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04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, WhittierC I T Y O F B O U L D E R TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD AGENDA ITEM MEETING DATE: April 11, 2022 AGENDA TITLE: Public hearing and TAB recommendation regarding Neighborhood Street Management Program (NSMP) Pine Street/Whittier Complex Projects PRESENTER/S: Erika Vandenbrande, Director of Transportation and Mobility Valerie Watson, Transportation Planning Manager Gerrit Slatter, Principal Transportation Projects Engineer Nathan Pope, Senior Transportation Planner Veronica Son, Transportation Engineer EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Whittier Complex Neighborhood Speed Management Program (NSMP) Project is intended to reduce vehicle speeding, enhance neighborhood livability, and improve public safety. This project (which includes Mapleton Ave., Pine St., and Spruce St. between 20th St. and 28th St.) aligns with the city’s Vision Zero goals and Transportation Master Plan goals of making travel safe and comfortable. The intent of bringing this project to TAB is to solicit feedback and finalize the design for the project so that it is ready once funds to construct the project become available. The project was the top project in the 2019 Neighborhood Speed Management Program (NSMP) project cycle and was prioritized for planning in 2021 and installation in 2022. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent impacts to the department’s budget, the project was postponed, and staff did not begin the planning process until 2021. Staff initiated the Whittier Complex Project in early summer 2021. The first community meeting reviewing existing conditions and discussing issues in the neighborhood was held in the Whittier Schoolyard on August 11, 2021. A second neighborhood meeting was held on December 1, 2021, to review vertical and horizontal traffic calming options based on stakeholder and community engagement, asking residents for feedback on the potential options in different locations. Staff, with consultant support, began developing the Whittier Complex Project recommended design after the second neighborhood meeting. This design reflects comments and polling responses from the second neighborhood meeting, an online comment form, and emergency response and maintenance clearance requirements. The recommended design was presented to the community at a final virtual neighborhood meeting on March 29, 2022. 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 1 of 13 BACKGROUND: The Neighborhood Speed Management Program (NSMP) was established in 2017 to address speeding issues on local and collector neighborhood streets. The purpose of the NSMP is to support the community’s safety and neighborhood livability goals as outlined in Boulder’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP). The program also supports Boulder’s Vision Zero goal by proactively reducing the risk of severe crashes and improving bike and pedestrian comfort by reducing vehicle speeds on neighborhood streets. The NSMP provides education, enforcement, and engineering tools to address speeding issues in Boulder neighborhoods. All neighborhood residents that apply to the program are eligible to receive education and enforcement tools. These tools include the placement of six mobile radar speed displays (called “speed trailers”) on neighborhood streets on a weekly rotation, yard signs with slogans like “Slow Down, Take It Easy” and “Be Aware, Drive With Care,” and the coordination with the Boulder Police Department’s Photo Radar Enforcement Program. The NSMP has an annual application review and project prioritization cycle, and eligible applications are scored and ranked according to the criteria detailed in the NSMP Program Guidelines. Projects are also categorized into two project tracks: simple and complex projects. Simple projects are typically on local streets and not on Critical Emergency Response Routes (CERR), which are the routes the fire department uses in responding to emergency calls. Simple projects are also lower cost, normally $15,000 or less, and do not create noticeable traffic diversion to adjacent streets. Complex projects, conversely, are generally located on a collector or higher-volume local streets and are identified as CERR. Staff anticipates that complex projects may cause traffic impacts on adjacent streets and includes those considerations in the planning process. The other major difference between complex and simple projects is the engagement requirement to create a traffic calming plan; complex projects require three neighborhood meetings to assess alternatives and designate a concept plan, a public hearing proceeding a TAB recommendation on the plan, and a City Council briefing on the Call-Up Check-In agenda. This process can take an entire year, which means that complex projects are projected to