Woodward Hill Elementary School School Safety and Operation Review

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1 Address: nd Street Surrey, BC, V3X 1C1 Site Visit: March 7, 2011 Principal Anne Mackie Report Date: November 25, 2011 Phone: (604) The following report is one in a series of reviews undertaken by D.C. Dean Associates Inc. on behalf of the City of Surrey on the schools within School District 36. The purpose of the review is to identify the road safety issues both on the school site and on the adjacent roads, identify short and long term mitigation measures for consideration, and recommend further study if deemed necessary. The report will be provided to both the City and the School District for their consideration of implementing the recommendations as funding permits. The School District is encouraged to discuss the recommendations with the City to foster a coordinated effort to improve safety around the school. School Site Figure 1 - School Layout & Road System

2 Woodward Hill Elementary is a mid size school in the district with 150 students currently enrolled in the regular school program and 250 enrolled as French Immersion. There are about 40 full and part time staff at the school. The School fronts on 142 nd Street, which is classified as a collector road, and is situated in a residential area in the southcentral part of Surrey. A 30km/hr school speed zone extends along 142 nd Street to north and south of the school property. As shown by Figure 1, the school is located in the easterly portion of the catchment and is situated in proximity to two other schools, McLeod Road Traditional and Sullivan Heights Secondary. Sullivan Heights does not impact the operation of Woodward Hill Elementary and there is little interaction between the two elementary schools on 142 nd Street in terms of pedestrian issues as most students are driven to both schools as most students are in French Immersion at Woodward Hill and a Traditional School program operates at McLeod Road. As a result, many students are outside any formal catchment area at these schools. Also, even though McLeod Road Traditional school is situated just north of Woodward Hill Elementary, the schools have cooperatively arranged that the peak arrival and dismissal times have been staggered by about 10 to 15 minutes. As a result, this has largely avoided the possible impact of compounding traffic congestion and conflict along 142 nd Street that could have occurred otherwise. Figure 2 - School Layout Page 2 of 23

3 Pick-up and drop-off activity for parents is mainly focused on the school grounds within a 22 stall parking lot with two additional stalls for the disabled. However, some parents avoid the congestion and park along both sides of 142 nd Street. On-site school parking is also provided for staff in a separate 25 stall parking lot at the north end of the school. One additional stall is provided for the disabled. School & Road Layout - (Refer to Figure 2) Sidewalk facilities for students walking to school are discontinuous along 142 nd Street north and south of the school. The area is under development with large parcels of land currently being developed into residential neighbourhoods and sidewalks will be extended as development takes place. Marked supervised crosswalk Site Visit Observations & Summary of Safety Issues There are two main pedestrian crossing points that students and parents use around the school. One is an unmarked crossing of 60 th Avenue at the 142 nd Street un-signalized intersection south of the school and a marked supervised pedestrian crosswalk crossing 142 nd Street at the north end of the school. No Parking signs are installed along the east side of 142 nd Street around the school access driveways and the crosswalk. However, they are not clearly defined in terms of which specific areas are covered. Parking is currently allowed along the west side of 142 nd Street in the vicinity of the school. As the school has only recently been opened since March 2010, the City and its Traffic Safety Advisory Committee has only dealt with one issue relating to pedestrian and traffic safety at the 60 th Avenue / 142 nd Street un-signalized intersection. A safety review was recently undertaken for the City identifying that traffic signal warrants are met and the report recommended a signal or roundabout as soon as possible. However, recognizing budget and development constraints the report went on to recommend interim measures. The City has now decided to maintain existing two-way stop traffic control, but that flashing beacons would be installed to highlight the intersection to drivers as an interim measure. In addition, a marked crosswalk would be installed to facilitate safe pedestrian crossing on the west leg of 60 th Avenue. An on-site meeting during the peak afternoon school arrival time was held with the school Principal, Anne Mackie on March 7, Several issues below were raised by the Principal as being the main safety issues around the school: Lack of sidewalk continuity north and south of the school along 142 nd Street. Jaywalking across 142 nd Street as a result of parents parking along the west side of 142 nd Street. Pedestrian and traffic safety at the 60 th Avenue / 142 nd Street un-signalized intersection. Page 3 of 23

