AGENDA #5L
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Follow-Up Report on a Petition Regarding Traffic Issues on Cameron Avenue
DATE: May 10, 2004
The following information responds to a petition submitted by Mr. Richard Goldberg regarding a staff report on his earlier request for changes in existing parking and bicycle lane regulations on and in the vicinity of Cameron Avenue.
The Manager recommends taking no action regarding changes in parking and bike lane regulations on and in the vicinity of Cameron Avenue.
Adoption of Resolution A and enactment of Ordinances A-1 and A-2 would direct the Manager to implement changes recommended by the Transportation Board.
Adoption of Resolution B and enactment of Ordinance B-1 would direct the Manager to implement changes recommended by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.
If the Council wishes to implement changes other than those recommended by the boards, the generic Resolution C and Ordinance C-1 can be completed on the floor as necessary.
BACKGROUND
The Council received reports and took actions in 1988 and 1996 regarding on-street parking and bike lane regulations on Cameron Avenue. Following receipt of a report at its December 11, 2000 meeting, the Council approved the current parking and bike lane configuration and regulations on Cameron Avenue. The parking regulations included elimination of on-street parking adjacent to areas where center turn lanes exist. Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street is striped to allow one travel lane in each direction with a center turn lane at its intersections with Kenan Street, Ransom Street, Mallette Street, and Merritt Mill Road. The center turn lane is continuous between Kenan Street and Mallette Street.
At its June 24, 2002 meeting, the Council received a staff report in response to a petition from Mr. Richard Goldberg regarding several traffic issues on Cameron Avenue, Columbia Street and McCauley Street. At its September 9, 2002 meeting, the Council received another staff report responding to Mr. Goldberg’s comments on the June 24, 2002 report. Mr. Goldberg requested that the Town conduct a new study on Cameron Avenue and remove on-street parking. He has stated that most cars parked on Cameron Avenue belong to students who can be accommodated by fare free public transit, thereby eliminating much of the need for parking in this area. The Council referred the report to the Town Transportation Board and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board for review and recommendations.
At its January 13, 2003 meeting, the Council received a staff report (Attachment #1) including recommendations from the Transportation Board and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board. In this report, the Manager recommended no changes in the existing striping and other traffic controls on Cameron Avenue, with the exception of adding bicycle signage at the intersection of Cameron Avenue and Ransom Street. At the request of the Transportation Board Chairman, the Council referred the report to the Transportation Board and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board for review and recommendations.
Cameron Avenue is a multi-use facility that accommodates several modes of transportation with 45 feet of pavement width from face of curb to face of curb. Pedestrians, bicycles, cars, trucks, buses, and existing on-street parking share this corridor. Currently, bike lanes are designated eastbound between 7:00 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. and westbound between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. On-street parking is allowed on each side of the street during those hours that the parking areas are not designated as bike lanes.
DISCUSSION
We believe that the existing lane striping and parking regulations that have been in place on Cameron Avenue since early 2001, and include a center turn lane at several congested intersections and alternating use of the on-street parking lanes by both bicycles and cars, provide a reasonable compromise that has proven to work well in meeting the service needs of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians while providing approximately 100 parking spaces during off-peak bicycling hours.
Parking Enforcement Officers from the Town Parking Services Division conduct periodic enforcement on Cameron Avenue. The Town Parking Services Division issued a total of 1061 parking tickets on Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street from January 1 to December 31, 2003. 257 tickets were issued between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon, and 804 tickets were issued between 12:00 noon and 5:30 p.m. Cameron Avenue is a priority area for enforcement of parking regulations.
Cameron Avenue meets the criteria established in the latest Town Council Policy for bike lanes. A copy of the policy is provided in Attachment 2. However, neither speeding nor speed related accidents have been chronic problems on Cameron Avenue, in part we believe because the travel lanes are not too wide and are shared by several modes of transportation which coexist and appear to generally respect each other’s rights and rules of the road.
ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS - The following discussion lists comments and recommendations from advisory boards and staff responses. Please see Attachment 3 for action summaries from each board.
