AGENDA #5a

 

MEMORANDUM

 

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

 

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

 

SUBJECT:       Response to a Petition Requesting Reduced Speed Limit on Kenan Street and Mallette Street

 

DATE:             October 10, 2005

 

 

This report responds to a petition requesting that the Council consider reducing the speed limit on Kenan Street and Mallette Street from 25 mph to 20 mph. Please refer to the attached map (Attachment 1).

 

We do not recommend reducing the speed limit on Kenan Street and Mallette Street.

 

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

At its September 12, 2005 meeting, the Council received a petition from Ms. Mary Rowse, 120 Kenan Street, requesting that the posted speed limits on Kenan and Mallette Streets be reduced from 25 mph to 20 mph.  A copy of Ms. Rowse’s petition is provided in Attachment 2.  In her petition, Ms. Rowse stated that both Kenan and Mallette Streets are heavily used by pedestrians, whose safety is jeopardized because of high volumes of cut-through traffic, including many vehicles that exceed the posted 25 mph speed limit.

Kenan Street and Mallette Street are principal connectors between West Franklin Street and Cameron Avenue. They also provide access to several residences and two small cul-de-sac neighborhood streets.  Kenan and Mallette Streets are approximately 22 to 23 feet wide and are one city block in length with curb on both sides.  Parking is prohibited on both sides at all times along the entire length of both streets.  Signs prohibiting through truck traffic are posted at each end of both streets.  No sidewalk exists on Kenan Street and sidewalk exists only on the east side of Mallette Street.

Results of our traffic studies on Kenan and Mallette Streets are provided below:

 

*The 85% speed is the speed below which 85% of the traffic is traveling.

 

 

 

The traffic volumes are not unusual for connector-type streets, such as Kenan and Mallette Streets located in the vicinity of a local business district.  Although our traffic study showed that some drivers were exceeding the posted speed limit, the large majority of vehicles were traveling within a 5 mph range of the posted 25 mph speed limit.  The data does not suggest that excessive speeding is a chronic problem on either Kenan Street or Mallette Street.

 

The posted speed limit is 25 mph on all streets in the area, with the exception of West Franklin Street, which is posted for 20 mph. We do not think that changing the speed limits on Kenan and Mallette Streets would have any effect on drivers’ behavior. We believe that the occasional speeding we observed on these streets can best be mitigated through periodic police enforcement.  Town staff has installed orange flags on the speed limit signs at both ends of Kenan and Mallette Streets.

Request for Traffic Calming Measures:  In addition to her petition requesting reduced speed limits on Kenan and Mallette Streets, Ms. Rowse contacted Town traffic engineering staff directly and requested the installation of traffic calming measures on Kenan Street.  In 2004, the Town Council adopted a Policy and Procedures for Traffic Calming Measures. Requests for traffic calming measures require a petition signed by 2/3 of the property owners located in the traffic calming service area. 

Town Engineering staff are currently working on development of a list of property owners and a petition form which will be provided to Ms. Rowse for completion in accordance with Town policy and procedures.  Upon receipt of a valid petition, we would conduct studies and develop a proposed traffic calming plan for review by the neighborhood.  If a plan is accepted by the neighborhood, we would include it along with other plans for the Council’s consideration as part of the annual traffic calming report submitted in the spring of each year.  

CONCLUSION

 

After reviewing the traffic study data, we do not believe that a significant speeding problem exists on Kenan and Mallette Streets.  We will direct the Police Department to perform periodic enforcement of speed regulations on both streets to the extent possible with available resources.  If and when we receive a valid petition for traffic calming measures, we will process it in accordance with the adopted policy.

  

ATTACHMENTS

 

1.                  Area Map (p. 3).

2.                  Petition (p. 4).