AGENDA #4e
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Response to a Petition Requesting All-way Stop Control at both Intersections of Market Street and Aberdeen Drive in Southern Village
DATE: October 10, 2005
The following report is in response to a petition from Ms. Kimberly Hanlon requesting the installation of all-way stop control at both intersections of Market Street and Aberdeen Drive in Southern Village.
Enactment of the attached ordinance would authorize installation of all-way stop control at both intersections of Market Street and Aberdeen Drive in Southern Village.
We recommend enactment of the attached ordinance.
At its September 12, 2005 meeting, the Town Council received a petition (Attachment 1) from Ms. Kimberly Hanlon of 116 Graylyn Drive requesting that stop signs be installed on Market Street at its intersection with Aberdeen Drive, thus changing the intersection from two-way stop control to all-way stop control. In her petition, Ms. Hanlon expressed the following concerns:
· Driver confusion due to inconsistent stop controls on Market Street (stop signs exist on Market Street at some intersections but not at others)
· Heavy pedestrian volume at the Market Street/Aberdeen Drive intersection due to the nearby movie theater, outdoor movie screen and restaurants/shops.
· Children crossing at this intersection going to and from the school on Kildaire Road.
Market Street is designated as a “through” street at its intersections with Aberdeen Drive, and vehicles currently continue through the intersection without being required to stop. Also, Market Street is a one-way street as shown on the attached map (Attachment 2). Aberdeen Drive is designated as a “stop” street, and vehicles are required to stop at the existing stop sign before continuing through the intersection.
Town staff visited the site and evaluated conditions on several occasions at different times of day, including evening hours when movies were scheduled. We observed apparent driver confusion due to the inconsistency of the existing traffic controls on Market Street as noted in the petition. We also observed significant pedestrian volumes at all intersections on Market Street and at different times of the day and evening.
In 1989, the Town Council adopted a policy for the placement of stop signs and assignment of speed limits (Attachment 3). A copy of the policy is attached. 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 includes a variety of conditions and situations that 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 on a combination of generally accepted traffic engineering principals and our observations of stop sign installations in Chapel Hill and other communities in North Carolina. Please refer to the attached policy document for more specific information.
We considered the stop sign request on Market Street at its intersections with Aberdeen Drive in terms of the following criteria outlined in the Council’s policy:
#7) Intersections with existing irregular stop sign placement, where additional sign(s) would improve safety.
#11) Intersection adjacent to facilities such as parks, pools, schools, or other facilities which significantly increase and concentrate pedestrian and vehicular traffic in a localized area.
We think that the installation of the requested stop signs could mitigate potential conflicts between vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the vicinity of the Market Street/Aberdeen Drive intersections at certain times of the day and evening. Additionally, the proposed all-way stop control would eliminate the apparent driver confusion with regard to the inconsistency of traffic control on Market Street. If the additional stop signs are authorized by the Council, we would include “stop ahead” warning signs and stop bars on all approaches to the intersections.
The Manager recommends that the Council enact the attached ordinance authorizing installation of all-way stop control at both intersections of Market Street and Aberdeen Drive in Southern Village.
1. Petition (p. 4).
2. Area Map (p. 5).
3. Town’s Policy on Placement of Stop Signs (p. 6).
