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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem B: Willamette Street Study ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Willamette Street Study Meeting Date: September 22, 2008 Agenda Item Number: B Department: Public Works Staff Contact: Chris Henry www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: (541) 682-8472 ISSUE STATEMENT The City Council is asked to accept the recommendation of the volunteer citizen stakeholder committee thth that Willamette Street remain one-way southbound between 18 and 20 avenues pending a major study that would identify alternative routes for a large amount of the traffic. BACKGROUND When the updated Central Area Transportation Study (CATS) was adopted in 2004, staff implemented thth the strategy to convert Willamette Street toa two-way operation between 13 and 18 avenues. Following review and direction by the City Council, the CATS implementation strategy for Willamette thth Street, between 18 and 20 avenues, called for additional study and analysis prior to any conversion to two-way operation. CATS Implementation Strategies 1.1 Develop plans including a post-planning, pre-implementation public involvement process to convert the following street segments from one-way to two-way operation: g. Willamette Street from 18th to 20th Avenue; prior to any conversion of this segment additional study and analysis shall be performed and a recommendation and project proposal brought back to the Council for a public hearing and approval. In January 2007, a community meeting was held to provide background and introduce the Willamette Street Study process. A citizen volunteer stakeholder group was formed that met 14 times over a year and a half to make a recommendation regarding the potential conversion of Willamette Street. A follow- up community meeting was held in April 2008, to present the draft stakeholder recommendation before it was finalized. The stakeholder group represented a variety of community interests including business owners/merchants, neighborhood groups (Friendly Area Neighbors, West University Neighbors), bicyclists, pedestrians, people with disabilities, commuters and the 4J School District. They deliberated to identify issues of concern and what data to gather for transportation consultant analysis. Further, review of the analysis aided the stakeholder group in making their final recommendation. The stakeholders prepared a detailed account of the issues they considered in the formation of their Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080922\S080922B.doc recommendation. The final stakeholder recommendation from that account follows (see Attachment A, Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Summary and Recommendation): Conclusions and Recommendations It is the conclusion of the Willamette Street Stakeholders Group that converting Willamette Street from one-way to two-way from 18th to 20th avenues would negatively impact the majority of local businesses, area residents, people with disabilities, and students. In regard to our original charge, we recommend: 1. Willamette Street between 18th and 20th avenues remain one-way southbound at least until a large amount of commuter and cut-through traffic has been provided with a better alternative route determined by a major study of the southeast Eugene corridor. (This study is already recommended by the Congestion Management System Baseline Report of September 2004 by the Central Lane Metropolitan Planning Organization.) In addition we recommend: 2. Adding a southbound bicycle lane on Willamette from 18th to 20th if it can operate safely with no net loss of parking between 18th and 19th, and a minimum loss of parking between 19th and 20th. We also recommend this bicycle lane connect to the existing bicycle lane that currently ends mid- block between 17th and 18th, if this can be safely done. 3. Adding bump outs (sidewalk extensions) at 18th and 19th for safer pedestrian crossing while retaining parking. 4. Maintaining the traffic diverter and island refuge for pedestrian crossing at 20th. 5. Evaluating the change from one-way to two-way on the section of Willamette from 13th to 18th Avenues. Did the change adversely or positively affect the existing businesses? Did the change have any effect on the downtown center? How did the change impact pedestrians, people with disabilities, bicyclists, motorists and mass transit? With regard to the additional recommendations - City staff will further investigate the feasibility of the th southbound bicycle lane, sidewalk extensions, and the traffic diverter at 20; an evaluation will be made thth of the one-way to two-way conversion of Willamette between 13 and 18 avenues. RELATED CITY POLICIES The Eugene City Council adopted Ordinance #20323 on May 24, 2004, adopting the policies of the Central Area Transportation Study as a refinement of the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan. Policy 1 (Street System) states: 1. Promote the development of a transportation system within the downtown area that supports the goals of the Downtown Plan, enhances the livability of downtown, preserves the livability and Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080922\S080922B.doc economic vitality of areas within and directly adjacent to the CATS boundary, and provides for the safe and efficient movement of motor vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, and transit vehicles. COUNCIL OPTIONS The City Council may: 1. Accept the recommendation. 2. Not accept the recommendation and direct staff to move forward with conversion of Willamette thth Street to two-way operation between 18 and 20 avenues. 