Joint Public Works & Environmental Concerns and Public Safety & Transportation Committees

Village of Lombard Village Hall 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Wednesday, July 12, 2017 7:00 PM Lorraine G. Gerhardt Community Room Joint Public Works & Environmental Concerns and Public Safety & Transportation Committees Trustee Bill Ware, Art Kuehl, John Kaforski, Mark Dvorak, Mike Kuderna, David Arnold, Joe Glazier, Robert Bachner Trustee Dan Whittington, Jennifer Perkins, Michael Corso, John Larkin, John Schwarz, Bob Corbino, Gary Cation, Jerry Schaefer, John Mullins Joint Public Works & Environmental Minutes July 12, 2017 Concerns and Public Safety & Transportation Committees 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance Chairperson Ware called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. 2.0 Roll Call Present 15 - Arthur Kuehl, John Kaforski, Mark Dvorak, Mike Kuderna, David Arnold, Joe Glazier Jr., Robert Bachner, Dan Whittington, Jennifer Perkins, Corso, John Larkin Jr., John Schwarz, Gary Cation, John Mullins, and Bill Ware Absent 2 - Bob Corbino, and Jerry Shaefer Others Present: Scott Niehaus, Village Manager Carl Goldsmith, Director of Public Works Sgt. Grage, Police Department Asst. Chief Howell, Fire Department Matthew Lew, Civil Engineer, Public Works Department Jason Souden, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LTD 3.0 Public Participation Ken Gault, 113 S. Westmore-Meyers Mr. Gault stated that he has lived there for 17 years and has a background as a landscape architect, which he has been practicing for 40 years, and living on Westmore he sees it every single day. One family member was involved in a rear-end accident. He went on to say that sometimes we make problems worse and he would hate to see this situation made worse. He saw that 50% of the accidents were rear or left turn accidents, but one of the things not talked about is the speed limit. The limit is 30 mph, but nobody does that. It's probably the number one cause of all of these accidents. He added that speed is his number one concern. He drives from Maple to 22nd twice a day. When he passes Roosevelt the County cops are there. Also need to look at how residents are going to be effected. He commented that he thinks there is no benefit to it. If the Village puts in what is proposed, when he's cutting grass cars will whiz by at 40 mph. At the same time he sees problems with garbage collection, UPS deliveries and school buses. He also sees a problem with the Pace bus that stops at Washington. He asked if anybody has looked at the major traffic study; why would you take four lanes and squeeze it in the middle. Alexandria Wallace, 120 S. Westmore-Meyers Ms. Wallace stated that she would like to voice her concern about the proposal. She went on to say that she has looked through the plan Village of Lombard Page 1 Joint Public Works & Environmental Minutes July 12, 2017 Concerns and Public Safety & Transportation Committees from 2016 and understands the proposed project would decrease the roadway to one lane each direction and a bike lane. She personally feels there are plenty of left turn lanes/arrows along that street. In the study it talks about potential left turn movements northbound between Wilson and Madison there are only two potential left turn movements and a left turn lane in place at Madison. Observing as a resident and cyclists she doesn't see enough bike traffic traversing the full length to merit the addition of a bike lane. On page 10 there is a map showing bicycle crashes. It indicates very few occurred on Westmore. Others crashes related to Westmore seem to be at St. Charles and Roosevelt, which could be due to traffic on those roads. The plan also says that Main Street is in the most need of improvements. Throughout the village often times when people want to build on property signs are erected about a public hearing. She stated that she would encourage that the trustee in the area erect signs. None of the neighbors seem to know about the project. She also said she would like them contacted to see what their impact would be and let them know about upcoming meetings. John Bielrmoa, Westmore Supply Mr. Bielrmoa stated that his biggest concern was lack of notification. The first he heard of the project was yesterday. There could be a big impact trying to condense to one lane. During rush hour it will be brutal for people trying to turn off of side streets. It seems there is more chance of problem then there is now. 4.0 Approval of Minutes There were no minutes to approve. 