Loading...
2009-10-20 TPC MinutesTRANSPORTATION AND PARKING COMMISSION City of Northampton October 20, 2009 City Hall, 210 Main Street Northampton, MA 01060 -3199 (413) 587 -1249 Fax: (413) 587 -1275 Councilor David Narkewicz opened the meeting at 4:01 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Puchalski Municipal Building, 212 Main Street, Northampton, MA. Members present: David Narkewicz, Maureen Carney, Ned Huntley, William Letendre, Russell Sienkiewicz, Wayne Feiden, Leslie Stein, James Lowenthal Also present: Laura Hanson, Asst. Civil Engineer, Northampton DPW Members absent: Kenneth Jodrie, Gary Hartwell, Paul Sustick 1. Public Comment — Councilor Paul Spector spoke in support of the Ordinance for no parking in four parking spaces at Round Hill Road that will be discussed today. He has personally found this area problematic. Diane Leyton, Austin Circle — Submitted a map and explanation of traffic problems at intersection of Austin Circle and school (Attached). 2. Minutes of September 8, 2009 Councilor Carney moved approval of the September 8, 2009 minutes; Leslie Stein seconded. The vote passed unanimously (8 -0). 3. DPW Traffic Calming Engineering Assessment: State Street (TCR #4) Laura Hanson presented the Northampton Department of Public Works Engineering Report (Attached). Residents and Committee members discussed the report and recommendations. The report is a draft, with more data to be gathered, including suggestions today from residents in attendance. Residents spoke of witnessing accidents, near -miss accidents, drivers yelling at pedestrians and other drivers. Ned Huntley stated that there could be a 5 -7 year wait once Mass. Highway approves changes such as a traffic signal. The Bridge Road repairs cost over $500,000. Councilor Narkewicz, in answer to a resident's question as to making this a School Zone, stated that the City Council would have to put forth an Ordinance to designate a School Zone in this area. Laura Hanson stated that she would work closely with the Fire Department regarding any use of speed bumps or other traffic calming. The Committee also discussed potential funding sources. Chairman Narkewicz closed the discussion with more data to be included in the final report. The Committee will discuss this again once all applications have been entered into the ranking list. 4. Traffic Ordinance Referred from City Council: ❑ Stop Sign on Laurel Street at Grove Street intersection §312 -113 ❑ No Right Turn on Red: Village Hill Road/Prince Street §312 -64 William Letendre explained the Ordinances. Chief Sienkiewicz moved approval to recommend the Ordinances to City Council; William Letendre seconded. The vote passed unanimously (8 -0). Ned Huntley left at 5:18 p.m.; Laura Hanson may vote as Ned Huntley's designee. Parking Ordinances Referred from City Council: ❑ Delete Dickinson lot on Green Street §312 -110 -A William Letendre explained the Ordinance. Chief Sienkiewicz moved approval to recommend the Ordinance to City Council; William Letendre seconded. The vote passed on a voice vote of 6 Yes, 2 No. 6. Ordinances for recommendation to City Council: ❑ No Parking Zone on Elm Street — Withdrawn ❑ Round Hill Road Extend No Parking Zone William Letendre explained that this Ordinance would extend a No Parking Zone by four car spaces. Wayne Feiden moved to approve William Letendre to draft an Ordinance co- sponsored by Councilor Paul Spector and Transportation & Parking Commission; Councilor Carney seconded. The vote passed unanimously (8 -0). 7. Traffic Engineering Reports/Update: ❑ Traffic Calming Priority Ranking w /Concerns - Laura Hanson handed out a draft copy of the Traffic Calming Priority Rankings — this is a work in progress as applications are reviewed and engineering studies are done (Attached). • Update on pending Traffic Calming Requests — continued to next meeting • Crack Sealing/Paving /JSS /SRS Project — Laura Hanson stated that the paving contract will not be this Fall, but should be next Spring. The Crack Sealing will be done on Elm Street. The Safe Roads to School Project included the cutting of a tree on Jackson Street — a four -inch slab of the tree was preserved and will be shellacked to keep for education. 