City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: DECEMBER 5, 2018
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to amend and reordain Chapter 8 (Parking and Traffic Regulations) of Title 5 (Transportation and Environmental Services) and Chapter 2 (Traffic Regulation), Chapter 3 (Operation of Vehicles), and Chapter 4 (Stopping, Standing, And Parking) of Title 10 (Motor Vehicles And Traffic) of the Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, 1981, as amended.
BODY
ISSUE: Whether to amend various chapters of the City Code to update roles and responsibilities for the Traffic and Parking Board and to update other traffic and parking related matters.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council consider the ordinance (Attachment 2) on first reading and set it for public hearing and final passage on Saturday, December 15, 2018.
BACKGROUND: As with other City boards and commissions, the role of the Traffic and Parking Board is outlined in the City Code under Title 5 (Transportation and Environmental Services), Chapter 8 (Parking and Traffic Regulations), Article A (Traffic and Parking Board). In addition to this article, the Board is also referenced in several other sections of City Code for various action on traffic and parking matters. In most cases, the current language about the Board and their responsibilities has been in place since the 1960s, with a few minor amendments occurring over the years. Staff has worked with the Traffic and Parking Board to identify several sections that should be updated to address new conditions or clarified to improve existing processes. Staff and the Board also used this opportunity to identify other improvements that are related to actions by the Board that could be addressed under this amendment.
DISCUSSION: The purpose of this amendment is to update and clarify the role of the Traffic and Parking Board, and where possible, consolidate relevant sections of the Code to improve transparency for the Board’s responsibilities and processes. Given that the Traffic and Parking Board is referenced in different chapters throughout the City Code, this ordinance proposes amendments to several chapters. Below is a summary of the significant changes proposed with this ordinance. More details about all the proposed changes is provided in the Traffic and Parking Board memo from their November 26, 2018 meeting (Attachment 3). In addition, Attachment 4 provides a summary of the current review process for items that come before the Traffic and Parking Board and proposed changes, if applicable.
1. Traffic and Parking Board’s Purpose and Duties (Section 5-8-2 and 5-8-3): These two sections have been updated to clearly state the Board’s general purpose and provide a specific list of actions that fall under the Board’s review. Attachment 5 provides a summary of the Board’s existing duties and provides an explanation of how the proposed amendment retains or modifies the existing responsibility and where appropriate, why it has been eliminated.
2. Appeals Process (Section 5-8-6): Currently the process to appeal changes to traffic control devices is in Section 10-2-8. Given that this process is related to actions taken by the Traffic and Parking Board, staff recommends moving the language under the Traffic and Parking Board article to clarify the appeals process related to actions they review. New language has been added to specify the timing for submitting an appeal and who can request it. However, the items that can be appealed remain the same as the existing process.
3. Parking Meter Locations (Section 5-8-92): Currently, specific blocks approved for meters are listed in the City Code, which means the Code must be amended each time meters are proposed on a new block. Under this amendment, the list of blocks is removed and replaced with a reference to an official map of all approved meters. The Council would continue to review proposals for new meter blocks in cases where the City Manager disagrees with the recommendation of the Board but would no longer need to review amendments to add or delete specific metered blocks where the Board agreed with staff’s recommendation.
4. Parking Meter Rates (Section 5-8-93): The meter rate is also included in the City Code, meaning any increases or decreases in the rate require changing the Code. With this proposed amendment, the specific dollar amount would be removed from the Code and the meter rate would be established through a resolution approved by the City Council, which could include a public hearing. There are no plans to change the meter rate at this time, but this would allow for more flexibility in the future to test new rates or look at different rates for different areas. This is consistent with the process to establish meter hours, which is also set by resolution.
