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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdmin Order 58-20-05ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 58-20-05 of the Traffic Engineer of the City of Eugene CLOSURE OF ONE DRIVEWAY ACCESS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE 26™ BLOCK OF WILLAMETTE STREET. 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 "provide for and regulate access to and from any street." 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 close one driveway on the east side of the 26 th block of Willamette Street as shown on the attachment to this administrative order, I have considered all 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 close one driveway: 1) The existing site conditions include four driveways on the east side of Willamette Street serving the building that includes 2655, 2673, 2675, 2681, and 2695 Willamette Street and two driveways serving that building from East 27 th A venue. 2) After the closure of one driveway on the east side of Willamette Street, the building will continue to be served by three reconfigured driveways providing direct access onto Willamette Street And two driveways located on E 27 th A venue (including one that provides access to the parking lot along the building's Willamette Street frontage). 3) The closure of the driveway is consistent with the principle of reducing conflicts between motor vehicle ingress and egress and people walking on the sidewalk, biking on the street or sidewalk, and driving along the street. 4) The closure of the driveway will enable the public to use Willamette Street in a more efficient, safe, and multi-modal manner, and therefore, is in the best interest of the public health, safety, and welfare. Administrative Order --Page 1 of 5 5) The South Willamette Street Improvement Plan was accepted by the Eugene City Council on May 27, 2014. At that time, the Eugene City Council also provided direction to make permanent street improvements (the traffic signal at the Woodfield Station driveway entrance), conduct a year-long pilot study of a reconfigured Willamette Street, and report back to the Eugene City Council following the pilot study. The Plan was prepared following traffic engineering principles and traffic analysis consistent with engineering standards of practice. 6) Willamette Street from 24th A venue to 29 th A venue is a Minor Arterial with a posted speed of 25 mph. The curb to curb width of the street segment is approximately 42 feet (widening south of 28 th Avenue). Willamette Street has northbound and southbound bike lanes approximately 6 feet wide, northbound and southbound travel lanes approximately 10 feet wide, and a two-way center tum lane approximately 10 feet wide. 7) From 2007 to 2017, there were 28 crashes near 2655, 2673, 2675, 2681, and 2695 Willamette Street. This total includes 3 7 injuries (no fatalities, 2 serious injuries, 10 moderate injuries [ with 1 person walking (2015) and 2 people riding a bicycle (2010 & 2011)], and 25 minor injuries). There were 115 vehicles involved in these crashes with 29 vehicles sustaining property damage only. Three of the crashes during this period were located at a driveway or alley. 8) Installation of on-street bicycle lanes on Willamette Street from 23 rd Avenue to 32nd Avenue is identified as project number PB-31 in the Eugene 2035 Transportation System Plan, adopted by City Council on June 26, 2017. The closure of the driveway reduces a point of conflict with the bike lane and the sidewalk for people biking, walking, and driving along the street. 9) The closure of the driveway 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. 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 Administrative Order --Page 2 of 5 investments, respond to the needs of system users, be context sens1t1ve, 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 environment 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 Action Plan (Administrative Order 58-18-04), 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. 3. Improve community health by designing streets and paths to encourage increased physical activity by the public. Potential Actions for System-Wide Policies C. Create a strategy to facilitate 90 percent of Eugene residences to be within "20-minute neighborhoods." The strategy might include methods to improve proximity of residences to services and prioritizing projects that improve convenience and safety for walking, biking, and connections to transit stops. 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. Administrative Order --Page 3 of 5 Pedestrian Policies 1. Encourage walking as the most attractive mode of transportation for short trips ( e.g., within one half miles) within and to activity centers, downtown, key corridors, and major destinations, and as a means of accessing transit. 2. Ensure that there are safe, accessible, comfortable, and direct sidewalk connections between residential areas, major destinations, and transit stops. Continually improve walking comfort, safety, and accessibility through design, operations, retrofits, and maintenance. Provide landscaped setback sidewalks of ample width and safe street crossings to encourage people to walk. Bicycle Policies 1. Create conditions that make bicycling more attractive than driving for most trips of two miles or less. 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. 10) 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." The closure of the driveway supports Objective 10 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. Administrative Order --Page 4 of 5 11) The closure of the driveway enables the public to use Willamette 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, therefore , is in the best interest of the public. E. City staff met with the owners' representative of the affected properties to discuss the closure. The owners of 2655 , 2673, 2675 , 2681 , and 2695 Willamette Street expressed interest in maintaining the existing four driveway accesses as is. F. While the City understands the property owners' interests , based upon the circumstances set out in paragraph D of this Order, I find that closure of one driveway is in the best interest of the public. On the basis of these findings, I order that one driveway that serves 2655, 2673, 2675, 2681, and 2695 Willamette Street on the east side of the 26 th block of Willamette Street be closed as shown on the attachment to this administrative order . . it. 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