8. I -91 Interchange 19 Advisory Committee (James) A draft of a letter was presented to the Committee (Attached). Councilor Carney moved to approve Councilor Narkewicz to draft a letter on behalf of the Transportation & Parking Commission to Al Stegemann, I -91 Interchange 19 Project Advisory Committee; William Letendre seconded. The vote passed unanimously (8 -0). 9. Continued: Traffic Mitigation Funds Policy (Wayne) — Continued to November meeting. 10. Committee & Departmental Reports —continued to November meeting. 11. New Business — none Councilor Carney left at 6:00 p.m. At 6:02 p.m., Wayne Feiden moved to adjourn and was seconded by William Letendre. The vote passed unanimously (7 -0). Next meeting is November 17, 2009 at 4:00 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Mary L. Midura Executive Secretary I V 5� r I S I I 1 e r MAPQUEST thePtimrftlend( y trte on ctlyForbestresuNSytryclkWngns [1 -199] Austin Cir Edit Florence, MA 01062 D�is ft P = 9 0 0 a O P O Q, Ot a • � fi n. n. at w oo , �1cUt n fpngvicwDr �t c',dUr AIP OUEST. ©20DD fAapOuc-31 b1c ricp Oita 02ovumAVTEQ m T80AO a Ail rights reserved. Use subject to License /Copyright Map Legend Directions and maps are informational only. We make no wmr -ties on the accuracy of their content, road cond'dions or route usability or expeditiousness. You assume all risk of use. MepQuest and its suppliers shall not be fiable to you for any loss or delay resulting from your use of Mapauest. Your use of MapCluest means you agree to our Te ms of Use http: / /www.mapquest.coml maps? city = Florence &state= ma&address= Austin +Circle &.zipc... 10/19/2009 C C MAPQU E'ST Sotryl Whoa pdneng.dheciN.ir°mma htowsorYourdltecdons or tnaP me)I not print corrociN• For hest results, try clkkln0 the Prh�r- Friendty hutton. [1 -199] Austin Cir Edit Florence, MA 01062 600 ft n H,y A ' �7 Ol C �, d, Ci r OL ' po AJS pFt DI O O< Q�ttOCK � �• a q,, tyyttie�'a n • 'q t� r Sh of 5ummertidd5t Drersen Or gurts Pit Rd _ .. ,.. W Parsons In I 1C larf�an K x 6 C, . �4 r i S ry 0 c " r d +na! k 020091tapounlinc hialrData Q2009NAVTEQ w TcleAttas A9Ata63§iFST. All rights reserved. Use subject to L tcense/CopyrigM Map Legend DiroUtons and tnapsarel,= r- Ionf of M atDoty: WeekenowerreMiesontheecwtacyofthekeontenF ,roadcapauest means yo arouse u a agree to °ur Terms of use orexpeditiousness. Youassumeapriskofuse .Mapouesl suppliers shall not. r�atrle to you or any loss or delay resultin8 from Your use oT MapGuesL Your use apQuest u 9� http: / /www.mapquest.com/ maps? city = Florence& state —ma &address = Austin +Circle &zipc... 10/19/2009 City of Northampton, MA § 512 -18 Establishment of school zones by ordinance: enume ration. Page t of i [Added 6 -17 -19931 A. A school zone shall be established by ordinance by a vote of the City Council. The City Council shall refer any proposed ordinance establishing a specific school zone to the Board of Public Works and the School Committee. No vote shall be taken on any such ordinance until the Board of Public Works and the School Committee have filed a report on the proposed ordinance with the City Council or 45 days have elapsed since the referral, whichever occurs sooner. B. The following areas are hereby designated as "school zones." [Amended 2 -3 -19941 http : / /ecode360.com/ ?custId= NO2226 10/19/2009 School Location of School Zone Bridge Street The school zone on Union Street shall extend on said street to a School point 283 feet westerly of Parsons Street. The school zone on Parsons Street shall extend on said street to a point 139 feet northerly of Union Street. The school zone on Parsons Street shall extend on said street to a point 