cby1,ly STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: February 6, 2018 To:

Transcription

1 cby1,ly STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: February 6, 2018 To: Honorable Mayor & City Council From: Aaron Kunz, Deputy Director of Transportation Subject: North Santa Monica Boulevard Bicycle Lanes Attachments: 1. lteris Technical Memorandum INTRODUCTION At its June 20, 2017 meeting, the City Council agreed to proceed with striping North Santa Monica Boulevard (NSMB) between Doheny Drive and Wilshire Boulevard with five-foot wide, high visibility, bicycle lanes in both directions at the completion of the NSMB Reconstruction project. This report provides an analysis of high visibility bicycle lanes and a recommended striping plan. DISCUSSION The attached Technical Memorandum prepared by Iteris provides a background and analysis of high visibility bicycle lanes. Based on this analysis, staff recommends the following: 1) Installing green high visibility treatments. The California Traffic Control Devices Committee has received interim approval from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for green colored lanes. The City would be required to apply to the Committee to use any other color and based on research by Iteris, it is unlikely to be approved by the FHWA. 2) Thermoplastic material applied with retro reflective and anti-skid material. This material has the highest durability of all options available. All lane and crosswalk striping on NSMB will be thermoplastic. 3) Installing green thermoplastic in areas where potential conflicts may occur, including 100 approaches to the intersection and a short 20 segment of solid green on the far side of the intersection. Communities that have colored the entire length of bicycle lanes have experienced costly maintenance expenses. 4) Green dashes across the intersection.

2 Meeting Date: February 6, ) Specific design treatments at Wilshire Blvd, Beverly/Palm and Doheny Melrose as outlined in the report. FISCAL IMPACT The estimated cost of installing bicycle treatments as recommended is approximately $35,000 will be funded by the Santa Monica Boulevard Capital Improvement Program budget number Thermoplastic needs to be re-installed every 3-5 years for maintenance and will be funded by the Street Sign and Striping Capital Improvement Program budget number RECOMMENDATION To proceed with installation of green, high visibility bicycle lanes as outlined in this report. Susan Healy Keene, AICP Page2of2 2/1/2018

3 Attachment 1

4 DRAFT MEMORANDUM To: Aaron Kunz, Deputy Director City of Beverly Hills Transportation 455 North Rexford Drive Beverly Hills, CA From: Michael Meyer, Naree Kim, Iteris, Inc. Vincent Hellens, Psomas. Date: January 22, 2018 RE: DRAFT Technical Issues Related to Bicycle Lanes on North Santa Monica Boulevard Background North Santa Monica Boulevard is currently under construction between Doheny Drive and Wilshire Boulevard. The existing roadway will be completely reconstructed with new base material and pavement. The corridor will also have drainage improvements, new street lighting and landscape improvements. Prior to its reconstruction, the roadway width was 63 from curb to curb along two thirds of the project limits and 60 between Wilshire Boulevard and Canon Drive, along the Santa Monica Five parking structures. On July 21, 2015, the City Council approved construction documents for North Santa Monica Boulevard (NSMB) the roadway which maintained the 63 width in the 63 wide segments and included a 2 4 widening along the south side of the roadway in the 60 segment to potentially allow room for bicycle lanes on the reconstructed street. The 2 4 widening was the maximum allowable width that could be accommodated without disturbing the Santa Monica Five parking structures foundation design. The final construction documents for the reconstruction included striping plans for a 10 center left turn lane, an 11 number one lane and a 15.5 outside (curb) lane in each direction, for a total cross section of 63. In the area along the parking structures where the street will be 62 4 wide, the four travel lanes are planned to be 2 narrower. The current design plans were prepared with the assumption that the wider outside lane could accommodate bicyclists in the wider lane, or if the Council directed, a solid white line could be added to the striping plans creating a 4.5 bicycle lane adjacent to the 11 outer (number two) travel lane. On June 20, 2017, the City Council determined that striped bicycle lanes should be added to the final construction documents for the North Santa Monica Boulevard Reconstruction Project. On October 3, 2017, the City Council approved the staff recommendation to narrow the number one lane to 10.5 in order to allow the bicycle lanes to be widened to 5. The Council also expressed an interest in high visibility bicycle lanes with a colored pavement to enhance the visibility of the lanes beyond just a white stripe. 1