5.0 Unfinished Business 6.0 New Business 170277 Westmore-Meyers Road Safety Enhancements Request for committee approval of proposed project recommendations. (DISTRICT# 5 & 6) Goldsmith made introductions and explained that this meeting is the first step in a very long process. There will be a number of neighborhood meetings and there will certainly be public involvement. Village of Lombard Page 2 Joint Public Works & Environmental Minutes July 12, 2017 Concerns and Public Safety & Transportation Committees He went on to give the following presentation. May of 2014, the Board of Trustees adopted the Complete Streets policy; a guideline for us to develop and make improvements to make roadways safer. As staff started using the policy it became clear that it wasn't the best approach to look at roadways on an individual basis. We weren't looking at the broader picture for multi-modal transportation. March of 2015 the Board adopted a master plan for bicycle and pedestrian improvements. That plan identified a number of projects to enhance multi-modal projects including the Main Street & Illinois Prairie path crossing improvements and the bike lane on Madison Street. We anticipate to do additional designations of roadways for bike. The goals for this project were to improve safety, reduce corridor crashes, find funding mechanisms for projects like this and make a connection between the Illinois Prairie Path and the Great Western Trail. The Village retained Christopher B. Burke Engineering to perform a feasibility study. To be eligible for Federal funding the termini must be FAUS routes, that is why it would extend from Roosevelt Rd. to St. Charles Rd. To date, no design work has been done, we have only investigated the feasability of the project at this point. Staff looked at several alternatives and identified three potential options. The first option is a full improvement from St. Charles Rd. to Roosevelt Rd. The second is from Madison to St. Charles and the third option is to do nothing. However, now we are aware of the safety concerns option 3 is the least preferred. One of the reasons the project is being considered is because there were 305 crashes between 2011-2015, 136 of which were between Madison and St. Charles. Roadway reallocation, based on FHWA data, provides crash reduction of 19-47%. There are already proven examples, most notably South Holland and Wilmette. The 30 mph residential speed limit is appropriate for that roadway. Seventy four percent of the 163 driveways are north of Madison. We are not making a decision based on availability of grant funding, but it does play a part. The Village has secured 75% of the proposed projected cost, about $1.4 million through the Surface Transportation Program. That amounts to $1.4 million for a project of $2.2 million. If we do nothing we know that Westmore needs to be resurfaced. It's starting to show signs of deterioration. If the Village decides that we don't want to proceed, we can still seek federal grant money for resurfacing. The proposed project also includes signal improvements, pedestrian countdown signals, sidewalk improvements throughout the Village of Lombard Page 3 Joint Public Works & Environmental Minutes July 12, 2017 Concerns and Public Safety & Transportation Committees corridor and additional enhancements at the trail crossings; not everything is immediately related to bikes. Approximately $1.5 million is just for resurfacing, sidewalks & traffic signals. Benefits of the project include connecting the trails and the Madison bike lane to create a safer environment for cyclists. The Great Western Trail crossing will also be addressed for safety concerns because of its proximity to St. Charles Rd. and paramount to the project is addressing the vehicle turning movements. There are a lot of rear-end and turning accidents which correlate to a high rate of speed and turns to access driveways. This project is anticipated to address those concerns. From a staff perspective, looking at the full improvement it showed that the time through the corridor was expanded to a level we didn't feel appropriate, however Madison to St. Charles addresses the safety concerns and accomodates traffic flow with minimal impact. The preferred improvement would be the Modified (refer to the slideshow). It restores a residential character to this roadway and addresses three things; resurfacing from Roosevelt to Madison, resurfacing and reallocation from Madison to St. Charles and crossing improvements at Illinois Prairie Path and the Great Western Trail. Niehaus asked if this addresses the gaps in traffic that Mr. Gault is concerned about. Goldsmith replied that it does address the gaps. When backing out of driveways, the proposed project gives you only one through lane to cross and then you can establish in the turn lane and wait for an opening in a more safe and efficient manner. Goldsmith continued, explaining that we want to be cognizant of the impact on travel through the corridor. The peak range travel time increased from 4:22 minutes to 5:42 minutes through the corridor. Alternate 1 shows the largest peak increase was 1 minute. Corso asked how the study was done. Souden explained that they performed vehicle counts at all intersections and put the information in a model based on the State's required modeling system. Then the model simulates car behavior and movements, considering all of the geometrics of the intersection, you can then create a scenario for future traffic. The daily traffic count is about 13,000 vehicles per day. Glazier asked what time the study was done. Souden replied that the counts are taken at three different periods; morning rush, mid-day and evening peak. Typically the State would require only morning and evening peaks. Bachner asked if counts were taken during the lunchtime rush. He also pointed out that the morning and evening counts were done in April, but the lunchtime count was done in June. Village of Lombard Page 4 Joint Public Works & Environmental Minutes July 12, 2017 Concerns and Public Safety & Transportation Committees Souden responded that the morning and evening