Road Safety Assessment

Transcription

1 Road Safety Assessment Team Findings Report July 2013 Page 1 of 36

2 Introduction East Bay Drive from Lake Avenue to Keene Road The Federal Highway Administration s (FHWA) Safety Office established Road Safety Audits as way to improve the overall safety performance of roadways. A Road Safety Assessment (RSA) is a comprehensive formal safety performance evaluation on an existing or future road segment or intersection performed by an independent and multidisciplinary team. RSAs are a low cost proactive approach to safety which considers all road users and identifies opportunities to enhance safety and reduce the number and severity of crashes. FDOT s Traffic Operations staff worked to coordinate personnel from all participating agencies to come together for RSA training and field review evaluation of the selected corridor. The participating agencies are: All Children's Hospital Cardno TBE City of Oldsmar Florida Department of Transportation Largo Police Department MADD Pinellas County Pinellas County MPO St Pete PD Suncoast Safety Council Tindale Oliver & Associates A bicycle focused RSA was conducted along East Bay Drive between Country Club Drive / Lake Avenue and Keen Road / Starkey Road. Bicycle Road Safety Audits provide RSA teams a better understanding of the safety of cyclist in the transportation system when conducting studies by emphasizing the context of cyclist from a "behind the handlebars" while still considering all roadway users. Following the field review, the RSA team reconvened for a postassessment debriefing meeting where field observations and recommendations were exchanged. The note taker reviewed the team s observations as the RSA team augmented the annotations with their own recollections ensuring that each observation and suggestion was fully documented. Tindale Oliver & Associates, Inc. subsequently compiled the notes and comments gathered during the RSA into this Team Findings Report. Page 2 of 36

3 Team Members East Bay Drive from Lake Avenue to Keene Road All Children's Hospital Karen Macauley Rachelle Webb Tiffany Sabiel Cardno TBE John Temple Wayne Ponder City of Oldsmar Michele Parisano Florida Department of Transportation Jeanette Rouse Peter Hsu Largo Police Department George Edmiston MADD Carole Dirksmeyer Pinellas County Marc Hanger Rober Davis Pinellas County MPO Rick MacAulay Susan Miler St Pete PD Cleven Wyatt Suncoast Safety Council Brandy Howard Tindale Oliver & Associates Anthony Chaumont Demian Miller Page 3 of 36

4 Executive Summary East Bay Drive from Lake Avenue to Keene Road ID Location Description: 1 East Bay at Country Club signal Audible ped Positive observation 2 Southwest quadrant of East Bay and Lake Judy Lee Bus stop with small landing pad 3 South side of the road east of 19th Bus stop with large landing pad off the Street sidewalk. 4 CVS driveway Side walk through driveway 5 West of Country Club Drive and Landscape obstructions various places along corridor 6 Along south side the corridor Abrupt sidewalk "in" and "out" 7 Southwest quadrant of East Bay Home made sidewalk extension and Country Club 8 Northwest quadrant of East Bay Cabinet obstruction Drive and Lake Avenue 9 Northbound approach along Limited sight distance Country Club 10 Southeast quadrant of County Broken sidewalk Club and East Bay 11 Northeast quadrant of Lake Exposed guy wire Avenue and East Bay Drive 12 Along corridor Un marked side streets 13 Southeast quadrant of East Bay Sidewalk / ramp leads out to mainline Drive at 19th St 14 North side of Colonial Drive Largo community center sign 15 South side of the road between Set back driveways 19th Street and 20th Street 16 West of 20th Street on the north side of East Bay Drive Bus stop shelter 17 Along corridor Driveway apron 18 Approach to Keene Road Advance street name sign 19 Bank driveway on the north side Poor visibility for driveway of 21st Terrace Enlarge the landing pad Positive observation Example of good driveway / sidewalk treatment Trim vegetation Provide consistent more gentle "S" curve treatment Install sidewalk No right turn on red No right turn on red Fix sidewalk section Refurbish the plastic sheeting Mark side streets Align sidewalk to direct pedestrians to the west Relocate the sign further down stream Provide consistent treatment Provide supplemental lighting on south side of road "Extend" sidewalk through driveways Provide advance signs for other signals Remove sight obstructions Page 4 of 36