4 The following list summarizes the main safety concerns that have been observed, as well as additional issues that were raised by the Principal and City staff. Issue Observation #1. 60 th Ave / 142 nd St Intersection safety concerns This un-signalized intersection with 2 way stop control and no marked crosswalks is experiencing increasing traffic volumes and increasing the potential for conflict as residential development proceeds in the area. Pedestrian safety for students and others crossing the roads is a concern, especially with discontinuous sidewalks and bus stop access at the intersection. #2. On-Site Parking Lot Activity The 22 stall school parking lot is fully uitlized by parents at the peak times and reaches capacity. Double parking in the lot and along the fire lane and driveway aisles creates traffic queuing and pedestrian conflict. The school population is expected to expand from 400 students to over 450 in 2012 and therefore congestion may increase. #3. Parents parking along the west side of 142 nd St & jaywalking Parking is unregulated along the west side of 142 nd Street in front of the school. This encourages students and parents to park and walk across the road to the school. Although there is a marked pedestrian crosswalk at the north end of the school, jaywalking is extensive throughout the stretch of roadway between the crosswalk and 60A Avenue to the south. Pedestrian counts for this location are attached in Appendix A. Page 4 of 23

5 Issue Observation #4. Discontinuous sidewalks north and south of the school The sidewalk along the east side of 142 nd Street in front of the school discontinues north and south of the school. The sidewalk on the west side of the road also terminates to the north. As a result, students walking to and from school use the gravel shoulder in close proximity to moving traffic along 142 nd Street. #5. Unclear Parking restrictions along the east side of 142 nd St Existing parking restrictions along the east side of 142 nd Street do not clearly define the extent of the restricted areas. As a result, parents park in proximity to the driveways and at the crosswalk thereby blocking sightlines for traffic and pedestrians. Also, the use of No Parking signs may not be the most appropriate sign type to use in this situation as stopping for any length of time during the peak times should not be permitted. #6. Speeding Traffic along 142 nd St Speeding traffic, especially during the nonpeak school hours, is a valid concern at this school due to the straight road alignment and the steady downgrade of 142 nd Street from south to north in front of the school. Speed surveys were undertaken by the City on 142 nd Street and resulted in the 85 th percentile speed being recorded at over 50km/hr in both directions within the existing 30km/hr school speed zone. A copy of the survey is attached in Appendix A. Page 5 of 23

6 AVAILABLE OPITIONS Improving the safety around school sites is typically achieved by improving the infrastructure and improving driver behaviour. To achieve this requires the implementation of the 3E s engineering, education, and enforcement. To address the issues at Woodward Hill Elementary, the following options can be considered. ENGINEERING MEASURES - Short Term Options 1. Undertake Interim Intersection & Pedestrian Safety improvements at the 60 th Ave / 142 nd St Intersection At a recent Traffic Safety & Advisory Committee Meeting at the City the issue of traffic and pedestrian safety was raised regarding this intersection. A consultant s report from a recent review was discussed and various improvement options were presented. Major improvements such as a traffic signal or roundabout were considered to be possible treatments that could be constructed as development and City resources permit. In the interim, the City will be proceeding shortly with the installation of flashing beacons at the existing twoway stop controlled intersection along with the installation of a marked crosswalk to facilitate safe pedestrian crossing. The proposed interim improvements are outlined conceptually by Figure 3. Attached in Appendix C is a copy of the preliminary design drawing. Figure 3 Proposed 60 th Ave / 142 nd St Intersection Improvements Page 6 of 23

