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HomeMy WebLinkAboutO-1998-2274 e . ORIGINAL ORDINANCE NO. 98- 2274 AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A TRAFFIC HUMP POLICY FOR THE CITY OF LA PORTE; FINDING COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS LAW; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE HEREOF. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LA PORTE: Section 1. The City Council of the City of La Porte hereby adopts a Traffic Hump Policy for the City of La Porte, in form attached hereto as Exhibit "A", incorporated by reference herein, and made a part hereof for all purposes. section 20 The City Council Officially finds, determines, recites, and declares that a sufficient written notice of the date, hour, place and subject of this meeting of the City Council was posted at a place convenient to the public at the City Hall of the ci ty for the time required by law preceding this meeting, as required by the Open Meetings Law, Chapter 551, Texas Government Code; and that this meeting has been open to the public as required by law at all times during which this ordinance and the subject matter thereof has been discussed, considered and formally acted upon. The City Council further ratifies, approves and confirms such written notice and the contents and posting thereof. section 3. This Ordinance shall be effective from and after its passage and approval, and it is so ordered. PASSED AND APPROVED, this 24th day of August, 1998. By: 2L~ Mayor ~ it · :If). J Ma tha A. GJ.lle!lt1fl. City Secretary ~_/ t ~/1 Knox W. . Askins City Attorney . EXHIBIT A CITY OF LA PORTE TRAFFIC HUMP POLICY e OR'GiNAL e e ORIGINAL TRAFFIC HUMP INSTALLATION POLICY AND GUIDELINES A. FINDING OF PURPOSE Residential neighborhoods are adversely impacted by prevalent occurrences of excessive speed. Traffic humps can be an effecti ve and appropriate device for safely reducing vehicle speeds on certain types of streets when installed in accordance with the provisions of this policy. B. GENERAL In order for traffic hump installations to be effective, they should be located selectively in accordance with defined traffic engineering criteria for the purpose of alleviating documented speeding problems. Proper installation will also minimize driver frustration and encourage safe driving practices. This policy promotes reasonable opportunities for residents and property owners most affected by a proposed traffic hump to participate in the process that leads to its installation. C. DEFINITIONS AND RULES OF INTERPRETATION "APPLICANT" refers to the designated representative for the residents petitioning for installation of the traffic hump. "APPLICATION" for traffic humps includes the petition. "DIRECTOR" refers to the Department head appointed by the City Manager to administer this Policy. "LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL DWELLINGS" include single-family houses, townhomes, duplexes, fourplex structures. dwellings triplexes in and "NEIGHBORHOOD" is that area adjoining the street which either fronts on the street or adjoins the street, with or without direct driveway access. "PRIMARY ROUTE FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES" refers to a route that is heavily used by police, fire, emergency services and other emergency response vehicles due to the proximity of the emergency vehicle facility. "SPEEDS" are 85th percentile speeds as determined by a City- conducted or supervised traffic engineering study according to accepted traffic engineering practices. e e O~IGINAL "STREET" refers to the street length that must be petitioned. It is a 400-foot segment generally centered on the proposed location of the hump(s), or the length of the block, whichever is greater. If the 400-foot segment extends into any part of an adjacent block, it includes the entire length of the adjacent block, unless separated by an intervening thoroughfare, traffic signal, stop sign or offset intersection. "TRAFFIC HUMP" is a geometric design feature of a roadway, consisting of a raised area in the roadway pavement surface extending transversely across the pavement, the primary purpose of which is to reduce the speed of vehicles travelling along that roadway. All other terms are as defined in the city Code of Ordinances. D. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS All of the following criteria must be satisfied for a street to be considered eligible for traffic hump installation: 1. Property Usage: The properties located within the neighborhood where the traffic hump is proposed must be primarily developed for, and used as, low-density residential dwellings. 2. Operational Characteristics of the Street: a. The street must be used to provide access to abutting low-density residential properties (local residential street) and/or to collect traffic for such streets (residential collector). b. There must be no more than one moving lane of traffic in each direction. c. Traffic volumes must be less than 3,000 vehicles per day. d. The street must have a posted or prima facie speed limit of 30 miles per hour or less, as determined in accordance with State law. e. The 85th percentile vehicle speeds must equal or exceed the speed criteria of 35 miles per hour. f. The street must not be an identified primary route for emergency vehicles. These routes are subj ect to change. e e ORIGINAL 3. Geometric Characteristics of the street: a. The street must have adequate sight distances to safely accommodate the traffic hump as determined by the Director. i. All traffic humps are to be marked as provided for in the Texas manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices supplemented with signage and markings as the Director deems necessary and appropriate. b. The street must not have curves or grades that prevent safe placement of the hump(s). Humps may be located on streets that contain curves and/or grades, but the hump itself must not be located within a horizontal curve, or on a vertical grade greater than 8% or on their immediate approaches. c. The street must be paved. If no curbs are in place, a specific design must be used to prevent vehicle run-arounds. E. GENERAL PROCEDURES The following procedures are to be followed in determining the eligibility of a traffic hump installation and having the installation approved or denied. 1. Requests for traffic hump installations will be received twice per year, from October 1 to October 30 and April 1 to April 30 in the office of the Director. 2. A written request for the installation must be submitted by at least three (3) residents (Applicant) to the Director. 