take two years from concept to construction. Simple projects require staff to propose a traffic calming plan at a neighborhood meeting and gather feedback prior to a public hearing and TAB recommendation – the process to plan and install a simple project typically takes under one year. Every year projects are added to the complex and simple projects lists and prioritized for planning and installation. During the 2019 NSMP project cycle, the top-ranked complex project was Pine St. between 20th St. and Folsom St. Additionally, another project on Pine St. between Folsom St. and 28th St. ranked eighth on the list (there were two separate applications and petitions for these sections of Pine St.) The top-ranked simple project that year was Spruce St. between 24th St. and Folsom St. After reviewing the project rankings and hearing from residents through a public hearing, TAB prioritized Pine St. between 20th St. and Folsom St. and added the eighth-ranked Pine St. and top-ranked Spruce St. simple project to the scope of the prioritized complex project (Attachment A). Staff originally scheduled planning for the Whitter Complex Project to begin in Spring 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent impacts to the department’s budget, the project was postponed until 2021. 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 2 of 13 Staff kicked off the Whittier Complex Project in early summer 2021. Based on discussions with Transportation Operations staff, the scope of the project was extended to include Mapleton Ave., Pine St., and Spruce St. between 20th St. and 28th St. due to anticipated traffic diversion the potential installation of additional traffic calming on Pine St. Staff and consultants began an existing conditions analysis, assessing conditions in the study area and collecting updated speed and traffic volume counts (Figure 1). This updated collection showed slightly lower 85th percentile speeds compared to the qualifying collection conducted in 2019; the highest 85th percentile speed on Pine St. west of Folsom was 31 mph (down from 33 mph in 2019). On Pine St. east of Folsom St., the highest 85th percentile speed was 32 mph (down from 35 mph in 2019), though it should be noted that buffered bike lanes were installed between the first and second data collections. Traffic volumes also appear to have decreased between 2019 and 2021 by roughly 10%. These differences in speeds and volumes may be influenced by changes in travel patterns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which would be consistent with other streets in the city studied by the Transportation and Mobility Department. The existing conditions analysis also reviewed crashes (Figure 2) between January 2015 and January 2021. During this period there were 246 reported crashes: 27 crashes involved people bicycling, 2 involved people walking, and 8 resulted in severe injuries all of which involved people bicycling. All the severe injury crashes except for one occurred on Folsom St. or 28th St. In total, 51% of crashes during this period were at intersections, and the rest were mid-block, at driveways, or in parking lots. Additionally, 80% of crashes occurred during daylight hours, and 5 crashes (2%) involved people driving under the influence. Figure 2: Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Severe Crashes Jan. 2015 – Jan. 2019 Figure 1: July 2021 Speed and Volume Data Collection 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 3 of 13 The most common reported crash causes during this period were: careless driving (27% of all crashes), failed to yield ROW (19%) and followed too closely (13%). The intersection of Pine St. and Folsom St. was the most intense crash location in the project area and included three left- turn hook crashes and three were right-turn hook crashes (turning vehicles crashing into straight- moving bicycles). It is important to note that the intersection of Pine St. and Folsom St. is slated for a traffic signal improvement project through the Highway Safety Improvement Program to address this severe crash problem. Similarly, 28th St. will be reconstructed with federal funding and will likely include improvements that will eliminate left-turning crashes. Once this data was compiled and analyzed, staff held the first community meeting in the Whittier Schoolyard on August 11, 2021. The meeting was attended by roughly 30 participants and was an in-person, outdoor event. Feedback from the meeting participants included both issues and ideas for traffic calming devices. For example, participants highlighted visibility issues on Pine St. east of Folsom St. and suggested adding traffic circles to the intersections of Pine St. and 26th St. and 27th St. Participants also highlighted locations where they observed speeding, where they experienced a close call, where it was difficult to cross the street, and where it felt unsafe to walk or bike. Comments