To: PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION
From: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
TITLE
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EXTENSION OF RED CURB ON 1900 BLOCK OF S. PROSPECT AVE.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In response to a request from school officials at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church, staff has engaged its consultant Traffic Engineer to analyze the need to extend the red curb (indicating a “no parking” restriction) along the easterly curb of the 1900 Block of S. Prospect Avenue. The school shares the campus with St. Lawrence Catholic Church. A sight distance analysis of this block was completed with a recommendation to increase the red curb just south of the northern driveway on S. Prospect Avenue that serves the school and church parking lot. The recommended twenty-foot extension of the red curb is proposed immediately south of the existing red curb (currently about 14 feet in length) installed just south of the driveway. A copy of the consultant Traffic Engineer’s report is attached.
If installed, the additional red curb would eliminate parking for the approximate length of one typical vehicle. In accordance with City policy related to placement of red curb adjacent to private driveways, staff is bringing this item forward to the Public Works Commission for review and consideration as to whether the red curb ought to be installed. If Public Works Commission decides in favor, their decision is appealable to the City Council for 30 days. If no appeal is made, staff would order the red curb to be installed. A copy of the City’s policy on this topic is attached.
Staff has notified residences on the block to inform them of the recommendation of the Traffic Engineer and to invite them to attend tonight’s meeting and provide input on that the matter. The notice was sent to 49 addresses on both sides of S. Prospect in the block north of Avenue G to Avenue F. A vicinity map and sample of the notice are provided in the attachments.
BACKGROUND
Staff received a petition in February 2022 from staff at the St Lawrence Martyr School requesting additional red curb (no parking restriction) be added to the easterly curb of S. Prospect Avenue. The request is founded in concerns for the safety of those exiting the shared parking area of the school and church by way of a driveway at the northerly end of the school/church campus in the 1900 block of S. Prospect. School staff claim sight lines to oncoming northbound traffic are impaired from egressing vehicles due to parked cars south of the driveway. There currently exists about 14-feet of red curb just south of the driveway.
S. Prospect Avenue is classified as a secondary arterial with a posted speed limit of 30-mph. There are two northbound and two southbound travel lanes with no median in the vicinity of the school. Parking is allowed, in places, on the easterly (northbound right hand) curb. City staff made initial visits to the site and confirmed that improvement to sight lines was likely with additional parking restrictions along the curb. The school driveway is on the eastern side of the street and between two T intersections that intersect S. Prospect Avenue from the West. Avenue F is about 120 feet north of the driveway and Avenue G is about 165 feet south of the driveway. The Avenue F intersection is stop controlled on Avenue F only and has a marked crosswalk on the westerly leg. The Avenue G intersection is all-way stop controlled with marked crosswalks on the westerly and southerly legs.
The easterly curb of the 1900 block of S. Prospect is marked red for the first fourteen feet south of the school’s northern driveway, which then gives way to an approximate 80-foot length of unmarked curb to the south. At this point the curb is marked red for a length of about 60 feet to the south. This 60-foot section is directly in front of the church entrance and is used, per school staff, for specialty vehicle parking during funerals and weddings. This location is also within the intersection of Avenue G, which intersects S. Prospect Avenue on the west side.
Fronting development on the west side of S. Prospect is single and multi-family residential in the vicinity of the Avenue F and G intersections. On the east side, there is single family residential development north of the school/church property. The south end of the school/church property terminates at a public alley.
The analysis of the requested red curb extension was performed by AGA Engineers, Inc. (“AGA”) who is currently serving as the City’s Traffic Engineer while the staff position is vacant. A memorandum from Jorge Sanchez of that firm, which is attached, describes the methodology of the analysis, the appropriate standards, and the research of the location and the conclusions reached in the analysis. Figure 2 in that memorandum, depicts the layout of the driveway, existing conditions and the proposed new red curb.
In summary, the analysis concludes that the line of sight for northbound vehicles approaching the driveway could be impeded by vehicles parked just south of the driveway and could be mitigated by adding an additional 20 feet of red curb south of the fourteen feet of red curb currently located just south of the existing driveway. The consultant’s recommendation is the installation of 20 feet of red curb as shown in the attachment.
The additional red curb would reduce the amount of curb currently available for street parking by one typical parking space. Although the City has received no comments to date, parking demand in the area is high and any opposition to the red curb extension is likely to come from nearby residents concerned about parking availability. To solicit public input, and per current policy regarding red curb requests for private driveways, staff mailed a notice regarding this discussion to 49 residences within the two-block area along S. Prospect Avenue from Avenue G to Avenue F. Staff did discuss with school staff the possibility of removing an equivalent length of the existing red curb in front of the school/church property opposite Avenue G in an effort to replace parking impacted by the proposed red curb near the driveway. However, school staff did not prefer this due to the use of that area for specialty vehicle loading during weddings and funerals at the church. Nevertheless, this location or others on this block may be suitable to remove red curb if the Public Works Commission is interested in a net zero increase in red curb.
ALTERNATIVES AVAILABLE:
1. Recommend installation of the additional 20 feet of red curb as discussed in the analysis;
2. Recommend installation of the additional 20 feet of red curb as discussed in the analysis with the removal of a similar length of red curb elsewhere on the block if and where possible;
3. Deny the request for the additional red curb; or
4. Other actions as determined by the Public Works Commission.
COORDINATION
Coordination of the line of sight analysis and this report took place within the Public Works Department.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 - AGA Request for Red Curb on 1900 S. Prospect Avenue
Attachment 2 - June 21, 2022 Resident Notification Letter and Red Curb Policy