Title
Request for Approval ro rescind Traffic Control Order TM-25.1 "NO LEFT TURN" from eastbound Valley Stream Drive onto Livernois Road at their intersection between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Body
Mr. Shumejko read the staff report. At the August 14, 2007 Advisory Traffic and Safety Board (ATSB) meeting, City staff brought forth the request from the Valley Stream Homeowner's Association to install a "No Left Turn" (NLT) sign for eastbound Valley Stream Drive at Livernois. The request originated from concerns related to "cut-through" traffic resulting from the eastbound Walton Boulevard traffic turning left onto Rochdale Drive north to Greenleaf Drive to Valley stream Drive to head north on Livernois Road. The home owners' association (HOA) stated that vehicles use Rochdale Drive N to get to NB Livernois to avid having to use the median island turnaround at Walton and Livernois.
Due to the construction work along University Drive in the City of Rochester, the ATSB along with staff's recommendation, approved the installation of the NLT sign between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on a temporary basis throughout the duration of the construction project via TCO-25. The TCO was issued on July 11, 2007. At the August 14, 2007 ATSB meeting, several requests were made to staff to complete prior to bringing this issue back to the Board:
1. That a compliance study be done within the next two weeks.
2. Request enforcement by the Oakland County Sheriff's Department (OCSD).
3. The sign be installed until construction is completed on Walton Boulevard/University, approximately November 2008. At that point a review of the intersection and surrounding area is made to see if the traffic flow is working as expected. If not, the appropriate study is done to determine what will resolve the situation.
4. Gather the traffic crash data.
5. Verify that the sight distance at the intersection is adequate, as well, for the crest in Livernois Road.
Compliance studies were done for the left turn movements.
Date/Time LT Vehicles RT Vehicles Total Vehicles
05/28/2008 30* (40.5%) 44* (59.5%) 74
11/11/2008 23 (41.8%) 32 (58.2%) 55
*Includes one bus
Chairperson Colling asked if these were illegal left hand turns with the sign up, and Mr. Shumejko confirmed that they were.
Mr. Shumejko continued with the staff report. "OCSD has provided selective enforcement on a very limited basis due to staffing levels and prioritization schedules. Traffic crash data was obtained from thImprovementIprovement Association (TIA) for the period of January 1, 2005 to August 31, 2008. The data revealed that two crashes occurred in October of 2007 that were both attributed to an animal collision. The intersection sight distance was investigated off Streamwood Drive looking north toward the crest in the hill along Livernois. The measured available sight distance was measured to be 503 feet. The minimum required safe corner sight distance for a two-lane road with a posted speed of 40 mph is 445 feet per the Road Commission standards. "The 503 feet of available sight distance also meets the minimum safe sight distance for a two-lane road with a posted speed of 45 mph at 500 feet.
Construction of University Drive concluded this past October. Recent traffic counts were taken during the period of Tuesday, November 11 to Thursday, November 14, 2008.
Location EB (VPD) WB (VPD)
Greenleaf 310 108
Valley Stream Drive 328 243
Summary
Based upon the high non-compliance rates for eastbound Valley Stream Drive vehicles complying with the "No Left Turn" restriction signage and the relatively low traffic voumes along Valley Stream when compared with those of other typical subdivisions, which may be as high as 1,500 VPD, staff recommends the removal of the NLT sign.
Staff did send out meeting agenda notices to all of the residences within Valley Stream Subdivision about the schedueld ATSB meeting. It should be noted that prior to its installaion, staff did indicate to the HOA that the installation of trafic signage usually has minimal affect in changing driver behavior and often times is ignored. The effectiveness of signage invariably comes down to the level of enforcement, which the Oakland County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) can realistically only be expedted to enforce periodiclly due to staffing commmittments and prioritizations. Staff has and continues to encourage the HOA to pursue the installation of speed humps, as these provide a permanent feature in the roadway to help reduce speeds and potentially decrease cut-through trafffic.
Conslusion
Staff requests the Advisory Traffic and Safety Board to support rescinding TCO TM-25, and the Board recommends the city Council approve rescinding the TCO.
Mr. Shumejko said that they had also included correspondence from two residents, Patricia Connolly and Robert Hoffman, requesting the signs be removed, the non-compliance study data, and a map.
Chairperson Colling opened the matter up for public comment, saying he had received two cards from residents who wished to apeak. He called the first up to the microphone.
Mr. Dennis Teschendorf
1240 Greenleaf Drive
Rochester Hills, MI 48309-1723
Mr. Teschendorf said he had listened to the numbers in the data presented toght and the low volumes of traffic, which he was not sure could be attributed to the NO LEFT TURN sign. Prior to that in three additional studies the trafic volumes were more in the neighborhood of 550. He believed that when Livernois was being worked on the number of vehicles was in excess of 2,000. The sign has reduced, or at least it is the perception in the neighborhood that it has reduced, the amount of cut-through, high speed, uninvited traffic. It has not stopped it completely, but it definitely has had an effect on improving the neighborhood.
It does create some concerns about making a left-hand turn for those that care, but as you are saying if you really want to make a left-hand turn you can because the police aren't enforcing it. The fact that the sign is there does seem to have a deterrent factor. It is like one of those NO THROUGH TRAFFIC signs that you don't enforce, but if you have a conscience you don't do it.