from the meeting are shown below in Figure 3. Following feedback about the existing conditions and traffic calming ideas discussed at the first community meeting, staff and consultants began work on high-level alternatives for the Whitter Complex Project. This included two types of traffic calming: vertical and horizontal devices (Figure 4). The purpose of showing vertical and horizontal options in the same or nearby locations was to provide options for mixing and matching these two project types across the project area. Staff held a second neighborhood meeting virtually on December 1, 2021 to review these options and ask residents for feedback. More in -depth discussion of these options can be found in the Whittier NSMP Complex Project Update from the December 13, 2021 TAB meeting. Figure 3: Neighborhood Meeting 1 Feedback, August 2021 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 4 of 13 Generally, feedback from the meeting and the online comment form showed that participants felt vertical devices like speed humps and speed cushions, as well as the aprons on the existing traffic circles, would provide the most speed reduction. Raised intersections were also favored but the costs of installing these devices are generally too great for the NSMP budget. Participants also responded favorably to pedestrian refuge islands and the installation of high-visibility crosswalks (the latter would need to be warranted through Transportation Operations’ Pedestrian Crossing Guidelines. Figure 5 shows polling feedback from the second neighborhood meeting. Staff and consultants began developing the Whittier Complex Project recommended design (Figure 6) after the second virtual neighborhood meeting through early 2022. This design reflects comments and polling responses from the second virtual neighborhood meeting and an online comment form, as well as emergency response and maintenance clearance requirements. The recommended design was presented to the community at a final virtual neighborhood meeting on March 29, 2022. Figure 5: Neighborhood Meeting 2 Participant Polling Results, December 2021 Figure 4: Neighborhood Meeting 2 Vertical (Orange) and Horizontal (Blue) Devices, December 2021 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 5 of 13 A total of 15 participants attended the third and final virtual neighborhood meeting. Participants were informed of the project background and then reviewed the concept design, providing feedback through an online poll. Generally, participants felt positive about the design concept, with 80% to 93% responding that they “liked” or “strongly liked” the design for each street segment. A Question-and-Answer session with key staff was held after the presentation. Participants voiced questions about the use of speed cushions vs speed humps and how the project would be maintained. Several participants also expressed frustration that the NSMP and the Whittier Complex Project have been paused and were interested in alternatives to see the project through detailed design and construction. TAB ACTION REQUESTED Staff is seeking a recommendation from TAB to finalize the recommended design of the Whittier NSMP Complex Project so that it can be implemented when funding is available. NEXT STEPS Following direction from City Council earlier this year and findings from the recently released Vision Zero Boulder: Safe Streets Report staff have adjusted the city’s crash mitigation strategies to focus on high-traffic arterial streets instead of local streets. Due to this shift in focus, funding and resources for the NSMP have been redirected to plan and design a subset of key arterial streets. Following the April 11, 2022 meeting and Board recommendation, staff will place the Whittier NSMP Complex Project on hold until funding and resources can be identified to move the project forward. When these are identified, staff will resume the project design approval process by asking City Council to consider the design as part of its Call-Up Check-In agenda. Should Council approve the project at that stage, then staff will begin the final design and engineering to install the project. Figure 6: Recommended Design Concept – Whittier Complex Project, Pine St. West 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 6 of 13 ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A: 2019 NSMP Complex and Simple Project Lists Attachment B: Whittier NSMP Complex Project Recommended Design 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 7 of 13 Rank Street Name First Cross Street NameSecond Cross Street Name85th PercentileSpeed LimitAverage Speeding Vehicles Per Day (ASV/D)Speed/Volume Cross ProductSpeed Related CrashesCrash PointsSidewalk PointsBike Route PointsActivity Generator PointsTOTAL POINTS1Pine St. 20th St. Folsom St. 33 25 4300 103 0 0 0 2 4 109219th St. Iris Ave. Kalmia Ave. 37 30 4300 90 0 1 4 4 4 1033Linden Ave. Broadway 4th St. 38 30 2900 70 0 1 2 4 2 7949th St. College Ave. Baseline Rd. 30 25 2900 44 2 11 4 0 4 635Glenwood Dr. 29th St. 30th St. 33 25 1900 46 1 6 1 2 4 596Spine Rd. South Orchard Creek Dr. White Rock Dr. 35 30 2100 32 0 0 2 4 6 447Gillaspie Ave. Table Mesa Dr. Armer Ave. 30 25 1500 23 1 5 2 2 8 408Pine St. Folsom St. 28th St. 36 30 1500 27 1 5 1 2 4 399Aurora Ave. 35th St. Mohawk Dr. 35 25 900 27 0 0 2 2 6 3710Glenwood Dr. Glenwood Ct. Eastwood Ct. 30 25 1600 24 0 0 1 2 4 3111Kalmia Ave. 26th St. 28th St. 30 25 1200 18 1 5 1 2 4 3012Quince Ave. 15th St. 19th St. 29 25 700 8 0 0 3 2 6 1913Twin Lakes Rd. Brandon Creek Dr. Brandon Creek Dr. 31 25 400 7 0 0 1 0 6 1414Mohawk Dr.  