Transportation & Safety Committee

Village of Lombard Village Hall 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Monday, August 12, 2013 7:00 PM Village Hall, Village Manager's Conference Rm. Transportation & Safety Committee Trustee Reid Foltyniewicz - Chairperson Trustee Mike Fugiel - Alternate Chairperson Michael Corso, John Larkin, John Schwarz, Bob Corbino, Jerry Schaefer, Jennifer Perkins, Gary Cation and John Mullins Staff Liaisons: Deputy Chief Tom Wirsing - Police Department and Matthew Lew - Public Works Department Transportation & Safety Committee Minutes August 12, 2013 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Foltyniewicz at 7:00 p.m. 2.0 Roll Call Present 8 - Trustee Reid Foltyniewicz, Michael Corso, John Larkin Jr., John Schwarz, Bob Corbino, Jerry Shaefer, Gary Cation, and John Mullins Absent 1 - Jennifer Perkins Staff Present: Tom Wirsing, Deputy Police Chief Roy Newton, Deputy Police Chief Frank Kalisik, Civil Engineer 3.0 Public Participation Barbara Glosson Dawn Grana Anne Hoey Ms. Grana and Ms. Hoey, representing the homeowners association of the multi-family residential community at the 1400 block of Fairfield Avenue, requested a No Parking zone on the east side of Fairfield Avenue north of 16th street. They made the request after non-compliance by the homeowners to not park on Fairfield Avenue voluntarily near their development to minimize potential traffic and safety concerns . They suggested the T&S Committee install a stop sign on northbound Fairfield Avenue at 16th Street should their No Parking zone request be denied. Corso asked if off-street parking was sufficient. Ms. Hoey responded, “yes”. Foltyniewicz asked of residents would be ok with the requested No Parking zone and that if recommended, no one would be returning to have the regulation removed. Ms. Grana stated they would not be back to amend the request, if approved. Kalisik asked for a clarification of the area most drastically affected by on-street parking. Ms. Hoey stated the northernmost end of Fairfield Avenue at the curve is the most problematic area . Ms. Glosson, homeowner on Maple Street, stated her concern for the excessive volume and high rate of vehicle speeds on Maple Street. Ms. Glosson stated she believed Maple Street is acting more like an arterial route than a collector route, based upon recent police enforcement reports that the road is utilized mostly by non-neighborhood residents, which have a deleterious effect on property values. For this reason, she requested some modification of the roadway to discourage non-neighborhood traffic. She also stated traffic speeds are consistently over the 25 mph speed limit, as Village of Lombard Page 1 Transportation & Safety Committee Minutes August 12, 2013 both recent traffic studies and police enforcement efforts recorded frequent speeds of 38 mph. The only time traffic speeds are noticeably reduced (visually and audibly) is when law enforcement is nearby. For immediate results, she suggested 24-hour police presence while the Village could develop both short term and long term solutions. Short term solutions could be establishing bike paths to narrow travel lanes and install stop signs to break traffic, while long term solutions include some type of roadway modification. Foltyniewicz stated competition for local funding is severe, especially for more costly long term solutions. Ms. Glosson suggested federal funding assistance could be sought. She requested the committee consider the frequency of near misses she has witnessed, the fact that the severity of crashes increases with vehicle speed, and the frequent presence of pedestrians, while deliberating this issue. A firm believer that police presence works as a deterrent to traffic speeding, she offered Burr Ridge as an example of a place where no one speeds because they know they will be ticketed. She believed the Village should issue tickets for one mph over the posted speed limit, along with frequent deployment of radar speed signs, to slow traffic down. 4.0 Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Bob Corbino, seconded by John Schwarz, that the Minutes of the June 10, 2013 meeting be approved. The motion carried unanimously. 