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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.a. Canada Avenue / Country Road 42 Traffic Study Report TRAFFIC STUDY COUNTY ROAD 42 THE VICINTTY OF CANADA AVENUE SEH FILS NO. 89068 , � � -- � � i TRAFFIC STUDY COUNTY ROAD 42 THE VICINITY OF CANADA AVENUE : BACKGROUND Initiallg County Road 42 followed 145th Street through the downtown Rosemont area. Because of traffic volumes and tra£fic conflicts, County Road 42 was relocated to the south of the then built up area of Rosemont, following roughly 15Dth Street. It was designed as a high speed, 4-lane expressway with traffic controls at major intersections. As the City of Rosemont has grown, development has taken place on the south side of County Road 42. Much af the development close. to County Road 42 has been commercial. PEDESTRIAN$ Pedestrians are generally attracted by three basic types of land use, schools, parks and playgrounds, and commercial development. In Rosemont, there are no schools or parks which draw pedestrians across County Road 42. However, the commercial development is quite an attraction for pedestrians. McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Diary Queen, and convenience stores are ma�or generators of ped�strian traffic. _ - Pedestrians generally originate in the residential areas north of County Road 42 and must cross County Road 42. Three basic paths are available for pedestrians. They may utilize the pedestrian path along Chippendale Avenue and cross at the existing traffic signal. Pedestrians may also use T.H. 3, although currently it lacks any pedestrian facilities. There is the opportunity to cross County Road 42 at the 4-way stop controlled intersection. - 1 - Many pedestrians use Canada Avenue and the pedestrian connection between Lower 150th Street and County Road 42. They then can cross at the Canada Avenue intersection which is directly ad�acent to most of the pedestrian generators. Access along County Road 42 on the north side is limited basicaily to intersections and the pedestrian access at Canada Avenue. Pedestrians can cut through private yards or through a City owned parcel west of Chippendale Avenue. However, access is � significantly limited. , On the south side, pedestrians have continual access to County Road 42. This means they can approach County Road 42 and cross at almost any location that they desire. TRAFFIC VOLUMES AND CONTROLS Traffic volume on County Road 42 is currently ?800 vehicles per day. It is anticipated that this valume will grow to 9200 vehicles per day by the 2010. This volume is low enough so that gaps can be found in traffic and pedestrians can cross at virtually any location with only a small delay. However, the � 1 m i hi h nou h so that crossin can be hazardous. By voue s g e g 1 comparison, County Road 42 in Appie Valley carries a significantly higher volume of traffic and pedestrians are seldom found crossing except at controlled intersections. This is primarily _because pedestrians cam not find adequate gaps without traffic cantrols such as traffic signals. The only traffic signal in this stretch of County Road 42 is at Chippendale Avenue. It is anticipated that a signal will be installed at the Highway 3 intersection with the upgrading of Highway 3 in the next several years. A traffic signai at Canada Avenue is currently not �ustified by traffic volumes. Even with full development oE the commercial and industrial area along Canada Avenue, the traffic volumes may not be high enough to - 2 - �ustify a signal in the future. Even if volumes were high enaugh, coordination between the Canada Avenue signal and the signals at Chippendale and at Highway 3 would have to be coordinated. This may create operational problems and delays on the cross street and in the left turn lanes�. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS With the pedestrian attractions spread along County Road 42 and the potential for continual access from pedestrians across County Road 42, some type of sidewalk or trail system along the road is �ustified. � If a trail or sidewalk were placed on the south side of County Road 42 from Chippendale Avenue to Highway 3, pedestrians fram McDonalds, Pizza Hut and other facilities could utilize the sidewalk to a particular crossing point across the street from access into the residential area to the north. This could either be Chippendale Avenue or Canada Avenue. A sidewalk on the south side without a sidewalk on the north side would encourage pedestrians to utilize the south side sidewalk to crosswalk and .a sidewalk leading into the residential area. With sidewalks on only one side, pedestrians' may be less inclined to cross diagonally at midblock locations since they would then be � forced to walk either in the road or on a grass surface on the north side. A sidewalk on the north side would work to the disadvantage of pedestriarrs. Pedestrians desiring to reach the Pizza Hut would have a sidewalk on the opposite side of the street as the Pizza Hut and would be forced to walk on the grass on the south side of County Road 42, or travel down Canada Avenue to the south access road to the Pizza Hut, or cross County Road 42 directly opposite the Pizza Hut. With the continual access on the south side and limited access on the north side, a sidewalk on the north side would encourage midblock crossings. _ 3 _ It has been suggested that a fence be instalied on the north side of County