HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity of Tamarac Resolution R-2004-049Temp. Reso. # 10351
March 16, 2004
Page 1
CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA
RESOLUTION NO. R-2004 - Y9
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA, ADOPTING A TRAFFIC CALMING
POLICY; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS; PROVIDING FOR
SEVERABILITY; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
WHEREAS, the City of Tamarac desires to develop and follow sound traffic calming
policies and procedures; and
WHEREAS, the City has established a specific procedure for determining where
traffic calming devices can be installed to help mitigate the negative impact of speeding
and cut -through traffic on residential streets; and
WHEREAS, the City views the installation of traffic calming devices as the last step
in a comprehensive plan for reducing vehicle speed and discouraging cut -through traffic
movements in residential areas; and
WHEREAS, the City Manager and Director of Public Works recommend the
adoption of the proposed Traffic Calming Policy; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission of the City of Tamarac deems it to be in the best
interest of, the citizens and residents of the City of Tamarac to adopt the Traffic Calming
Policy, hereto attached as Exhibit 1.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA THAT:
SECTION 1: The foregoing "WHEREAS" clauses are hereby ratified and
confirmed as being true and correct and are hereby made a specific part of this Resolution
upon adoption hereof.
Temp. Reso. # 10351
March 16, 2004
Page 2
SECTION 2: The Traffic Calming Policy hereto attached as Exhibit 1 is
hereby adopted.
SECTION 3: All Resolutions or parts of Resolutions in conflict herewith are
hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict.
SECTION 4: If any provision of this Resolution or the application thereof to
any person or circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions
or applications of this Resolution that can be given effect without the invalid provision or
application, and to this end the provisions of this Resolution are declared to be severable.
SECTION 5: This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its
passage and adoption.
PASSED, ADOPTED AND APPROVED this 24" day of March, 2004
ATTEST:
MARION SWE SON, CMC
CITY CLERK
I HEREBY CERTIFY that
I have approved this
RESOLUTION as to form.
i
MITCHELL S.
CITY ATTORNEY
E SCHREIBER
MAYOR
RECORD OF COMMISSION VOTE:
MAYOR SCHREIBER
DIST 1: COMM. PORTNER
DIST 2: COMM. FLANSBAUM-TALABISC
DIST 3: COMM. SULTANOF
DIST 4: V/M ROBERTS
1
1
1
Temp. Reso. 10351
Exhibit 1
TAM9 City of Tamarac, Florida
Traffic Calming Policy
�oRto
I. Introduction:
The City of Tamarac recognizes that the conditions of residential streets can greatly
affect neighborhood livability and that properly placed and designed traffic calming
devices are an effective tool for reducing vehicular speeds and discouraging cut -
through traffic on residential streets. This policy will establish procedures for
determining where traffic calming devices can be installed to help mitigate the
negative impact of speeding and cut -through traffic on residential streets.
II. Purpose:
To establish a traffic calming policy that outlines the necessary procedure for
determining where traffic calming devices can be installed within the City of
Tamarac.
III. Definitions:
• Arterials -- A major highway primarily for through traffic.
• Collectors — Routes which collect and distribute traffic between local roads or
arterials roads and serve as a linkage between land access and mobility
needs.
• Cut -Through Traffic — Vehicles which neither have their origin or destination
in the area.
• Enforcement- Intensified enforcement of traffic regulations can calm traffic,
generally, by reminding drivers of posted speed limits and by enforcing the
observance of STOP signs and other traffic regulations. Deputy Sheriffs are
the usual source of intensified enforcement.
• Traffic_ Calming Devices — Traffic calming devices are traffic engineering
measures that are intended to reduce vehicle speed and/or reduce cut -
through traffic. There is an extensive "menu" of traffic calming devices,
which may include the following actions or combination of actions:
■ Speed Hump —A raised section across a roadway designed to permit
safe speed and deter excessive speed on a residential roadway.
Narrow Streets - Narrowing streets lowers the speed that most drivers
find reasonable and comfortable (the "design" speed). Narrowing is
done through reducing the pavement width, adding parking to the
street, or adding a median.
Deflecting Paths - Deflecting the vehicle path causes the driver to
reduce speed and be more attentive to the task of driving. Deflection
is done through changing the route of the automobile. Some
measures apply at mid -block locations, while others are most
appropriate for intersections.