3. Hold a public hearing before taking action on the stakeholder recommendation. CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION The City Manager recommends that the City Council accept the recommendation of the volunteer thth citizen stakeholder committee that Willamette Street remain one-way southbound between 18 and 20 avenues pending a major study that would identify alternative routes for a large amount of the traffic. SUGGESTED MOTION Move to accept the recommendation of the volunteer citizen stakeholder committee that Willamette thth Street remain one-way southbound between 18 and 20 avenues pending a major study that would identify alternative routes for a large amount of the traffic. ATTACHMENTS A. Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Summary and Recommendation FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Chris Henry, Transportation Planning Engineer Telephone: (541) 682-8472 Staff E-Mail: chris.c.henry@ci.eugene.or.us Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080922\S080922B.doc ATTACHMENT A Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Conclusions and Recommendations It is the conclusion of the Willamette Street Stakeholders Group that converting Willamette thth Street from one-way to two-way from 18 to 20 avenues would negatively impact the majority of local businesses, area residents, people with disabilities, and students. In regard to our original charge, we recommend: thth 1. Willamette Street between 18 and 20 avenues remain one-way southbound at least until a large amount of commuter and cut-through traffic has been provided with a better alternative route determined by a major study of the southeast Eugene corridor. (This study is already recommended by the Congestion Management System Baseline Report of September 2004 by the Central Lane Metropolitan Planning Organization.) In addition we recommend: thth 2. Adding a southbound bicycle lane on Willamette from 18 to 20 if it can operate safely with ththth no net loss of parking between 18 and 19, and a minimum loss of parking between 19 and th 20. We also recommend this bicycle lane connect to the existing bicycle lane that currently thth ends mid-block between 17 and 18, if this can be safely done. thth 3. Adding bump outs (sidewalk extensions) at 18 and 19 for safer pedestrian crossing while retaining parking. th 4. Maintaining the traffic diverter and island refuge for pedestrian crossing at 20. thth 5. Evaluating the change from one-way to two-way on the section of Willamette from 13 to 18 Avenues. Did the change adversely or positively affect the existing businesses? Did the change have any effect on the downtown center? How did the change impact pedestrians, people with disabilities, bicyclists, motorists and mass transit? Additional Commentary thth While the scope of our group was Willamette Street from 18 to 20, we felt like these two th blocks are playing a critical role in allowing the intersection of Willamette and 18 to keep functioning and preventing deterioration in the traffic system. Because of this, we believe it is important to share the following concepts that might be outside our scope, but arose on numerous occasions. a.As stated above we believe a broader view of planning should be applied to the issues of moving commuter traffic, access and safety for all of our citizens and minimizing the negative impacts to existing businesses and neighborhoods. This view should look at the ability of Amazon Parkway to take on a more significant role for the community in moving commuter car traffic more efficiently as our population continues to grow. Recognition of Amazon Parkway as a viable north-south transportation option could be ATTACHMENT A Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Summary and Recommendation 1 greatly enhanced by a reversal of the one-way directions of Oak and Pearl, thereby allowing northbound traffic on Amazon to continue directly into the downtown area. b.Ultimately we ask the council to formulate the wisest long-range plan for the whole southeast Eugene corridor and not revisit this two-way conversion concept until that plan and its implementation are successfully factored into the regional traffic system. ATTACHMENT A Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Summary and Recommendation 2 Willamette Street Stakeholder Report Issue Statement thth At issue is the proposed conversion of the two blocks of Willamette Street between 18 and 20 Avenues from one-way south to two-way. Introduction After more than a year of discussions and careful study, we, the Willamette Street Stakeholders Group, formed by the City of Eugene as an advisory committee with individuals representing Friendly Area Neighbors, Willamette Street merchants, bicyclists, pedestrians, people with disabilities, car commuters, and the 4J School District present this report. Major Considerations of the Stakeholder Group City Council has commitments 1. The committee recognizes that the to revitalize Eugene’s downtown core and make the street system user friendly. We also believe the City of Eugene and the Eugene City Council have made other important commitments which must be taken into account in an analysis of this proposed conversion. Among these are: a.consider safety in regard to transportation b.increase alternative means of transportation by foot, bicycle and mass transit c.provide access for people with disabilities d.maintain neighborhoods e.provide an environment in which local merchants and businesses can thrive f.provide reasonable routes for fire, medical and delivery vehicles purpose of the proposed conversion 2. In order to better understand the , our committee current issues and perceived problems discussed the with Willamette Street the way it is. These discussions, summarized here and discussed in greater detail