250 feet easterly of Union Street. College The school zone on Pomeroy Terrace shall extend from Hancock Church Street to a point 200 feet north of Phillips Place. School [Added 12 -18- 1997] Jackson The school zone on Jackson Street shall extend from a point 80 feet Street School south of the center line of Barrett Street located at the intersection [Added 3 -2- with Jackson Street to a point 765 feet north of the center line of 20001 Barrett Street located at the intersection with Jackson Street. Leeds The school zone on Florence Street shall extend from a point 150 Elementary feet south of the southerly crosswalk to a point 150 feet north of the School northerly crosswalk. Both crosswalks are located in front of the Leeds Elementary School Building. Ryan Road - The school zone on Ryan Road shall extend from a point 455 feet School west of the center line of the driveway leading to the Ryan Road [Added 3 -2- School to a point 770 feet east of the center line of the driveway 20001 1 leading to the Ryan Road School. http : / /ecode360.com/ ?custId= NO2226 10/19/2009 nl 77 gal HOP .. .. . .. ... a i 7 L7" . � �,�:' �1� ;i: .err ky W4 top Mgt nl gal HOP .. .. . .. ... a i 7 L7" . � �,�:' �1� ;i: .err ky nl Traffic Calming Request #4 State Street Northampton, Massachusetts The Department of Public Works (DPW), working in coordination with other City Departments (e.g. Police, Fire, Parking, etc.), has compiled the following data in this standardized report form for the traffic calming request: 1. Physical Description State Street (from M a. Length: 2,219 fee b. Width: 38 feet/ C c. Grade and Aligns d. Number of lanes e. Pavement condit f. Last PCI survey: State Street (from S a. Length: 635 fee b. Width: 30 feet/( c. Grade and Align d. Number of lanes e. Pavement condi f. Last PCI survey: 2. Street classification STATE STREET Collector - Zoned a: Ward 4A, City Cour Ward 1A, City Cour 3. Regulatory Signage a. Posted speed limit: 25 MPH STATE STREET all signs are in place and one other near Bright St (Northbound) Page 2 I Traffic Calming Request #4 State Street Northampton, Massachusetts According to the Special Speed Regulation # 7624 dated September 15, 1995 State Street — NORTHBOUND "Beginning at junction of Main Street, thence; . northerly on State Street, 0.71 miles at 25 miles per hour ending at the; of Stoddlereet; the total distance being 0.71 miles." State Street — SOUTHBOUND 19 Stoddard Street thence southerly on State Street, Beginning at the junction of 0.71 miles at 25 miles per hour ending at the jun in Stre6. the total distance being 0.71 miles." b. Traffic Control Signal: yes on Main Street c. Regulatory Signage (continued) • Stop Signs (Center St intersection, Trumball St Finn St intersection but not on Bedford Terrace it • No Parking Zones (several areas) • Metered Parking Zones (several -44 • Pedestrian Crossing Signs: Two new Street Smart Signs at crosswalk Three new Pedestrian signs for th e brsswatl d. Pavement markings: Double yellow line No shoulder lane r 4. Status of roadway as a desig a. Walking access to Smith ColIdgg b. Emergency vehicles: Primary Rd" (Unrestricted Emergency Route map) c. Transit buses: yes (PVTA) Summ" intersection, [ear Center Street) ith College-Campus School College Campus School (Elementary) ce and Ambulances d. Commercial trucks: allowed (no restrictions) Page 3 Traffic Calming Request #4 State'Street Northampton, Massachusetts e. p to community facilities: Library, City Hall, Smith College Resources, Pulaski Park (downtown), Forbes Academy of Music Theatre, Smith college Art Museum f. Churches/Businesses: Multiple churches, stores and businesses accessible in downtown No rthampton g. Police Station and Northampton District Court System 5. Pedestrian/Bicycle Access a. sidewalks: East side of State St (whole length from St to Finn St) Minimal on West side of State St (limited Terrace) Both sides of Center Street Both sides of Bedford Terrace Both sides of Trumball Rd Both sides of Bright St Both sides of Summer St (east sid4' if, Stgg. North side of Suimm% st side of5tate St) Both sides of M Both sides of Aldtq t b. crosswalks: Main St — State St Center 516 rertf u g J. .r St i' t e,, W State Bec!00' — ne rt ie St a '9&midblo State 4 - each i��f State Stt= e 2- on State 'N' . r the Su E Myrtle St — n ear.e State St 4 — each side t i c. handicapped accessible ramps: ye!