5 20 North side of the sidewalk along vacant bank property on the north side of 21st Terrace Landscaping encroaching sidewalk Trim landscaping 21 Northbound approach along Low stop sign Golden Triangle Mobile Home Park 22 Various locations along the Hand rail on the sidewalk corridor 23 Northbound driveway exit from Walgreens on the south west quadrant of East Bay Drive and Starkey Road Limited sight distance 24 Southbound approach to East Bay No right on red sign Drive along Keene Road 25 Eastbound right turn lane at Keene Asphalt bleeding or spilled 26 Along the corridor on the north There are several areas with handrail and south side along the sidewalk 27 Along the south side of the Mail boxes along the south side of the corridor state highway 28 Along the corridor on the north Cyclist and south side 29 South side of East Bay Drive near Mailboxes along east bay 21st Street 30 West of Keene Pedestrian observed crossing mid block Refurbish stop sign Place rail on footer outside sidewalk Trim vegetation Relocate sign closer to stop bar, provide overhead sign Resurface General observation General observation General observation General observation General observation Page 5 of 36

6 Overview Map East Bay Drive from Lake Avenue to Keene Road Page 6 of 36

7 Road Safety Assessment Findings Summary East Bay Drive from Lake Avenue to Keene Road ID Location Description: 1 East Bay at Country Club signal Audible ped Positive observation The team noted that there are audible pedestrian features at the signal. Page 7 of 36

8 2 Southwest quadrant of East Bay and Bus stop with small landing pad Lake Judy Lee Enlarge the landing pad The team noted that there is a bus stop that provides a landing pad for patrons to stand and wait off the sidewalk. The landing pad seems too small; a wheel chair or group of transit patrons would be vulnerable to passing bicyclist. Consider increasing the size of the landing pad to provide additional storage. Page 8 of 36

9 3 South side of the road east of 19th Bus stop with large landing pad off the sidewalk. Street Positive observation The team observed a large landing pad for the bus stop at this location. Page 9 of 36

10 4 CVS driveway Side walk through driveway Example of good driveway / sidewalk treatment Page 10 of 36

11 5 West of Country Club Drive and Landscape obstructions various places along corridor Trim vegetation The team observed a systemic issues though out the corridor of landscaping encroaching onto the sidewalk Coordinate with property owners to trim vegetation and encroaches onto the sidewalk. Trimming the vegetation also increases sight distance from side street approaches. Page 11 of 36

12 6 Along south side the corridor Abrupt sidewalk "in" and "out" Provide consistent more gentle "S" curve treatment The team observed that there are several locations, particularly along the south side of East Bay Drive where the sidewalk transitions abruptly from being close to the travel lane, to being further away. Along these segments, since the primary source of illumination at night is directed at the roadway, cyclist and pedestrians go from light to dark. Consider providing additional lighting on the back side of the poles to provide additional supplemental illumination when the sidewalk separates from the road. The curve on the sidewalk's transition can also be smoothed out into a more gentle "S" curve to facilitate cyclist making the turn. Page 12 of 36

13 7 Southwest quadrant of East Bay and Home made sidewalk extension Country Club Install sidewalk The team noticed a home made brick stone sidewalk extension on the southwest quadrant of Country Club Drive and East Bay Drive Consider providing a sidewalk along the path where pedestrians are currently walking. Page 13 of 36

14 8 Northwest quadrant of East Bay Drive Cabinet obstruction and Lake Avenue No right turn on red The team noted that the signal controller cabinet on the northwest quadrant of Lake Avenue and East Bay Drive limits the visibility to the west on the southbound approach to East Bay. Consider providing a no right turn on red (or actuated blank out sign) for the southbound approach to reduce possible conflicts with bicycles riding along the sidewalk. Page 14 of 36

15 9 Northbound approach along Country Limited sight distance Club No right turn on red The visibility to the east is limited due to the wall and signal post in the southeast quadrant of East Bay Drive and Country Club Drive Prohibit right turn on red at the intersection; provide a permanent no right turn on red sign displayed on the mast arm. Page 15 of 36

16 10 Southeast quadrant of County Club Broken sidewalk and East Bay Fix sidewalk section There is a broken section of sidewalk on the southeast quadrant of the intersection at Country Club Drive along the south side of East Bay Drive. There is a barricade delineating the sidewalk cracks that takes up a portion of the sidewalk. Cyclists were observed crossing paths along this narrow section. Fix the broken section of sidewalk to minimize the length of time that the sidewalk width is affected. Page 16 of 36

17 11 Northeast quadrant of Lake Avenue Exposed guy wire and East Bay Drive Refurbish the plastic sheeting There are guy wire along the north side of the sidewalk in the northeast quadrant of the signalized intersection of Lake Avenue and East Bay Drive. Increase visibility of the guy wires by refurbishing the missing/broken plastic sheeting. Page 17 of 36

18 12 Along corridor Un marked side streets Mark side streets The team noted that the side streets along the East Bay Drive corridor do not have marked crosswalks. Provide marked crosswalks across all side streets along the East Bay Drive corridor. Page 18 of 36

