TITLE: Title
Approval of Design for Stage 2 Traffic Calming on Cobblestone Drive
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to present a recommended design of Stage 2 traffic calming for Cobblestone Drive and for the Board of Aldermen to approve a design.
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DEPARTMENT: Planning
CONTACT INFORMATION: Zachary Hallock, 919-918-7329, zhallock@townofcarrboro.org <mailto:zhallock@townofcarrboro.org>
INFORMATION:
• On March 19th, 2019 the Board of Aldermen received a petition for traffic calming on the 100 block of Cobblestone Drive and directed staff to proceed with installing Stage 2 traffic calming devices prior to the beginning of the 2019-20 school year. The Board of Aldermen also directed staff to implement Stage 1 traffic calming and include a bike boulevard concept in a meeting with neighbors and to perform follow up counts and analysis.
o Details of this meeting can be found at: <https://carrboro.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=678571&GUID=ABCD5145-DDD0-4077-8022-65E70D9C4D59&Options=&Search=>
• Installing stage 2 measures before the fall school year accelerated the implementation sequence. Specifically, traffic counts, taken only during the school year, would follow Stage 2, rather than precede it.
• On Saturday, May 5th a neighborhood traffic calming meeting was held along Cobblestone Drive.
• Staff worked to develop a temporary installation that could be in place before the start of school and could be modified if it did not achieve desired results.
• Residents were notified of the installation during the week of July 31st.
• Based on feedback received from the residents, all physical traffic calming measures other than the speed bump were removed during the week of August 7th.
• Additional community input session were held during August and September, at which a design option [Attachment C] was presented which included three speed humps along the 100 block of Cobblestone Drive.
• The previously mentioned design and another alternative which included four speed humps [Attachment D] was presented at the Transportation Advisory Board meeting in October.
o Comments from the TAB [Attachment E], comments from residents in attendance of the TAB meeting [Attachment F], and documentation of all comments received since May [Attachment G] are included.
• Residents have questioned the effectiveness of Speed Tables vs Speed Humps. Research from the Federal Highway Administration [Attachment H] indicates that across a large set of sample test sites showing both devices, the speed reduction is similar: -6 to -8 MPH for humps and -4 to -9 MPH for tables.
• The cost of three rubber or asphalt humps ranges from $8,100 to $19,500, with rubber devices having a lower unit cost. Rubber traffic calming devices are sufficiently durable given the low volumes of traffic on Cobblestone Drive that they could be used as permanent devices, with the additional benefits of being able to remove and reinstall during street resurfacing (rather than having to remove and replace a new asphalt speed hump or otherwise work around the existing section).
• A new stop sign was included as part of the pilot. A town code amendment recognizing the sign is needed to make it enforceable [Attachment B].
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: Cost to be determined based on Board action. Staff would bring a budget item forward at a future meeting, as needed.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends the Board of Aldermen consider the resolution [Attachment A] approving the design with three speed humps and the town code amendment [Attachment B] for the four-way stop.