Transportation Board Recommendation: That 7 feet wide bike lanes be striped along Cameron Avenue and that parking be removed on both sides of the street.
Response: It is our opinion that the existing striping and parking operations on Cameron Avenue, which include a center turn lane only at two intersections and alternating use of the on-street parking lanes by both bicycles and cars, is a reasonable compromise that has proven to work well for the last year in meeting the service needs of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians while providing approximately 100 parking spaces during off-peak bicycling hours. We do not recommend any changes to the existing configuration on Cameron Avenue.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Recommendation: That on-street parking be prohibited between the hours of 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM on both sides of Cameron Avenue, Monday through Friday, and; that the bike lanes be striped 7 feet wide.
Response: If the “no parking” hours were extended as suggested above, we believe that there would be insufficient on-street parking to meet the daytime demand for parking in this area of the community. We are concerned that this would result in more cars parking in the adjacent residential neighborhoods, exacerbating the parking problems that already exist. We believe that the current arrangement allows on-street parking during the hours when bicycle traffic is lowest; and restricts parking from the bicycle lanes when bicycle traffic is highest.
CONCLUSION
After evaluating the field conditions and considering recent and past comments from citizens and advisory boards, it is clear that Cameron Avenue continues to accommodate a variety of users. It was with this in mind that the existing lane striping and bicycle/parking regulations were implemented on this multi-use facility.
Cameron Avenue serves many modes of transportation and provides on-street parking, without it being necessary to entirely exclude any specific use category. It is possible to improve conditions for one user category or another, but not, we believe, without reducing services to another user category.
We think that the existing striping and parking regulations on Cameron Avenue provide a reasonable compromise for providing safe and effective service to all users of this multi-purpose public street. Cameron Avenue is a heavily used urban collector street. The effectiveness of the current traffic and parking regulations has been proven over the past two years by the low number of accidents that have occurred and the lack of citizen complaints concerning this corridor.
RECOMMENDATION
The Manager recommends taking no action regarding changes in parking and bike lane regulations on and in the vicinity of Cameron Avenue.
Adoption of Resolution A and enactment of Ordinances A-1 and A-2 would direct the Manager to implement changes recommended by the Transportation Board.
Adoption of Resolution B and enactment of Ordinance B-1 would direct the Manager to implement changes recommended by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.
If the Council wishes to implement changes other than those recommended by the boards, the generic Resolution C and Ordinance C-1 can be completed on the floor as necessary.
ATTACHMENTS
1. January 13, 2003 Council Report (p. 11).
2. Policy on Bicycle Lanes (p. 27).
3. Recommendations from Transportation Board and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board (p. 28).
RESOLUTION “A”
A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE TOWN MANAGER TO HAVE CAMERON AVENUE RE-STRIPED FOR 7-FOOT BIKE LANES AND ELIMINATE ON-STREET PARKING BETWEEN MERRITT MILL ROAD AND PITTSBORO STREET (2004-05-10/R-10)
WHEREAS, the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill is interested in optimizing the operation of Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street for all users; and
WHEREAS, the Council has considered information on a variety of alternatives for modifying conditions and controls on Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street; and
WHEREAS, the Council has determined that certain changes could be made in re-striping and on-street parking on Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street without jeopardizing traffic operations; and
WHEREAS, the Council received recommendations from the Transportation Board and Bicycle regarding re-striping of bike lanes and removal of on-street parking on Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council directs the Manager to re-stripe the Cameron Avenue to accommodate 7-foot bike lanes and eliminate on-street parking on both sides of Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street.
This the 10th day of May, 2004.
ORDINANCE “A-1”
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 21 OF THE TOWN CODE OF ORDINANCES REGARDING BIKE LANE OVERLAY ZONES (2004-05-10/O-2a)
BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill as follows:
Section 1. Section 21-27.3 of the Town Code “Bike Lane Overlay Zones” is hereby amended by deleting the following:
Cameron Avenue
South Graham
Street Pittsboro Street 7:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Monday
– Friday
Cameron Avenue
North Graham Street Fetzer Lane 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Monday
– Friday”
Section 2. This ordinance shall become effective July 1, 2004.
