TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN

Transcription

1 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 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 morning and afternoon peaks. 2.1 Operational Characteristics Based on information from Richardson ISD, the elementary school currently has: LI maximum of 705 students LI 68 staff members LI 40% students that walk to/from the school * * In this case, walking students also includes students whose parent parks on an adjacent / nearby street and walk with their child to / from the school building. The vehicles that these students may be in do not pass through the front loop drive. With the proposed addition, the elementary school will have: LI maximum of 780 students LI 78 staff members LI 40% students that walk to/from the school 2.].] School Hours The normal daily schedule for the school is: LI All grades start at 8:00 AM LI Pre-kindergarten is released at 2:50 PM LI Grades kindergarten through 6 are released at 3:00 PM 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 the 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 outside of the normal drop-off and pick-up times. While these special events were not reviewed as part of the time TMP, measures or recommendations discussed may be applicable. 2.2 Circulation Halff observed traffic flow on and around the school campus during the AM peak (7:00 to 8:15 AM) and school PM peak (2:15 3:30 PM) on Monday, November 11, Below is a discussion of the current procedures that the school is utilizing during the morning drop off and afternoon pick up time periods. 13

2 AM Peak Period The school building opens to students at 7:15 am each morning. Students are only allowed to enter through the main entrance on the front (east) side of the school building. Parents enter the front ioop drive from southbound Kirkhaven Drive, stop in front of the school building to drop off their child, and then exit the ioop drive to southbound Kirkhaven Drive (left turns into the loop drive are prohibited during both peak periods). In the morning peak, parents are allowed to drop off from both the school side of the loop and from the Kirkhaven side of the loop the middle lane is kept clear for through traffic / circulation. (The front loop drive is approximately 330 feet long and 23 feet wide.) Parents also dropped off students at the west curb of Kirkhaven Drive adjacent to the school building (between the loop entrance and exit drives). Parents were observed parking along the east side of Kirkhaven Drive across from the school and along the west side of Kirkhaven Drive north of the school. A few parents were observed parking along Estate Lane on the south side of the school. The majority of the parents that parked on the street adjacent to the school exited their vehicle with their child, and walked with the child to the front of the school building. (The exception to this is the parents that dropped of their child on the west curb of Kirkhaven Drive between the ioop entrance and exit drives. This section is currently designated as a Loading Zone with a No Parking restriction during the school peak periods. Almost all of the parents that stopped in this area dropped off their students; they did not exit the vehicle and walk with their student to the front entrance.) School staff sets out cones along the school side of the front loop to identify designated unloading stations, begins to assist with the unloading operation in the front ioop, and monitors the loop drive crosswalk, beginning around 7:30 am. A student safety patrol group, comprised of older students, also assists in the morning by helping students in the front ioop exit their vehicles, holding up flags on either side of the crosswalk to warn drivers in the loop drive, and monitoring the staff parking lot. (Student safety patrol members place cones across the south staff lot driveway to prohibit access in the morning peak; the same patrol members are then stationed at the north staff lot driveway to prohibit parents from entering the lot and dropping off students. Only school staff is allowed to enter / exit the staff lot, via the north driveway, in the morning peak period.) School buses also drop off students (and currently pick up some overflow students) in the front loop drive. Haiff observed 7 full size buses and 1 special education bus accessing the school. On the day of Halff s observation, parents began dropping off students a few minutes before 7:15 am. Most of the buses arrived and departed by 7:30 am. The majority of the drop off activity, both in the loop drive and along the adjacent streets, occurred between 7:40 am and 8:00 am. Vehicles queued out of the front ioop drive on a couple of occasions, with the maximum observed queue extending 4 vehicle out of the front ioop onto Kirkhaven Drive. By 8:05 am, virtually all school-related traffic activity had ceased. PM Peak Period In the school PM peak period, parents are allowed to pick up students in the front loop drive, on the school side of the loop drive only. The remaining area is kept open for through traffic / circulation. Seven loading stations are set up along the school side of the ioop drive. Students 14