Morgan Dr. Inca Pkwy. 31 25 300 5 0 0 0 2 6 1315Darley Ave. Lehigh St. Hartford Dr. 29 25 200 2 0 0 2 2 6 1216Palo Pkwy. 30th St. Ridgeway St. 29 25 200 2 0 0 1 2 4 9179th St. Grape Ave. Forest Ave. 28 25 200 2 0 0 2 2 2 81Spruce St.  24th St. Folsom St. 31 25 2000 36 0 1 1 0 4 422Pawnee Dr. Apache Dr. Sioux Dr. 30 25 400 6 0 0 1 0 8 153Persimmon Dr. Avocado Rd. Avocado Rd. 25 20 300 5 0 0 1 0 2 84South 40th St. Table Mesa Dr. Broadway 28 25 200 2 0 0 1 0 4 75Evergreen Ave. 6th St. 8th St. 29 25 200 2 0 0 2 0 2 66Ithaca Dr. Darley Ave. Emerson Ave. 29 25 100 1 0 0 1 2 2 67Avocado Rd. Persimmon Dr. Lemon Pl. 25 20 200 3 0 0 1 0 2 68Avocado Rd. Lemon Pl. Avocado Rd. 24 20 200 2 0 0 1 0 2 59South 44th St. Table Mesa Dr. Hanover Dr.  29 25 100 1 0 0 1 0 2 421 st St. Edgewood Dr. Floral Dr. 27 254th St. Forest Ave. Hawthorn Ave. 27 25Ludlow St. Toedtli Dr. Knox Dr. 26 25Pine St. 9th St. 11th St. 25 25Seminole Dr. Illini Wy. Cherokee Wy. 25 25Hancock Dr. Eisenhower Dr. Harrison Ave. 23 25Avocado Rd. Orange Dr.  Avocado Rd. 22 20Blueberry Cir. Cinnamon Cir. Cinnamon Cir. 22 20Blueberry Cir. Strawberry Way Guava Pl. 22 20Blueberry Cir. Cinnamon Cir. Guava Pl. 22 20Cinnamon Cir.  Blueberry Cir. Blueberry Cir. 22 20Orange Dr. Avocado Rd.  Avocado Rd. 18 2033rd St. Arapahoe Ave. Arnold Dr. 32 3047th St. Valmont Rd. Edison Ave. 30 30South 32nd St.  Dartmouth Ave. Ash Ave. 27 25Morgan Dr. Mohawk Dr. Pitkin Dr. 27 25Cherry Ave. 7th St. 10th St. 25 25Dellwood Ave.  Broadway 10th St. 25 25Darley Ave. Broadway Toedtli Dr. 25 25Lincoln Pl.  College Ave. Euclid Ave. 24 2516th St. Iris Ave. Hawthorn Ave. 23 25Dakota Blvd.  Front Range Blvd. Pierre St. 23 2518th St. Dellwood Ave.  Cedar Ave.  22 25Attachment A: 2019 NSMP Complex and Simple Project ListsSimple ProjectsDoes Not Qualify for Engineering per ≥ 3 mph Threshold: New 2019 ApplicationsDoes Not Qualify for Engineering per ≥ 3 mph Threshold: Reevaluated 2018 ApplicationsAttachment A04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 8 of 13 R = 19’ Existing Speed Hump Existing Speed Hump Pine St Mapleton Ave 21st St22nd St23rd St24th StMapleton & 24th Proposed Speed Hump Pine St 20th St28th StFolsom StMAPLETON AVENUE 20th to 24th Street Mapleton & 23rd Retrofit Existing Traffic Circle with Raised 2” Apron R = 19’ 0 ft 200 ft100 ft 150 ft50 ft Spruce St Mapleton Ave MAPLETON AVENUE, WEST20th to 24th Street 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 1 of 5 Pine St Mapleton Ave 23rd St26th StFolsom StPine St 20th St28th StMapleton Ave 0 ft 200 ft100 ft 150 ft50 ft FOLSOM STREET Pine Street to Mapleton Avenue Spruce St Folsom StFolsom & Pine Proposed Hardened Centerline Mapleton, west of 27th Proposed Speed Hump FOLSOM STREETMapleton Avenue to Pine Street 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 2 of 5 0 ft 200 ft100 ft 150 ft50 ft Pine & 23rd Retrofit Existing Traffic Circle with Raised 2” Apron Pine, east of 22nd Proposed Speed Cushion Pine, west of 22nd Proposed Speed Cushion Pine & 21st Proposed Median Refuge Island East of 21st Street ExistingExisting Refuge IslandRefuge Island 25’25’ Shift TaperShift Taper 25’25’ Shift TaperShift Taper Pine, 20th to Folsom Proposed Buffered Bicycle Lane 10’10’5’5’8’8’ 2’2’ ExistingExisting Refuge IslandRefuge Island PINE STREET, WEST 20th to 24th Street 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 3 of 5 Pine St 26th St27th St28th StFolsom StMapleton Ave Pine & 26th Proposed Median Splitter Islands 0 ft 200 ft100 ft 150 ft50 ft Pine & 21st Pine, west of 26th Proposed Speed Cushion Pine & 21st Pine, west of 27th Proposed Speed Cushion PINE STREET, EAST Folsom to 28th Street Pine St Spruce St20th St28th StFolsom StMapleton Ave 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 4 of 5 0 ft 200 ft100 ft 150 ft50 ft SPRUCE STREET, WEST 20th to 24th Street 25’ Shift Taper 25’ Shift Taper Existing Refuge Island Existing Buered Bicycle Lane Pine St Spruce St20th St28th StFolsom StMapleton Ave Pine St Spruce St20th St21st St22nd St23rd StSpruce & 21st Shorten shift tapers approaching refuge islands. Pine & 21st Spruce, east of 22nd Speed cushion. Pine & 21st Spruce, east of 23rd Speed cushion. 25’25’ SPRUCE STREET, WEST20th to 24th Street 04.11.22 TAB Agenda 6 NSMP Pine St, Whittier Page 5 of 5