SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL Edgewood Elementary School Existing Conditions and ACTION PLAN << DRAFT 05/24/17>> Oak Creek - Franklin Joint School District
Table of Contents CONTEXT Enrollment Boundaries Enrollment Density Basic Information Campus Layout Travel Patterns 04 05 06 07 07 AUDIT Traffic Conditions & Crash Analysis Walk Audit Summary Assets and Challenges 08 09 09 FINDINGS Recommendations by Location Plan Legend Recommendations by Type 10 11 12
01 Enrollment Boundaries CONTEXT Elementary school enrollment boundaries. 4
Enrollment Density Edgewood Elementary School enrollment density. 5
Basic Information Edgewood Elementary School Principal: John Krenek Health and Physical Education: Thomas Dorlack Grades: PK-5 Number of Students: 453 Arrival Time: 7:50 a.m. Dismissal Time: 3:05 p.m. Surrounding Land Use Edgewood Elementary School is bounded by E Groveland Drive to the north, S Shepard Avenue to the east, and E Puetz Road to the south. Oak Creek High School is directly west of the Edgewood Elementary School campus; the two schools share athletic facilities. East Middle School is located less than one mile away to the south, near S Chicago Road. Several multi-family apartment complexes are located directly south of the school campus. Senior housing is located across Puetz Avenue to the south of the school. Single-family residential development is located along the north and east of the school. The nearest public library is located one mile to the northwest. The Oak Creek Community Center and the Howell Plaza Shopping Center are located one block west along S Howell Avenue. Howell Avenue includes restaurants and convenience stores such as Starbucks and Panera Bread within walking distance of the campus. Existing Infrastructure Conditions Sidewalks are present on the south side of Groveland Drive, both sides of Shepard Avenue, and both sides of Puetz Road. All residential neighborhoods have sidewalks on at least one side of the street except Verdev Drive and Valbeth Drive. A paved trail connects Henry Miller Park to the high school and elementary school sports arenas. There are high-visibility pedestrian crossings available at Groveland Drive and Shepard Avenue at the northeast corner of campus. A mid-block striped pedestrian crossing with a flashing school crossing beacon is located just south of the school across Puetz Road. School D DR TZ RD S OAK V DR S HERITAGE C Edgewood Elementary School S SHEPARD AVE Aerial view of Edgewood Elementary School Campus. S GOLDEN FIELD E PU crossing signage is located along Puetz and is also present along Groveland. School speed limit signs indicate a posted speed limit of 15 miles per hour when children are present. Supervised Crossing Locations There are adults who help students get onto buses and who monitor the main door at arrival and dismissal. One adult is present at the Shepard and Groveland crossing. 6
Campus Layout Edgewood s main entrance is on the east side of the building, facing the horseshoe driveway. Students who depart by bus exit from the west side of the building towards the paved area in the rear of the school. Buses enter the parking area off of Groveland and park in diagonal stalls. All buses release the children at the same time when the arrival bell rings. Parent vehicles pick up on the east side of the school in front of the main entry. Parents enter the pick up area from Shepard Avenue through a one-directional circle drive. Parents have a family number displayed on their car and school staff help guide children to the correct parent vehicle. The parking lot to the south of campus is reserved for faculty and staff during school hours. MAIN ENTRANCE BICYCLE RACK BUS CIRCULATION PARENT DROP OFF CIRCULATION Aerial view showing designated bus and drop off zones. Travel Patterns Current Mode Share The entire school submitted travel tallies for three consecutive days during the week of November 15, 2016. From the numbers submitted by the school, it was determined that between 77 and 87 students walked and zero students biked to school, for an average of 82 students walking and biking each day out of 453 enrolled students. Overall, approximately 18% of Edgewood Elementary School students walk to school. Parent Survey Summary (Not yet administered) View of pedestrian crossing at northeast main entrance drive. 7
02 AUDIT Traffic Conditions & Crash Analysis Pedestrian and bicycle-involved crashes within a one-half mile radius of campus, 2005 to 2016. Assessment Crash data obtained from the City of Oak Creek was mapped by the location of each incident. These data were analyzed by collision type, including crashes between motor vehicles and bicycles and crashes between motor vehicles and pedestrians. Between 2006 and 2015, there were two collisions involving a motor vehicle and bicycle and five collisions involving a motor vehicle and pedestrian within a one-half mile radius from Edgewood Elementary School. Both bicycle crashes occurred along Shepard Avenue, one at Puetz Road and one at E Forest Hill Avenue. All five pedestrian crashes occurred along Puetz Road between Howell Avenue and S Oak Park Drive. There was one pedestrian crash that occurred just over one-half mile from campus at the intersection of Shepard Avenue and E Park Boulevard. 8
Walk Audit Summary Walk Audit Conditions Date: 11/17/2016 Day of the Week: Thursday Time: 7:25 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.; 2:35 p.m. Weather: Clear, Sunny, Warm Participants: Rudy Uumbs, David Maier, Matt Sullivan More than 100 students walked to campus. Adult crossing guards with safety equipment directed students and parents across nearby intersections. Some parents parked along Groveland Drive to walk their students to the front building entrance. Six buses departed students in the rear parking lot where no other vehicles were permitted to drop off students. Parents dropped off students using the southern staff parking lot, the front driveway loop, and along Shepard Avenue, causing traffic to back up on Shepard Avenue. It was unclear how students walking home from school exited the building and left campus. Buses lined up in the rear parking lot; students were loaded one bus at a time and left once fully loaded. Parents picking up students used the front driveway loop where faculty and staff brought