AGENDA #5a
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Response to a Request for the Installation of Stop Signs on Curtis Road at its Intersection with Lyons Road
DATE: March 22, 2004
The following report responds to a petition from Jill and Dick Blackburn requesting the installation of stop signs on Curtis Road at its intersection with Lyons Road.
We do not recommend installation of the requested stop signs.
However, if the Council wishes to have the requested stop signs installed, enactment of the attached ordinance would so direct.
The request for stop signs (Attachment 1) from Jill and Dick Blackburn, 405 Lyons Road, states that the objective is to improve safety conditions for pedestrians crossing at this intersection. The request expresses concern that, although drivers traveling north on Curtis Road slow at the Elliott Road intersection (where all-way stop signs exist), once they pass this intersection most vehicles tend to pick up speed when traveling downhill toward Lyons Road. Please see Attachment 2 for area map.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Curtis Road is 28 feet wide with curb and gutter, located on hilly terrain and including curves. There is an existing sidewalk on the west side of Curtis Road north of Elliott Road. Curtis Road is designated as a “through” street north of Elliott Road, and traffic on Lyons Road must stop at a stop sign before continuing onto Curtis Road. The section of Curtis Road north of Elliott Road includes double yellow center lines to guide drivers, and the posted speed limit is 25 mph.
TRAFFIC CONDITIONS/ACCIDENT HISTORY
Town staff conducted a traffic study on Curtis Road in 2002 (for a similar request) and found an average daily traffic volume of 3000 vehicles. The study determined that the average speed was 31 mph and that 15% of the surveyed vehicles were traveling at or above 34 mph.
In February this year, we observed vehicular and pedestrian traffic at and around this intersection during morning and afternoon hours, particularly at times when students would be going to and from school. Students were observed crossing Curtis Road from Lyons Road to get to the sidewalk on the west side of Curtis Road. We did not observe any on-street parking at the intersection of Curtis Road and Lyons Road. Our review of accident history at this location indicated no recorded accidents in the past three years.
DISCUSSION
In 1989, the Town Council adopted a policy for the placement of stop signs and assignment of speed limits. A copy of the policy is provided in Attachment 3. The policy was adopted to provide guidance and consistency in responding to requests for the installation of stop signs and the assignment of speed limits on public streets.
The policy provides a variety of conditions and situations which could warrant the installation of stop signs and/or changes in speed limits. It also includes situations in which stop sign installations or speed limit changes would not be recommended. These criteria are based upon a combination of generally accepted traffic engineering principles and our observations of stop sign installations in Chapel Hill and in other communities in North Carolina. Please refer to the attached policy document for more specific information.
We prepared the attached survey form (Attachment 4) describing the request for stop signs on Curtis Road at Lyons Road, and solicited comments from area residents. We distributed 39 survey forms to residents of Curtis Road between Elliott Road and S. Lake Shore Drive, and to residents of Lyons Road and Allard Road. Twenty four survey forms were returned, of which 6 supported and 18 opposed the stop signs on Curtis Road at Lyons Road.
We considered the stop sign request at the Curtis Road/Lyons Road intersection in terms of the criteria outlined in the Council’s adopted policy, and we do not think that the installation of additional stop signs would be appropriate. This intersection does not have a history of accidents that could be corrected by the installation of stop signs, and pedestrian and vehicular traffic volumes are not unusual for this type of location in Chapel Hill.
We are concerned that the installation of stop signs at this hilly location could increase the potential for rear-end accidents and/or failure to acknowledge the stop signs by drivers expecting Curtis Road to be a “through” street. We are also concerned about the physical problems drivers would encounter trying to stop at this location on the hill during inclement weather.
We considered alternatives to the requested stop sign installations, including: installing additional pedestrian warning signs, and speed limit signs with flags; increasing Police speed limit enforcement; and/or implementing traffic calming measures for speed control. We have already directed that the Public Works and Police Departments implement the alternatives involving improved signage and increased speed limit enforcement.
We reviewed possible traffic calming measures on Curtis Road in this area and we do not recommend installation of devices such as speed humps, rumble strips, or other physical devices on the roadway surface because of concerns about potential loss of vehicle control resulting from the combination of placement of such devices on a hill with curves.
MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION
We do not recommend the placement of stop signs on Curtis Road at its intersection with Lyons Road, based on the criteria in the Council’s adopted Policy for the Placement of Stop Signs and Assignment of Speed Limits; and concerns that vehicles attempting to stop at this location in a curve on a hilly street could result in traffic safety problems for both drivers and pedestrians.
However, if the Council desires have the requested stop signs installed, enactment of the attached ordinance would direct the Manager to do so.
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 21-13 OF THE TOWN CODE OF ORDINANCES REGARDING RIGHT-OF-WAY AND STOP REGULATIONS (2004-03-22/O-9)
BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of Town of Chapel Hill as follows:
Section 1. Section 21-13(a) of the Town Code of Ordinances, “Right-of-way and stop regulations.” is hereby amended by deleting the following:
“Through Streets Stop Streets
Curtis Road Lyons
Road”
Section 2. Section 21-13(c) of the Town Code of Ordinances, “Right-of-way and stop regulations.” is hereby amended by inserting the following, in appropriate alphabetical order:
“Intersection(s)
Curtis Road and Lyons Road”
Section 3. This Ordinance shall become effective April 22, 2004.
This the 22nd day of March, 2004.