Lake Whitney Elementary School

Lake Whitney Elementary School

SCHOOL ROUTE PLAN For LAKE WHITNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOCATION 18 ORANGE COUNTY Prepared for: ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS Traffic Engineering Division 4200 South John Young Parkway Orlando, Florida 32839 Contract No.: Y4-903B HNTB No. 42268 Prepared by: Lake Mary, Florida August 14, 2006 Professional Engineer: Josiah Banet, P.E. P.E. No. 63971

School Route Plan-Lake Whitney Elementary School TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...1 1. INTRODUCTION...3 2. EXISTING CONDITIONS...5 3. QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT... 8 4. RECOMMENDATIONS... 22 APPENDIX FIGURES, EXHIBITS, and TABLES FIGURES Figure 1 - Project Location Map... 4 Figure 2 School Boundary Map...9 Figure 3 School Route Plan Map... 10 Figure 4 Condition Diagram: North School Entrance and Windermere Road... 13 Figure 5 Condition Diagram: Roberson Road at Windermere Road... 15 Figure 6 - Conceptual Improvement Diagram... 24 EXHIBITS Exhibit 1 - Windermere Road at Windermere Crossing Circle/School Entrance... 18 Exhibit 2 - Windermere Road at Windermere Crossing Circle/School Entrance... 19 Exhibit 3 - Roberson Road at Windermere Road... 20 Exhibit 4 - Roberson Road at Windermere Road... 21 TABLES Table 1 - Field Inventory...5 Table 2 - Summaries of Vehicular Volumes...6 Table 3 - Summaries of Pedestrian & Bicycle Volumes...7

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HNTB Corporation was retained by Orange County Public Works to conduct a School Route Plan Study for Lake Whitney Elementary School located at 1351 Windermere Road, 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 bicycle access to the school is safe and efficient. 2. A sidewalk is recommended along the western side of Windermere Road south of the school to allow pedestrians to walk to the school crossing at the north school entrance. 3. A school crossing advance warning sign with an AHEAD sign is recommended along northbound Windermere Road to the south of the school crossing at the north school entrance. This sign will serve to remind northbound drivers that although they have passed the south school entrance, the school crosswalk is ahead at the north school entrance. 4. Remove the old school crosswalk warning signs at the school crossing located at the north school entrance and replace with updated school crossing warning signs that include an arrow pointing to the crosswalk location. 5. Crosswalks need to be repainted at the Roberson Road crossing location at the Wesmere and Belmere subdivision entrances. 6. A crosswalk needs to be added at the Roberson Road entrance of the Belmere subdivision to connect the sidewalk to the east and west of the entrance. 7. A school crossing sign with an arrow is recommended at the Roberson Road exit from the Wesmere subdivision to alert residents of crosswalk outside the neighborhood gate. 8. The school crossing sign panel needs to be replaced on the existing sign post at the school crossing location on Roberson Road. 9. The speed indicator that accompanies the 20 mph school zone sign with flashing beacons along northbound Windermere Road approach is stuck on 1 MPH, and needs to be reset. 10. The school crossing sign panel needs to be replaced on the existing sign posts on Windermere Road at Brookestone subdivision entrance. 11. Add a Signal Ahead sign on southbound Windermere Road before sharp curve that is upstream of Roberson Road intersection. 12. Consideration should be given to reducing the speed limit on Roberson Road between Windermere Road and Maguire Road to be consistent with the surrounding roadways. 13. Modifications to the signal timing at Roberson Road and Windermere Road is recommended during school hours to incorporate a split phase allowing WB Roberson

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 2 Road left turning traffic to clear the intersection during a signal cycle. This movement queues up during the pick up and drop off school periods. A left turn lane or left turn signal at the Windermere Road/Roberson Road signal should also be considered. 14. A right turn lane is recommended on Northbound Windermere Road to accommodate the carpool traffic at the south school entrance. 15. Sidewalk should be provided on school property to connect to George Bailey Park sidewalk to the sidewalks on the school grounds.

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 3 1. INTRODUCTION HNTB Corporation was retained by Orange County Public Works to conduct a School Route Plan Study for Lake Whitney Elementary School located at 1351 Windermere Road, 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 2003), the Manual on Uniform Traffic Studies (MUTS), and Orange County guidelines and procedures.