3 being picked up in the ioop drive are led out of the building and arranged by grade level on the east side of the building. Parents entering the loop drive display a hang tag with their child s name and grade level. A school staff member, stationed near the loop entrance drive, watches the vehicles entering the loop drive, and calls the name(s) displayed on the vehicle s hang tag. Other staff members monitoring each grade level assist in identifying the student(s) whose names have been called, and direct them to a loading station, where they are then picked up by their parent. Parents waiting to enter the front loop drive were observed queuing along southbound Kirkhaven Drive, and a couple of vehicles were observed queuing along westbound Robindale Drive at Kirkhaven. School safety patrol members were also present in the afternoon, and school staff were stationed in the loop drive crosswalk to assist students crossing the loop drive. Access to the staff parking lot south driveway is also prohibited during the afternoon peak period. Parents who do not pick up their student in the loop drive were observed parking along the east side of Kirkhaven Drive and along both sides of Estate Lane (except for a section of the north side of Estate west of Kirkhaven, which is used for bus pick up). As in the morning peak, the majority of parents that parked on the street exited their vehicle and walked to the front of the school to meet up with their student, and then walked together back to their vehicle. School buses queue along the north side of Estate Lane west of Kirkhaven Drive to pick up students; students riding the buses are dismissed from the south doors of the building at 2:55 pm, and are escorted by school staff to the buses. Halff observed 6 full sized buses and 1 special education bus picking up students. Most of the buses loaded and departed the site by 3:00 pm. Day care vans (Halff observed 6 picking up students) queue along southbound Kirkhaven Drive between the front loop entrance and exit drives. School staff marks this area with cones placed along the curb, to identify it as the day care van loading area and to prohibit parents from parking or stopping in this area. On the day of Haiffs observation, parents began queuing in the front loop drive before 2:15 pm. By 2:40 pm, the front loop drive was full (13 vehicles). Cars continued queuing along southbound Kirkhaven Drive until students were released at 3:00 pm. The maximum queue observed along Kirkhaven Drive was approximately 28 vehicles, which included 1 vehicle queued on eastbound Church Road. Including vehicles queued in the front ioop, the maximum observed queue in the afternoon peak period was approximately 40 vehicles. The front ioop and most of the adjacent streets were clear by 3:15 pm. 2.5 Projected Trip Generation, Queuing, and Parking Demand Halff used a straight-line projection to estimate the projected increase in trip generation due to the enrollment increase of 75 students. The projected trip generation for the school with an enrollment of 780 students is shown in Table 2. Table 2 Site Generated Trips (Projected) Elementary School 780 students AM-Peak Hour PM-Peak Hour In Out Total In Out Total Total Trips (projected)

4 Haiff also estimated the queuing demand in the afternoon peak period, once the school reaches its projected maximum enrollment of 780 students. The projected queue demand at maximum enrollment is approximately 45 passenger cars in the PM peak period, an increase of 5 cars over the maximum observed queue of 40 vehicles. A large percentage of the new students will be bused to / from the school, which could necessitate adding an additional school bus to the current fleet of 6 full size buses that serve the school. It is important to note that the actual number of new trips generated by the additional student enrollment, and thus the actual queuing demand for passenger cars and buses, will vary based on where in the school s attendance zone the projected enrollment growth takes place. The current attendance zone includes several apartment complexes, and a number of the students living in these complexes are bused to the school. If a large percentage of the new students are drawn from this area and are bused to the school, the queuing demand for passenger cars will be less than what is projected in this report. The RISD expects to add up to 10 new staff members to the campus to facilitate the projected enrollment growth. If each of these new staff members drives their own vehicle, the total projected parking demand for the school will be approximately 74 (current day parking demand of 64 vehicles plus 10 new vehicles). This would exceed the planned parking spaces on the site by 2. It should be noted, however, that the staffing estimate could include some floating staff members that would not be on the campus throughout the entire school day, and could thus park on Kirkhaven Drive or in the short-term parking in the front loop. And the current day maximum observed parking demand, 64 vehicles, is less than the current number of staff members, 68 faculty / staff, that work at the school. It should also be noted that the proposed total parking planned for the site, 72 spaces, exceeds the City of Dallas parking requirement for the campus, 68 spaces, with the proposed campus expansion considered. The area designated for bus loading and unloading on the south side of the school building (along the north side of Estate Lane west of Kirkhaven Drive) provides more than 400 feet of stacking space, which can accommodate approximately 8 full size school buses, assuming 50 feet of stacking space per bus. The school is currently served by 6 full size buses and 1 medium sized special education bus. If would be desirable if all parent drop off / pick up activities associated with Wallace Elementary School could be accommodated entirely on the school campus and out of any City of Dallas right-of-way (ROW). However, it is expected that queuing will continue to occur on Kirkhaven Drive, primarily during the PM peak period, as drivers wait to enter the front loop drive to pick up their student(s). The queuing that occurs on Kirkhaven Drive today does not appear to significantly impact the through traffic on the road. Background (non-school) traffic on the road is very light. The effective usable loading space in the front ioop drive provides approximately 260 feet of stacking space, which can accommodate approximately 13 passenger cars (assuming 20 feet per car). The remaining 32 vehicles in the estimated maximum queue will require approximately 640 feet of stacking space. The distance between the front ioop entrance drive and Church Road is approximately 660 feet; therefore, there should be enough queuing space along southbound 16