5 This technical memorandum is provided to address the following issues that were raised by the Council: High visibility colored lane options Typical bicycle lane striping plan Bicycle lane striping plans at complex intersections High Visibility Color Lane Options There have been several experiments with painted bicycle lanes of different colors around the world. These have included green, red (terra cotta) and blue. As noted in a NACTO publication regarding the history of colored lanes, Cities in North America have been experimenting with the application of colored pavement, primarily to highlight bicycle motor vehicle conflict areas since the mid 1990s, the application of color to an entire corridor is a more recent practice. Between 1997 and 1999, the City of Portland, with support from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), conducted an experiment in which 10 conflict areas were marked with blue paint or thermoplastic and accompanying signing. (City of Portland Office of Transportation. (1999). Portland s Blue Bike Lanes., US Department of Transportation. (2000). Evaluation of Blue Bike Lane Treatment used in Bicycle Motor Vehicle Conflict Areas in Portland, Oregon.) The study results demonstrated that thermoplastic was more durable than paint, which disappeared after the first winter season. The experiment reported positive results for decreased cyclist and motor vehicle driver conflicts at the ten study sites, but the treatments applied were less visible than desired in low light conditions. Subsequent to Portland s blue bike lane experiment, the FHWA approved interim experiments utilizing green colored pavement in communities across the US including Chicago (IL), New York (NY), St. Petersburg (FL), San Francisco (CA), Columbia (MO), Long Beach (CA), Austin (TX), Nashville (TN), Missoula (MT), Golden (CO), the Minnesota Department of Transportation (for Minneapolis), and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. (University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center. (2008). Evaluation of a Green Bike Lane Weaving Area in St. Petersburg, Florida.) Green was selected over blue or red because in the US blue roadway markings are reserved to designate accessibility parking while red markers are sometimes used to alert motorists of wrong way driving. Interim approval for the optional use of green pavement for bike lanes was granted on April 15, In California, local jurisdictions generally choose to follow the specifications of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for consistency and to avoid liability by implementing a non standard device that could be confusing to motorists. The process for updating and modifying standards in the MUTCD is led by the California Traffic Control Devices Committee which includes representatives of the state (Caltrans) and the AAA, plus jurisdictions around the state. The Committee has received interim approval from FHWA to use green colored lanes, but they have not yet been officially added to the MUTCD. 2

6 California Traffic Control Devices Committee It is through the CTCDC that Caltrans fulfills the requirement of California Vehicle Code Section 21400, to consult with local authorities in developing uniform standards for all official traffic control devices to be used on California streets and highways. The Committee consists of ten members appointed by the organizations that they represent. There are two representatives from both the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties. There is one representative each from the Automobile Club of Southern California, the California State Automobile Association, and the California Highway Patrol. Caltrans designates three members and three alternates, one of whom represents road users and two of whom represent active transportation road users. The committee has a process to allow local jurisdictions to experiment with new traffic control devices. The process is diagrammed in the flow chart in Appendix 1 and requires monitoring and reporting on the experiment for several years before it can be approved for potential inclusion in the next MUTCD update. As of this date, green is the only approved color for use in bicycle lanes, but if the City of Beverly Hills wanted to experiment with a different color, it could apply to the Committee for approval for an experimental application. Authors of this memorandum spoke with the Secretary of the Committee about receiving approval for an experimental color and were told that it would be unlikely to be approved, given that the FHWA has only given interim approval to green pavement. See the attached FHWA memo in Appendix 2. National Association of City Transportation Officials Urban Bikeway Design Guidelines This set of guidelines, which is becoming the standard for bikeway design in many cities recommends the use of green colored lanes, but does not specify the means of applying the color. Some photographs in Appendix 3 illustrate how green lanes appear in urban contexts. Materials Options There are several options for applying color to the asphalt street. In addition, there are means to color asphalt before it is laid down on the base material, but that would be a significant change to the design specifications for NSMB and would be difficult to accomplish with the latest approach to colored bike lanes which entails only coloring the portion of the lanes that are located in potential conflict zones (where bicycles and vehicles may cross paths). The three primary types of materials used to color pavement for bicycle lanes are described below. Paint, sometimes with additives such as reflective glass beads for retro reflectivity and sand for skid resistance, is the most widely used method to mark road surfaces. Paint is considered a non durable pavement marking, is easily worn by vehicle tires and the elements in snowy winter climates, and often requires annual reapplication. Paint is the least expensive of the overlay materials, averaging $1.20 $1.60 per square foot installed. It has the shortest longevity, however, at 6 months to 2 years depending upon traffic volumes and weather conditions. In some cases, it has also proven to be slippery when wet. Durable Liquid Pavement Markings (DLPM) include epoxy and Methyl Methacrylate (MMA). Epoxies are adhesive, waterborne acrylics that are typically applied as a paint or spray. MMA are 2 part liquids comprised of a resin and activator. While both coatings can be skid resistant, retro reflective and can 3

