AGENDA #4f
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Response to a Petition Requesting No Through Truck Signs on Several Streets in the Westside Neighborhood
DATE: April 24, 2006
PURPOSE
The following report is in response to a petition from the Westside Neighborhood Association requesting the installation of No Through Trucks signs on several streets in the Westside neighborhood area. Please see the area map provided in Attachment 1.
Enactment of the attached ordinance would authorize installation of No Through Trucks signs on the following streets:
We recommend enactment of the attached ordinance.
At its April 10, 2006 meeting, the Town Council received a petition (Attachment 2) from the Westside Neighborhood Association requesting the installation of No Through Trucks signs on several streets in Westside neighborhood area. In the petition, residents stated that on-going construction in the area had increased through traffic on several streets in and around the Westside neighborhood, including heavy vehicles such as dump trucks, tractor trailers, and buses. The problems have been exacerbated recently with the temporary closure of Pittsboro Street due to the repairs to the University utility tunnel under the roadway.
We agree that the traffic volumes have been increasing on these streets in this area, including an increasing percentage of heavy vehicles related to construction projects underway in this area of Town. We also agree that traffic volumes have particularly increased in this area recently due to the Pittsboro Street closure.
Although we expect Pittsboro Street to be reopened in May, we believe that a significant volume of construction-related truck traffic will continue to use local streets in and around the Westside neighborhood as cut-through routes to and from projects. We agree with the petitioners that such traffic is inappropriate on local residential streets when other more suitable routes are available. We think that the installation of No Through Trucks signs, coupled with periodic enforcement, could reduce the volume of cut-through truck traffic on streets in the Westside neighborhood area.
Through truck traffic is already prohibited on McCauley Street and enactment of the attached ordinance would authorize the installation of No Through Trucks signs on the following streets:
If the attached ordinance is enacted by the Council, Town staff would install the signs within the next 30 days and the Police Department would implement periodic enforcement to the extent possible with available resources.
CONCLUSION
We think that the installation of the requested No Through Trucks signs could reduce the volume of truck traffic on local streets in and around the Westside neighborhood.
As part of the Development Plan, the University is required to develop traffic calming plans and install traffic calming measures on several streets adjacent to the campus area, including streets in and around the Westside neighborhood. We will work with area residents and the University to develop appropriate traffic calming plans for this area of Town, and we expect to present those plans for the Town Council’s consideration in June of this year.
The Manager recommends that the Council enact the attached ordinance authorizing installation of the No Through Trucks signs on the following streets:
1. Area Map (p. 4).
2. Petition (p. 5).
