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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdmin Order 58-18-02ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 58-18-02 of the Traffic Engineer of the City of Eugene REMOVING ON -STREET PARKING FROM THE EAST SIDE OF EAST AMAZON DRIVE FROM HILYARD STREET TO DILLARD ROAD The Traffic Engineer of the City of Eugene finds that: A. Under the provisions of Chapter IV, Section 16 of the Eugene Charter of 2002, the City Manager is designated as the administrative head of the City, and is specifically authorized to enforce all ordinances of the City. In addition, EC 5.040 authorizes the City Manager or the Manager's designee to take administrative action to "establish, maintain, remove, or alter ... parking areas and time limitations, including the form of permissible parking' and to "impose conditions upon which the streets and other public property may be used for parking." EC 5.055 sets forth the criteria the City Manager or the City Manager's designee should consider when taking administrative action authorized by EC 5.040. B. On September 24, 2009, the City Manager issued Administrative Order No. 58-09- 14 granting the Traffic Engineer of the Public Works Department the authority to exercise all of the duties and responsibilities specifically defined as those of the City Manager in Section 5.040 and 5.050 of the Eugene Code, 1971. In addition, Administrative Rule R-5.045 assigns additional responsibilities to the Traffic Engineer. C. By Administrative Order No. 58-17-08, the City Manager appointed me as the City's Traffic Engineer and delegated to me authority to exercise all duties and responsibilities granted to the City Manager by EC 5.040 and 5.050. D. In making the decision to remove parking from the cast side of East Amazon Drive from Hilyard Street to Dillard Road, I have considered all of the applicable criteria set forth in EC 5.055. Based on the applicable criteria set forth in EC 5.055, the following findings support my decision to remove parking: 1) By Ordinance No. 20181, the City Council adopted the Street Classification Map that designated East Amazon Drive from Hilyard Street to Dillard Road as a Minor Arterial Street. By Resolution 4608, the City Council adopted the Design Standards and Guidelines for Eugene Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways and Access Ways which includes travel lanes and bike lanes as standard features of Minor Arterial streets. Parking is an optional feature on Minor Arterial streets. Administrative Order -- Page I of 6 2) East Amazon Drive is a Minor Arterial with a posted speed of 35 mph. The street has one north bound travel lane and one south bound travel lane, a southbound bicycle lane on the west side of the street and on -street parking on east side of the street. The curb to curb width is approximately 36 -feet. 3) From 2007 to 2015, there were twenty-seven crashes on this section of East Amazon Drive. One crash resulted in a major injury to a person riding a bicycle and six crashes resulted in moderate injuries, two of which were injuries to pedestrians. Six crashes resulted in minor injuries and fourteen crashes resulted in property damage only. 4) Parking studies conducted by the City in May and June 2015 as well as October 2017 show an average parking volume of 8 vehicles parking in approximately 136 parking spaces along the east side of East Amazon Drive from Hilyard Street to Dillard Road. The light day-to-day parking demand can be accommodated by parking capacity on side streets. One parking bay will be constructed between East 37th Avenue and East 39th Avenue as part of the Amazon Active Transportation Corridor Project where there are no side streets for two blocks and a parking demand of three cars on average was noted. The project team spoke with the owner of Mazzi's Italian Restaurant concerning event parking for the restaurant's Tuesday evening pizza nights during the summer. The owner conveyed that parking for the event could be accommodated by parking on side streets and agreements with neighboring businesses. 'The owner also conveyed a desire for an additional pedestrian and bicycle bridge across the Amazon Creek to connect the businesses on East Amazon Drive and West Amazon Drive and allow patrons to park on West Amazon using a pedestrian and bicycle bridge for access to businesses during events. Three bridges will be constructed as part of the Amazon Active Transportation Corridor Project, but none are proposed to be built at this location as part of the project. 5) Installation of a protected two-way bicycle facility on East Amazon Drive from Hilyard Street to Dillard Road (south end identified in the TSP as Snell Street) is identified as project number PB -48 in the Eugene 2035 Transportation System Plan, adopted by City Council on June 26, 2017. Removal of parking on the cast side of East Amazon Drive from Hilyard Street to Dillard Road is consistent with the following Goals, Policies, and Potential Actions in the Eugene 2035 Transportation System Plan, adopted by City Council on June 26, 2017. Administrative Order -- Page 2 of 6 Goals Goal 1: Create an integrated transportation system that is safe and efficient; supports the Metro Plan's land use diagram, Envision Eugene, A Community Vision for 2032 (2012), the City of Eugene's target for a 50 percent reduction in fossil fuel consumption, and other City land use and economic development goals; reduces reliance on single -occupancy automobiles; and enhances community livability. Goal 2: Advance regional sustainability by providing a transportation system that improves economic vitality, environmental health, social equity, and overall well- being. Goal 3: Strengthen community resilience to changes in climate, increases in fossil fuel prices, and economic fluctuations by making the transportation networks diverse, adaptable, and not reliant on any single mode. Goal 4: Address the transportation needs and safety of all travelers, including people of all ages, abilities, races, ethnicities, and incomes. Through transportation investments, respond to the needs of system users, be context sensitive, and distribute the benefits and impacts of transportation decisions fairly throughout the City. Goal 5: By the year 2035 triple the percentage of trips made on foot, by bicycle, and by transit from 2014 levels. System -Wide Policies 1. Foster neighborhoods where Eugene residents could meet most of their basic daily needs without an automobile by providing streets, sidewalks, bikeways, and access to transit in an inviting enviromnent where all travelers feel safe and secure. 