7 adhere to concrete or asphalt surfaces, epoxies are sensitive to moisture and temperature and may require long dry times. MMA may be installed at any temperature, is durable and dries quickly, but is more expensive than epoxy. The cost is about $8 $11 per square foot installed and it typically lasts an average of 5 years before needing reapplication. Thermoplastic, another type of durable pavement marking, is a type of plastic made from polymer resins that becomes a homogenized liquid when heated and hard when cooled. Thermoplastic can be preformed in specific shapes, such as tiles that can be assembled like a puzzle to color bicycle facilities. Thermoplastic can also be used for bicycle lane symbols, arrows, pavement legends, green color markings within lanes, and shared lane markings. This is referred to as Pre formed Thermoplastic. It comes in panels, and the panels are laid on the road and then heated. It is very easy to cover large areas (like colored bike lanes), and more durable than standard thermoplastic. Plus they have better friction than stand alone thermoplastic, so don t pose as great a risk of slipping under rainy/wet conditions. The cost is about $10 $14 per square foot installed and longevity averages 5 years. Thermoplastic tends to last longer than epoxy and is easier to apply then MMA. Retro reflective and antiskid materials can be applied or mixed throughout the plastic. The City of Beverly Hills has decided to use thermoplastic for the white lane striping on North Santa Monica Boulevard. Typical Bike Lane Striping The graphic below illustrates how the bicycle lanes will be striped as they approach and cross a typical intersection on NSMB. The graphic illustrates the latest approach to carrying the bicycle lanes across the intersection in dashed segments. The dashed green areas indicate the areas where there are potential conflicts between bicycles and motor vehicles, where vehicles may be crossing the bike lanes turning into our out of a side street, alley or driveway. 4

8 Why the Entire Bike Lane Is Not Green In years past, cities have typically colored the entire length of a bicycle lane green. This has resulted in some costly maintenance expenses. The more recent trend is to just color the areas of a bicycle lane where potential conflicts with vehicles may occur. This includes 100 of the approach to each intersection where right turning vehicles may have to merge into the bicycle lane to prepare for their right turn, as well as the width of a cross street intersection where vehicles may cross the bicycle lane turning into or out of the side street or proceeding straight across the intersection. At each intersection, there is also a short (20 ) segment of solid green bicycle lane on the far side of the intersection which is designed to alert motorists turning onto NSMB that there is a bicycle lane along the street adjacent to the curb. This reduces ongoing maintenance costs and calls attention to drivers where they need to be most cautious in looking out for bicyclists. In a typical 300 block in Beverly Hills, this would reduce the amount of green pavement by about one third, with even greater savings in the eastbound direction where there are few intersecting streets on the south side of the street east of Rexford Drive. The difference in installation cost using green paint would be about $30,000 to paint the entire length of the lanes compared to about $10,000 to color just the conflict points at 31 intersection approaches. In Themoplastic, it would be about $60,000 to add green to the entire bike lane and $20,000 to add it to the intersection conflict areas only. There are also options available that would not include the green dashes across the intersections and only use the color in the approaches to intersections where there are potential conflicts with right turning vehicles. In such cases, FHWA recommends and cities typically use dashed white lines and/or sharrow symbols to denote the path of bicyclists through the intersection. Bicycle Lane Striping at Complex Intersections At several intersections along NSMB, the typical intersection design above will require modification to accommodate additional vehicular travel lanes and merging areas. At Wilshire Blvd., there is a separate right turn lane on the westbound approach. At Beverly/Palm, there is a separate right turn lane on the eastbound approach and dual left turn lanes from Beverly to westbound NSMB. The eastbound approach to the Doheny/Melrose intersection is complicated by the addition of a through lane to Melrose and the merging of vehicles from eastbound Civic Center Drive. The design treatments at these intersections could require bicyclists to share lanes with vehicles as they pass through the intersections. Graphics illustrating these three intersection treatments are located in Appendix 4. At Wilshire Blvd., there is sufficient roadway width to allow the westbound bicycle lane to be located between the through lanes and the right turn only lane. At the Beverly/Palm intersection, there is currently a dedicated right turn only lane in the eastbound direction and the rest of the lanes are shifted toward the north side of the roadway. In order to maintain this dedicated right turn only lane, the bike lanes would have to end in advance of the intersection and bicyclists would share the road with vehicles as they approach and pass through the intersection. This treatment is in place on Burton Way at Doheny Drive and Robertson Boulevard. Iteris recommends that a safer design for bicyclists would maintain the westbound bicycle lane through the intersection and would create a shared bicycle/right turn lane in the eastbound direction. This shared lane will be approximately 11 wide with a 3 wide section of dashed green, indicating a path for bicyclists and a right 5