5 Kirkhaven Drive to accommodate the projected maximum queue of 45 vehicles (including 13 vehicles queued in the front loop), assuming drivers make good use of the available space by pulling up close to the vehicle in front of them. Parents that do not pick up their student in the front ioop can park along the east side of Kirkhaven Drive between Estate Lane and the alley just south of Robindale Drive (Haiff is proposing a parking restriction on the east side of Kirkhaven Drive between the alley and Robindale, which will be discussed in the Recommendations section). Parents can also park along both sides of Estate Lane between Kirkhaven Drive and Ferndale Road (except in the 400- foot section on the north side of the street just west of Kirkhaven, which is designated for bus queuing), and along the south side of Estate Lane east of Kirkhaven (Haiff is proposing a parking restriction on the north side of Estate Lane between Kirkhaven Drive and Chippendale Drive, which will be discussed in the Recommendations section). These areas provide approximately 1,400 feet of available parking space, which can accommodate approximately 70 parked passenger vehicles. Parking is also available along Robindale Drive. It is important to note that parents were observed parking in all of these areas on the afternoon that Halff conducted observations and traffic counts at the campus. Exhibit 1 in the Appendix is a copy of the Traffic Management Plan exhibit for Wallace Elementary School, which shows the proposed queuing area allocated in the front loop and along southbound Kirkhaven Drive, for student pick up by passenger vehicles in the front loop, and the proposed designated bus queuing area on the north side of Estate Lane west of Kirkhaven Drive, as discussed in the report. 2.6 Staff Assistance and Drop Off! Pick Up Procedures For elementary schools, assistance from staff is necessary to optimize traffic flow, especially during the afternoon pick up period, when vehicles waiting to pick up students may queue onto City ROW. Presented below are steps that should be taken by school staff to facilitate safe and efficient student loading operations in the afternoon peak period. Afternoon Pick-Up Procedures LI Parents can pick up in the front loop drive in the lane nearest the school building only; the middle and outside lanes should be kept open for traffic flow LI Buses pick up in the designated bus loading zone on the north side of Estate west of Kirkhaven Drive; students riding a bus should be escorted out the south doors to the bus loading zone LI Day care vans pick up on the west side of Kirkhaven Drive between the loop entrance and exit drives LI 8 loading stations should be set up along the school side of the loop drive LI Students being picked up in the front loop should be staged by grade level near the loading area LI School staff and / or safety patrol should be stationed at each loading station to actively assist students entering their vehicle LI Drivers picking up students in the front ioop should display a number assigned to the family; staff should identify the number in advance of the car entering the front ioop, call 17

