AGENDA #8
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Report on Restriping of West Cameron Avenue
DATE: December 11, 2000
This report discusses options for restriping West Cameron Avenue, which could include changes in travel lanes, turning lanes, bicycle lanes, and onstreet parking regulations.
The attached resolution and ordinances would implement changes the Council may wish to make regarding restriping West Cameron Avenue.
The Manager recommends taking no action regarding changes in striping or other regulations on West Cameron Avenue.
This past summer, West Cameron Avenue was
resurfaced, which resulted in the temporary removal of the existing pavement
markings. We subsequently received inquiries
about whether the striping layout could be modified before the street was
restriped permanently.
At its August 28, 2000 meeting, the Council received
a report from the Manager responding to a Council member’s petition requesting
that we evaluate the feasibility of restriping West Cameron Avenue between
Merritt Mill Road and Pittsboro Street to eliminate the center turn lane and to
establish designated fulltime bike lanes.
The Council also received a recommendation from the Town Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board supporting the elimination of the center turn lane on portions of West Cameron Avenue to create wider travel lanes that could be shared by both motorized vehicles and bicycles without striped bike lanes.
The Council requested additional information, and at its October 23, 2000 meeting received another report which included information on vehicular and bicycle traffic volumes and accidents, and a recommendation for locations where the center turning lane might be eliminated. A copy of the October 23, 2000 report is attached for reference. Because we misunderstood the Council’s direction, we recommended certain changes on West Cameron Avenue in the October 23 memorandum. We did not then, and do now, state clearly that, although we believe some changes are possible, we do not think that any changes are necessary or desirable.
The Council subsequently referred the West Cameron Avenue restriping proposal to the Town’s Transportation Advisory Board, Planning Board, and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board for review and recommendations. The Council also requested that we collect additional turning movement counts at intersections, and consider a petition submitted during the October 23 meeting by Mr. Richard Goldberg, which suggests eliminating all onstreet parking on West Cameron Avenue at all times. A copy of the Goldberg petition is attached, for reference, in addition to other correspondence we have received regarding West Cameron Avenue.
West Cameron Avenue has not yet been permanently restriped, awaiting the Council’s discussion of possible changes. If no decisions are made tonight, we will need to install some interim striping to control and direct traffic until a decision is made on a permanent striping plan.
Cameron Avenue is a multi-use facility that accommodates several modes of transportation with 45 feet pavement width from face to face of curb. Pedestrians, bicycles, cars, trucks, buses, and existing on-street parking share this corridor. Cameron Avenue is a major collector street serving both local and through traffic to and from Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and the University. Currently, bike lanes are designated eastbound between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and westbound between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Please see Map #1 and #2.
We observed West Cameron Avenue operations on several days at different times. We performed bicycle and traffic counts on September 21 with the following findings.
The attached data tables summarize the vehicle and bicycle traffic volumes and peak hour intersection turning movement counts on West Cameron Avenue.
We believe that the previously established striping and operations on West Cameron Avenue, which include a full length center turn lane and alternating use of the onstreet parking lanes by both bicycles and cars, is a reasonable compromise that has proven to work well for many years in meeting the service needs of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians while providing approximately 100 parking spaces during off-peak bicycling hours.
A wide variety of alternatives to the previously established operations on West Cameron Avenue are being proposed by the advisory boards and by interested citizens. The following are our comments on what we believe are the two key issues involving the restriping of West Cameron Avenue.
CENTER TURN LANE – Some proposals suggest elimination of all or part of the center turn lane. We believe that segments of the center turn lane could be eliminated between Cameron Court and the railroad crossing and between Wilson Street and Pittsboro Street where turning movement volumes are low. However, we are concerned that the resultant wide travel lane could cause drivers’ speed to increase, offsetting the benefits of the wider lane for bicyclists.
It is our opinion that the previously established method of providing designated bike lanes during peak bicycle travel periods and having cyclists share the road with motorized vehicles during off-peak hours works well. Neither speeding nor speed related accidents have been chronic problems on West 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.
