HALFF TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN. Richardson ISD Northwood Hills Elementary School Dallas, Texas. /? /4O/2o16

Transcription

1 TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN Richardson ISD Northwood Hills Elementary School August Exhibit 976B Planned Development District No. 976 Z (OTH) Approved City Plan Commission October 20, 2016 Prepared for Richardson ISD /? /4O/2o16 AVO PHO2 HALFF 1201 North Bowser Road Richardson, Texas Firm Registration No. 312

2 Northwood Richardson ISD Hills Elementary School August 30, 2016 A VO PH02 Table of Contents I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN Operational Characteristics Existing Traffic Conditions Site Access and Circulation Passenger Pick-up Operations Recommendations Ill. SUMMARY 7 I HALFF

3 Northwood Richardson ISD Hills Elementary School August 30, 2016 AVO PHO2 I. INTRODUCTION Halff was retained by Richardson SD (Client) to prepare an updated Traffic Management Plan (TMP) for Northwood Hills Elementary School located in. Northwood Hills Elementary School is currently in operation and currently has approximately 430 students spanning all grades from K to 6th grade. The school is located within a residential neighborhood located in the north area of Dallas. Figure 1 below is a map detailing the site location. A copy of the site plan has been included in the Appendix on Exhibit 1. Figure 1 Site Location Map The RISD is planning an expansion of the school by adding six classrooms on the campus in order to accommodate projected enrollment growth over the next few years. The additional classrooms are expected to be operational by the fall of With the increase in projected student population, a TMP for the school is required. With this TMP submittal, the school is -1 HALFF

4 Richardson ISO Northwood Hills Elementary School August 30, 2016 AVO PHO2 agreeing to implement the management plan strategies as presented and will be selfaccountable unless the City of Dallas deems further measures are appropriate or necessary. II. TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN The purpose of the Traffic Management Plan (TMP) is to have established procedures for traffic flow and circulation around the elementary school related to student drop-off and pick-up operations. Use of a TMP helps improve traffic/student safety and helps maximize the efficiency of drop-off and pick-up operations, reducing delays during those time periods. The analysis summarized in this report focuses on the afternoon pick-up operations since the traffic flow is more of an issue due to parents arriving up to 30 minutes before the bell queuing and parking on the adjacent streets. During the morning drop-off, traffic is more of a steady flow of vehicles over a 30 to 45 minute period with less vehicle queuing than the afternoon period. The report identifies critical elements of the TMP such as available queuing space that is both on and off site, circulation patterns for the school facilities, and the projected trip generation (and estimated queuing) during the afternoon peak. For a TMP to be successful, it requires effort and compliance by school administration, staff, students, and parents. 2.1 Operational Characteristics Currently, the school has an estimated enrollment of 430 students in grades K-6. School starts at 8:00 AM and dismisses at 3:00 PM. Based upon discussions with the principal, approximately 50 percent of the students are considered walkers, over 45 percent are dropped off/picked up by parents and less than five percent ride a school bus. (It should be noted that many of the students considered to be walkers are dropped off and/or picked up by a parent, who parks on an adjacent street and walks the student to and/or from the building.) Many other students considered walkers are walked to and from the school by their parents. With the addition of classrooms, they are anticipating an increase of 100 students. Although the operating times of the school are established, not all students enter/exit the site at the same time. Other activities at the school (such as breakfast program, after school tutoring, student clubs, etc.) may cause students to arrive/leave at times outside the normal class times. Occasional special events at the school may generate traffic peaks that are outside of the normal drop-off and pick-up times. While these special events were not reviewed as part of the TMP, measures or recommendations discussed may be applicable. HHALFF

