AGENDA #9

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT:      Response to Petitions Requesting Installation of Textured Pavement on Speed

                        Tables

DATE:                        February 27, 2006

PURPOSE

The following report is in response to petitions from the Oaks II and Silver Creek neighborhoods requesting the installation of textured pavement with a brick pattern on the flat top portion of speed tables proposed for some of their streets.

We do not recommend textured pavement on speed tables.

However, if the Council wishes to allow the installation of textured pavement on speed tables, adoption of the attached resolution would allow neighborhoods to pay for the installation cost of textured pavement using the stamped asphalt construction process.  Stamped asphalt would be approved subject to written agreement between the neighborhood and the Town stating that the Town would not be responsible for replacing the stamped asphalt if and when repairs or resurfacing of the speed table becomes necessary, unless the neighborhood provides the necessary funding for such replacement.

BACKGROUND

At its January 9, 2006 meeting, the Town Council approved traffic calming measures in the following areas of the Town using the 2003 Sidewalk and Street Improvement Bonds:

            1.     Pinehurst Drive (Oaks II Area): 7-Speed tables

2.     Cedar Hills Area: 5-Speed tables

3.     Nottingham Drive: 4-Speed tables

4.     Colony Woods Drive: 3-Speed tables

5.     Silver Creek Trail: 3-Speed tables

6.     Cypress Road: 2-Speed tables and one all-way stop control at the intersection of Cypress Road and Spruce Street

7.     Pinehurst Drive (Meadowmont Area): 3-Speed tables and one all-way stop control at the intersection of Pinehurst Drive and Gurnsey Trail

The Council approved installation of these speed tables without textured pavement.

At its February 13, 2006 meeting, the Council received petitions from the Oaks II and Silver Creek neighborhoods requesting that the Council reconsider their decision not to include textured pavement in the design of the speed tables approved for those neighborhoods.  Copies of the petitions are provided in Attachment #1.

In their petitions, both neighborhoods agreed to pay for the initial cost and future maintenance costs associated with the textured pavement, if the Council approved the installation of textured pavement.

DISCUSSION

A copy of the standard speed table design that the Town Council approved at its January 9, 2006 meeting is provided in Attachment #2. The details of this approved speed table design include the following:

• Thermoplastic reflective markings installed on and adjacent to the speed tables for high visibility
• Height of speed table is 3.5”

Textured pavement can be achieved by installing brick, concrete pavers, cobbles or other dissimilar materials on a roadway to produce small changes in vertical alignment.  A textured surface can also be achieved by heating the asphalt road surface and stamping patterns into the hot asphalt. Depending on the irregularity of the textured pavement treatment, it can reduce vehicular travel speeds.  However, the more irregular treatments (such as cobbles) can create difficulties for bicyclists and pedestrians to negotiate.  For example:

• The amount of effort to travel over textured pavements is increased for people with mobility impairments.
• Wheelchair users experience a bumpy ride and there is an increased potential for wheelchair casters to catch in pavement irregularities.
• Surface materials can lift, settle, and buckle over time creating tripping hazards for pedestrians, especially those with impaired vision.
• Surface materials can create difficulties for pedestrians with vision impairments attempting to detect the transition from detectable warnings in sidewalk ramps to the street.

The above limitations can be minimized by using the stamped asphalt surface treatment because the irregularities that process creates are minimal and are uniform across the treated area.  Stamped asphalt pavement has been successfully installed in Chapel Hill at the following locations:

• Mid-block Crosswalk on East Franklin Street
• Crosswalks at the intersection of NC 54/Hamilton Road
• Crosswalks at two intersections on Meadowmont Lane (installed by the developer)

Two speed tables with stamped asphalt were also approved by the Town for installation on Pinehurst Drive in the Oaks II neighborhood as part of an agreement between the Meadowmont developer and the Oaks II neighborhood.

A drawing for a speed table with textured pavement using a stamped asphalt design is provided in Attachment #2. The cost of a speed table without textured pavement is approximately $4,300. The estimated cost of a speed table with textured pavement using stamped asphalt is approximately $5,800. Thus, the additional cost per speed table to install textured pavement with stamped asphalt is approximately $1,500 each. 

We contacted several other communities in North Carolina regarding the installation textured pavement with traffic calming devices. We found that both the City of Charlotte and the Town of Cary allow textured pavement with stamped asphalt on speed tables.  Further information showing how these municipalities handle the installation and maintenance costs is presented in the following table:

City/Town	Initial Cost Paid by	Maintenance Cost Paid by
Charlotte	Homeowners Association	City
Cary	25% of the cost paid by the Homeowners Association	Town

In addition to the mobility issues already mentioned, we do not recommend textured pavement on speed tables in Chapel Hill residential areas for the following reasons:

• It is preferable to have uniform design standards for traffic calming measures throughout the Town, to improve driver recognition of the measures
• All neighborhoods may not be able to afford the extra cost of textured pavement. Therefore, some neighborhoods would be able to purchase an amenity that others might not be able to afford.
• Textured pavement would require extra maintenance and result in increased replacement costs to the Town over time

If the Council wishes to allow the installation of textured pavement on speed tables, then we recommend that neighborhoods desiring such surface treatment pay for the installation cost of textured pavement using stamped asphalt, and also agree in writing that the Town would not be responsible for replacing the stamped asphalt if and when repairs or resurfacing of the speed table becomes necessary, unless the neighborhood provides the necessary funding for such replacement.

Transportation Board Recommendation: The Transportation Board voted 6-0 supporting the request that neighborhoods be allowed to pay for the installation of textured pavement, if desired.  The Board’s recommendation is provided in Attachment #3.

CONCLUSION

We think that the design of the traffic calming devices should be uniform on residential streets throughout the Town.  Textured pavement would require extra maintenance and result in increased replacement costs to the Town over time.

RECOMMENDATION

The Manager does not recommend textured pavement on speed tables.

However, if the Council wishes to allow the installation of textured pavement on speed tables, adoption of the attached resolution would allow neighborhoods to pay for the installation cost of textured pavement using the stamped asphalt construction process.  Stamped asphalt would be approved subject to written agreement between the neighborhood and the Town stating that the Town would not be responsible for replacing the stamped asphalt if and when repairs or resurfacing of the speed table becomes necessary, unless the neighborhood provides the necessary funding for such replacement.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Petitions (p. 6).
2. Speed Table with Textured Pavement and without Textured Pavement (p. 8).
3. Transportation Board Recommendation (p. 10).