counts are required, however the Village asked for a lunchtime count as well. Bachner went on to say that he is concerned because school was out. Bachner asked if the raw data is available. Goldsmith answered that it is. Kaforski asked if an actual count was done. Souden answered that yes, an actual count was done. Kaforski asked if they did time studies for right turns, as Westmore Supply has a big trucks in and out all day as well as the Pace bus turning. He asked if all of that was figured in the study. Souden replied that it was. Bachner added that everyday at 2 p.m. during the school year there is a convoy of school buses, therefore he thought the study should have been all day, not restricted to specific times. He also asked how many days the counts were done. Lew answered that typically it would be done for 48 hours. Souden agreed, adding that it was done in accordance with state and federal guidelines. Corso asked if a speed study was done. Sgt. Grage replied that a study has been done in the past few years. Corso asked if the speed study was done in different areas throughout the length of the corridor. Sgt. Grage said that it was done by Maple Street. Corso asked if staff could do a more current one in different sections. Sgt. Grage answered yes. Corso commented that we should address if people are doing the speed limit. Goldsmith continued. Looking at the impact on traffic, Alternate 1 increases travel time by 1 minute, Alternate 2 increases travel time by 17 seconds, with an average increase in travel time of 11 seconds. This roadway has seven traffic signals. The level of service is the amount of delay at each intersection. There is no reduction at 5 of the 7 intersections, however, we did see a reduction in service during peak evening at Maple and Madison. The increase would be to level C, which is still within IDOT standards. It's approximately a 10 second delay in intersection movements. All LOS are acceptable per IDOT. The goal is to improve safety which can be achieved by doing a road diet between Madison and St. Charles. We will see a reduction in rear-end accidents. We know we can utilize federal grants we've secured and it will complete a priority project in the pedestrian and bike plan adopted by the Board of Trustees. In early June Public Works staff met with Police and Fire staff. Both departments were supportive in concept of the road diet from Madison to St. Charles, however, going forward they would want to see any impact on their departments. The project is included in the 2018 Capital Improvement Program, however, that does not does not guarantee the project is going forward, it's a place holder. If the decision is not to move forward staff will send a letter stating our intention not to move forward with the Village of Lombard Page 5 Joint Public Works & Environmental Minutes July 12, 2017 Concerns and Public Safety & Transportation Committees project and would likely submit another application for roadway, sidewalk & traffic signal improvements. Cation asked if there is a time limit to use the funding. Goldsmith answered yes, because it's an IDOT bid letting March 2018 is the target, but it can delayed for two years before we have to reapply. Schwarz asked if there is a collision diagram. Souden replied that they do have the data from the State. Goldsmith interjected that collisions are not happening at the trail crossings. Schwarz asked if the existing traffic signal are a coordinated system. Lew replied that they are. Souden added that the proposed improvements would include optimizing the time. Schwarz asked if the work would effect snow removal. Goldsmith responded that it will not impact our operations. We would still clear edge to edge. Referring to the peak hour of volume, Schwarz asked what is northbound and when does it occur as well as what is southbound and when it occurs. Souden answered that he does not have the exact number, but can get it. Schwarz asked if staff did cycle counts on Madison before the bike lane was added and if so what the increase in usage is.Goldsmith answered that there is no critical analysis, just an eyeball evaluation. Perkins asked if the intersections at Washington, Maple, St. Charles and Madison could be signed no right turn on red, so residents only have to be concerned with traffic on Westmore. She added that she was trying to picture how you go from 4 lanes on Westmore and cross Madison into 2 lanes. Envisioning it to be like the Hillside strangler. Goldsmith replied that would be part of the design effort, where the transition would occur. Souden clarified that most likely the northbound right lane would turn into a right turn only. Perkins asked if the speed limit would be reduced much like it is on Main Street near Hickory. Goldsmith responded that it would have to go through a warrant study. It could be considered by the Public Safety & Transportation committee as it moves forward whether the road diet goes through or not. Chairperson Whittington asked if we would eliminate the Great Western Trail crossing. Lew explained that instead of having a crossing directly at the trail, we would construct side paths to direct trail users to St. Charles with some sort of physical obstruction that requires them to do so. Chairperson Whittington suggested that the Walk time be lengthened. Arnold commented that the