students to their family vehicles using an assigned display number system. View of bike rack on campus. Assets and Challenges Several assets and challenges have been identified. These assets and challenges include both programming and infrastructure and are listed below. Specific programming and infrastructure recommendations are detailed in the following Findings section within this existing conditions report. Assets High-visibility pedestrian crosswalks and crossings Presence of crossing guards Proximity to single-family and multifamily housing Proximity to high school Proximity to trails that run through much of the enrollment boundary area Enrollment boundary largely minimizes need for students to cross E Puetz Rd or S Howell Avenue Challenges Campus is located at the far southern side of the school enrollment boundary area Currently existing trail crossing signage and signals may not be sufficient Potentially hazardous conditions and parent congestion near front of school 9
03 FINDINGS Recommendations Plan E VALBETH DR S VERDEV DR GRIFFIN AVE E GROVELAND DR I3 S HERITAGE CT S DEER RIDGE PASS M1 M4 I2 E DEER RIDGE PASS 11th AVE S GOLDEN FIELDS DR S MAIZE DR M2 I3 M3 S GOLDEN FIELDS DR S MAIZE DR S2 S SHEPARD AVE AMBER LN E PUETZ RD I3 I1 E PUETZ RD S1 S OAK PARK DR S LIZANNE E STONEGATE DR 10
Legend Route Identified for improvement Walk Boundary Intersection Improvements Park & Walk Intersection Improvements Wayfinding & Programming I1 I2 I3 High-visibility crosswalks and intersection improvements Curb extensions, high visibility crosswalks, raised crosswalks and RRFB High-visibility crosswalks, possible RRFB M1 M2 Signage Add hour parking restrictions along west side of Shepard Avenue Signage Add hour restrictions for left hand turns into driveway loop Sidewalk M3 Drop Off Area Install Do Not Enter signs, STOP signs for existing vehicles S1 S2 Trail connection. Create a connection from Oak Leaf Trail to the sidewalk network. Possible at Puetz Road Trail connection. Create a trail connection from the existing sidewalks along Puetz Road to the south entrance M4 Park & Walk This a potential Park and Walk location for parents to drop students, who will engage in a 1/4 mile walk 11
03 FINDINGS Infrastructure This plan recommends several infrastructure improvements, including intersection enhancements, the addition of missing sidewalks, and increasing posted signage. Intersection enhancements will make crossing the street safer for students as well as enhance ADAcompliance and allow for the resurfacing and repainting of crosswalks that need maintenance and repair. Recommended intersection improvements include rectangular rapid flash beacons (RRFB), high-visibility crosswalks, curb extensions, and raised crosswalks. For a full description of each of these improvement recommendations, please see the Infrastructure Reference Guide in Appendix A. High-visibility crosswalks with intersection improvements are recommended at the intersection of Puetz Road and Shepard Avenue. Curb extensions with raised high-visibility crosswalks and Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFB) are recommended at the intersection of Shepard Avenue and Maize Drive. High-visibility crosswalks with possible RRFBs are recommended across Groveland Drive immediately north of the high school track facility, across Shepard Avenue at the front driveway loop, and across Puetz Road at Oak Park Drive. Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFB) are useractivated crossing devices that, when in use, flash rapidly and brightly to alert drivers of a pedestrian or bicyclist crossing. Recommended sidewalk improvements include creating a connection from Oak Leaf Trail to the sidewalk network and possibly at Puetz Road. It is also recommended to create a trail connection from the existing sidewalk along Puetz Road to the south entrance. Additional signage is needed to facilitate the movement of vehicles into and out of the campus parking lot and the driveway loop located at the front of the school building. This signage will instruct parents and bus drivers on the proper procedures to promote the safety of students arriving and departing campus by all modes. High-visibility crosswalks are visible to drivers from a distance, and indicate to motorists where they can expect to see pedestrians. 12
Programming This plan includes a variety of programming recommendations to promote the safety of all students arriving and departing from Edgewood Elementary School. These recommendations include: Establish Park and Walk locations for students Equip crossing guard patrol Establish Walking School Bus program Crossing guards are trained adults, paid or volunteer, who are legally empowered to stop traffic to assist students with crossing the street. A potential Park and Walk location has been identified for the students at Edgewood Elementary School. This location is along Deer Ridge Pass west of Shepard Avenue. Park and Walk programs are designed to encourage families to park several blocks from school and walk the rest of the way to school to allow students who may live too far away or have to cross hazardous traffic to participate. Park and Walk programs help improve safety and reduce traffic congestion at the school as fewer parent vehicles will be circulating in the campus area. The crossing guard patrol should be equipped with safety equipment, including paddles, vest, and high-visibility gear for all weather and/or seasons. Members of the patrol should also be trained on where to be stationed each day and when to allow students to cross. As Edgewood Elementary School already has a high percentage of students walking to and from school, additional programming may help sustain these healthy habits, such as implementing a walking school program. Park and Walk programs expand participation to students who may otherwise not participate due to distance or hazardous routes. A Walking School Bus is a group of children walking to school with one or more adults. Parents can take turns leading the bus, which follows the same route every time and picks up children from their homes or bus stops at designated times. A Walking School Bus can be as informal as a few parents alternating to walk their children to school, but often it is a well-organized, PTA-led effort to encourage walking to school. 13