5 Richardson ISD North wood Hills Elementary School August 30, 2016 A VO PH Existing Traffic Conditions Site Access and Circulation Northwood Hills Elementary School is surrounded on all sides by streets. To the south of the school (which is the front side of the school) is Cliffbrook Drive, which is a two-lane residential road 40 feet in width adjacent to the school property. Access to the one-way main loop drive (counterclockwise flow) is located on Cliffbrook Drive. There is a 20 mile per hour school zone on Cliffbrook Drive from 500 feet east of Birchridge Drive to 450 feet west of Meandering Way. There are no parking restrictions on Cliffbrook Drive. Along the east edge of the site is Birchridge Drive and on the north side of the school is Village Trail Drive. Both of these streets are two-lane residential streets, 36 feet in width. There is no vehicular access to the school from these two streets. Neither street has a reduced speed school zone. There is a No Parking zone on the west side (school side) of Birchridge Drive between Cliffbrook Drive and the first alley way to the north. On the west side of the school is Meandering Way. From Belt Line Road down to the staff parking lot (which is on the west side of the school), Meandering Way is a four lane divided roadway approximately 56 feet in width. At the south entrance into the staff lot, Meandering Way tapers down to a 36-foot wide four-lane undivided roadway. The staff lot is served by two driveways on Meandering Way. The south drive is a one-way inbound and the north drive is a one-way, right-turn only outbound. There is a 20 mile per hour school zone on Meandering Way from Village Trail Drive to Larchview Drive. There is a single No Parking or Standing This Side of Block sign on east side of Meandering Way 50 feet north of Cliffbrook Drive. There is an additional No Parking or Standing Anytime sign on the west side of Meandering Way 100 feet north of Mossvine Drive. The school zones, traffic controls, crosswalks and restricted parking areas are noted on the attached TMP exhibit Passenger Pick-up Operations The large majority of students are transported from the school by parents in personal vehicles. Many of the parents utilize the drop-off/pick-up loop located on Cliffbrook Drive at the south end of the site. (During the afternoon pick-up operations, the maximum queue observed on Cliffbrook Drive starting at the loop drive was 17 vehicles before it started to move.) There is a significant number of parents that park their vehicles along the streets adjacent to the school and walk to the building to meet their child. This occurs on Cliffbrook Drive between the entrance and exit of the one-way loop drive and along the eastbound (south) side of the street, along both sides of Birchridge Drive, as well as some parking activity on Tanglecrest Drive. Many parents were also seen walking to the school to pick up their child. For parents parking vehicles on south side of Cliffbrook Drive (to walk and pick up students), it was noted that many crossed the street at a mid-block point instead of using the crosswalk at the H HALFF

6 Northwood Richardson ISD Hills Elementary School August 30, 2016 AVO PHQ2 intersection with Meandering Way. It was noted that there are no crossing guards at this intersection. Haiff recommends that school staff remind and encourage parents to use the crosswalk at the intersection instead of crossing midblock to get to parked vehicles. Overall, the parking activity did not significantly interfere with traffic flows on the roadways surrounding the school and, based on observations, two-way traffic flow on the residential streets was generally maintained at all times primarily due to the width of the streets most of which can accommodate vehicles parked on both sides and maintain two-way traffic. Additionally, the homes surrounding the school are alley served and no driveways are blocked as a result of the parking activity. Field observations conducted by Halff on a typical school day (March 23, 2016), indicated approximately 125 personal vehicles came to the school site in the afternoon pick-up period. Table 1 below summarizes the observed site generated trips in the afternoon peak period. Table 1 Site Generated Trips (Observed) Elementary School Current 430 students School PM Peak Hour In Out Total Main Pick-up Loop On-Street Pick-up (Park & Walk) Buses Daycare Van Total Trips - Observed In the above table, the two buses serving the school are small buses that pick up 5 students total at a designated location on Birchridge Drive near Tanglecrest Drive. The daycare vans picked up approximately 14 students and the pick-up area is located in the staff lot on the west side of the school. No parent pick-up occurred in this area or on Meandering Way. With the addition of 100 students, the school is projected to generate approximately 325 trips (combined inbound and outbound trips) in the afternoon peak period. Table 2 below summarizes the projected site generated trips. The increase was based on a straight line projection resulting from the projected increase in students (approximately 23.3%). The increase in students is not anticipated to result in additional buses serving the site. 4HALFF

7 North Richardson ISD wood Hills Elementary School August 30, 2016 A VO PHQ2 Table 2 Site Generated Trips (Projected) Elementary School Projected 530 students School PM Peak Hour In Out Total Main Pick-up Loop On-Street Pick-up (Park_&_Walk) Buses Daycare Van Total Trips - Projected Recommendations Based on the addition of the proposed six classrooms, there are no significant recommendations regarding changes to the existing TMP. Available space on the site is being used in the most efficient manner possible without compromising safety of students, parents, or staff. Ideally, the goal would be to have all drop-off/pick-up operations on the school site, but due to the single loop drive on Cliffbrook Drive, that is not feasible at this time. The possibility of the second loop drive on Meandering Way was explored, but there are several major issues associated with the change. First, a second parent pick-up/drop-off loop would require relocation of the daycare van pickup area. Second, there is not a good staging place for students. Third, there is the possibility of a standing queue on Meandering Way in a travel lane which would occur at school pickup times. The lanes on Meandering way are already narrow and this would be a significant hazard. With only the one existing ioop drive, some queuing on Cliffbrook Drive will occur and organized parent park and walk operations will continue to occur to address the need. With the projected increase of students, the queue on Cliffbrook Drive could increase an additional four to five vehicles to a total of 22 vehicles. However, there is more than adequate space along Cliffbrook Drive to accommodate the additional vehicles. Halff does have the following recommendations: No individual, except deputize officers of the law (this includes crossing guards), should engage or attempt to direct traffic operations within the public right-of-way. This will minimize liabilities for both the school and individuals. Continue to implement the current drop-off/pick-up procedures carried out by staff and school safety patrol to provide a safe and efficient operation. HHALFF