arrow for the bike lane is going the same direction as the traffic and asked if there will be any enforcement for people that ride against the traffic. Sgt. Grage replied that it would require more education as well as enforcement. The two really need to Village of Lombard Page 6 Joint Public Works & Environmental Minutes July 12, 2017 Concerns and Public Safety & Transportation Committees go hand in hand. Arnold asked if it would be possible to set up construction barricades on Westmore to create the scenario and see what happens to the traffic flow. Goldsmith answered that we can look at whether that would be legal and whether the Police Department would want to see a temporary plan such as that. There may be some value to it, but there would be some hurdles. Niehaus suggested that staff could identify the streets in Wilmette and South Holland that have gone through this so that committee members could visit the sites to get a feel for it. It wouldn't be quite the same, but it may be worth worth some time to check out those locations. Souden added that Plum Grove road in Schaumburg will also be doing this. Kaforski stated that he thinks the study is overly optimistic and lacks details specific to Westmore such as the school buses, the trucks and the proximity of St. Pius. In doing some studying he found that as far as the 49% reduction in accidents, the FHWA says it's a 6% reduction. Gainesville FL went back to 4 lanes because of gridlock and San Jose CA suffered big business losses. He further stated that we need input from people who live there and utilize it and that he doesn't know that we're hitting all of the details. Glazier asked what the the traffic counts are on Main Street at the same peak hours. Lew replied that Westmore has approximately 13,000 per day compared to 18,000 per day on Main Street. Bachner asked if there was a comparison to Main Street related to accidents. Lew answered that Main Street was not considered. Bachner asked if the information could be extrapolated. He further commented that biking is recreational and asked if it was ever considered to move this to Highland. Goldsmith explained that bicyclists are permitted users of any roadway. When you talk about Westmore, there are people that commute to work which they wouldn't necessarily do on Highland because there is not a bus stop. Bachner replied that he rode with his son and even with the road diet he would rather ride on Highland. Lew responded that Westmore was chosen by the consultant that created the master plan. Dvorak commented that his only concern is that if garbage trucks or delivery trucks are stopped, all of the cars would go into the turn lane which may cause a problem. Bachner added that he thinks that a road diet would force more people onto the residential streets and asked if that has that been considered. Corso pointed out that in the 80s Westmore was 2 lanes and went to 4 lanes. He also asked, referring to the Great Western Trail fence and a comment that it was a dangerous intersection, if that is a fact. Village of Lombard Page 7 Joint Public Works & Environmental Minutes July 12, 2017 Concerns and Public Safety & Transportation Committees Goldsmith explained that we've spent a lot of time to address a problem at Main Street and the Illinois Prairie Path that doesn't exist if you look at just data. A lot of these are addressing perception. Mullins asked how far back the northbound transition at Madison would go and added that if it backs up to Ace Hardware he doesn't know if he would want to be a business in that mall. Lew replied that he did not think it would back up to Ace Hardware. Souden added that although we don't have that detail yet it's something that would show in the model. He further added that every signalized intersection does clear the back up in a cycle. Niehaus commented that he has had the joy of working for the Village for 4 years and he has worked for three other communities. The way Lombard is set up is highly unique, in that most community committees are made up of three board members. In Lombard the Public Works Committee eight citizens to ensure that the residents are listened to. There's about 120 curb cuts between Madison and St. Charles on Westmore. It's not going to be government by referendum, but these committees become that referendum with their eyes, their ears and when they make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees the Board listens closely to the committees. As staff we want to measure twice and cut once and we would rather be right than fast. Whether staff and the consultants recommend Alternate 2, we have thick skin and will not get bent out of shape if you don't agree with the recommendation. If the recommendation proceeds it will have to go to the Board and then there will be public meetings and open houses. Chairperson Whittington added that it is a long process and there is no rush. 170212 National Citizen Survey Discussion and review of the National Citizen Survey results. (DISTRICTS - ALL) Chairperson Whittington stated that the survey shows that the Village is doing quite well overall. 7.0 Other Business 8.0 Information Only 9.0 Adjournment A motion was made by Michael Corso, seconded by Joe Glazier, Jr., that the meeting be adjourned at 8:20 P.M . The motion passed by an unanimous vote. Village of Lombard Page 8