§R-.J(- ies) lege Campus School 11 Rd intersection St intersection rsection -tion with Finn St d. bike lanes: The end of Stoddard St has a direct connection to two bike paths. Page 4 6. Traffic Volume ia. Data was collected by the pVPC for 4 8 hours on 9121/09 through 9/23/09 TC and 0128/09=TC 136. Data was colle cted by the DPW between 9/22/09 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b. Each traffic counter collected both d data in b directions. Average Daily Traffic (ADT) using business days Monday - Friday) I TC1602 - State Street midway between Summer St and 8 .'i',. 8,983 .,, TC136 -State Street, ll et, TP #5 between Center St and M r S" Al near the State St Fruit Store = 7,415 vehicles .c. Findings: State St near Summer 3 1 compared to the traffic near •This data indicates that there are approx. 1,568 Main St. • State St (midway between Summer St driving in the northbound direction comf are turning onto Bright St, Trumball St, I •State St (near the Fn directions. •Peak volumes occur , St) has %fil' §outhb TeMOOP or .R 602. Traffic Calming Request #4 State Street Northampton, Massachusetts rox 550 more vehicles dire days. This indicates that these vehicles 'R I.cion -t during th' week 00 b I efore .. 4wring Main St. n the northbound and southbound A6nt of vehicles traveling i St. Page 5 CP CP H E M w on m m § /J k 4 ki \ 4, IL cu � J $\ 7 4� U.) b-0 E 4 OL u E m t 0 z CP CP H E M w on m m § /J k N � � N � �ro E U s v E ro � t Q z 6g �a v a a ti im FO_ eq �i 3 I r I I i 11 iz Traffic Calming Request #4 State Street Northampton, Massachusetts 7. Traffic Speed - STATE STREET (posted as 25 MPH) a. 50 / 85 / 95 Percentile S Beds The 50 percentile speed is defined as the speed at which 50 (%) percent of a definition for the 85 and 95 percentile. TC1602 - between Summer St and Bright St 5`t�'= 35 MPH Toward Finn St (northbound): 50 =27 MPH/85h=32 MPH /9��:tI Toward Main St (southbound): 50 =27 MPH /85 =31 MPH / = 34 MPH TC136 - between Main St and Center St to ''- /95t 33_,h Toward Center St (northbound): 50 th =24 MPH /85 =30 MP)` Toward Main St (southbound): 50 = 22 MPH /85 =27 NlPHk95th° 30'Mt :. 50 % traffic is traveling below speed limit in both d diree -85 th %traffic is traveling sligh 8 -10 MPH over speed p 95 % traffic is traveling approx. b Vehicle Speeds (miles per hou • TO 602: Total Vehicles traveling, 5 MPH overT peeds °[zm�t ? 30 MPJ +23 4 (NB) = 20.1 + 1 {� 6�6 (SB) - 15. t. • TO 32: Total Vehicles trave�5 MPH ov 0 MPH (NB) = 27.8 + 13.9 %:41.7 (SB)= 12.5 +2.5 • Peak hour of speeding for both count''sy:;.. (AM) 0800 and 1100 (PM) 1200 to 1400 ffic is traveling at or below, with a similar Page 8 1p 1 5 fao ca E m 0 4� 0- U E m 0 z V (. , I t p w cu r-3:0 E�. C3 K K F i s I KU 2 - A A I L M fl X ii olp 'po QkP P Q Q I. Q Q IP Q N w N m 0:0 CIO o 6 a a ob. 0.0-0 0 w 0-:'s h k . - - - r k - fi a (D tio m 0- cu 13 Ad I(L. i s I KU 2 - A A I L a (D tio m 0- z C) z 0 0.. F- I S cn .0 Lu Z L9 2 Z In U. M 0 ui 0) Q 9 tm A N N A K, p Q ip tp ip-0 (p b 1p 'P.o io ip ill '!P ip 'P 0 0: cls. C m C3 t!.4 16. OCO-M 1 0 cio W. h w. to z .0 ;�O 0 0 lr� �e EL V) LU WWwo 0) . W It 11 I.- W T- cl am IN a 1P.6 Qq:Q op Q CN Q 0 Q ED' P 0 0,13 4 cp X w A K x j.. Wk , ge Q, C3 0- 9 M 30 o C3 a do 0 a pe.5 ra s ll- it PE J A id 10 IL s 0 4-4 Ln 0 ,u N M EL ai N 4 C 0 � c E E 0 , 0 0 W 0 10. 0 U 4� CL Y E co z C) z 0 0.. F- I S cn .0 Lu Z L9 2 Z In U. M 0 ui 0) Q 9 tm A N N A K, p Q ip tp ip-0 (p b 1p 'P.o io ip ill '!P ip 'P 0 0: cls. C m C3 t!.4 16. OCO-M 1 0 cio W. h w. to z .0 ;�O 0 0 lr� �e EL V) LU WWwo 0) . W It 11 I.