He said they have noticed that a lot less traffic seems to be cutting in off of Walton, on to Rochdale, down Greenleaf, cutting around to Valley Stream and then back on to Livernois and out to avoid the Micigan left at the intersection of Walton and Livernois. Even though your numbers suggest low traffic, we applaud you for putting in the sign that has caused that. We think you have done an excellent job, but we think you have left out a lot of important facts as far as how the sign has grealty reduced the traffic from the previous three studies you have done over the past seven years. He has gotten a lot fewer complaints from residents, and it has quieted down all the issues at their neighborhood board meetings. It works, it is a good sign, and it does cut down on cut-through traffic. It has benefited the neighborhood, and he thought a majority of the residents preferred it.
Mr. Franklin asked him what route he took to get from his house to shop at Papa Joe's. Mr. Teschendorf responded that he went to Livernois, made a right turn to the Walgreen's store, made a Michigan left and continued on. he agreed with Mr. shumejko's data and had witnessed many cars making a left turn there, but he tried to set the example and make the Michigan left, which takes him all of 30 seconds more.
Ms. Shelby MacFarlane
1375 Oakrock Lane
Rochester Hills, MI 48309-1728
Ms. MacFarlane said she had to disagree witht the previous speaker. All the residents are not in agreeement, which is why you have a 40% non-compliance rate. If you make your Michigan left you have to go a quarter mile down and a quarter mile back. The problem began when they put the new intersection in and they put a boulevard there, which was unnecessary. They they set it up so that no one could make a left turn off of Walton onto Livernois. A Michigan left ordinarily is not a problem, except where you turn to make your Michigan left you are coming out at the same point people are coming out of the Koger shopping center at a light. So you have a situation where there are near misses with people making their right and people making their left, and during rush hour heavy traffic there are a whole lot of people who naturally want to avoid that mess and go to Rochdale and cut through the subdivision.
Chairperson Colling asked her if she was talking about going eastbound on Walton Boulevard and making that turn around, which she confirmed. She thought if they put in a left turn signal there and allowed people going east on Walton to make their left onto Livernois it would create a much better traffic flow, and would also solve the problem in the subdivision. Whether they could do this or not, or even bring it up to the powers that be she was not sure, but that NO LEFT TURN sign is an impediment more than it is a help. She agreed that now Walton Boulevard was open all the way down University Drive, the sign should be removed. Not everyone agrees that it should be there. She lives on the street that leads to Long Meadow School, so between buses and cars, she knows what traffic is.
Chairperson Colling asked if there was anyone else present who wished to speak.
Ms. Jaquelin Weinberg
1009 Valley Stream Drive
Rochester Hills, MI 48309-1730
Ms. Weinberg said she was at tonight's meeting with her neighbor, Ms. Gertrude Glazier, and they happened to live right at Valley Stream and Livernois. She said she was the first house on Valley Stream Drive, and the side of Ms. Glazier's house faces that intersection. It has been a huge inconvenience having the sign there. As frustrating as it was to have all the trafic coming through the subdivision during construction, the fact that we have the sign there which is not enforced, if you pull up there and you want to go north on Livernois you have to feel guilty about doing it. She figures with her luck she would be the one that does get the ticket. She said she went north on Livernois a lot, especially between the hours of four and seven, not just Monday through Friday but on the weekends as well. It is a hindrance. Cars are also backed up in front of her house, which makes it hard to get out.
The situation has improved since the contruction is over with, and the pattern of people cutting through has decreased. She felt that removing the signs at this point would be an enhancement to the subdivision rather than a hindrance.
Ms. Glazier asked who did the traffic surveys. Mr. Shumejko responded that City staff did. They put the traffic counters out to collect the traffic volume data. Mr. Matich parked along the side street in the subdivision and manually did the compliance study. Ms. Glazier asked if the study would determine which way the traffic was traveling on Livernois. Mr. Shumejko replied that the manual study was visually done. Mr. Matich sat out there in a car and recorded the information. Mr. Matich said the no left turn restriction is for a three-hour period and he sat there from 4:00 to 6:00. He noted in the report that three cars making the right actually made a U-turn on Livernois to go back to the west.
Chairperson Colling announced he would close the public hearing at this point. He addressed Mr. shumejko and Mr. Matich, saying that one factor they had not thought about that may account for the reduced amount of cut-through trafic was the reopening of Squirrel Road. Mr. Shumejko said there were a lot of variables, including the closing of Whole Foods.
Chairperson Colling said at this point the only advantage he could see to the left turn restriction was that it made it a safe egress onto Livernois. He recommended that the Board go ahead and approve the recommended traffic control order with the stipulation that they revisit the matter and see if the accident data significantly increased for this intersection. If there is a situation whereby making that left turn is increasing the accident rate he would put the NO LEFT TURN sign back in. Mr. Shumejko stated that there were no accidents except two car/deer collisions. Chairperson Colling said if there was no significant increase in accidents it showed the sign was not warranted.
Whereas, Traffic Control Order No. TM-25 has been issued by the Acting City Traffic Engineer under provisions of the Rochester Hills Code of Ordinances, Chapter 7-09; and
Whereas, said Traffic Control Order covers:
TM-25.1 "NO LEFT TURN: from eastbound Valley Stream Drive onto Livernois Road at their intersection between the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Whereas, said Traffic Control Order shall not be effective after the expiration of 90 days from the date of issuance, except upon approval by this Council; and
Whereas, the Advisory Traffic and Safety Board has considered the issues pertaining to the Traffic Control Order and recommends that the Order be approved;
Resolved, that the Rochester Hills City Council approves the issuance of Traffic Control Order No. TM-25 to be in effect until rescinded or superseded by subsequent order; and
Be It Further Resolved, that a certified copy of this Resolution be filed together with the Traffic Control Order, with the City Clerk of Rochester Hills, Oakland County, Michigan.