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 4 Figure 1 - Project Location Map

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 5 2. EXISTING CONDITIONS Lake Whitney Elementary School is located in Western Orange County on Windermere Road approximately 0.25 miles south of Roberson Road. Significant features for the study location are summarized below: Feature Table 1 - Field Inventory Description School Name Lake Whitney Elementary School Address 1351 Windermere Road Orlando, FL 34787 407-877-8888 School Hours 8:45 AM- 3:00 PM (2:00 PM Wednesday) Student Enrollment 1,040 Primary Roadway Access Roberson Road Two-lane primary access road east of Windermere Road. Becomes Stoneybrook West Parkway, a four lane road, west of Windermere Road. Posted speed limit: 45 mph east of Windermere Road; 35 mph west of Windermere Road Sidewalks: Both sides of roadway west of Windermere, on the south of the roadway east of Windermere Road. Intermittent sidewalk on north side of roadway to the east of Windermere Road. No street lighting Windermere Road Two lane arterial with left turn lanes at the intersection Posted speed limit: 35 mph Sidewalks: Both sides of roadway north of the school entrance, east side only south of the school entrance No street lighting Pedestrian and Bicycle Access to Sidewalk to the north of the school entrance, and south of the school School at the parent pick up loop. Sidewalk leading from the adjacent park. Carpool Access to School Southern driveway along Windermere Road Bus Access Northern driveway along Windermere Road Guarded School Crossings Windermere Road at the Bus Loop entrance (Northernmost East Driveway) School entrance is stop controlled. School crossing warning signs on all approaches School zone digital speed limit signs with flashers on Windermere Road Crossing guard provided during school times Roberson Road at Wesmere and Belmere entrances Neighorhood entrances are stop controlled. School crossing warning signs on all approaches School zone digital speed limit signs with flashers on Windermere Road Crossing guard provided during school times Other Facilities Sidewalks are provided along most roadways in adjacent neighborhoods within the walk zone. Reduced Speed School Zones On Windermere Road south of the school entrance to south of Roberson Road On Roberson Road east of Windermere Road and west of Maguire Road

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 6 Vehicular, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Volumes Two-hour turning movement counts were conducted at the intersection of Roberson Road and Windermere Road and at Windermere Road and Lake Whitney Elementary School Entrance. The counts were conducted from 8:15 to 9:15 AM and 2:30 to 3:30 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 Windermere Road at Roberson Road Windermere Road Roberson 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: 815 to 915 Vehicles 48 160 122 330 49 182 33 264 52 181 54 287 133 126 56 315 Busses 1 7 1 9 0 5 0 5 1 2 3 6 1 1 0 2 Total 49 167 123 339 49 187 33 269 53 183 57 293 134 127 56 317 Afternoon Departure: 1330 to 1430 Vehicles 31 136 102 269 64 123 34 221 15 128 27 170 112 149 60 321 Busses 2 4 1 7 0 2 1 3 1 0 1 2 1 7 0 8 Total 33 140 103 276 64 125 35 224 16 128 28 172 113 156 60 329 Approaches Windermere Road at School Entrance Windermere Road School Entrance Direction Northbound Southbound Eastbound Westbound Movement L T R TOT L T R TOT L T R TOT L T R TOT Morning Arrival: 815 to 915 Vehicles 12 285 1 298 27 315 10 352 17 1 29 47 6 1 23 30 Busses 0 3 1 4 6 2 0 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 7 Total 12 288 2 302 33 317 10 360 17 1 29 47 7 1 29 37 Afternoon Departure: 1430 to 1530 Vehicles 6 288 2 296 25 228 32 285 14 3 9 26 7 1 20 28 Busses 0 1 1 2 4 0 0 4 1 0 0 1 2 0 5 7 Total 6 289 3 298 29 228 32 289 15 3 9 27 9 1 25 35

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 7 Table 3 - Summaries of Pedestrian & Bicycle Volumes Roberson Road at Windermere Road Total 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 Total 1:30 1:45 2:00 2:15 AM 0 0 0 0 0 PM 0 0 0 0 0 AM 0 Windermere Road AM Total 6 0 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 0 PM 0 Total AM 0 8:15 4 0 8:15 0 0 8:30 8 2 8:30 11 0 8:45 1 2 8:45 0 0 9:00 1 2 9:00 0 0 AM PM Total 14 13 Stoneybrook West Parkway Total AM PM 11 0 1:30 0 0 1:30 0 0 1:45 3 0 1:45 0 0 2:00 0 13 2:00 0 0 2:15 0 0 2:15 0 0 Total PM 3 Total PM 0 Windermere Road Total 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 Total 1:30 1:45 2:00 2:15 AM 1 0 0 1 0 PM 0 0 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 1 AM 1 0 0 1 0 PM 1 Roberson Road Windermere Road at Lake Whitney School Entrance Total 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 Total 2:30 2:45 3:00 3:15 AM 26 0 15 8 3 PM 87 27 78 2 0 AM 107 Windermere Road AM Total 2 2 3 74 8 Total 4 10 7 0 PM 21 Total AM 3 8:15 0 0 8:15 1 0 8:30 0 2 8:30 9 3 Windermere Crossing Circle 8:45 0 0 8:45 5 0 9:00 0 0 9:00 0 0 AM PM Total 0 0 Total AM PM 15 1 2:30 0 0 2:30 0 0 2:45 0 0 2:45 0 0 3:00 0 0 3:00 1 1 3:15 0 0 3:15 0 0 Total PM 0 Total PM 1 Windermere Road Total 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 Total 2:30 2:45 3:00 3:15 AM 0 0 0 0 0 PM 0 0 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 0 AM 0 0 0 0 0 PM 0 School Entrance

