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 ,
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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�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.
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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
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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.
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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 °
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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.
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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.
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Until that time, the existing pedestrian crossing at Canada
Avenue should be left in place, marked as it is currently.
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