3. Upon receipt of the request, the Director will make a preliminary determination as to whether the street is eligible for consideration under established eligibility requirements, using available transportation data. Traffic counts and speed studies will not be performed at this time. a. If the street is determined not to be eligible, the Applicant will be notified in writing by the Director, stating the reason for denial. The decision of the Director is final. b. If the street is determined to be eligible for consideration, the Director will arrange a meeting with the Applicant and affected residents to define the petition area and the approximate traffic hump(s) location(s). At this meeting, the Director e e OR\GINAL and the Applicant will review the petition and other requirements. The Director will also provide at least one copy of the petition form, which must be used. c. The City will give notice that traffic under consideration through the use hangers, local newspaper announcements means to ensure that affected residents of the proposed installation(s) . humps are of door and other are aware 4. The petition must document that a minimum of two-thirds of the households in low-density residential dwellings in the neighborhood support its installation. a. The signature of only one adult member of each household will be counted on the petition. d. The petition must include the address of each person signing the petition. e. By signing the petition, residents gi ve advance approval to installation of traffic humps in front of their property, together with necessary signage and no parking requirements. This provision will be prominently stated on the petition form. S. The Applicant must submit a petition on forms provided by the Director. a. Upon receipt of the petition, the Director will verify that the petition is adequate. i. If the Director determines that the petition is not adequate, a written notification of that determination will be provided to the applicant, explaining the inadequacy. 6. After verification of the petition, the Director will conduct the necessary traffic engineering studies to determine the traffic volumes and 85th percentile speed, and solicit comments and recommendations of other agencies, which may be impacted by the proposed traffic hump installation. a. Such agencies may include, but are not limited to, La Porte lSD, La Porte Police and Fire Departments, La Porte EMS, and La Porte Public Works Department. b. Traffic engineering studies will be conducted for a minimum of a twenty four-hour period. The applicant will be encouraged to indicate a weekday or weekend preference for the traffic study to be performed. e e ORIG\NAL c. Unless the Director determines that the original count did not represent normal conditions or in case of malfunction of the traffic counting device, recounts will not be performed for a period of one (1) year. 7. The Director will consider the comments, recommendations and results of all studies for determination as to whether the street is eligible for traffic hump installation. a. If the street is determined not to be eligible, the Applicant will be notified in writing of the decision, stating the reason for denial. The decision of the Director is final. b. Denied requests may not be resubmitted for a period of one (1) year. c. If the street is determined to be eligible, the street will be placed on a list of streets eligible for traffic hump installation. d. Approved traffic hump requests will be installed as permi tted by the available budget. Should funds not be available, the installation will be placed on a list for up to three (3) years. F. TRAFFIC HUMP LOCATION 1. The Director will determine the final location of all traffic humps in accordance with the guidelines of this Policy and safe traffic engineering principles. 2. Traffic humps may be located in front of residences that have signed the petition. Traffic humps will not be placed in front of residences that have not signed the petition, unless the Applicant secures written permission from the affected resident. 3. Subsequent occupants of homes where traffic humps have been placed may not request their removal, except as outlined in Section G. of this Policy. 4. The street must have adequate sight distances to safely accommodate the placement of the traffic hump as determined by the Director. 5. Traffic humps will normally be placed between 200 and 600 feet apart. Other spacing may be used based upon engineering judgement. The following guidelines will be considered when determining traffic hump placement. . e OR\G\NAl a. On single, short blocks (300 to 500 ft), a single hump positioned near midpoint is usually sufficient. b. On single blocks of moderate length (500 to 1,000 ft), a two-hump configuration is adequate. c. On long blocks (over 1,000 ft), three or more humps may be necessary. d. On lengthy continuous street segments or for humps provided over a series of blocks, interior humps may be placed 400 to 600 feet apart. e. Traffic humps shall not be located in front of a driveway or within 100 feet of an intersection. 6. Traffic humps should not be located over, or contain, manholes or storm sewer inlets or be located adj acent to fire hydrants. For humps located near drainage inlets the hump should be placed just downstream of the inlet. 7. The advantage of existing or planned street lighting should be considered when determining hump locations. 8. Placement of no-parking signs wi thin 50 feet of traffic humps may be necessary to ensure warning signs are visible. G. TRAFFIC HUMP REMOVAL AND ALTERATION The City Council may authorize removal or alteration of traffic humps. With the exceptions stated herein, the process for traffic hump removal or alteration by residents is the same process for installation. 1. A petition to remove a traffic hump may not be submitted within one year of the installation. 2. The City of La Porte may initiate removal or alteration of traffic humps with final approval by the City Council. H. DESIGN STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES The Director shall prepare and maintain current design standards and installation procedures for traffic humps in accordance with this policy. I. REASSESSMENT The City staff will reassess this Policy on an annual basis for three years from the effective date of adoption of this policy. The first reassessment is due one year after the installation of the first traffic hump under the provisions of this policy. . . ORIGINAL PETITION FOR INSTALLATION OF TRAFFIC HUMPS We, the undersigned, do hereby petition the City of La Porte to install traffic humps along the section (s) of street specified herein. By signing this petition, I certify that I am authorized to sign the petition on behalf of my household and agree to and understand the provisions of the Traffic Hump Policy. I FURTHER AGREE THAT BY SIGNING THIS PETITION, I GIVE APPROVAL FOR THE INSTALIATION OF A TRAFFIC HUMP IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE, AS WELL AS ANY NECESSARY SIGNS AND NO-PARKING ZONES THAT MAY BE REQUIRED. Street: From: To: Number of affected homes Signature Name (print) Address and phone no. Who is the contact person for this request? Name: Address: Telephone: Please record all unoccupied (vacant) dwellings in the petition area. Also, note if there are any schools, parks, churches or other institutions on the street. Thank you. Return the completed petition to City of La Porte, P.O. Box 1115, La Porte, Texas 77572-1115.