This the 10th day of May, 2004.
ORDINANCE “A-2”
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 21 OF THE TOWN CODE OF ORDINANCES REGARDING PARKING AS TO PARTICULAR STREETS (2004-05-10/O-2b)
BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill as follows:
Section 1. Section 21-27 of the Town Code “No parking as to particular streets” is hereby amended by inserting the following therein, in appropriate alphabetical order:
Cameron Avenue South Graham Street Pittsboro Street
Cameron Avenue North Graham Street Fetzer Lane”
Section 2. This ordinance shall become effective July 1, 2004.
This the 10th day of May, 2004.
RESOLUTION “B”
A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE TOWN MANAGER TO HAVE CAMERON AVENUE RE-STRIPED FOR 7-FOOT BIKE LANES AND ELIMINATE ON-STREET PARKING BETWEEN MERRITT MILL ROAD AND PITTSBORO STREET DURING CERTAIN HOURS (2004-05-10/R-11)
WHEREAS, the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill is interested in optimizing the operation of Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street for all users; and
WHEREAS, the Council has considered information on a variety of alternatives for modifying conditions and controls on Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street; and
WHEREAS, the Council has determined that certain changes could be made in re-striping and on-street parking on Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street without jeopardizing traffic operations; and
WHEREAS, the Council received recommendations from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board regarding re-striping of bike lanes and removal of on-street parking on Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street during certain hour;.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council directs the Manager to re-stripe the Cameron Avenue to accommodate 7-foot bike lanes and prohibit on-street parking on both sides of Cameron Avenue from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday, between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street.
This the 10th day of May, 2004.
ORDINANCE “B-1”
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 21 OF THE TOWN CODE OF ORDINANCES REGARDING BIKE LANE OVERLAY ZONES (2004-05-10/O-3)
BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill as follows:
Section 1. Section 21-27.3 of the Town Code “Bike Lane Overlay Zones” is hereby amended by deleting the following:
Cameron Avenue
South Graham
Street Pittsboro Street 7:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Monday
– Friday
Cameron Avenue
North Graham Street Fetzer Lane 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Monday
– Friday”
Section 2. Section 21-27.3 of the Town Code “Bike Lane Overlay Zones” is hereby amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:
Cameron Avenue South Graham Street Pittsboro Street 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Monday – Friday
Cameron Avenue North Graham Street Fetzer Lane 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Monday – Friday”
Section 2. This ordinance shall become effective July 1, 2004.
This the 10th day of May, 2004.
RESOLUTION “C”
A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE TOWN MANAGER TO HAVE CAMERON AVENUE RE-STRIPED FOR 7 FEET BIKE LANES AND ELIMINATE ON-STREET PARKING BETWEEN MERRITT MILL ROAD AND PITTSBORO STREET (2004-05-10/R-12)
WHEREAS, the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill is interested in optimizing the operation of Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street for all users; and
WHEREAS, the Council has considered information on a variety of alternatives for modifying conditions and controls on Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street; and
WHEREAS, the Council has determined that certain changes could be made in re-striping and on-street parking on Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street without jeopardizing traffic operations; and
WHEREAS, the Council received recommendations from the Transportation Board and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board regarding re-striping of bike lanes and removal of on-street parking on Cameron Avenue between Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council directs the Manager to
(TO BE COMPLETED ON THE FLOOR)
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council directs the Manager to
(TO BE COMPLETED ON THE FLOOR)
This the 10th day of May, 2004.
ORDINANCE “C-1”
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 21 OF THE TOWN CODE OF ORDINANCES REGARDING BIKE LANE OVERLAY ZONES (2004-05-10/O-4)
BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill as follows:
Section 1. Section 21-27.3 of the Town Code “Bike Lane Overlay Zones” is hereby amended by inserting the following therein, in appropriate alphabetical order:
Cameron Avenue South
Cameron Avenue North
Section 2. This ordinance shall become effective July 1, 2004.
This the 10th day of May, 2004.