- W T- cl am IN a 1P.6 Qq:Q op Q CN Q 0 Q ED' P 0 0,13 4 cp X w A K x j.. Wk , ge Q, C3 0- 9 M 30 o C3 a do 0 a pe.5 ra s ll- it PE J A id 10 IL s 0 cr In I A. . ag p M C3 O 0 c E cf3 6 01 0 rn E; m d 0 > > p §Mf m n 0 , 0 Ef) 1 49 Eno 0 . ;000 dsi Ut .00 60-00- ell to .a! a cp LP IP Ep ip p r;l c? Er. MZO Z Z Z m 0 p . A P vp P P. P. P.0 m OOMM tM.C3 C3 C1 C3 CI C3 13 Cl Q CM ft W, (D (D .0 ( C: A rD V) Traffic Calming Request #4 State Street Northampton, Massachusetts 8. Traffic -Axle Classification See handout on page 18 entitled, "Limiting Truck Traffic ". Mass Highway minimum limit for truck exclusion route is 5% to 8 %. classified as vehicles over 2.5 tons (bold numbers =3 axl?es and heaN66 . Trucks are 4. St between Finn Stand Bright St has 1.1% trucks TC1602: Overall this section of State St between Main St and CenterrSt has 0 8% trucks. TC136: Overall this section of State ' PINE STREET Bikes Cars Et 2 Axle Buses 2 Axle 3 Axle 4 Axle Single Single 5 Axle Double Trucks Total (Both Trailer Long Days) `+ TC1602 54 2166 379 h 5 40 'IN 0 0 11= 2661 j To Finn (NB) 83 547 ° 7 65 31 0 13 O;9 4771 To Main (SB) �0 ;t - w L, . i TC136 h� To Center (NB) 310 �i6374 2553" 25 ".;, 362 59 0 3g 3 0 5 O s3 19736 19029 To Main (SB) 196 174.25 1132 _i y L 18 135 2 ( Page 12 Traffic Calming Request #4 State Street Northampton, Massachusetts 9. Crash and Traffic Enforcement Data (5 year) See table below summarizing data from the Northampton Police Department for the accidents reported by a police officer (greater than $1,000 damage). ocation 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 TOTAL L {2004 -200 Page 13 2 4 .. 6x y. r 3-. 3 1 19 State Street ; 4 4 5 27 State St & Trumball Rd 5 4 5 4 2 0 10 State St &Center St 1 1 0 1 0 5 State St & Myrtle St 1 2 1 p .: 0 2 State St & Bright St 1 0 0 1 0 1 State St & Stoddard St 0 1 ` 0 0 0 10 6 64 TOTAL 12 16z 10 r —CO x t C have at th`intersedon of Statef and Trumball Rd over the past 5 years. The most accidents occurred Page 13 Traffic Calming Request #4 State Street Northampton, Massachusetts Page 14 Traffic Calming Request #4 State Street Northampton, Massachusetts Page 15 Traffic Calming Request #4 State Street Northampton, Massachusetts 10. Alternative route: Yes - to avoid Main St or Elm St (shown in the traffic counts) 11. Discussion A. Street Smart Signs installed on 5/19/09 B. School Zone designated for the Smith College Campus School - begin process through Committees C. Reducing the number of accidents at the Trumball intersection - possible raised intersection? D. Reducing speed through reducing travel lane width .,pinting shoulder 12. Other - A study performed on State Street by the Department of civil antl Environmental, Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA was completed in May 20,06}for Dr. DaihengjNi In the report on p.31, the following is stated in the "Based on the above data analysis and recommend Street more livable. But before implement- of conducted. Such studies may include a r66 r- cold at least a week. This will especially be helpful ides valuable volume data which will be neede4 makE included in this report. The addittonal data'icelec State's volume and si)eedin ; � on ut _to corrirj In the report on p.31, the foll,bvving is s "After taking into considerati6ftll the concerns, the implementation of?eed along State Street is highly recomrYit "fda (solution) for the situation at hand. Spi number of crashes per quarter mile per Street." uT.ner t-ons-aerations seep-on: ition, spteed tables (offer) the best traffic calming measure to make State these speed tables yt t'js recdtdmended that further studies should be cf ehensive spee~study that ,will entail the collection 24 hour speed data for (,ttfying wh ables eq speed t are most needed. This speed will also provide �i more informed decision and will be far more reliable than what was rrtl�snot