9 turn arrow in the 8 portion of the lane. The California Vehicle Code allows right turning vehicles to share the bicycle lane in the approach to an intersection. Implementing this shared bicycle/right turn lane would require that the right turn arrow on eastbound NSMB be removed so that drivers are not given a green arrow during the westbound Beverly Boulevard phase of the signal cycle because there could be a bicyclist stopped in the lane waiting to proceed east in the bicycle lane. The No Right Turn on Red sign could be removed to allow vehicles to turn right during the westbound Beverly Boulevard phase if no bicyclist is waiting in the shared lane. At the Doheny/Melrose intersection, Iteris recommends a design that carries the bicycle lane to Doheny between the eastbound NSMB through lanes and the lane that veers to the right onto Melrose Avenue. Traffic bound for Melrose would need to merge across the bike lane. Vehicles entering NSMB from Civic Center Drive that are bound for eastbound NSMB would also need to merge across the bike lane. Bicycle Lanes between Wilshire and Moreno Drive (West City Limit) Although the construction of NSMB west of Wilshire Boulevard is not included in the current phase of construction, preparation of the plans for that eventual reconstruction is part of the current design contract. The bicycle lanes west of Wilshire Boulevard will be similar to those east of Wilshire, but will have to take into consideration driveways at the hotels and the connection to bicycle lanes in Los Angeles in Century City. The planned roadway width in this section of NSMB when the two north side developments are complete and have implemented their frontage improvements is 64 feet. The graphic below illustrates the cross section that will be implemented west of Wilshire when the development projects are completed. Coordination with LADOT will be required to determine how to design the lanes through the crossover intersection near Moreno Drive. 6

10 Recommendations Based on the discussion included in the technical memorandum above, the consultant design team recommends the following: Color Green applied in conflict areas only (not the entire length of the lanes) Paint type Thermoplastic due to its longevity and consistency with the rest of the striping on NSMB. The City of Santa Monica has had good success with pre formed thermoplastic when constructing green colored bike lanes. Coordination with LADOT and West Hollywood City of Beverly Hills staff and consultants should meet with adjacent jurisdictions to coordinate the lane transitions at each end of the NSMB Reconstruction Project Final details of intersections to be determined in Final Design As the final design plans are revised, the consultant team should meet with City staff to confirm the details of intersection striping 7

11 Appendix 1: California Traffic Control Devices Committee Process Diagram

12 Example of Process for Requesting and Conducting Experimentations for New Traffic Control Devices in California Requesting jurisdiction submits request to CTCDC CTCDC will discuss & review during the Quarterly meeting Rejected Approved Would ask to receive approval from the FHWA First if it would reduce std. Requesting jurisdiction installs experimental traffic control device Evaluate experimental traffic control device Requesting jurisdiction provides semi-annual report to CTCDC Requesting jurisdiction provides CTCDC a final report Yes CTCDC reviews final report Further Experimentation required CTCDC accepts final report CTCDC rejects final report No CTCDC recommends Caltrans to develop a policy for the new traffic control device Caltrans develops the new traffic control device policy & brings it back to the CTCDC for discussion in an open public Caltrans rejects CTCDC recommendations and write back to the CTCDC their justifications Jurisdiction restores experiment site to original condition Caltrans adopts the policy and post on the CA MUTCD website until the future update of the CA MUTCD

13 Appendix 2: Federal Highway Administration Memorandum on Painted Bicycle Lanes

14

15

16

17

18

19 Appendix 3: Photographs of Green Bicycle Lane Treatments

20

21 Appendix 4: Three Complex Intersections with Bike Lanes

22 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD 20' 20' BIKE LANE BEGINS SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD WALDEN DRIVE BIKE LANE CONTINUES TO ELM DRIVE 100' BIKE LANE CONTINUES TO PALM DRIVE

23 BIKE LANE BEGINS BEFORE ELM DRIVE MAPLE DRIVE SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD PALM DRIVE HILLCREST ROAD 5' 11' 5' 10.5' ' 11' 5' 11' 10.5' 10' 11' 10.5' 5' ' 10.5' 10.5' 8' 10.5' 10' 10.5' 11' 5' 10.5' 10' 10.5' 11' 5' 6% 8.33% BIKE LANE CONTINUES TO WILSHIRE BLVD BIKE LANE ENDS SHARED BIKE BEGINS BIKE LANE BEGINS BIKE LANE CONTINUES TO DOHENY DRIVE

24 BIKE LANE BEGINS BIKE LANE CONTINUES TO HILLCREST ROAD 4% SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD BIKE LANE CONTINUES TO PALM DRIVE DOHENY DRIVE 4.5% % BIKE LANE ENDS SHARED BIKE BEGINS 3.5%

25 BIKE LANE CONTINUES TO BEVERLY DRIVE CANON DRIVE 20' SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD 5% % % % 2% % 100' TC 265.XX FL TC FL 100' FS 2% > 2% > 5.4% > TW FS TW FS TW FS < 5.7% 2% > FL TC FL 20' BIKE LANE BEGINS BIKE LANE CONTINUES TO CRESCENT DRIVE