AGENDA# 5e

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT:       Report on Request for Stop Sign Installations at the Intersection of Kingston Drive/Partin Street/Kingston Court

DATE:             July 5, 2000

The following report is in response to the attached petition requesting the installation of additional stop signs at the intersection of Kingston Drive/Partin Street/Kingston Court.  (Please refer to the attached petition and map.)

We do not recommend the installation of additional stop signs at this time.  However, if the Council desires to authorize the installation of stop signs as requested by the petitioners, adoption of the attached ordinance would do so.

BACKGROUND

At its May 8, 2000 regular meeting, the Town Council received and referred the attached petition that requests the installation of additional stop signs at the Kingston Drive/Partin Street/Kingston Court intersection.  The petition states that area residents are concerned about traffic safety in their neighborhood.

Kingston Court and Partin Street are designated as “through” streets at this location, and vehicles traveling these roads may continue through the intersection without being required to stop.  Kingston Drive is designated as a “stop” street, and vehicles are required to stop at the existing stop sign before continuing through the intersection.  (Please refer to the attached map.)

Town staff visited the site and evaluated existing conditions on several occasions at different times of the day.  We noted that sight distances for drivers stopped on Kingston Drive are restricted by natural vegetation and by a private fence.  We have directed the Public Works Department to remove vegetation in the public right-of-way which obstructs sight lines and to relocate the Kingston Drive stop sign closer to the intersection.  These improvements will improve sight lines to and from drivers stopped on Kingston Drive at the intersection, without requiring disturbance of the fence.

The Town staff conducted a traffic study on June 14^th and 15^th, 2000, which yielded the following results:

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 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 upon a combination of generally accepted traffic engineering principals and 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 at the Kingston Drive/Partin Street/Kingston Court intersection in terms of the criteria outlined in our policy, and we do not think that the installation of additional stop signs would be appropriate.  The intersection does not have high accident statistics or unusually heavy pedestrian and vehicular volumes.  The normal assignment of right-of-way to the through and stop streets is reasonable.  We are concerned that the installation of stop signs at this location could result in the potential for rear-end accidents and/or failure to acknowledge the stop signs by some drivers.

We think that improving drivers’ sight lines and increasing speed limit enforcement would provide the most effective improvements.  Unless advised otherwise, we will direct that the Police Department increase their patrols in this area, with an emphasis on speed limit enforcement to the extent possible with available resources.

MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION

That the Council take no action at this time regarding the placement of additional stop signs at the Kingston Drive/Partin Street/Kingston Court intersection.

However, if the Council desires to have additional stop signs installed as requested in the petition, adoption of the attached ordinance would authorize placement of stop signs on Partin Street and Kingston Court at their intersection with Kingston Drive.

ATTACHMENTS

1.                  Vicinity Map (p. 4

2.                  Petition (p. 7

3.                  Stop sign and assignment of speed limit policy (p. 13)

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 21 OF THE TOWN CODE OF ORDINANCES REGARDING STOP REGULATIONS (2000-07-05/O-6)

BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the 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:

Section 2.  Section 21-13(c) of the Town Code of Ordinances, “Right-of-way and stop sign regulations.”  is hereby amended by inserting the following, in appropriate alphabetical order:

Section 3.  This ordinance shall become effective August 1, 2000.

This is the 5^th day of July, 2000.