8 Richardson ISD North wood Hills Elementary School August 30, 2016 AVO PHO2 o The school administration should continue to train school staff on their duties associated with pick-up and drop-off procedures as outlined in their current TMP. The school administration should communicate to parents and students regarding expectations and responsibilities related to the TMP throughout the school year as needed. It is particularly important to communicate to parents of new students, who may not be familiar with pick-up/drop-off procedures. School administration should remind and encourage parents to use the crosswalk at the intersection of Cliffbrook Drive and Meandering Way instead of crossing midblock to get to parked vehicles located on the south side of Cliffbrook Drive. o Remove the existing barrier free ramp on Birchridge Drive and install new barrier free ramp to line up with existing crosswalk north of Tanglecrest Drive. Install signage for school bus loading zone starting on south edge of Tanglecrest Drive and extend south for 50 feet. Parking in the bus loading zone would be restricted during the standard City of Dallas school zone hours. It is recognized that for short periods of time during both the morning and afternoon there is significant vehicular traffic and some traffic congestion around the school. Based upon Halff s afternoon observation, parents started arriving about 30 minutes before let out at 3:00 PM. Traffic peaked about 3:00 PM and by 3:15 PM the area was basically clear of school related traffic. Since this is in a residential area, the large majority of traffic during the morning and afternoon peak periods is school related and has little impact to through traffic. Based on Halff s observations, parents appear to be familiar with and generally adhere to the TMP. As such, Halff has no recommendations regarding changes to the current TMP. Exhibit 1 in Appendix A is a graphical representation of the proposed TMP. I IHALFF

9 3fl Richardson ISD North wood Hills Elementary School August 30, 2016 AVO PHO2 III. SUMMARY The TMP presented above should continue to be used by administrators and staff at Northwood Hills Elementary School to promote safe and efficient pick-up/drop-off operations for students, parents, and staff. These procedures should also be reviewed periodically and modified/adjusted as needed to reflect current traffic conditions on and around the school campus. Based on the recommendations listed above, additional required signage would include: 1) Two (2) small sign assemblies with bus loading zone and supplemental plaque with standard City of Dallas school zone hours. I!IHALFF

10 Northwood Richardson ISD Hills Elementary School August 30, 2016 AVO PHQ2 APPENDIX Exhibit 1 Traffic Management Plan

11 :. F Exhibit 1 (Z TH) CD 0) D Village I -. Trail Dr CD - D 0 j3 v.. 0) i:r MeadowhavenDr 5 M( ssvinedr r, litl or!hwood Tanglecrest Dr HIlls ES : z I... END OF QUEUE (800 IF) Cliffbrookbr Northwood Hills Elementary School Not to Scale [ Traffic Management Plan t/5 l4532meandgringway,dallas,tx75254 Ref.DaIIasMAPSCO#16E ] Exhibit 976B Approved City Plan Commission October 20, 2016 LEGEND fi. Daycare Pick-up Path. Main Loop Pick-up Path/Queue Restricted Parking Zone Proposed School Bus Zone Staff Assistant Existing Stop Sign I 1111 Existing Crosswalk Bus Loading Zone Sign I Planned Development District No. 976 i Campus Information Projected Enrollment: 530 Students Academic: Grades K-6 Class Hours: 8:00 AM 3:00 PM Queuing Summary Projected Demand: 800 ft (40 vnh.) Available Capacity: Front Loop: 300 ft (15 veh.( NET Deficiency: 500 ft (25 veh.) This Traffic Management Plan was develaped to minimize the queuing of drop-off/pick-up related vehicles within the City right-of-way. The school administration should adhere to the TMP and any deficiency due tn spill aver af queuing iota undesignoted areas of the City right-of-way, including roadway travel lanes, should be corrected by the schaol immediately. 1,3. P. Boath, PE , certify thot the site canstroints preclude the ability of the schuul to accommodate vehicular traffic related ta the school aperatians on-site. Mating that it is nat feasible to eliminate queuing within the public right-of-way, the establishment af a designated pick-ap/drap-off route will lessen the impact to the adjacent neighburhood and background traffic on the roadways surraunding the schaal site. Thin TMP optiun is subject ta the approval by the City of Dallas Street Services Department. a HALFF O\