7 2. Monitor safety and operation in the school parking lot & place orange cones in critical areas The 22 stall parking lot and on-site pick-up / drop-off facilities are relatively small and are inadequate for a school of this size. An expected continual growth in student population is likely to exacerbate the level of congestion and illegal parking and double parking that is currently occurring. Double parking in school parking lot. It would be advisable that the school provide ongoing and regular reminders to parents through notices and verbally to offending drivers that parking in the centre of the lot and in the fire lane and driveway aisles are not safe activities and are not permitted. If non-compliance becomes an issue, then orange cones could be placed at critical locations to deter unsafe parking. Example of orange cone placement to deter parking 3. Install No Stopping 8am to 5pm school days signs along the west side of 142 nd Street Parking for school pick-up and drop-off activities should not be allowed to occur along the west side of 142 nd Street. The presence of a ditch next to the road shoulder prevents vehicles from safely parking without encroaching on the travel portion of the roadway. Jaywalking was observed to be a safety concern as students and parents crossed between parked vehicles. No Stopping signs should be installed and enforced during the peak school hours as shown by Figure 4. However, consultation with the school and local residents should be undertaken prior to installation. Parking along the west side of 142 nd St Page 7 of 23

8 4. Replace existing No Parking signs with No Stopping signs along the east side of 142 nd Street & improve signage placement Critical areas around the school driveways and crosswalk should be free at all times from sightline obstructions caused by parked vehicles. Therefore, the existing No Parking signs should be replaced with No Stopping signs and additional signs added to clearly outline the extent of the parking restrictions. Figure 4 outlines the coverage that the proposed No Stopping signs should clearly define. On-street parking could still be permitted between these No- Stopping zones. Figure nd St Proposed Parking Restrictions Parking signage is inconsistent on 142 nd Street in the vicinity of the school and should be clarified with consistent No Stopping signage as depicted by Figure 4. Inconsistent parking restriction signage at the crosswalk Page 8 of 23

9 5. Facilitate on-street parking on 61A Avenue An option to provide additional onstreet parking for pick-up and dropoff at this school could be to allow parking along the newly constructed 61A Avenue, as shown by Figure 5. This would have the advantage of encouraging students and parents not having to cross 142 nd Street. Currently some parents choose to park along the east side of the road and on 60A Avenue. Figure 5 Proposed On-street parking on 61A Ave & the east side of 142 nd St Intermediate to Long Term Options 1. Construct sidewalks as development occurs along 142 nd St Missing sections of sidewalk along 142 nd Street are being filled as residential development continues to occur in the area. As shown by Figure 6, there are a number of un-developed parcels of land that do not have sidewalk facilities at this time. Until such time as this land is developed it would be costly to construct sidewalks now as some sections require ditches to be filled in. Figure 6 Missing sections of sidewalks Page 9 of 23

10 In the interim, students should be encouraged to cross 142 nd Street at the existing marked crosswalk and use the existing sidewalk along the west side of 142 nd Street to access areas to the south of the school. Students walking to the north can use the existing wide shoulder area along the east side of the road. Looking NB along 142 nd St north of the school 2. Install speed humps along 142 nd Street in the 30km/hr school speed zone The results of a speed survey undertaken during non-peak school hours indicated that traffic in both directions is travelling substantially higher than the 30km/hr speed limit. A copy of the speed survey is attached in Appendix A and indicates that the 85 th percentile speed for both directions combined is 53km/hr within the 30km/hr school speed zone. This indicates that speeding is a valid concern for this school. 142 nd Street is a collector road and is therefore eligible for traffic calming measures under existing City policy. Once further development proceeds in the area, then the location of the speed humps can be determined. However, the timing will be dependant upon the progress of development. 3. Construct a Traffic Signal or Roundabout at the 142 nd St / 60 th Ave Intersection as development occurs & City resources permit As recommended by a recent traffic consultant study, major improvements are warranted at this intersection and should be undertaken as development in the area proceeds and the City is able to program capital improvements within budgetary constraints. Page 10 of 23