19 13 Southeast quadrant of East Bay Drive Sidewalk / ramp leads out to mainline at 19th St Align sidewalk to direct pedestrians to the west The team noticed that the sidewalk along the south side of the road on the southeast quadrant of East Bay Drive and 19th Street is directed at a 45 degree angle leading pedestrians and cyclist out to East Bay Drive. Additionally, the tapered curved edge may be hazardous to bicyclist. Realign the sidewalk so that it is oriented east/west along East Bay Drive. Also eliminate the curbed edges to provide a smooth transition at the edge of the sidewalk. Page 19 of 36

20 14 North side of Colonial Drive Largo community center sign Relocate the sign further down stream Drivers stop and turn at a colonial drive when they see the sign for the community center (which is off alt Keene, which is the next street). Relocate the sign downstream to reduce possible confusion. Page 20 of 36

21 15 South side of the road between 19th Set back driveways Street and 20th Street Provide consistent treatment Page 21 of 36

22 16 West of 20th Street on the north side Bus stop shelter of East Bay Drive Provide supplemental lighting on south side of road The team noted that the bus shelter on the north side of East Bay Drive just west of 20th Street lines up with an overhead luminaire. However, the sidewalk on the south side of the roadway does not have lighting perpendicular to the bus stop. Consider providing a luminaire on the south side of the road. Page 22 of 36

23 17 Along corridor Driveway apron "Extend" sidewalk through driveways The team noted an inconsistent treatment for the intersection of the driveways with the sidewalk. At times the sidewalks go thru the driveways, and at times the driveways extend through the sidewalk. To the extent possible, extend the sidewalks through the driveways. Page 23 of 36

24 18 Approach to Keene Road Advance street name sign Provide advance signs for other signals Keene Road is the only signal along the study corridor that has advance street name signs. Provide a consistent treatment for all signals by also installing advance street name signs for Lake Avenue. Page 24 of 36

25 19 Bank driveway on the north side of Poor visibility for driveway 21st Terrace Remove sight obstructions The team noted that both driveways from the vacant bank building west of 21st Street have signs that limit the sight distance. Remove the sight obstructions to improve the visibility from the driveways. Page 25 of 36

26 20 North side of the sidewalk along vacant bank property on the north side of 21st Terrace Landscaping encroaching sidewalk Trim landscaping The team noted that the landscaping along the bank's frontage encroaches onto the sidewalk. Trim the landscaping along the sidewalk to ensure the full width of the sidewalk is available for cyclist and pedestrians. Page 26 of 36

27 21 Northbound approach along Golden Low stop sign Triangle Mobile Home Park Refurbish stop sign The stop sign on the northbound approach to East Bay along Golden Triangle Mobile Home Park is below the minimum 7ft height requirement. Refurbish the stop sign. Page 27 of 36

28 22 Various locations along the corridor Hand rail on the sidewalk Place rail on footer outside sidewalk The team noted inconsistent hand rail treatment throughout the corridor. There are locations where the hand rail is located on the sidewalk (encroaching onto the walking path) Page 28 of 36

29 23 Northbound driveway exit from Walgreens on the south west quadrant of East Bay Drive and Starkey Road Limited sight distance Trim vegetation The team noted vegetation limited the visibility to the west from the northbound driveway exit from the Walgreen's plaza. Drivers were observed driving over the curb when turning into the plaza. Trim the vegetation to increase the sight distance. Also consider widening the driveway apron to allow a more gentle turn into the driveway. Page 29 of 36

30 24 Southbound approach to East Bay No right on red sign Drive along Keene Road Relocate sign closer to stop bar, provide overhead sign Page 30 of 36

31 25 Eastbound right turn lane at Keene Asphalt bleeding or spilled Resurface The team noted that there is what appears to be asphalt bleeding or spilled asphalt in the eastbound right turn lane at Keene Road. Evaluate the approach for an over representation of rear end crashes associated with the turn lane. Consider resurfacing the approach if a persistent crash problem is identified. Also install R10 15 (turning vehicles yield to pedestrians) signs on the eastbound and westbound approaches to Keene. Page 31 of 36

32 26 Along the corridor on the north and There are several areas with handrail along the south side sidewalk General observation Page 32 of 36

33 27 Along the south side of the corridor Mail boxes along the south side of the state highway General observation Page 33 of 36

34 28 Along the corridor on the north and Cyclist south side General observation Page 34 of 36

35 29 South side of East Bay Drive near 21st Mailboxes along east bay Street General observation Page 35 of 36

36 30 West of Keene Pedestrian observed crossing mid block General observation Page 36 of 36