Road 42. The ob�ect is to force pedestrians to either Chippendale Avenue or T.H. 3 so that they may use a controlled intersection. A fence placed along the entire north side between Chippendale Avenue and T.H. 3 would force a certain number of pedestrians to reroute themselves to gain access across County Road 42. Pedestrisns on Canada Avenue would have to travel several blocks west and back to reach McDonalds. A pedestrian route through Camfield Park to Highway 3 couid also be utilized. Because of the length of the alternate route, fencing all of the existing Canada Avenue access would probabiy reduce the number of pedestrians crossing County Road 42. However, it would more likely encourage bike riders to use the Chippendale intersection and potentially use County Road 42 for access back to the Canada Avenue area. Thus any type of a fence would require installation of a sidewalk along the south side for bikes and for pedestrians. Similar installations of fences to prohibit pedestrians have not been totally successful where there is a long reroute. Younger pedestrians are adept at climbing fences and there have been a number of actual instances where the fences become a challenge. Students at a high school built wooden steps to gain access over a fence. Fences have also been cut to gain access. With a 6 convenient route on Canada Avenue through the residential area terminati.ng at lower 150th Street and within sight distance of the golden arches, it is very likely that pedestrians wiil somehow gain access across the fence. The City is faced with a problem if it provides a fence. It must be assumed there will be no pedestrians and the cross walk markings, pedestrian warning signs and other devices on County Road 42 should be removed. The pedestrians who are energetic enough to climb the fence will have no protection and motorists will have no warning of pedestrians. Leaving the signs would encourage the pedestrians to climb the fence. - 4 - It is possible to also reduce traffic volumes in the Canada Avenue intersection by closing the median. Left turning traffic to and from Canada Avenue would be rerouted. Volumes in the intersection would be reduced by up to 2000 vehicles per day. There will also be less congestion in the intersection and less conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles. Westbound motorists desiring to turn onto Canada Avenue would be forced to travel to Chippe�dale Avenue and come back via 151st Street. The alternate route is to use Highway 3 to its intersection with Canada Avenue. This additional travel could be ° , disadvantageous to the commercial establishments in the area. � However, a similar situation exists on Highway 55 in Hastings where traffic must travel past the McDonalds to a cross street and then return via a frontage road. It is also possible to merely restrict northbound left turns from Canada Avenue to County Road 42. This would eliminate the movement with the most conflicts in the intersection, but the total volume reduction might be less than 1000 vehicles per day. , The alternate route would be to utilize Canada Avenue, 151st Street and Chippendale Avenue. Since many of the motorists in the area are local residents and familiar with the street system, this may not create a ma�or problem. Problems associated with either full or partial closing of access at Canada Avenue are the additional volumes anticipated on Chippendale Avenue and 151st Street, the confusion which normally results fro�n a median closure in a commercial area, a reduced expectation of County Road 42 motorists for pedestrians or vehicles in a partial intersection and the economic consequences of reduced access. - 5 - SIGNING AND MARKING A review of existing traffic signs and pavement markings in the area indicates that little additional benefit could be gained by additional signing. Pedestrian crossing and advance warning signs are in place on both sides of each approach to the intersection as well as the signing and pavement markings at the intersection. SUGGESTIONS The solution with the most potentiai for improvement to the pedestrian circulation in the area is to provide a sidewalk or trail on the south �ide of County Road 42 from Highway 3 to Chippendale Avenue. This would serve to collect pedestrians from the many access points and the many pedestrian generators along County Road 42 and provide them with a convenient access to the two controlled intersections and the marked Canada Avenue crossing. With the proposed reconstruction of Highway 3, pedestrian facilities shouid be provided from the downtown area to County Road 42 connecting to the sidewalk on County Road 42. This will provide a direct walking route through a controlled intersection. The City could consider marking bike rQutes or providing a trail system from Canada Avenue through Camfield Park to Highway 3 and along a combinat3on of streets to Chippendale Avenue. This, coupled with a educational process in the school system and by parents to encourage chiidren and other pedestrians to utilize Chippendale Avenue or Highway 3 across County Road 42, should significantly reduce the volume of pedestrian traffic at Canada Avenue. Once the alternate route system is in place, consideration can again be given to closing the Canada Avenue access to Highway 3. - 6 - Until that time, the existing pedestrian crossing at Canada Avenue should be left in place, marked as it is currently. I � � i I � ( I � _ � _