04-22-2020 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Name: Little Canada Road Pavers Project –Pedestrian Crossing Analysis Date: April 16, 2020 Page: 5 The road paver project does not include any street reconstruction work, which limits the types of treatments that could be installed at this time. Given the roadway geometry at Middle Street, a longer- term recommendation to enhance this crossing would include converting the existing center left turn lane on the east leg of the intersection to a pedestrian median refuge. This improvement alone would reduce the average delay per pedestrian to 4 seconds when crossing during peak vehicular travel hours. The current recommended crossing location for residents of The Lodge, especially those with visual sight impairments, would be to use the crossing provided at the Rice Street traffic signal. This controlled crossing is on the fastest route to destinations to the north and only adds approximately 1.5 minutes to the overall travel time when destinations are to the east. The signalized crossing is controlled and will be upgraded in the next couple of years to include enhanced equipment for pedestrians. Market Place Drive Crossing The existing crossing directly serves different land uses including the park, commercial/retail and residential. While the crossing volume is not known, the position of the crossing relative to these land uses indicates it may be a desirable crossing location. Various treatments were analyzed in terms of their impact on pedestrian delay. They are also tied to driver yielding rates, which can correlate with safety – the higher the yield rate the decreased risk of vehicle to pedestrian conflicts. Both the installation of a median refuge or pedestrian flashing beacon system (RRFB) could significantly reduce the average delay times for a user crossing the roadway at this location. Detailed pros/cons would require further analysis as it pertains to the actual constructability and placement of these potential solutions within the roadway footprint. Overall Recommendations In considering the relative placement of both crossings along Little Canada Road, Market Place Drive would be a higher priority crossing location in terms of investing in additional infrastructure. Middle Street is relatively close to the Rice Street signal, and therefore serves as a secondary crossing location for pedestrians in that area as the signal is easily accessible and may not increase overall trip times significantly. Residents in the southeast corner of the Little Canada Road/Rice Street intersection would also benefit from an improved crossing at Market Place Drive as it relates to trips to the bowling alley or other destinations surrounding the intersection. Crossing at the Rice Street signal is out of the way in this case. Improvements could certainly be considered at both locations, but the recommendation is to focus first on Market Place Drive. Potential high-level costs for improvements at Market Place Drive are as follows. These ranges are based on similar projects and rules of thumb; costs could vary depending on the actual design of improvements. These costs include construction, design engineering, potential survey/staking, and construction engineering services. Option Cost Notes Add Pedestrian Warning Signs and a Median Refuge $40-50K Will require new pedestrian ramps Add Flashing Pedestrian Beacons (RRFB) $6K-8K Assuming the system will work with the newly constructed pedestrian ramps