11 EDUCATION MEASURES 1. Parent Notices In conjunction with any of the engineering initiatives that may be implemented, it is important to reinforce the need to change driving and pedestrian behaviour with staff, parents, and students. Notices in the school newsletter distributed to parents and discussion at staff meetings would help clarify upcoming changes and explain the rationale behind them to all. In particular, the discouragement of stopping in the through lane of the pick-up / drop-off bay and parking in the centre of the school parking lot would assist in making these zones as efficient as they can be. 2. Behaviour Reminders During the initial stages of implementing changes, and periodically as required, it would be desirable to reinforce the changes by either school administration personnel or parent volunteers. The key behaviour issue for a successful pick-up and drop-off facility is for parents to remain in their vehicles so the zone clears out as fast as possible. Reminders to the parents wishing to walk into the school that they should park in the parking zones helps achieve this. Figure 7 - BCAA Poster Posters on the BCAA school safety website ( are also available for posting in the school. An example is shown in Figure Active Travel It should also be encouraged by the school for parents and students to use alternative forms of travel, bicycle or walk, and leave the car at home. Some form of incentive program and ongoing reminders may help to change behaviour to some degree that may benefit all with less traffic congestion in front of the school. 4. SpeedWatch In order to address the ongoing issue of speeding on 142 nd Street, and prior to installation of speed humps, the use of SpeedWatch provides the education reminder of the speed zones that exist. Page 11 of 23

12 ENFORCEMENT MEASURES 1. By-law Enforcement After a sufficient grace period for parents to understand how the newly implemented parking and pick-up / drop-off zones work, City By-law enforcement should follow up and actively enforce the No Stopping and pick-up / drop-off zones to encourage the highest degree of compliance possible. 2. Speed Enforcement Police enforcement of speeding along 60 th Avenue and 142 nd Street can be considered based on the results of the SpeedWatch monitoring. If needed combining active enforcement with SpeedWatch in an initiative sometimes called 3 Strikes & You Are Out is very effective in amplifying the benefits of future SpeedWatch visits. AVAILABLE OPTIONS & NEXT STEPS Short Term Options 1. Undertake Interim Intersection & Pedestrian Safety improvements at the 60 th Ave / 142 nd St Intersection 2. Monitor safety and operation in the school parking lot & place orange cones in critical areas 3. Install No Stopping 8am to 5pm school days signs along the west side of 142 nd Street 4. Replace existing No Parking signs with No Stopping signs along the east side of 142 nd Street & improve signage placement 5. Facilitate on-street parking on 61A Avenue Intermediate to Long Term Options 1. Construct sidewalks as development occurs along 142 nd St 2. Install speed humps along 142 nd Street in the 30km/hr school speed zone 3. Construct a Traffic Signal or Roundabout at the 142 nd St / 60 th Ave Intersection as development occurs & City resources permit Page 12 of 23

13 Education Options 1. Request that the school provide ongoing and regular reminders to parents and students through notices and verbally to comply with posted parking restriction signage and appropriate pick-up and drop-off activity in the parking lot. 2. Request the school encourage active travel by promoting alternative forms of transportation, such as cycling and walking to school. 3. Advise the school to use of SpeedWatch to provide the education reminder for drivers to slow down in the school speed zone along 142 nd Street. ENFORCEMENT MEASURES 1. Actively enforce the No Stopping and pick-up / drop-off zones by using City Bylaw Enforcement as needed. 2. Undertake Police enforcement of speeding along 142 nd Street as necessary. Page 13 of 23

14 Appendix A Traffic and Pedestrian Volume Count Summaries Page 14 of 23

15 TRAFFIC & PEDESTRIAN COUNTS 60A Ave / 142 nd St (in front of school) Page 15 of 23

16 TRAFFIC & PEDESTRIAN COUNTS 60 th Ave / 142 nd St Page 16 of 23

17 PEDESTRIAN CLASSIFICATION COUNT - 60A Ave / 142 nd St PEDESTRIAN CLASSIFICATION COUNT - 60 th Ave / 142 nd St Page 17 of 23

18 SPEED SURVEY 60A Ave / 142 nd St th (in front of school) NON PEAK Page 18 of 23

19 Appendix B Crosswalk Control Warrants Page 19 of 23

20 PEDESTRIAN CROSSWALK ANALYSIS 60A Ave / 142 nd St (in front of school) Page 20 of 23

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22 Appendix C Preliminary Design Drawing Intersection Improvements at 60 th Ave / 142 nd St Page 22 of 23

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