Durrance Elementary School

Transcription

1 Durrance Elementary School

2 SCHOOL ROUTE PLAN For DURRANCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOCATION 9 ORANGE COUNTY Prepared for: ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS Traffic Engineering Division 42 South John Young Parkway Orlando, Florida Contract No.: Y4-93B HNTB No Prepared by: Lake Mary, Florida July 25, 26 Professional Engineer: David Gwynn, P.E. P.E. No

3 School Route Plan-Durrance Elementary School TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION EXISTING CONDITIONS QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT RECOMMENDATIONS APPENDIX FIGURES, EXHIBITS, and TABLES FIGURES Figure 1 - Project Location Map... 3 Figure 2 School Boundary Map... 8 Figure 3 School Route Plan Map... 9 Figure 4 Condition Diagram: McCoy Road at Via Flora Figure 5 Condition Diagram: Jetport Drive at Benrus Street/Via Flora...12 Figure 6 - Conceptual Diagram...18 EXHIBITS Exhibit 1-Jetport Drive at Benrus Street/Via Flora...13 Exhibit 2- Jetport Drive at Benrus Street/Via Flora...14 Exhibit 3- McCoy Road at Via Flora...15 Exhibit 4- McCoy Road at Via Flora...16 TABLES Table 1-Field Inventory... 4 Table 2-Summarys of Vehicular Volumes... 5 Table 3-Summarys of Pedestrian & Bicycle Volumes... 6

4 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HNTB Corporation was retained by Orange County Public Works to conduct a School Route Plan Study for Durrance Elementary School located at 811 Benrus Street, Orange County, Florida. This study is being performed as a part of the County s School Assessment Program to identify safe routes for children to walk and bicycle to school. Based on the results of the analysis, field observations, and engineering judgment, the following recommendations and conclusions were developed: 1. Pedestrian and bicycle access is basically adequate with a few exceptions. Sidewalks are provided in the neighborhood to the south of the school. However, sidewalks are not provided in the neighborhood located to the north of the school. Sidewalks are also provided along Daetwyler Drive to the north of McCoy Road. Sidewalk should be continued along McCoy Road from Daetwyler Drive to Via Flora. Sidewalk also should be considered within the neighborhood to the north that is served by Via Flora, as many cars were observed to park on street and students are required to walk in the street to get to school. These streets, however, are relatively low volume. It does not appear that there would be any problems constructing these sidewalks. 2. Existing school crossings on McCoy Road, Jetport Drive, and Daetwyler Drive were observed to operate efficiently with school crossing guards, active warning devices and reduced speed limits. 3. The school service boundaries cover a large area along Conway Road. This area appears to have potential for development in the near future. Consideration should be given to the pedestrian facilities in this area if students within the two mile zone will be required to walk. There are currently no sidewalks along this segment of Conway Road. 4. The school zone crossing at McCoy Road at Via Flora is missing End school Zone sign and school zone pavement marking. It is recommended that End school Zone sign be installed just west of Via Flora on McCoy Road and school zone pavement marking just east of Via Flora on McCoy Road as per standard index Consideration should be given to relocate the End school Zone sign east of Benrus Street on Jetport Drive to approximately 1 east of school bus entrance.

5 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 2 1. INTRODUCTION HNTB Corporation was retained by Orange County Public Works to conduct a School Route Plan Study for Durrance Elementary School located at 811 Benrus Street, Orange County, Florida. The purpose of this study is to identify safe routes for children to walk and bicycle to school. The analysis methods used in conducting this study are consistent with those set forth in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD 23), the Manual on Uniform Traffic Studies (MUTS), and Orange County guidelines and procedures.

6 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 3 Figure 1 - Project Location Map

7 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 4 2. EXISTING CONDITIONS Durrance Elementary School is located in south Orange County on Benrus Street approximately 25 feet south of Jetport Drive. Significant features for the study location are summarized below: Table 1-Field Inventory Feature Description School Name Durrance Elementary School Address 811 Benrus Street Orlando, FL School Hours 8:3 AM- 2:45 PM (1:45 PM Wednesday) Student Enrollment 479 Primary Roadway Access Benrus Street/Via Flora Two-lane primary access road with left turn lane at the intersection Posted speed limit: None Sidewalks on both sides between Jetport Drive and McCoy Road and on the eastside to the north of McCoy Road Conventional lighting: None Jetport Drive Two-lane one-way eastbound roadway with left turn lane at the intersection Posted speed limit: 35 mph Sidewalks: South side of roadway High mast SR 528 highway lighting provided on northwest corner of the intersection Pedestrian and Bicycle Access to School Carpool Access to School Bus Access Guarded School Crossings Other Facilities Reduced Speed School Zones McCoy Road Two-lane arterial with a center turn lane to the east becomes a single lane one-way westbound to the west of intersection Posted speed limit: 3 mph Sidewalks: None Conventional lighting: None From south of school, via sidewalk system and back gate at south side of school property. From north of school, via crosswalks across Jetport Drive and McCoy Road immediately north of the school. Additional sidewalks located along Daetwyler Drive connecting to McCoy Road where no sidewalk is provided. These students can walk through the neighborhood located off of Via Flora and Trentwood Boulevard. Entrance and exit points are provided on the west side of school Bus loop has a separate entrance from Jetport Drive. McCoy Road at Via Flora Jetport Drive at Benrus Street Daetwyler Drive at Trentwood Boulevard Sidewalks are provided along most roadways in adjacent south neighborhood within the walk zone. No sidewalk is provided in north neighborhood. A connector sidewalk is provided to access Jetport Drive to the gated pedestrian school entrance. Jetport Drive serves as a one way eastbound road. The school zone reduced speed limit is 2 mph when flashing.