2. Consider safety first when making transportation decisions. Strive for zero transportation -related fatalities and severe injuries by reducing the number and severity of crashes through design, operations, maintenance, education, and enforcement. In furtherance of the City Council's adopted Vision "Zero goal (Resolution No. 5143), prioritize safety improvements for people who walk, bike and use mobility devices because no loss of life or serious injury on our streets is acceptable. Administrative Order -- Page 3 of 6 3. Improve community health by designing streets and paths to encourage increased physical activity by the public. 4. Promote connections between modes of transportation to make each mode more efficient, such as by connecting bicycle routes and bus, train, and airport services to each other; and connections to transportation facilities extending outside the City's planning area. Roadway and Parking Policies 1. ["Complete Streets Policy"] Design, construct, maintain, and operate all streets to provide comprehensive and integrated transportation networks that serve people of all ages and abilities, promote commerce, and support the comprehensive land use plan's vision for growth and development in a responsible and efficient manner. A "complete street" allows safe travel for automobiles and emergency responders, bicycles, walking, transit, and freight. In addition to fulfilling a street's basic transportation functions and providing access to properties, streets and sidewalks should be designed to be attractive, safe, accessible, sustainable, and healthy components of the City's environment. 6. Continually optimize the efficiency of the transportation system through transportation system management (TSM) improvements, connectivity improvements, multimodal improvements parking management and supply, and "Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies, in combination with the projects identified in this TSP. 9. Prior to moving forward with a capital project including Complete Street Upgrades of Existing Streets and in addition to conducting public engagement activities, staff will also consider a neighborhood's character (the built and natural environment) and other elements of community context when designing the project. Potential Actions for Roadway and Parking Policies M. Change the configuration of some streets to encourage slower vehicle speeds. Bicycle Policies 1. Create conditions that make bicycling more attractive than driving for most trips of two miles or less. Administrative Order -- Page 4 of 6 2. Develop a well-connected and comfortable bikeway network. Ensure that there are safe, comfortable, and direct bikeway connections between residential areas, major destinations, and transit stops and provide secure bicycle parking facilities at these destinations. 3. Continually improve the comfort and safety of bicycling through design, operations, retrofits, and maintenance. Identify and develop "low stress" bikeways to attract new cyclists. Potential Actions, for Bicycle Policies H. On a case-by-case basis reallocate space within street rights-of-way to enhance bikeways and pedestrian environments (e.g., converting parking or travel lanes). Priority areas for bikeway improvements include areas near the University of Oregon, downtown Eugene, streets connecting residential areas to schools and commercial hubs, and streets. It is expected that ODOT facilities and Key Corridors will be analyzed under separate comprehensive planning processes than other streets. 6) In 2010, the City Council directed the City Manager to "implement actions that support the Community Climate and Energy Action Plan goals and objectives, subject to best practices, resources, collaboration with community partners, and approval by council of future policy changes." Removal of parking from the east side of East Amazon Drive from Hilyard Street to Dillard Road and installation of a protected two-way bicycle facility supports Objectives 10 and 13 of the Community Climate and Energy Action Plan for Eugene. Objective 10: Create 20 -minute neighborhoods, where 90 percent of Eugene residents can safely walk or bicycle to meet most basic, daily, non -work needs, and have safe pedestrian and bicycle routes that connect to mass transit. Objective 13: Continue to expand and improve Eugene's bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and connectivity to increase the percentage of trips made by bike and on foot. 7) Removal of parking from the east side of East Amazon Drive from Hilyard Street to Dillard Road and installation of a protected two-way bicycle facility is consistent with goals (3) and (4) of the Climate Recovery Ordinance No. 20540 adopted by City Council on July 28, 2014 and subsequently updated by Council under Ordinance No. 20567. Administrative Order -- Page 5 of 6 (3) By the year 2030, all businesses, individuals and others living or working in the city collectively shall reduce the total (not per capita) use of fossil fuels by 50% compared to 2010 usage. (4) By the year 2100, total community greenhouse gas emissions shall be average share of a global atmospheric greenhouse gas level of 350ppm, which is estimated in 2016 to require an annual average emission reduction level of 7.6% 8) Removal of parking from the east side of East Amazon Drive from Hilyard Street to Dillard Road and installation of a protected two-way bicycle facility enables the public to use East Amazon Street in a safer, more comfortable and efficient multi- modal manner, is consistent with Eugene 2035 Transportation System Plan Goals and Policies, Climate and Energy Action Plan Objectives and Climate Recovery Ordinance goals and, therefore, is in the best interest of the public. On the basis ,of these findings, I order that on -street parking be removed from the east side of East Amazon Drive, from Hilyard Street to Dillard Road. Dated and effective this r day of March, 2018. Matthew J. Rodrigues Traffic Engineer Administrative Order -- Page 6 of 6