in later sections, included the following items. a.The most commonly voiced argument in favor of the conversion to two-way traffic flow illogical and is that the2-block stretch of one-way in the middle of a two-way street is sometimes confusing to new users . However, the committee has emphatically concluded the belief that the one-way section is illogical does not hold up to careful analysis of the ramifications of conversion to two-way. Our conclusion, based on careful study and analysis rather than intuition, is that the one-way section is not only logical but th imperative to a reasonable flow of traffic and the functioning of the 18 and Willamette intersection. (In the course of these discussions, the committee noted that the one-way thth flow for these two blocks wouldn’t appear as illogical if the section from 13 to 18 had not been changed to two-way.) rejuvenate b.It has been suggested that converting these two blocks to two-way will help the Eugene downtown core and benefit the merchants and businesses on Willamette Street. Extensive discussions about this theory, complemented by first-hand accounts two-way from both merchants and clients, have led the committee to conclude that the thth change from 13 to 18 in 2004 actually hurt those Willamette Street businesses and that additional northbound traffic on Willamette will cause even more problems. ATTACHMENT A Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Summary and Recommendation 3 ability of cyclists, c.Concerns were voiced about the impact of two-way conversion on the pedestrians, people with disabilities, and students to cross Willamette on their way to South Eugene High School, Roosevelt Middle School, UO, LCC, and other destinations. thth Many now cross at 19 and 20, where one-way traffic flow clearly makes crossing th Willamette Street a greater easier, or at 18 because of the light. Many have found thth challenge to cross and utilize because of the two-way conversion between 13 and 18 thth on Willamette, supporting the concerns about impacts between 18 and 20. th intersection of 18 and Willamette d.The overload in southbound traffic at the is thth currently causing backup queuing to the north from 18 past 15 during peak traffic th times. (Members of the stakeholder group have seen traffic backup past 14 on several occasions.) The conversion to two-way would force all the southbound traffic into one lane for most of this section contributing to longer queuing. thth e.The two-way section from 13 to 18 causesdifficulty for people with cars making left turns in and out of parking lots, or from cross-streets along Willamette Street. It is also difficult to enter a traffic lane from an on-street parking spot. Together with the additional impacts of this prior conversion noted above, these problems have led the thth committee to support a recommendation to evaluate the conversion of the 13 to 18 section of Willamette back to one-way southbound traffic flow. f.According to DKS Associates, the consulting traffic engineering firm for the study, a similar problem with left turn access to and from parking lots and cross-streets would occur in all conversion scenarios they studied with northbound traffic waiting to cross the th intersection at 18 and Willamette. Clients and staff of the State Children’s Services Building and customers of the Meridian businesses who utilize their parking lots would find traffic blocking entry to their parking lots. All alternatives studied would create significant access problems that don’t exist with the current configuration. A problem exists with southbound traffic needing tomerge g. from two lanes to one thth between 18 & 20. Drivers race and jockey for position causing safety concerns in this area. Keeping these two blocks one-way and possibly changing the lane configurations th for southbound Willamette leading up to the intersection with 18 may improve this merging problem. The committee urges traffic engineers to consider this revision of lane configurations, noting that it may also allow extension of the southbound bicycle lane to thth 20, whereas it currently ends just south of 17. inconvenient h.The current street configuration can sometimes be . Northbound morning car commuters and some customers and clients of businesses would prefer a more direct route by automobile to their destination than currently exists. The committee is sympathetic with this concern, but has determined that the most significant objection to the current system – the requirement to jog east to Oak Street in order to enter westbound thth th traffic on 18 – cannot be resolved by conversion of Willamette from 18to 20 to two- way because of the operational infeasibility of including a north to westbound left turn at th 18 and Willamette. This can only be solved by a broader plan to modify traffic flow that we are recommending. ATTACHMENT A Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Summary and Recommendation 4 th i.Friendly Area Neighbors in the areas south of 18 and west of Willamette are concerned increased cut-through traffic about the potential for by northbound drivers attempting th to proceed west on 18, envisioning left turns by commuters throughout this th neighborhood area in order to avoid the problematic 18 and Willamette intersection. Jefferson Westside Neighbors Discussions with some adjacent to the earlier two-way thth conversion of Willamette between 13 and 18 confirm that they believe the neighborhood is being negatively impacted by the amount of cut-through traffic due to thth drivers avoiding congestion and traffic patterns between 13 and 18 on Willamette. overall context 3. We attempted to identify and understand any into which this small piece of Willamette Street fits. Here are the larger