8 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 5 Vehicular, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Volumes Two-hour turning movement counts were conducted at the intersections of Jetport Drive with Benrus Street/Via Flora and McCoy Road with Via Flora. The counts were conducted from 8: to 9: AM and 2:15 to 3:15 PM to coincide with the morning arrival time and afternoon departure time of students at the school. Pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, and bus traffic were recorded separately for this count. The following tables summarize the results of these counts: Table 2-Summaries of Vehicular Volumes Approaches Benrus Street/Via Flora at Jetport Drive Benrus Street/Via Flora Jetport Drive Direction Northbound Southbound Eastbound Westbound Movement L T R TOT L T R TOT L T R TOT L T R TOT Morning Arrival: 8 to 9 Vehicles Busses Total Afternoon Departure: 1415 to 1515 Vehicles Busses Total Approaches Via Flora at McCoy Road Via Flora McCoy Road Direction Northbound Southbound Eastbound Westbound Movement L T R TOT L T R TOT L T R TOT L T R TOT Morning Arrival: 8 to 9 Vehicles Busses Total Afternoon Departure: 1415 to 1515 Vehicles Busses Total

9 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 6 Table 3-Summaries of Pedestrian & Bicycle Volumes Jetport Drive at Benrus Street/Via Flora Total 8: 8:15 8:3 8:45 Total 2:15 2:3 2:45 3: AM PM Total AM PM Via Flora Total AM Total AM 1 8: 8: 1 8:15 8:15 4 8:3 8:3 6 8:45 8:45 4 AM PM Total Jetport Drive Total AM PM :15 2:15 2:3 2:3 2 2:45 2: : 3: 6 Total PM Total PM 1 Benrus Street Total 8: 8:15 8:3 8:45 Total 2:15 2:3 2:45 3: AM PM Total AM PM N/A McCoy Road at Via Flora Total 8: 8:15 8:3 8:45 Total 2:15 2:3 2:45 3: AM PM Total AM PM Via Flora Total AM 2 Total AM 1 8: 2 8: 8:15 8:15 8:3 8:3 2 8:45 8: AM PM Total McCoy Road Total AM PM :15 2:15 2:3 2:3 2 2:45 2: : 3: 3 Total PM Total PM 3 Benrus Street Total 8: 8:15 8:3 8:45 Total 2:15 2:3 2:45 3: AM PM Total AM PM McCoy Road

10 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 7 3. QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT Durrance Elementary School is located on Benrus Street, approximately 25 feet south of Jetport Drive. The school serves children in the surrounding neighborhoods, primarily to the north, south and east of the school. The two mile walk zone includes neighborhoods on both sides of the Beachline Expressway. Figure 2 illustrates the school zone boundaries, two-mile walk radius, and existing bus stops for Durrance Elementary School. Figure 3 is a School Route Plan map of the area within the two mile walk limit for which bussing is not provided. This area is the focus of the qualitative assessment. The school route plan area was reviewed by a registered professional engineer to evaluate vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle flow patterns to determine what improvements are necessary, if any, to improve the safety and efficiency of the children traveling to and from school. Durrance Elementary serves a diverse cross section of students due to its specialized programs. According to the school staff, many children are bussed to the school from around the County to participate in these specialized programs. The majority of the students that walk to school live in the neighborhood south of the school. This neighborhood has a good sidewalk network and children can access the school directly from the neighborhood via a gate located at the back of the school property. A significant number of children also walk to school crossing both Jetport Drive and McCoy Road. These students appear to come from both the neighborhood directly served by Via Flora as well as from other neighborhoods along Daetwyler Drive. It appears that most of these students walk through the Via Flora neighborhood through a pedestrian connection to Daetwyler Drive at Trentwood Boulevard. There are no sidewalks in this neighborhood, and children are required to walk along the street. There were a large number of cars parked on the street during our study, however these roads are low volume and no conflicts were observed. At the end of the school day, school employees do a good job of organizing the departure of the students via the front entrance of the school. Crossing guards are provided for McCoy Road at Via Flora, Jetport Drive at Benrus Street and for Daetwyler Drive at Trentwood Boulevard. These crossings are also provided with active warning devices and reduced speed limits. They appeared to operate efficiently. There are sidewalks along Daetwyler Drive; however they end at McCoy Road. There is intermittent sidewalk along McCoy Road between Daetwyler Drive and Via Flora. Sidewalks should be considered along McCoy Road in this area as well as in the neighborhood served by Via Flora. There are also no sidewalks along Conway Road within the two mile walk zone; however this area is not developed at this point. There appears to be potential for development and if so a sidewalk should be provided along Conway Road if these students expected to walk to school at Durrance Elementary.