expected to deviate from the previous conclusion about State bit wtth�`rno re' atthoritv." sated an the 'G' presented datanalyses and the additional information from further studies and tables wilnbe thekest tool to calm traffic along State Street. Installing speed tables A to cat rt he traffic. Speed tables (are) an inexpensive and extremely effective Fed tables are capable of decreasing the 85 percentile speed from 32 -26 mph and yr frorYt6.7 to 3.7. Speed tables will increase the livability of Northampton's State Page 17 Traffic Calming Request #4 State Street Northampton, Massachusetts LIMITING TRUCK TRAFFIC According to the Mass Highway, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (1VIUTCD), October 2006 edition, the following information pertains to limiting local truck traffic: Section 11A 9 Heavy Commercial Vehicle Exclusio (pages 11 & 12) A truck exclusion from a municipal way may be authorized pro vided a suitable alternate route is available. The alternate route shall have an effective width and pavement structure which can safely accommodate the additohal trek traffic. In addition, the alternate route must meet one of the following conditions: a) lie wholly within the community making the application, b) lie partially in an adjacent community but only on State Highway,- -or p c) lie partially in an adjacent community but have the adjacent communrty,'s written approval. An engineering study, made In addit ion, one o r mole of the following warrants maybe as outlined in the Data requested below, must be sufficient justification for track exclusion: Warrants 'A A. A volume of heavy commercial vehicles, which usually is in -lE cause for a substantial reduction in capacity or safety B. The condition of pavement structure of the -d Vi' WI b3e3 excluded deterioration of the roadway. C. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in certain instances where land exclusion only during hours of darkness, a spec!K ftg a6llusior. to eight reduces the utilization of the facility and is urther heavy wheel loads will result in sever w residential in nature and a municipality has requested Data Before the Department can consider an exclusior%p followingd'ata must be submitted by the municipality: a. A 24 -hour consecutive count al vehicles usi`>ilie subJeet street. The count shall be broken into one -half intervals showing both commercial vehicles with a carrym�apacity over tv�o and one half tons and other vehicles. b. Map of the area, with excluded str8 ftarked in red aid the alternate route in green. c. Physical characteristics of excluded and ".4 ernate streets in question (ie. Length, width, type and condition of surface of sidewalk. d. Types of buildings or property abutting sttee(Residentiial, business, school, playground etc.). e. Zoning of Street (Residential, Industrial etc._ :5: a•, f. Proximity of probable alternate route to the proposed excluded route and the additional distance to be traveled using the alternate route. g. Types of traffic control existing on street. h. Hours during which exclusion is to be in effect. i. A written statement from the municipality as to the need for the exclusion. Page 18 Traffic Calming Request #4 State Street Northampton, Massachusetts September 2009 TC1602 - between Summer St and Bright St = 8,983 vehicles TC136 - between Main St and Center St = 7,415 vehicles tzW Norffimpton Public Works Page 19 Nm a Sunf-ey ....... ....... Page 19 Nm a Sunf-ey OVERALL RANKING FOR TRAFFIC CALMING PROJECTS IN NORTHAMPT MA (10/20/2009) DRAFT CRITERIA TC1 TC2 PINE ST/ TC3 MEADOWS TC4 STATE TC5 MONTVIEW TC6 PROSPECT ST/ TC7 JSS /SRTS BAYSTATE ASSOCIATION S. MAIN ST STREET STREET AREA JACKSON ST PROJECT 1 VOLUME (5) 3.4 3.7 1.5 8.9 8,898 2.1 2,100* 9.6 9,568* 6.3 6,325* 3401* 3712* 1,506 April 2009 June 2009 June 2009 Sept 2009 July 2009 Sept 2009 Nov 2007 *Riverside Dr *Pine St *Hawley St *Prospect St *Jackson St 2 SPEEDING (10) 10 4 3 5 4 29 3 38 10 36 42 34 38 30 (posted at 30) (posted at 30) (posted at 35) (posted at 25) (posted at 25) (posted at 35) (posted at 20) 9 2 3 CRASHES (2008 -2004) (10) 3.5 (1 +1 +0 +1 +4)/2 1 (1 +0 +0 +1 +0)/2 1.5 (1 +0 +1 +0 +1)/2 (4+ 1�T/2 3 2 +1 +1 +1)/2 (3 +2 +6 +5 +2)/2 (1 +1 +0 +1 +1)/2 4 SIDEWALKS (10) 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 PLANNED (50) 0 0 0 0 0 0 DPW WORK 6 PED (10) 5 5 7 7 7 7 ACTIVITY 7 NEIGHBOR (5) 5 4 (11) 4 (11) 5 (262) 5 (208) 5 (217) 5 (114) SUPPORT (109) 8 PACE CAR PARTICIPATE (5) 1.1 (24/109 * 0.2) 4.1 (9/11 *0.2) 0 (0) 0 (0) 3 (127/209 * 0.2) 0 . 