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 8 3. QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT Lake Whitney Elementary School is located on Windermere Road, approximately 0.25 miles south of Roberson Road. The school serves children who live in adjacent neighborhoods along Windermere Road and as well as children who live in neighborhoods adjacent to Roberson Road. The entire school zone does not fall within the two mile walk zone of the school. Orange County currently provides bus service for children that live outside the two mile walk zone of Lake Whitney Elementary. Figure 2 illustrates the school zone boundaries, two-mile walk radius, and existing bus stops for Lake Whitney Elementary School. Bus service is currently provided to neighborhoods along the east side of CR 535 and to the east of Maguire Road within the school zone. Figures 3 and 4 are School Route Plan maps of the area within the two-mile walk limit where school bus service 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 vehicle, 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. Sidewalks A majority of the children that walk or bicycle to the school live in the adjacent subdivisions of Windermere Crossing, Wesmere, Belmere, and the Reserve at Belmere. Sidewalks are provided within these subdivisions and along the walking routes to the school. It should be noted that while sidewalks are provided along Windermere Road and Roberson Road, at times sidewalks are only available on one side of the roadway. The sidewalk is discontinuous along the western side of Windermere Road across from the school and along the north side of Roberson Road between Windermere Road and Maguire Road. On one instance, a student was observed wheeling his backpack in the grass along Windermere Road because of the lack of sidewalk on the west side of the road. It is recommended that the sidewalk along the west side of Windermere Road in front of the school be extended to the south. School Crossings Along the walking route for students to Lake Whitney Elementary School, there are two locations where crossing guards are present. These locations were: On Windermere Road at the north school entrance On Roberson Road at the entrance to Wesmere and Belmere subdivisions The intersection of Windermere Road at the north school entrance was observed during the morning and afternoon school hours. The crossing guard mainly oversees pedestrian and bike crossings to and from the school across Windermere Road. This is the main pedestrian entrance to Lake Whitney Elementary School. Many of these pedestrians are from the Windermere Crossing subdivision, which has an entrance directly across from the school at this location. Red striping is provided on both sides of Windermere Road for the designation of a safe standing distance from the vehicular traffic. The school crosswalk warning signs at this crossing are the older signs, which display the crosswalk on them.

9 N Lake Whitney Elementary School 2 Mile Walk Zone Legend School Zone Boundary School School Bus Stop Traffic Signal Figure 2 School Boundary Map

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 12 The main safety concerns at this location include the speed of travel of passing vehicles, which typically is above the posted school zone speed limit of 20 mph, and the occasional vehicle not stopping for the crossing guard. While 20 mph school zone flashers are present to the north and south of the crossing, the flashers south of the crossing are south of the southern school entrance, which is designated for car riders. Therefore, once northbound traffic passes the southern school entrance, drivers tend to think that the school zone is over, and some are somewhat surprised as they arrive at the pedestrian crossing at the northern school entrance. Figure 4 illustrates the conditions at north school entrance on Windermere Road. A school crosswalk advance warning sign with an AHEAD sign is recommended to be placed along northbound Windermere Road south of this pedestrian crossing to remind drivers that this is the main crossing for students across Windermere Road. Recommend replacing the old school crosswalk warning signs that contain the crosswalk with new school crosswalk warning signs that include an arrow pointing to the crosswalk location. A second crossing guard is stationed along Roberson Road at the entrance to the Belmere and Wesmere subdivisions. The students and parents crossing Roberson Road at this location are primarily from the Wesmere subdivision, located on the north side of Roberson Road. The speed of passing vehicles on Roberson Road is the main concern at this crossing. A DARE officer routinely enforces the school zone speed limits through this section of Roberson Road which keeps speeds in check during those periods. However, in his absence, vehicular speeds increase. The crosswalks at this school crossing are beginning to look worn and faded. There is also a need for a crosswalk at the entrance to Belmere to connect the sidewalk on both sides of the entrance. A school crosswalk sign with an arrow is needed at the exit from Wesmere neighborhood to inform the residents leaving the neighborhood that a school crosswalk exists. The school crossing sign panel was missing from the sign post on eastbound Roberson Road. Crosswalks at this school crossing need to be repainted and A crosswalk is recommended at the entrance to Belmere. A school crossing sign with an arrow is recommended at the exit from the Wesmere neighborhood. Replace the missing pedestrian sign panel along eastbound Roberson Road at the crosswalk in front of the Belmere and Wesmere entrances. Traffic Conditions Traffic along Windermere Road and Roberson Road typically operates at free flow conditions. Heavier traffic occurs during school drop off and pick up times. The main traffic concerns are related to vehicular speeds through the school zones during school drop off and pick up times. Along Windermere Road there are 20 mph school zone signs with flashing beacons and speed indicators to the north and south of the school entrances.