Single Lane Use - Single lane usage is an effective way to slow traffic
and raise the attention level of drivers. This can be accomplished by
reducing lane width to one lane, for two-way travel. Single lane usage
can be introduced by selecting short sections of roadway either at
mid -block locations or intersections.
■ Diverting Travel Routes - Diverting the driver's route increases travel
time and encourages the driver to use another route. Traffic diverters,
street closures, one-way streets, median closures and turning
movement restrictions are primary examples of diversion.
Changes to Pavement Surface: - Changing the pavement surface
demands attention from drivers, and reduces the speed for
comfortable driving (the "design" speed). Speed humps, paver blocks
and special pavement materials are among the most frequent
approaches to changing the pavement surface.
Traffic Control Devices: - Traffic control devices, where warranted, can be
used to regulate traffic patterns. Traffic control devices generally fall under
the jurisdiction of Broward County. Traffic control devices such as traffic
signals and Four -Way Stop signs cannot be used strictly for traffic calming
purposes.
• Trafficways Plan — The official plan of the arterial and collector network
(roadways) for Broward County that reserves rights -of -way. Some
trafficways are yet to be built.
• Speeding — For purposes of this program, speeding is defined as the
condition that exists when the 85th percentile speed of traffic on a street
exceeds the posted speed limit.
IV. Policy:
A. The installation of traffic calming devices shall be viewed as a last step in a
comprehensive plan for reducing vehicle speed and for discouraging cut -through
traffic movements in a residential area. Prior to the installation of a traffic
calming device, the City shall review the feasibility of using less intrusive
measures, such as installation of additional signs, traditional pavement striping
and marking, intensified enforcement of traffic regulations, etc. If implemented,
the City, in conjunction with residents, shall reevaluate the effectiveness of those
measures six months after implementation. Based on this evaluation, a final
decision will be made on the installation of traffic calming devices.
B. Traffic calming devices shall be installed or removed according to this policy and
the specific design criteria outlined below. Requests for traffic calming devices
shall be directed in writing to the City Engineer for approval subject to the
provisions included herein. Private streets will not be considered for control
under the guidelines of this policy.
C. Traffic calming devices may be installed in residential areas (local roads or
streets) provided all of the following conditions are met. Roads and/or streets,
which are classified or could be classified as COLLECTOR or ARTERIAL roads
will not be considered for traffic calming under the guidelines of this policy.
D. Streets indicated on the Broward County Trafficways Plan are not eligible for
traffic calming devices.
E. Streets with a posted speed limit greater than 30 mph are not eligible for traffic
calming devices under this program.
F. Emergency vehicle access must be preserved. Police, fire, and emergency
service officials may disqualify a street from consideration based on emergency
access concerns.
G. The cut -through traffic or speeding problem can be identified by the City
through traffic counts, speed surveys, and projections of future traffic impact in
accordance with long-range development plans for the area.
H. Traffic calming devices shall not be installed on any street with a current count of
less than 750 vehicles per day. The City may remove traffic calming devices at
any time in the future if the traffic count for the Street exceeds 5,000 vehicles
per day. The City may request a traffic count from Broward County Traffic
Engineering Division to determine current level of traffic on the roadway in
question.
The City shall be responsible for engineering review and cost of installing
approved, budgeted traffic calming devices. Signing and pavement markings
may be done by Broward County. The City Commission may establish an annual
budget for the purpose of installing traffic calming devices. Once the annual
budget has been fully encumbered for a given budget year, the following
alternatives are left as options to the affected area residents who desire traffic
calming devices.
a. Waiting list (first come, first serve) for the next budget year
b. Neighborhood Association funding
V. Traffic Calming Request and Processing Procedure
The standard procedure for implementation of traffic calming devices consists of the
following:
A. Step 1: Initiation
The traffic calming request and processing procedure outlined in this
policy will begin with a neighborhood request. A minimum of five
signatures from the owners of five separate properties in the
neighborhood will be required to initiate a study.
B. Step 2: Petition
A petition form for obtaining neighborhood consensus will be issued by the
Engineering Division to the person initiating the request (contact person).
The contact person will receive a map highlighting the area subject to
petitioning as determined by the Engineering Division.
The contact person is required to obtain signatures of at least 67 percent
of all property owners in the affected area indicating favorable
consideration of a traffic calming project before traffic calming devices can
be considered for approval (the 67 percent affirmative vote applies to the
total number of affected properties, not the number of votes returned).