2 (7/217 *0.2) 0 (0) 9 ALTERNATIVE (50) 0 0 - -- 0 - - - -- 6 $6,100 16 $16,000 0 - - - -- 100 $700,000 FUNDING - - 10 WAITING (5) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 LIST TOTAL 34 27.8 21 47.9 46.1 39.8 136.3 City of Northampton As of: 10/20/09 Traffic Calming Request Ranking Discussion Topics /Suggestions 1. Volume Manual: Up to 5 points -1 point for each 1000 vehicles per day. Change: Up to 10 points including one decimal place for each 1,000 vehicles per day. (ex. 8,722 vehicles per day would be 8.7) Re: Volume is very important and should be emphasized more, plus there are streets in Northampton with higher volumes of traffic. 2. Speeding Manual: Up to 10 points -Using measured 85 percentile speed, % point for each mile per hour starting at 10 mph over the speed limit. Change: Using measured 85 percentile speed, 1 point for each mile per hour over the posted speed limit (ex. Posted limit =30 mph, Actual 85 35 mph would be 5). Re: Speed is very important and should be emphasized more. Also, if there are two traffic counts available for a TCR, use the higher TC data. 3. Crashes Manual: Up to 10 points -1 point for each crash per year based on the three -year average. Change: Utilize the past 5 years of data and divide by 2. If there are multiple intersections, choose the highest accident intersection. Usually we look at the past 5 years of crashes for a warrant analysis (MUTCD), and only dividing by 2 gives more weight to the statistic. (ex. Prospect & Jackson intersection would be (3 +2 +6 +5 +2)/2 would be 9) Re: Increase the emphasis for this statistic by utilizing the data better. 4. Sidewalks Manual: Up to 10 points -5 points if sidewalk on one side of streets; 10 points if no sidewalk Change: Be more specific. Consider that this will probably not vary much for each TCR if it is worded in this manner. What about large vs. small neighborhoods? Should there be a sliding scale for the number of streets without a sidewalk? (ex. Montview neighborhood vs. Pine /N. Main intersection) 5. Planned DPW Roadwork Manual: 50 points -50 points if roadway has been programmed for DPW resurfacing, Rehabilitation, or reconstruction in the next 5 years. Change: None 6. Pedestrian Activity Manual: Up to 10 points- Points given for high pedestrian activity centers. Change: Be more specific for guidance. (ex. School /College within 1 mile = 2 pt, Playground = 1 pt, Hospital = 1 pt) Re: Too general -needs to focus on activities of a neighborhood and give specific points. City of Northampton As of: 10/20/09 Traffic Calming Request Ranking Discussion Topics /Suggestions 7 Neighborhood Support Manual: Up to 10 points -One point for every 20% of households within the impacted area who sign the Northampton Traffic Calming application Using measured 85 percentile speed. Change: Not sure ... what constitutes people in the neighborhood ... help? Re: This is very time consuming to check every name on the list. TCR's can be submitted for large or small neighborhoods. (ex. State St- signed by 262 people by Serios Market or Meadow St signed by 11 local people.) 