the Greenway. Chairman Seekings asked if the ‘less than 4000 cars per day’ was a SCDOT standard for all raised crosswalks. Mr. Compton confirmed that this was standard for residential areas. In urban areas, it was less than 6000, with a 30 mph speed limit. Councilmember Moody asked what the standard was for speed humps and Mr. Somerville stated that it had to be at least 350 vehicles, and could not exceed 4000 vehicles. On the motion of Councilmember Moody, seconded by Councilmember Wilson, the Committee voted unanimously to approve the raised crosswalks at Arlington, Croghan Landing, Mutual, Parkdale, and Stinson Drives. Chairman Seekings asked if the additional two miles would be finished in 2017. Mr. Compton said yes and that the piece from Parkdale to Croghan Landing Drives were about to pop out a permitting. They were waiting on an answer for a permit question. The piece from Stinson Drive to Parkdale Drive was a little behind, but also in the permitting process. Chairman Seekings asked if those pieces had been payed and budgeted for. Mr. Compton said that they thought so, and that they were waiting on permit requirements, which could have an implication on the price. The first phase, funded by the State, would be tight on budget. The piece funded by the City would be a little more flexible on the budget. Mayor Tecklenburg arrived at 3:39 p.m. Chairman Seekings explained to Mayor Tecklenburg that they were talking about the Greenway and the raised crosswalks. Mayor Tecklenburg asked if the crosswalks were on the Greenway or on road and if he would go up and down if he was riding a bike. Mr. Compton stated that there would be a slight hump up for bikes and for cars. Both bikes and cars were supposed to stop, but this was primarily to reduce a cars speed as it was coming across the Greenway. Chairman Seekings stated that they would grade the humps for bikes. Mr. Compton stated that it would be within ADA requirements and would be like going up a handicap ramp. Councilmember Moody said that other streets have it now, and there was a slight rise as you approach them. Chairman Seekings stated that Mayor Tecklenburg might be interested in the traffic study and asked Mr. Compton to repeat the statistics. Mr. Compton repeated the statistics, referring back to the speeds of cars at the studies intersections, and the statistics on pedestrian deaths in relation to a car’s speed. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:42 p.m. Bethany Whitaker Council Secretary