Dallas Avenue Traffic Calming -...

Dallas Avenue Traffic Calming

Department of Mobility

and Infrastructure

Katy Sawyer, P.E., Project Engineer

Craig Toocheck, Staff Engineer

August 1, 2018

South Dallas Ave characteristics:

• Focus area: Wilkins to Forbes

• 30 feet wide

• About 8,000 vehicles/day

• Speed limit 25 MPH

• Median speed ~37 MPH

• Parking lane on west side,minimally used

• Cemetery on east side

SAFE CROSSINGSCrosswalk Policy + Traffic Calming

• Elements like high-visibility crosswalks and pedestrian refuge islands can, under the right conditions, slow traffic speeds and make crossing the street safer and easier.

A concrete pedestrian refuge island provides a place to wait and slows traffic (New York City)

High-visibility crosswalks can improve yielding to pedestrians when speeds are slow.

SAFE CROSSINGSPermanent Refuge Island (Capital Construction)

A refuge island with plantings (Vancouver, BC) A refuge island with pedestrian crossing signs (Silver Spring, MD)

A high-visibility crosswalk and pedestrian refuge island,built using interim materials (Seattle, WA)

Trial pedestrian refuge islands built from rubber curbs and pedestrian crossing signs (Atchison, KS)

SAFE CROSSINGSInterim Refuge Islands

• Characteristics

• Extension of the curbline toward the centerline of the street

• Can be achieved via physical curb, paint, pavement removal or other techniques

• Typical use

• Appropriate on most street types

• Paired with crosswalks can narrow pedestrian crossing distance and improve visibility

• Considerations

• Street cleaning and snow removal

• Maintenance and cost

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BULBOUT/BUMPOUTHorizontal Control

INTERIM BULBOUT/BUMPOUT

• Painted curb extensions can be built quickly to test their efficacy, before building out in concrete.

Interim curb extensions using paint and flexposts (Seattle, WA)

• Characteristics

• Vertical edge to the street

• Gives a sense of enclosure naturally slowing travel speeds

• Typical use

• Any street type

• Considerations

• Can be accomplished with built structures or street trees

• The closer together vertical elements are, the more effective the traffic calming effect

• Trees take time to grow; large buildings are not appropriate in all contexts

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VERTICAL ENCLOSUREVisual Control

SAFE CROSSINGSTypes of treatments by intersection

CEMETERY ENTRANCES

TYPICAL INTERSECTIONS

SAFE CROSSINSCrosswalk with interim refuge island