ONSTREET PARKING – Some proposals suggest eliminating onstreet parking on one or both sides of West Cameron Avenue at all times. We think that this parking serves to mitigate parking problems which might otherwise occur in adjacent residential neighborhoods if parking availability on West Cameron Avenue were reduced or eliminated.
We also believe that the shared use of the parking lanes by bicyclists during key time periods provides a good compromise, allowing provision of services to all users of this public street.
After collecting and evaluating traffic data, and considering the options being proposed to accommodate the diverse uses of West Cameron Avenue, we believe that compromises are necessary. It was with this in mind that the previously established striping and operational controls were implemented on this multi-use facility. West Cameron Avenue now serves many modes of transportation, and provides onstreet parking, without it being necessary to entirely exclude any specific user category. Certainly, it is possible to improve conditions for one user category or another, but not without reducing services to some other user category.
We think the previously established striping and controls on West Cameron Avenue provide a reasonable compromise for providing adequate services on this multipurpose street.
PLANNING BOARD RECOMMENDATION (Attached): At its November 7 regular meeting the Town Planning Board voted 6-1 in favor of making no changes to the existing conditions on West Cameron Avenue.
TRANSPORTATION BOARD RECOMMENDATION (Attached): At its November 7 regular meeting, the Town Transportation Advisory Board voted 5-0 in favor of the following:
*A 7 foot bike lane be provided on the south side of West Cameron Avenue and parking on the south side should be prohibited on weekdays between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Parking should be allowed on evenings and weekends.
*The center turn lane should be modified as recommended in the October 23, 2000 Council memorandum.
*Parking should be permitted on the north side of West Cameron Avenue as recommended in the October 23, 2000 Council memorandum.
*Parking on the north side should be prohibited between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to allow for the use of the parking area for a 7-foot bike lane.
*A public hearing should be held on the proposal to restripe West Cameron Avenue.
*The University of North Carolina should be asked to comment on the various alternative proposals.
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATION (Attached): At its November 14, 2000 regular meeting, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board voted 5-0 in favor of the following:
·
Approval of
resolution 2000-10-23/R-2 (attached) with the following additional
stipulations:
- Allow
automobile parking only between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
- Remove
all parking at the locations where turn lanes will remain.
That the Council make no changes in the existing striping and operational controls on West Cameron Avenue.
If the Council wishes to make changes, the following generic resolution and ordinances can be completed on the floor as appropriate to implement the desired changes.
This is the 11th day of December, 2000.
1. Traffic Count Tables (p. 8).
2. October 23, 2000 Agenda Item #4b (p. 10).
3. Summaries of advisory board actions (p. 21).
4. Related citizen correspondence (pg. 26).
A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE TOWN MANAGER TO HAVE WEST CAMERON AVENUE RESTRIPED TO ELIMINATE CERTAIN PORTIONS OF THE CENTER TURN LANE BETWEEN MERRITT MILL ROAD AND PITTSBORO STREET (2000-12-11/R-13)
WHEREAS, the Chapel Hill Town Council is interested in optimizing the operation of West Cameron Avenue for all users; and
WHEREAS, the Council has considered information on a variety of alternatives for modifying conditions and controls on West Cameron Avenue; and
WHEREAS, the Council has determined that certain changes could be made in the center turn lane of West Cameron Avenue without jeopardizing traffic operations.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council directs the Manager to have West Cameron Avenue restriped to eliminate the center turn lane between ___________________ and __________________.
This the 11th day of December, 2000.
ORDINANCE A
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 21 OF THE TOWN CODE OF ORDINANCES REGARDING BIKE LANE OVERLAY ZONES (2000-12-11/O-4a)
BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill as follows:
Section 1. Section 21-27.3 of the Town Code of Ordinances, “Bike Lane Overlay Zone” is hereby amended by ________________:
Cameron Avenue South
Cameron Avenue North
Section 2. This ordinance shall become effective _____________________________
This the 11th day of December, 2000.
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 21 OF THE TOWN CODE OF ORDINANCES REGARDING PARKING AS TO PARTICULAR STREETS (2000-12-11/O-4b)
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 _________________________________________:
Section 2. This ordinance shall
become effective _________________________.
This the 11th day of December, 2000.