11 98 N Durrance Elementary School 2 Mile Walk Zone Legend School Zone Boundary School School Bus Stop Traffic Signal Figure 2 School Boundary Map

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13 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 1 The intersection of McCoy Road and Via Flora was observed during the morning and afternoon school hours. The following observations were made: Traffic on Via Flora is relatively light and traffic appears to be traveling near the posted speed limit. Traffic on McCoy Road appears to observe the reduced school zone speed limit, but also appears to exceed the limits during other periods of the day. The speed limit is 3 mph. School children are provided a cross walk across the east leg of the intersection. The crossing guard operated the intersection appropriately. The east approach of McCoy Road has existing school zone signs but the school zone pavement markings are missing. The east approach should be striped with school zone pavement marking as per standard index The west approach of McCoy Road is missing End School Zone signs. It is recommended that the End School Zone sign be installed just west of Via Flora on McCoy Road. Figure 4 illustrates the existing intersection. The intersection of Jetport Drive and Benrus Street was observed during the morning and afternoon school hours. The following observations were made: Traffic on Jetport Drive appears to obey the speed limit during the school crossing hours. However, it appears that the speeds are well above the speed limit during the rest of the day. The speed limit is 35 mph. School children are provided a cross walk across the east leg of the intersection. The crossing guard operated the intersection appropriately. At this time, bus entrance to school is not considered as part of the school zone. It is recommended that the End School Zone sign located east of Benrus Street on Jetport Drive shall be relocated to approximately 1 east of bus entrance to school. Figure 5 illustrates the existing intersection. Photographs of the school entrance and the intersection of Jetport Drive at Benrus Street/Via Flora are included in Exhibits 1 to 4. The carpool entrance to the school was observed during the morning and afternoon school hours. No issues of operation were observed at the carpool entrance and exiting area.

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16 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 13 Exhibit 1-Jetport Drive at Benrus Street/Via Flora Looking south along Via Flora into Jetport Drive Looking north along Benrus Street into Jetport Drive

17 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 14 Exhibit 2- Jetport Drive at Benrus Street/Via Flora Looking west along Jetport Drive into Benrus Street/Via Flora Looking east along Jetport Drive into Benrus Street/Via Flora

18 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 15 Exhibit 3- McCoy Road at Via Flora Looking west along McCoy Road into Via Flora Looking east along McCoy Road into Via Flora

19 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School 16 Exhibit 4- McCoy Road at Via Flora Looking north along Via Flora into McCoy Road Looking South along Via Flora into McCoy Road

20 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the results of the analysis, the field observations and engineering judgment, the following improvements are proposed: 1. Pedestrian and bicycle access is basically adequate with a few exceptions. Sidewalks are provided in the neighborhood to the south of the school. However, sidewalks are not provided in the neighborhood located to the north of the school. Sidewalks are also provided along Daetwyler Drive to the north of McCoy Road. Sidewalk should be continued along McCoy Road from Daetwyler Drive to Via Flora. Sidewalk also should be considered within the neighborhood to the north that is served by Via Flora, as many cars were observed to park on street and students are required to walk in the street to get to school. These streets, however, are relatively low volume. It does not appear that there would be any problems constructing these sidewalks. 2. Existing school crossings on McCoy Road, Jetport Drive, and Daetwyler Drive were observed to operate efficiently with school crossing guards, active warning devices and reduced speed limits. 3. The school service boundaries cover a large area along Conway Road. This area appears to have potential for development in the near future. Consideration should be given to the pedestrian facilities in this area if students within the two mile zone will be required to walk. There are currently no sidewalks along this segment of Conway Road. 4. The school zone crossing at McCoy Road at Via Flora is missing End school Zone sign and school zone pavement marking. It is recommended that End school Zone sign be installed just west of Via Flora on McCoy Road and school zone pavement marking just east of Via Flora on McCoy Road as per standard index Consideration should be given to relocate the End school Zone sign east of Benrus Street on Jetport Drive to approximately 1 east of school bus entrance. Figure 6 has been included on the following page to illustrate these recommendations.

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22 School Route Plan- Durrance Elementary School APPENDIX

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