Traffic Commission Meeting

Approved September 13, 2016 URBANA TRAFFIC COMMISSION Tuesday, June 14, 2016 MEMBERS PRESENT: Michael Madigan, City Council Member, Ward 6, Chair Craig Shonkwiler, Assistant City Engineer Pat Connolly, Police Chief MEMBERS ABSENT: None OTHERS PRESENT: John Collins, Operations Manager Barbara Peacock Dennis Roberts, 507 E. Green The meeting began at 4:00 p.m. Approval of Minutes: Craig Shonkwiler moved to approve the minutes of the May 10, 2016 meeting. Pat Connolly seconded the motion. The Commission voted 3-0 to approve the minutes of the May meeting. Additions to the agenda: There were no additions to the agenda. Public Input Since there were attendees who came to speak to an issue not on the agenda, the Commission moved to listen to public input after discussing the unfinished business of the meeting.  Traffic Commission Minutes June 2016 Page 2 Unfinished Business Item #1- Discussion of traffic control on Florida Avenue at Kinch Street. Craig Shonkwiler reviewed the results of a warrant analysis performed on Florida Avenue at Kinch Street, which was done to determine whether or not multi-stop controls were needed at the intersection. He mentioned that there was a stop sign for southbound traffic on Kinch Street. Discussing the warrants listed in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), Mr. Shonkwiler stated that there were no warrants met for traffic signals since the traffic volume at the intersection was very low. He added that there were fewer than five crashes per year at that intersection. Specifically, he stated that there had been two crashes at that intersection within that time period. (One crash was a left turn crash and the other was a rear end crash by an MTD bus.) He continued by saying that the average hourly number of vehicles on Florida Avenue was 265, compared to a minimum requirement of 300 vehicles per hour for any eight hour period per the MUTCD; and on Kinch Street the total of all modes of transportation (vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians) was 60, compared to the minimum requirement of 200 per the MUTCD. In summary, Mr. Shonkwiler stated that none of the warrants were met for the intersection. He said that the 85th percentile for speeds was 38.7 miles per hour on Florida Avenue near Kinch Street. He said that the speed was posted at 30 miles per hour, so there was some concern about the traffic speed. He suggested that if Florida Avenue were to open to High Cross Road, the intersection would be monitored at that time to determine if there were any changes in traffic volumes. He recommended that no action be taken at this time. Pat Connolly asked for the time of day when speeds exceeded the posted limit. Craig Shonkwiler said that he would send the information to Chief Connolly. Chief Connolly said that he would assign a STEP detail to that location. The Traffic Commission members agreed that no further action was required at this time. Item #2- Discussion of traffic control on Kinch Street at Michigan Avenue. Craig Shonkwiler mentioned that a request for an all-way stop at Kinch Street and Michigan Avenue was made during discussions about the installation of bicycle lanes on Kinch Street. Mr. Shonkwiler stated that Michigan Avenue was a low volume, residential street that was controlled by stop signs. He added that there had been no crashes at that intersection during the five-year period. He reported that the average number of vehicles counted during the study was 139 vehicles on Kinch Street and 38 on Michigan Avenue. Also, he said that the speed for the 85% percentile was 31.8 miles per hour for southbound traffic and 33.6 miles per hour for northbound traffic. He concluded by stating that none of the warrants were met and recommended that no action be taken. The Traffic Commission members agreed that no further action was required at this time.  Traffic Commission Minutes June 2016 Page 3 Item #3- Discussion of speeding traffic on Kinch Street from Florida Avenue to Washington Street. Craig Shonkwiler stated that the study was for information based upon concerns about speeding after the bicycle lanes were installed. He said that the 85th percentile was within five miles per hour of the posted speed limit and a low violation rate. The speed study conducted as part of the study for an all-way stop at Kinch Street and Michigan Avenue did not show conclusive evidence of speeding on Kinch Street. He recommended that no action be taken. New Business There was no new business. Public Input Barbara Peacock, a resident at Grove Street and Illinois Street discussed her concern about the recent increase in semi-trailer traffic on Illinois Street. She stated that within the last two months she had counted approximately 40 to 50 semis. She added that the increased semi traffic was a concern for her and her neighbors. One of her concerns was the damage that the heavy traffic might cause on a brick street, such as Illinois Street. Another concern was that the street was too narrow to accommodate large trucks. Ms. Peacock was uncertain as to where the trucks were travelling. She said that she talked to one driver who said that the city had told him to use Illinois Street. She mentioned that the semis were owned by many different companies. She asked if the traffic could be redirected and not allowed to travel on Illinois Street. Dennis Roberts asked if there were truck routes in the city of Urbana. Craig Shonkwiler said that there were only three truck routes and they were all located on the periphery of the city. Ms. Peacock said that there was no specific time when the trucks were going on Illinois Street. Mr. Shonkwiler said that he would like to collect data to see where the trucks were going. He said that he would try to determine where the trucks were going and talk to the company where the deliveries were being made to see if an option could be agreed upon. He indicated that he would rather talk to the individual company instead of moving the traffic to another street. He said that he would contact Central Illinois Produce to see if any of the semis might be delivering to their location. He added that the restrictions were difficult to enforce so he would rather talk to the company than designate truck routes in Urbana. Discussion followed about possible routes for semi-truck traffic. Craig Shonkwiler summarized by saying that he would set up traffic counting tubes east of Cottage Grove Avenue and west of Urbana Avenue to determine the number of trucks and the direction of their travel. He added that he would contact the management at Central Illinois Produce.  Traffic Commission Minutes June 2016 Page 4 Ms. Peacock said that she would monitor the traffic and indicate the times when semis were travelling on Illinois Street and possibly write down the names on the truck. Dennis Roberts asked if the City would restrict semi-truck traffic on a brick street. Mr. Shonkwiler said that staff would like to gather more information before taking action. He added that restricting trucks on brick streets would create problems for waste hauling and moving vehicles. He stated that he would bring information back to the Traffic Commission once staff had collected the information. Michael Madigan recommended prioritizing this item to see if the heavy traffic on the brick street might be reduced. With no other business at hand, the meeting was adjourned at 4:33 p.m. The next regularly scheduled Traffic Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 12, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. at the Urbana Public Works Department, 706 South Glover Avenue, second floor conference room. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Stiehl Recording Secretary