6 the number to the students waiting to be picked up, assign the student to a designated loading station, and assist the student in getting to the loading station quickly. The driver should also be directed to the appropriate loading station Li Staff should be stationed at the crosswalk in order to assist students crossing the front loop drive LI During the afternoon loading time period, staff should focus on matching students to the appropriate vehicle at a designated loading station and assisting the student into the vehicle quickly, so that the overall loading time period can be minimized. Staff assistance is also necessary in the morning drop off period, to ensure students are able to access the school building safely. Presented below are steps that should be taken by school staff to facilitate safe and efficient student unloading operations in the morning peak period. Morning Drop Off Li Parents, buses, and day care vans can drop off in the front loop drive Li Drop off can occur in the lane nearest the school building and in the lane nearest Kirkhaven Drive; the middle lane should be kept open for traffic flow Li Students should exit their vehicle from the passenger side if they are dropped off on the school side of the loop drive; they should exit their vehicle on the driver s side if they are dropped off on the Kirkhaven Drive side of the loop drive Li 8 unloading stations should be set up along the school side of the loop drive, and 3 unloading stations should be set up along the Kirkhaven Drive side; the 3 unloading stations on the Kirkhaven side should be placed in the section between the exit drive and the crosswalk Li School staff should be stationed at each of the 3 unloading stations on the Kirkhaven Drive side and should actively assist students exiting their vehicle Li School staff and / or student safety patrol should be stationed at each of the 8 unloading stations on the school side and should actively assist students exiting their vehicle Li Parents should be instructed to pull forward to the furthest open unloading station, and should only unload their student at a designated unloading station Li School staff should be stationed at / in the crosswalk to assist students crossing from the median or Kirkhaven Drive to the school building; at least 1 staff member needs to be in place by 7:15 am Li Parents should be instructed to not drop off their student in the street (in the travel lanes). Students should be dropped off in the front loop drive, or parents should park on Kirkhaven Drive or Estate Lane and allow their student to exit the vehicle on the curb Side III. RECOMMENDATIONS Based upon information provided by Richardson ISD regarding Wallace Elementary School, the proposed improvements planned for the site and the existing conditions of the streets adjacent to the site; Halff recommends the following measures to help facilitate the safe, efficient movement of traffic into and out of the school campus: Li Implement the morning drop off and afternoon pick up procedures described in Section 2.6 Li Designate a 400-foot long Bus Loading Zone along the north side of Estate Lane west of Kirkhaven Drive, to be utilized in the afternoon peak period for bus pick up 18

7 3:30 8:15 8:15 8:15 3:30 3:30 8:15 Z (WE) LI Restrict parking along the north side of Estate Lane between Kirkhaven Drive and Chippendale Drive from 7:15 am and from 2:00 pm. LI Restrict parking along the east side of Kirkhaven Drive between Robindale Road and the alley directly south of Robindale from 7:15 am and from 2:00 pm. LI Restrict parking along the west side of Kirkhaven Drive between the staff parking lot drives from 7:15 am and from 2:00 3:30 pm. LI Restrict parking and standing along the west side of Kirkhaven Drive for a distance of 30 feet north of the front loop exit drive, in order to improve visibility for drivers exiting the loop drive to Kirkhaven LI Remove the vegetation at the northwest corner of the Kirkhaven Drive intersection with the alley running along the north side of the school property (10 feet back from the sidewalk), in order to improve visibility for vehicles exiting the alley to Kirkhaven LI Remove the Do Not Enter signs located on the school fence at the staff parking lot north driveway LI Install a hard surface in the median separating the ioop drive and Kirkhaven Drive, from the south end to the front loop crosswalk, in order to provide a pedestrian route for students being dropped off in the outside lane of the loop drive LI Reset the No Left Turn sign located on the west side of Kirkhaven Drive / south side of the front loop entrance drive that is facing south for northbound drivers (the sign is leaning). Add a supplementary panel below the sign identifying the hours of the restriction as 7:15 am and 2:00 pm. LI Add a supplementary panel below the No Left Turn sign located on the east side of Kirkhaven Drive at the front loop entrance drive, identifying the hours of the restriction as 7:15 8:15 amand2:00 3:3Opm. LI Reorient the existing No Left Turn signs on the west side of Kirkhaven Drive at the front loop exit drive so that they face west, for traffic exiting the front loop drive to Kirkhaven LI At the Ferndale Road / Estate Lane intersection: o Repaint the crosswalk on the east leg of the intersection o Repaint the stop bar for the westbound Estate Lane approach to the intersection LI At the Kirkhaven Drive / Estate Lane intersection: o Repaint the crosswalks on the north and west legs of the intersection o Repaint the stop bar on the southbound Kirkhaven Drive approach to the intersection o Upgrade the crosswalk sign to the current version for schools (Si-i) and add the supplementary down arrow plaque (SW16-7P) on the south side of Estate Lane at the crosswalk on the west side of Kirkhaven Drive, facing west for eastbound traffic o Upgrade the crosswalk sign to the current version for schools (Si-i) and add the supplementary down arrow plaque (SWi 6-7P), and relocate the sign assembly to the northwest corner of the intersection, facing east for westbound traffic LI At the Kirkhaven Drive / Robindale Road intersection: o Repaint the crosswalks on the east and south legs of the intersection o Install a school crosswalk sign (Si-i) and a down arrow plaque (SW16-7P) on the southeast corner at the crosswalk across the south leg of the intersection, facing south for northbound traffic 19