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 14 The speed indicator associated with the 20 mph school flasher along northbound Windermere Road south of the school is currently broken, showing a constant 1 mph speed. On Windermere Road north of Roberson Road, pedestrian crossing panels are missing at the entrance of Brookestone subdivision. There is a sharp curve along Windermere Road just to the north of the signalized intersection with Roberson Road. This curve hinders sight distance along the southbound approach to this signalized intersection, which includes pedestrian crossings. The posted speed limit along Roberson Road of 45 mph is not consistent with the surrounding roadways. For example, to the west of the Roberson Road intersection with Windermere Road the speed limit drops to 35 mph. The speed limit along Windemere Road is 35 mph. On Roberson Road there are 20 mph school zone signs with flashing beacons and speed indicators to the east and west of the pedestrian crossing at Wesmere and Belmere neighborhood entrances. This school crossing speed limit of 20 mph is significantly lower than the posted normal speed limit of 45 mph, making it difficult for many drivers to reduce their speeds appropriately. Reset the 20 mph school zone sign with flashing beacons along northbound Windermere Road, as the speed indicator is set to 1 mph continuously. Replace pedestrian crossing panels at crossing across Windermere Road at the Brookestone subdivision entrance. Add a signal ahead sign on southbound Windermere Road before the curve to give advanced warning that a signalized intersection immediately follows the curve. Consider reducing the speed limit along Roberson Road between Windermere Road and Maguire Road to be in line with the surrounding roadways. Traffic counts were taken at the intersection of Windermere Road at Roberson Road during the morning and afternoon school hours. It is a signalized intersection with shared right-thruleft lanes on all approaches. The following observations were made: The traffic signal operates in actuated mode throughout the day. With the exception of the heavy westbound left turn movement during school times, the intersection operates efficiently with minimal queuing or delay. During school arrival and departure periods, a queue develops on the westbound Roberson Road approach due to left turning school traffic. In the morning school hours the westbound left turn lane is the heaviest movement along that approach. Consideration should be given to providing a split phase cycle giving exclusive green time to westbound Roberson Road traffic allowing left turning traffic to turn protected during school hours. Alternatively, a left turn lane would allow school traffic to be removed from the thru lanes of Roberson Road. Figure 5 illustrates the existing intersection of Roberson Road and Windermere Road.

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 16 School Operations Lake Whitney Elementary School was observed during the morning and afternoon hours to assess the operations of children entering and leaving the school. The following observations were made: Pedestrians and bicyclists mainly utilize the sidewalk on the west side of the school along Windermere Road to access the school. A majority of the pedestrians and bicyclists are accompanied by parents. The main pick-up spot for parents to pick up walkers and bike riders is the northwest corner of the school. Pedestrian and bicycle access to the school is safe and efficient. There are two main entrances to Lake Whitney Elementary School, both along Windermere Road. While both entrances allow access to the school, their parking lots do not connect. Busses enter the school via the north entrance and drop the children off on the west side of the school. This operation was observed to be safe and efficient and with no observed conflicts between busses, vehicles, or pedestrians. After school care vans also utilize the bus loop at the north school entrance. Car riders are dropped off and picked up on the south side of the school via the south entrance. Carpool vehicles enter at the south entrance and circulate around the parking lot to the front of the school where the children are dropped off and picked up. During the drop off and pick up periods, carpool traffic backs up onto Windermere Road. On southbound Windermere Road a left turn lane is provided at the entrance for school traffic. This left turn lane accommodates the queues that develop during the peak drop off and pick up periods. For northbound Windermere Road traffic, a right turn lane is not provided and right turning vehicles now stop traffic along northbound Windermere Road while they wait to enter the school parking lot to drop off students. As a consequence, some northbound thru traffic will cross over into the southbound lanes to go around the stopped right turning traffic, resulting in a potential conflict point. A right turn lane is recommended on northbound Windermere Road at the south entrance of the school to keep carpool traffic from stopping traffic along northbound Windermere Road. While not an official drop off site, the George Bailey Park on Roberson Road serves as another drop off and pick up location for Lake Whitney Elementary. This park is connected to the north side of the school property. A sidewalk within the park leads up to the school fence. While there is a gate allowing travel between the park and the school, there is not a connecting sidewalk on the school property side of the gate to connect to the park sidewalk. Therefore students must cross over grass to get to the sidewalks on the school property. Students from the neighborhoods along Roberson Road are the main users of this park to access the school grounds.