frameworks we considered. a.We asked about an overall transportation plan that would address north-south transportation issues for cars, bicyclists, pedestrians, and mass transit. b.We heard results of the Central Area Transportation Study (CATS) and other DKS Associates studies on this topic. th c.We discussed the existing nature and projected future of Willamette Street from 13 to th 29avenues. d.We asked about the overall plans for the parallel streets of Oak and Pearl. e.We asked about future plans for bus routes and bus stops. f.We saw the future development of the Ems stadium site as a factor but as yet an unknown. The absence of overall plans in regard to Willamette Street and the broader issue of north-south transportation for the south Eugene area was a constant problem for the work of the committee. thth 4. We discussed the effects of changing Willamette from 13 to 18 avenues from one-way south to two-way in October, 2004, and sought any information city staff had gathered about the effects of that change on transportation access and safety for car commuters, pedestrians, bicyclists, and persons with disabilities. We also asked if there was information about the impact thth of the changes on merchants and businesses from 13 to 18 and on businesses in the downtown center. The absence of formal information and analysis was a problem for the work of the committee. We sought information from city staff about the effects of that change on transportation access and safety for car commuters, pedestrians, bicyclists and people with disabilities. Some stakeholder group members recognize that the change provides a useful option to motorists heading north into downtown. It was also reported to the group that the change has caused access problems for Newman's Fish Market, Dot Dotson's, Euphoria Chocolate and Higgins Texaco businesses. role ofWillamette Street as a historic and defining street for Eugene 5. We discussed the and we discussed the significance our stewardship will have on its future. We heard concerns that Willamette Street is being asked to provide too many functions. Merchants and businesses want access for parking and ease of clients to enter and leave parking lots. Residents want to retain parking and quality of life. Pedestrians, bicyclists, car commuters and people with disabilities want safe and convenient transportation routes. The committee is concerned about Willamette ATTACHMENT A Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Summary and Recommendation 5 Street being required to shoulder the burden of car commuter traffic for south Eugene as our population continues to grow. These changes to Willamette Street we believe would cause deterioration of neighborhoods, financial problems for businesses and safety problems for users. We discussed the history of Willamette Street. We reviewed when and why portions of Willamette Street were turned into one-way and why some parts were returned to two-way and what the plans are for other nearby north-south streets. constraints of the study 6. We discussed including questions of the scope of what we could consider, cost of any changes, planning or data gathering. Discussions of the section of ththth Willamette Street from 18 to 20 avenues always tied into the effects on the section from 13 th to 18 avenues, local neighborhoods, and adjacent streets. thth While the scope of our group was Willamette Street from 18 to 20, it was impossible to avoid consideration of broader impacts, limitations, and requirements. In the absence of this broader- range planning for transportation in the south Eugene area, the committee ultimately concluded thth Rather that the two-block stretch of one-way between 18 and 20 is serving a critical role. than an illogical nuisance, these two blocks are acting as a tourniquet to allow the th intersection of Willamette and 18 to keep functioning and avoiding a broader breakdown in the transportation system for cars, pedestrians, bicyclists and other users. The DKS Associates Report The DKS Associates analysis of alternatives shows, "[e]xisting southbound vehicle queues on Willamette Street spillback nearly 1,450 feet from 18th Avenue. These vehicle queues would worsen to greater than 2,500 feet under all three alternatives." alternatives cause the 18th Avenue/Willamette Street intersection to fail "Both [emphasis added by group] with the removal of the second southbound through lane and the additional northbound traffic (for two-way operations)." However, when mitigations (or modifications) to the operations were analyzed, they were found to meet the city’s adopted minimum level of service standard–which the committee finds unacceptable. "Alternatives 2 and 3 also increase the delay for unsignalized minor street approaches of 19th Avenue and 20th Avenue." We understand that these conditions will only happen a small percentage of the time, but we find th the street functions better with its present configuration. The 19 Avenue crossing becomes extremely worrisome when you consider students crossing at this location. Students with athletic practices or other extracurricular activities will cross during evening commutes. thth Automobile, pedestrian, and bicycle cross traffic counts at 15 and 19 Avenues were examined to see if the volume warranted a four-way stop or traffic signal. These counts were significantly below the levels needed to support installation of stop signs or signals. However, we believe that these counts were done on a poor day to judge volumes because it was the University of Oregon’s and Lane Community College’s final test week and the seniors at South Eugene High School were already out of school. However, should either a cross traffic activated light or four- way stop be installed at either