8 o Upgrade the existing school crosswalk sign on the west side of Kirkhaven to the current version for schools (Si -1), add the supplementary down arrow plaque (SW1 6-7P), and relocate the sign assembly to the south so that it is adjacent to the crosswalk across the south leg of the intersection LI At the Kirkhaven Drive / Church Road intersection: o Repaint the crosswalks on the east and west legs of the intersection o Upgrade the existing school crosswalk sign on the northeast corner of the intersection to the current version for schools (Si-i), and add the supplementary down arrow plaque (SW16-7P), with the signs facing east for westbound traffic o Install a new school crosswalk sign (Si-i) on the northwest corner of the intersection, with a supplementary down arrow plaque (SWi6-7P), facing east for westbound traffic o Upgrade the existing school crosswalk sign on the southwest corner of the intersection to the current version for schools (Si-i), and add the supplementary down arrow plaque (SWi6-7P), with the signs facing west for eastbound traffic o Install a new school crosswalk sign (Si-i) on the southeast corner of the intersection, with a supplementary down arrow plaque (SWi 6-7P), facing west for westbound traffic LI Consideration should be given to widening the two driveways accessing the staff parking lot to feet wide (the drives are currently -19 feet wide) 20

9 1) 00 CiN0 10 L Li =i rih H L1 IF LEGEND Frost Loop Drop-Off! Pick-up Circulation Path Day Care Loading Area (PM) Bus Loading Area (PM) Pick-up Queue/Travel Path Drop-off/Pick-up Area School Staff Staff Parking 0 Front Loop Entrance Front Loop Eult Campus Information Projected Enrollment: 780 Students Academic: Grades (-6 PM 3:00 Class Hours: 8:00 AM Queuing (Passenger Vehicles) Projected Demand: 900 ft (45 veh.) Available Capacity: Front Loop 260 ft (13 veh,) SB Kirkhaven 640 ft (32 veh.) NET Deficiency: Oft (0 veh.) NOTE: Management develuped the of drop-aff/pick-up This Traffic Plan was to minimize queuing related vehides within tue City right-of-way. school administration should adhere the and due acer of The undeslgnoted areas of the to TMP ooy deficiency roadway to spill travel queuing into City right-of-way, including lanes, should be corrected by the school immediately. Not to Scale Ref. Dallas MAPSCO #27M EXHIBIT 1 1 Approved City Plan Commission January 23, I I \\ L 4 (,Ejl i I SI) F5 L c U.. H L, N,_ ETraffic Management Plan 992lKirkhavenDr,Dallas,Texas Wallace Elementary School Traffic Management Plan Exhibit 523B Planned Development No. 523