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 17 It is recommended a sidewalk be provided that connects the existing George Bailey Park sidewalk with the existing sidewalks on school property. This improvement would be on the school property Photographs of the school entrance and the intersection of Roberson Road at Windermere Road are included in Exhibits 1 to 4.

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 18 Exhibit 1 - Windermere Road at Windermere Crossing Circle/School Entrance Looking west along School Entrance into Windermere Road Looking east along Windermere Crossing Circle into Windermere Road

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 19 Exhibit 2 - Windermere Road at Windermere Crossing Circle/School Entrance Looking north along Windermere Road into Windermere Crossing Circle/School Entrance Looking south along Windermere Road into Windermere Crossing Circle/School Entrance

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 20 Exhibit 3 - Roberson Road at Windermere Road Looking west along Roberson Road into Windermere Road Looking east along Roberson Road into Windermere Road

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 21 Exhibit 4 - Roberson Road at Windermere Road Looking north along Windermere Road into Roberson Road Looking south along Windermere Road into Roberson Road

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 22 4. RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the results of the results of the analysis, the field observations and engineering judgment, the following improvements are proposed: 1. Pedestrian bicycle access to the school is safe and efficient. 2. A sidewalk is recommended along the western side of Windermere Road south of the school to allow pedestrians to walk to the school crossing at the north school entrance. 3. A school crossing advance warning sign with an AHEAD sign is recommended along northbound Windermere Road to the south of the school crossing at the north school entrance. This sign will serve to remind northbound drivers that although they have passed the south school entrance, the school crosswalk is ahead at the north school entrance. 4. Remove the old school crosswalk warning signs at the school crossing located at the north school entrance and replace with updated school crossing warning signs that include an arrow pointing to the crosswalk location. 5. Crosswalks need to be repainted at the Roberson Road crossing location at the Wesmere and Belmere subdivision entrances. 6. A crosswalk needs to be added at the Roberson Road entrance of the Belmere subdivision to connect the sidewalk to the east and west of the entrance. 7. A school crossing sign with an arrow is recommended at the Roberson Road exit from the Wesmere subdivision to alert residents of crosswalk outside the neighborhood gate. 8. The school crossing sign panel needs to be replaced on the existing sign post at the school crossing location on Roberson Road. 9. The speed indicator that accompanies the 20 mph school zone sign with flashing beacons along northbound Windermere Road approach is stuck on 1 MPH, and needs to be reset. 10. The school crossing sign panel needs to be replaced on the existing sign posts on Windermere Road at Brookestone subdivision entrance. 11. Add a Signal Ahead sign on southbound Windermere Road before sharp curve that is upstream of Roberson Road intersection. 12. Consideration should be given to reducing the speed limit on Roberson Road between Windermere Road and Maguire Road to be consistent with the surrounding roadways. 13. Modifications to the signal timing at Roberson Road and Windermere Road is recommended during school hours to incorporate a split phase allowing WB Roberson Road left turning traffic to clear the intersection during a signal cycle. This movement queues up during the pick up and drop off school periods. A left turn lane or left turn signal at the Windermere Road/Roberson Road signal should also be considered.

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School 23 14. A right turn lane is recommended on Northbound Windermere Road to accommodate the carpool traffic at the south school entrance. 15. Sidewalk should be provided on school property to connect to George Bailey Park sidewalk to the sidewalks on the school grounds. Figure 6 have been included on the following pages to illustrate these recommendations.

School Route Plan- Lake Whitney Elementary School APPENDIX