Traffic Committee

Traffic Committee Agenda DPW Conference Room 4243 Remembrance Rd. NW. Tuesday, November 1, 2022 2:00 PM Committee Members: Scott Conners, P.E., City Engineer / Travis Mabry, P.E., Assistant City Engineer / Gary Postema, DPW Director / Keith Mankel, Chief of Police / Darrel Schmalzel, City Manager / Frank Wash, Assistant City Manager / Melanie Grooters, City Commissioner Agency Representatives: Jason Cole, P.E., MDOT / Matt Van Dyke, Grand Rapids Traffic Signals Discussion Items 1. Follow-up Items: Minutes from the last Traffic Committee meeting will be reviewed. Discussion will occur on items that may require additional follow-up. 2. O’Brien Speeding: Deanna Wiltz, 3701 O’Brien, is concerned about speeding and increasing traffic volumes on O’Brien. 3. 3 Mile Truck Route: An anonymous complaint was received from a resident that lives on 3 Mile, between Remembrance and Wilson. The resident is concerned that trucks are utilizing this stretch of the street, which is not part of the City’s truck route system. 4. Alpine / Hillside Traffic Signal: Rachele Wahlfied, 6500 Lonnee Ct (Comstock Park), and Mary Lane (only e-mail address provided), have both requested that left turn green arrows be added for the Hillside to Alpine turning movements. They have experienced having to wait through multiple traffic signal cycles to make a left turn. They have also observed many near miss crashes due to left turning vehicles from Hillside trying to clear the intersection when the signal turns red. These issues tend to occur during rush hours, due to high traffic volumes. 5. Informational Item: Your Speed Sign: The Police Department is working with the state’s Office of Highway Safety Planning to obtain a grant for the purchase of a radar based “Your Speed” sign. The sign can be posted below speed limit signs to remind motorists of their speed Page 1 of 8  versus the posted speed limit. It can also be moved throughout the City. This sign is similar to the radar trailer unit, with the difference being that it can be directly mounted to existing speed limit sign posts. Similar to the radar trailer, the display can also obtain speed and traffic counts that can be downloaded for further analysis. 6. Upcoming Meeting Schedule: February 7, 2023 - DPW Conference Room - 2:00 p.m. May 2, 2023 - DPW Conference Room - 2:00 p.m. August 1, 2023 - DPW Conference Room - 2:00 p.m. November 7, 2023 - DPW Conference Room - 2:00 p.m. Submitted by: Travis Mabry, P.E., Assistant City Engineer CC: City Commission / Deborah Goudy, City Clerk Page 2 of 8  TRAFFIC COMMITTEE MINUTES DPW Conference Room 4243 REMEMBRANCE RD. NW. Tuesday, August 9, 2022 2:00 PM Committee Members: Scott Conners, P.E., City Engineer / Travis Mabry, P.E., Assistant City Engineer / Gary Postema, DPW Director / Frank Wash, Asst. City Manager /Keith Mankel, Chief of Police / Melanie Grooters, City Commissioner / Jason Cole, P.E. MDOT Agenda items are listed in bold, with Committee discussion immediately following: Discussion Items 1. Wilson / Remembrance Roundabout: Donald Faber, 2616 Falcon Pointe, is concerned that the hill at the center of the Wilson and Remembrance roundabout is blocking sight distance, thereby contributing to crashes. Mr. Faber would like to see the hill removed so that motorists can better see oncoming traffic within the roundabout. MDOT guidance recommends against unlimited sight distance at roundabouts, as it can overwhelm motorists with too much information to process. In addition to helping focus decision making, the hill also blocks headlights from oncoming traffic, and it has stopped a few drunk drivers over the years that drove straight through the roundabout. Additional discussion occurred regarding a reoccurring crash history of northbound Wilson traffic failing to yield at the roundabout. Modifications have been made over the past few years to attempt to improve northbound driver compliance with the yield condition. MDOT continues to monitor this issue. Additional modifications to the northbound yield signs are currently being considered. 2. Wilson / O’Brien Traffic Signal: City staff have recently observed tire skid marks on the northbound Wilson approach to the Wilson and O’Brien traffic signal. Discussion will occur regarding whether any modifications to this approach should be considered. Traffic Committee Minutes 8-9-22 Page 1 of 2 Page 3 of 8  The Traffic Committee noted increased traffic volumes on Wilson this summer, likely due to highway construction projects in the area. Traffic on Wilson tends to increase like this every few summers. A hill appears to block the sight distance between the northbound signal warning sign and the backed-up traffic at the signal. A similar situation also appears to be occurring for the southbound approach to the signal. MDOT will look at possible sign modifications for both approaches to help warn motorists of possible backed-up traffic. 3. Mid-block Crossing Report: An engineering consultant recently completed a report outlining various options for mid-block crossings that fit with the features and laws in surrounding communities. The Engineering Department would like to gather input from the Traffic Committee regarding this report before presenting it to the City Commission. The Traffic Committee felt that the report had some good information in it, but that it should be consolidated into actionable items before presenting it to the City Commission. The Engineering Department will work on this project this winter, with a focus on the major mid-block trail crossings in the city. Afterwards, a presentation will be made to the City Commission. 4. Informational Items: a. Parking Restrictions for Snow Removal: The City Commission approved odd/even parking restrictions at various locations throughout the City with multi-family housing. This topic was discussed at previous Traffic Committee meetings. A letter will be sent to affected property owners and residents in September; signs will be posted in October, and the regulations will go into effect on November 1. b.Wilson / Richmond Turn Lanes: MDOT is planning to submit an Operations Grant application in October for the installation of turn lanes on Wilson and Richmond. As discussed previously, this would provide the required geometrics for the installation of a future traffic signal at the intersection. If selected, construction funds would likely be a few years out. 5. Upcoming Meeting Schedule: a. November 1, 2022 DPW Conference Room 2:00 p.m. Submitted by: Travis Mabry, P.E., Assistant City Engineer – CC: City Commission / Deborah Goudy, City Clerk Traffic Committee Minutes 8-9-22 Page 2 of 2 Page 4 of 8 City of Walker - Traffic Committee - November 1, 2022 Item #2 - O’Brien Speeding Location Street View - Looking West Page 5 of 8 City of Walker - Traffic Committee - November 1, 2022 Item #3 - 3 Mile Truck Route Page 6 of 8 City of Walker - Traffic Committee - November 1, 2022 Item #4 - Alpine / Hillside Traffic Signal Aerial View Street View - Looking East Page 7 of 8 City of Walker - Traffic Committee - November 1, 2022 Item #5 - Your Speed Sign Sign - Example Sign Mounting - Example Page 8 of 8