intersection, it is likely that even greater problems with traffic backing up on Willamette Street would be experienced. ATTACHMENT A Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Summary and Recommendation 6 Findings Our group spent much time hearing the experiences and concerns of the members. We also read statements from the original open house, from emails, from our various constituent groups and from the second open house. Several of us carried out informal observations of intersections and spot check interviews with pedestrians and businesses. We asked for technical advice, for diagrams of possible ways to make the two blocks accommodate two-way traffic, and for traffic data. This resulted in the DKS Associates study. Their report shows that “[a]ll three of the proposed alternatives degrade operations at the Willamette Street/18th Avenue intersection as compared to the current intersection thth all configuration.” If Willamette is converted to two-way traffic between 18 & 20, alternatives studied will result in fewer and shorter gaps and longer traffic lines waiting at lights. The committee felt the traffic data, although taken at peak times, was on the light side due to its collection during the spring term final exam week for UO and LCC. After concluding that the various conversion options we studied had failed to meet our expectations of minimum quality of service (although they meet city-adopted minimum standards) we discussed various other options, all of which were rejected as inferior. We took all of the information and applied it to each of the constituent groups and issues. We considered whether the proposed change would have a predominately positive or a negative effect. We then looked at the cumulative effects before making our recommendations. Conclusions and Recommendations It is the conclusion of the Willamette Street Stakeholders Group that converting Willamette thth Street from one-way to two-way from 18 to 20 avenues would negatively impact the majority of local businesses, area residents, people with disabilities, and students. In regard to our original charge, we recommend: thth 1. Willamette Street between 18 and 20 avenues remain one-way southbound at least until a large amount of commuter and cut-through traffic has been provided with a better alternative route determined by a major study of the southeast Eugene corridor. (This study is already recommended by the Congestion Management System Baseline Report of September 2004 by the Central Lane Metropolitan Planning Organization.) In addition we recommend: thth 2. Adding a southbound bicycle lane on Willamette from 18 to 20 if it can operate safely with ththth no net loss of parking between 18 and 19, and a minimum loss of parking between 19 and th 20. We also recommend this bicycle lane connect to the existing bicycle lane that currently thth ends mid-block between 17 and 18, if this can be safely done. thth 3. Adding bump outs (sidewalk extensions) at 18 and 19 for safer pedestrian crossing while retaining parking. th 4. Maintaining the traffic diverter and island refuge for pedestrian crossing at 20. ATTACHMENT A Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Summary and Recommendation 7 thth 5. Evaluating the change from one-way to two-way on the section of Willamette from 13 to 18 Avenues. Did the change adversely or positively affect the existing businesses? Did the change have any effect on the downtown center? How did the change impact pedestrians, people with disabilities, bicyclists, motorists and mass transit? Additional Commentary thth While the scope of our group was Willamette Street from 18 to 20, we felt like these two th blocks are playing a critical role in allowing the intersection of Willamette and 18 to keep functioning and preventing deterioration in the traffic system. Because of this, we believe it is important to share the following concepts that might be outside our scope, but arose on numerous occasions. c.As stated above we believe a broader view of planning should be applied to the issues of moving commuter traffic, access and safety for all of our citizens and minimizing the negative impacts to existing businesses and neighborhoods. This view should look at the ability of Amazon Parkway to take on a more significant role for the community in moving commuter car traffic more efficiently as our population continues to grow. Recognition of Amazon Parkway as a viable north-south transportation option could be greatly enhanced by a reversal of the one-way directions of Oak and Pearl, thereby allowing northbound traffic on Amazon to continue directly into the downtown area. d.Ultimately we ask the council to formulate the wisest long-range plan for the whole southeast Eugene corridor and not revisit this two-way conversion concept until that plan and its implementation are successfully factored into the regional traffic system. Final Statement: Our stakeholder group believes that Willamette Street cannot be everything for everyone. Our thth committee believes that the highest and best use of the street from 13 to 29avenues to be a mixed use of retail, service businesses and residential uses. Large volumes of car commuter and cut-through traffic overfills the street and requires a section of Willamette to be one-way to stop additional traffic volume from causing a degrading in operation of the intersection that the group found unacceptable. The question is of traffic volumes and easy, safe use rather than of one-way or two-way streets. The one-way street allows easy and safe use until traffic volumes can be moved to other streets through a comprehensive plan for south Eugene transportation needs. ATTACHMENT A Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Summary and Recommendation 8