Each affected property owner shall be counted as one vote, regardless of
the number of separate properties owned. In the case of multiple owners,
only one vote shall be counted for that property. The contact person
should list all vacant property within the affected area on the petition as
vacant.
The contact person will have 90 days from date of receipt to return
completed petition forms. Petitions not received within the 90-day period
will be deemed null and void, and no further action will be taken. Positive
identification may be requested by the City to confirm signature and
address of the petitioner. Signatures are final and may not be added or
removed from a petition once the petition has been received by City Staff.
If a location fails to achieve the necessary petition majority within the
signature period, the location shall not be reconsidered for a period of two
years from the date the signature period expires.
Where applicable, the petition shall be endorsed by an officially
incorporated homeowners association for the subdivision or development.
C. Step 3: Traffic Engineering Study
The City Engineering staff may request assistance from a private
consultant and/or Broward County Traffic Engineering to conduct a traffic
study of the area in question. The traffic study will usually include a 24-
hour volume count and a 24-hour speed study. Other tasks may be
included in the study as directed by the Engineering Division.
D. Step 4: Engineering Staff Analysis/Classification
Engineering staff will analyze traffic data, field information and other
available information pertaining to a particular area of concern in
determining appropriate traffic calming measures for our recommendation.
When it is determined that there are other potentially impacted local roads
or streets in the area, additional traffic studies on those other roads or
streets may be conducted.
As a result of the traffic studies, road or street Class I or Class II criteria
(and applicable measures) are determined as follows:
a. Class I: Non -qualifying Roadway
Volume -- A weekday daily volume of less than 750 vehicles.
Remedial Action: None.
Speed - Measured 85th percentile, speed less than 10 miles per hour
above the posted speed.
Remedial Action: The Engineering Division may request the Broward
Sheriff Office increase enforcement on a random basis during the
hours when the majority of the speeding violations seem to occur.
b. Class II: Qualifying Roadway
Volume — A weekday daily volume greater than 750 vehicles; and
Speed - Measured 85th percentile speed of 10 miles per hour or
greater in excess of the posted speed.
Remedial Action: The Engineering Division may request the Broward
Sheriff Office increase enforcement on a random basis during the
hours when the majority of the speeding violations seem to occur.
Petition for traffic calming will be considered.
c. Other
The City may use other site -specific factors to determine whether a
roadway should be considered for traffic calming.
E. Step 5: Neighborhood Workshop
If the area of concern meets the minimum criteria outlined in this
document, City staff will schedule a neighborhood "workshop" meeting
with the affected residents to review the results of the preliminary studies
and to receive comments on the preliminary/conceptual design of the
proposed traffic calming plan.
F. Step 6: Recommendation to City Manager
Upon receipt of a petition with the required minimum percentage of
affirmative signatures together with supporting data from traffic
analysis/study and neighborhood "workshop" meeting, the staff's
recommendation will be presented to the City Manager for consideration.
G. Step 7: Project Design
Following approval and scheduling, City staff will initiate the design and
implementation process for the proposed traffic calming devices. The City
engineering staff may request assistance from a private traffic engineering
consultant firm in developing a design for the proposed traffic calming
devices. Design will be based on best engineering practices, consistent
with proven national and legal standards.
H. Step 8: Installation of Traffic Calming Devices
Upon approval by the City Manager and the confirmation of availability of
funds, the installation of traffic calming devices will be scheduled. The
contact person (as defined in step 2) will be notified with the proposed
construction schedule.
VI. Removal of Traffic Calming Devices
A petition for removal of traffic calming devices may be accepted provided that
all of the following conditions are met:
• Traffic calming devices must be in place for a minimum of two years.
• The owners of five separate properties in the neighborhood must sign a
request for a removal petition.
• City staff recommendations must support the removal of traffic calming
devices.
• The new petition must include the same affected area as the original,
including any new development constructed within the affected area since
the original petition was filed.
• Approval of 67 percent of the property owners in the original affected area is
required for consideration by the City for removal of traffic calming devices.
If a location fails to achieve the necessary petition majority within the
signature period, removal shall not be reconsidered for a period of two years
from the date the signature period expires.
VII. Application Forms
Traffic calming devices can be requested by individual citizens or by
neighborhood associations. The person(s) making the request are
responsible for circulating the petition form, obtaining signatures of the
property owners within the petition area, and completing the application form.