5.0 Unfinished Business 130283 17th Street & LaLonde Avenue A request for a 4-way Stop or modification of the existing 2-way Stop. (DISTRICT #3) The staff report was reviewed, with Mullins revealing the traffic data was obtained between June 3 and June 5, 2013, when local schools were not in session. The committee believed this could significantly impact the traffic data results. Wirsing offered performing an enforcement endeavor after school starts this fall. Foltyniewicz stated some type of relief was needed to control traffic speeds. Kalisik reiterated the MUTCD stop sign warrants were not supported by the data and Schwarz offered support for following the MUTCD guidelines. Cation asked what affect there was for not following the MUTCD, in which Schwarz warned that it sets a local precedence for all other areas in town that want a stop sign, anywhere. Foltyniewicz moved the discussion to the corner of 17th Street and Stewart Avenue where traffic is “really bad” because there are no pavement markings. Corso interjected that the curve was not that bad, but center line pavement markings would be helpful. Kalisik stated installation of pavement markings at the curve could be implemented at any time. A discussion developed concerning the design and purpose of the subdivision streets . Village of Lombard Page 2 Transportation & Safety Committee Minutes August 12, 2013 A motion was made by Gary Cation, seconded by John Mullins, that this Request be tabled . The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 130284 Fairfield North of 16th Street A request for No Parking on the east side of the street. (DISTRICT #3) Foltyniewicz stated the residents appeared acceptable to the parking restriction. A motion was made by John Larkin, Jr., seconded by Gary Cation, that this Request be recommend to the Board of Trustees for Approval . The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 130285 Maple Street A resident request for traffic control in response to speeding concerns . (DISTRICT# 1, 4 & 5) Wirsing reported a recent enforcement effort resulted in 157 stops with 53 tickets issued. Average speeds were 37 mph. Kalisik affirmed the 85th percentile from the traffic study was 38 mph. Mullins suggested some reduction in pavement width would be prudent. Foltyniewicz inquired as to the parking restrictions on Maple Street, with Newton stating parking restrictions were present on the north side only. Wirsing added the Police Department has not received any other traffic speed or volume complaints, while Kalisik offered the accident history did not reveal speed as an accident contributing factor, only various driver errors, weather, etc. Mullins suggested the 38 mph traffic speeds are indicative of the wide open and good field of view roadway configuration. Schaefer suggested pedestrian crosswalks could be signed and installed to serve the local parks, while Schwarz suggested speaking with the Park District to see if they were necessary. Foltyniewicz questioned if additional parking was needed on Maple in the vicinity of the parks, and Schwarz questioned if any modification/use restrictions exist from previous federal funding agreements. Conversations ensued concerning the installation of pedestrian crosswalks across Maple Street to serve the two public parks and placement of centerline and south side parking pavement markings from Grace Street to Westmore-Meyers Road. The Committee acknowledged pavement marking of existing parking regulations do not require board action and directed staff to install pavement markings as discussed when funds become available, and to approach the Park District concerning the demand for pedestrian crosswalks. A motion was made by Jerry Schaefer, seconded by John Schwarz, that this Request be denied . The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 6.0 New Business Corso brought up continued concern over the safety of pedestrians crossing Main Street at the Prairie Path. Newton stated that he believes the existing Village of Lombard Page 3 Transportation & Safety Committee Minutes August 12, 2013 refuge island may not be the best idea as other four lane roads in other parts of the County do not have them and pedestrians appear more cautious when crossing those. Schaefer reiterated T&S published a public awareness piece in the Pride this spring, and nothing more could be done. Foltyniewicz presented a request for a yield sign at Eugenia and Elizabeth. Kalisik will provide information for the next meeting. Foltyniewicz presented a request for a dedicated left turn arrow on southbound Elizabeth at St. Charles. Kalisik will provide information for the next meeting. 7.0 Other Business Kalisik informed the committee that the Metra tunnel construction project at Park Street has been delayed until next year, 2014. Foltyniewicz requested assistance on where Lombard residents can find Metra parking. Foltyniewicz was directed to the Village Website for mapped locations. General discussion ensued regarding parking availability for downtown/Metra utility. Kalisik announced new Committee Members must complete the Open Meeting Act Training. 8.0 Information Only 9.0 Adjournment A motion was made by Gary Cation, seconded by Jerry Schaefer, to adjourn the meeting at 8:35 p.m. The motion carried unanimously. Village of Lombard Page 4