AGENDA #8
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Traffic Calming Plan for Dogwood Acres Drive at the Proposed Southern Community Park
DATE: January 9, 2006
Adoption of the attached resolution would approve a traffic calming plan for the Town maintained section of Dogwood Acres Drive at the proposed Southern Community Park and authorize the Town Manager to incorporate the traffic calming plan in the park design.
Enactment of the attached ordinance would prohibit on-street parking on both sides of the Town maintained section of Dogwood Acres Drive.
We recommend adoption of the resolution and enactment of the ordinance.
BACKGROUND
On April 11, 2005, the Council authorized the Manager to amend the Southern Community Park’s Special Use Permit application to expand the southern parking lot along Dogwood Acres Drive by 60 spaces to allow up to a total of 125 spaces.
On May 9, 2005, the Council approved the Special Use Permit application for the Southern Community Park, which included the expanded parking lot and traffic calming on Dogwood Acres Drive. The Council also stipulated that the traffic calming plan for Dogwood Acres Drive be approved by the Council.
In July of 2005, the Town assumed control from the State of a section of Dogwood Acres Drive within the park boundaries. Subsequently, at its September 12, 2005 meeting, the Council lowered the speed limit along that section of road to 25 miles per hour.
DISCUSSION
The Special Use Permit application allows the construction of 277 parking spaces throughout the park, including up to 125 spaces at Dogwood Acres Drive. The first phase of construction is anticipated to include 122 spaces on the south side of Dogwood Acres Drive. No other parking spaces are to be built in the first phase.
Traffic Calming Plan: In order to protect park patrons crossing Dogwood Acres Drive on the park trails and at the parking lot, the Special Use Permit included general provisions for traffic calming and the requirement that detailed plans be approved by the Council. Please see the attached master plan of the park and the schematic diagrams of the traffic calming plan. The proposed plan consists of a combination of:
· Current 25 miles per hour speed limit.
· Three speed tables (raised crosswalks) that would also function as pedestrian crossings for the park’s trail system.
· One intersection crosswalk at the entrance to the parking lot constructed with materials that are of a different texture and look than the road surface.
· In-street pedestrian crosswalk signs informing drivers that they must yield to pedestrians.
· Signs including advance warning and at raised crosswalks.
· Stop signs warning trail users to stop prior to crossing Dogwood Acres Drive.
· Crosswalk and speed table striping to delineate crosswalks.
· Landscaping and fencing to prevent park patrons from crossing at locations other than the established crosswalks.
· Proposed no parking anytime restrictions on both sides of Dogwood Acres Drive within the Park area.
We believe that the combination of speed limit, on-street parking restrictions, warning signs, and physical speed-reducing obstructions should result in improved safety for pedestrians along this section of Dogwood Acres Drive.
Citizen Comments: In November 2005, approximately 150 notices concerning the proposed traffic calming plan were sent to residents of the Dogwood Acres Drive neighborhood. In addition, email notification, through a distribution list kept for purposes such as this, was sent to persons interested in the Southern Community Park project.
At the time this memorandum was prepared we had received no comments regarding the traffic calming plan. Two citizens commented that the intersection is not safe and that a traffic light at Dogwood Acres Drives and Highway 15-501 would be needed if the main park parking is to be located on Dogwood Acres Drive. At this time we understand that NCDOT is studying the potential for placing a light at the intersection.
In addition, we had several comments related to changing the park plan including:
· Move the parking lot to the north side of Dogwood Acre.
· Move the parking to the north side of the park.
· Move the athletic fields so they are closer to the southern park and ride lot.
We believe that implementation of any of these ideas would require a re-design of the park and a modification of the existing Special Use Permit. We do not recommend such actions.
RECOMMENDATION
Manager’s Recommendation: The Manager recommends that the Council adopt the attached resolution that would approve a traffic calming plan for the Town maintained section of Dogwood Acres Drive at the proposed Southern Community Park and authorizes the Town Manager to incorporate the traffic calming plan in the park design.
The Manager also recommends enactment of the attached ordinance that would prohibit on-street parking on both sides of the Town maintained section of Dogwood Acres Drive.
1. Site Plan of the Southern Community Park (p. 6).
2. Traffic Calming Plan (p. 7).
3. Pedestrian Crossing Layout (p. 8).
4. Intersection Crosswalk Layout (p. 9).
5. In-Street Crosswalk Signage Details (p. 10).
6. Location of Traffic Calming Warning Signs (p. 11).
7. Pedestrian/Bicycle Stop Sign Details (p. 12).
8. Crosswalk Striping Details (p. 13).
9. Speed Table Striping Details (p. 14).
10. Speed Table Cross Section (p. 15).