8 Pace Car Participation Manual: Up to 5 -One pint for every 20% of households who participate in the Northampton Pace Car Program. Change: Up to 5 -One point for every 20% of total signatures. Re: This is very time consuming to check every name on the list. (Ex. Pine St /N. Main St has 9/11 * (0.2) would be 4.1) Alternative Funding Manual: Up to 50 points -1 point for every $2,500 up to $50,000 funded by source other than City of Northampton; full 50 points for 100% funding. Change: Up to 100 points -1 point for every $1,000 up to $100,000. Re: Construction expenses are often higher than expected. There should be more points if there is a source of money available to complete a traffic calming project - priority status. (Ex. Jackson Street School- Stimulus Funding $570,000 would be 100 points.) 10. Waiting List Manual: Up to 5 points -1 point for each year on the waiting list. Change: Be more specific with dates. When did the waiting list begin? (Ex. State Street -How long has this been on the waiting list ?) Transportation and Parking Commission City of Northampton 210 Main Street, Room 18, Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 587 -1210 www.northampfonma.gov /tpc CPC) •oj ect C fou and the g process, frilly into he e also and James t Shulman )wing vision courages n system Mies, trucks, and other motor vehicles and by bicycle anti foot. Z7ze Guy s rransporcuccurt system should be a multimodal one that provides many different types of transportation options. " [emphasis original, not added] In addition, the Guiding Principles of "Sustainable Northampton," the City's comprehensive Plan adopted in 2008 and available on the City's website, include "reduce greenhouse gas emissions ". Currently more than 1/4 of the Pioneer Valley's greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to come from automobiles. Page Two October 21, 2009 It is in the context of those policies, supported by broad community consensus, that we ask you please to consider the following issues and questions as the PAC's work progresses. 1. What exactly is the problem that the proposed project seeks to address? Is it congestion? If so, on which sections of which highways primarily? How does the congest' n compare to that at other points around the Pioneer Valley? What is the major cost i red by the congestion? Or is the problem safety? If so, what is the evidence tha current interchange is significantly more dangerous than average? 2. Will detailed trip origin- destination data be used to study curortraffic s, including current traffic on Damon Rd. to and from points north? & 3. Will all the options in the CRCTS ranging from "no- d" to full multi - way interchange as well as expansion of public transit be fully consi ? , 4. What will be the likely effect on traffic volumes of posed changes? Studies of highways and interchanges expanded to alleviate cong enerally show resultant increases in traffic volumes and cong How will th uced traffic effects be taken into account during traffic modeling es or expansion of the interchange? Will they include all four elements o duce ifts to longer routes, changes in destinations causing longer trips, cha ig tr anode to auto, and changing home or work locations resulting in longer trips)? include full feedback effects including long - range changes in land u� the resul impact on vehicle miles traveled (VMT)? 5. To what degree h he ch es alreadinpleimented, e.g., the new traffic signal installed on Route 9 at t trance outhbound, alleviated problems or perceived problems at the 6. Will a t -ben alysis of proposed options be conducted? How will the pot cos tere expansion such as increased traffic, physical incursion into the d 3 neighbo d, loss of farmland, loss of riparian habitat, and loss of downtown orthampton ret raffic to large highway businesses be weighed against potential fits? 7 Ho npacts of proposed changes on all road users, including pedestrians, bicycli d transit users, be taken into account? Again, we thank you very much for considering our concerns and questions, and we look forward to communicating with you as the PAC work unfolds in the months ahead. Sincerely, David J. Narkewicz City Councilor and Chair