5. On-Street Parking Standards (Section 5-8-160 through 5-8-163): These sections were added in 1987 to establish guidelines for parking spaces and travel-way dimensions in order to move traffic on public streets. However, many of these standards are inconsistent with the City’s more recently approved Complete Streets Design Guidelines, which support designing public streets for all users. In addition, the standards are inconsistent with existing conditions on many streets and a strict enforcement of this section would require wider travel lanes, potentially at the cost of removing a parking lane or moving a curb, and longer parking spaces, which would reduce the number of spaces that can be accommodated on a block face. This amendment eliminates the specific standards and adds a reference to the Complete Streets Policy.
6. Traffic Controls to be Approved by the Council (Section 10-2-7): This section currently lists traffic controls that are required to be approved by the Council but can be deleted in its entirety given that each of these items is addressed elsewhere in the existing City Code and proposed amendments. Staff recommends the Council continue to have final approval on changes related to one-way streets and truck routes but delegate the review of changes to parking meter zones, traffic lights, and prohibitions on parking on more than one half of any city block to the Traffic and Parking Board and Director of T&ES. See Attachment 4 for more details.
7. Play Streets (Sections 10-2-29 and 10-3-5): Currently, there are no streets in the City designated as play streets and there are no criteria for when such a designation should be made and what restrictions are needed to enforce this designation. Staff recommends eliminating these sections of the Code and instead developing the Neighborhood Slow Zone program as called for in the Vision Zero Action Plan to address implementing slower speeds in neighborhoods.
8. Increase the “No Parking” Area at Alley Entrances (Section 10-4-41): Currently, vehicles can park right up to the entrance of an alley. Staff often receives requests, which must go before the Traffic and Parking Board, to increase the no parking area at alleys to improve visibility. Staff recommends amending this section to increase the no parking area at alley entrances to 5 feet on each side.
9. Prohibit Parking in Bicycle Lanes (Section 10-4-45): Currently, parking in bicycle lanes is prohibited in that “stopping so as to obstruct traffic” (Section 10-4-4) is prohibited. However, this leads to enforcement misunderstandings because parking in bicycle lanes is not explicitly prohibited in the City Code. This proposed section was modified with language used in Arlington County and would explicitly prohibit parking in bicycle lanes.
In addition to the more substantial changes noted above, the proposed amendment also includes other minor changes such as (1) changes to the Board’s involvement in establishing parade routes, (2) updates to procedural standards for the Board, (3) formally establishing authority for the Director of T&ES to administer changes to traffic control devices, (4) changing days meters are not in operation (i.e., free parking days) from State holidays to Federal holidays (which eliminates Lee-Jackson Day as a free parking day) and clarifying holidays for residential permit parking restrictions and the 72 hour rule to be consistent, and (5) updating references to pay by phone technology, meter pay stations, and authorized payment methods at metered spaces. For more details, please refer to the discussion in the Traffic and Parking Board staff memo (Attachment 3).
As this is a technical amendment intended to address procedural issues related to the Traffic and Parking Board, staff worked closely with the Board to ensure relevant issues were addressed. Staff held a worksession with the Traffic and Parking Board in April 2018 to discuss the potential changes to the City Code related to the Board’s role and responsibilities and other traffic and parking issues that they address. The worksession was open to the public and materials were posted on the Boards website. Additional updates were provided to the Board in the Fall as to the status of the amendment and timing for when it would come before the Board as a docket item.
The Traffic and Parking Board considered this amendment during a public hearing at their meeting on November 26, 2018 and voted 7-0 to recommend approval with a few minor revisions. These revisions included clarifications in the meter section, updated language in the on-street parking standards section to be more consistent with the Complete Streets Policy and Vision Zero Action Plan, and clarifications to the new section proposed to explicitly prohibit parking in a bike lane. There were no public comments at this meeting. These revisions have been incorporated in the final draft of the ordinance that is provided as Attachment 2.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact from this ordinance.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Ordinance Cover
Attachment 2: Ordinance for Traffic and Parking Board updates
Attachment 3: Traffic and Parking Board staff memo (November 26, 2018)
Attachment 4: Summary of Current and Proposed Review Process for Traffic and Parking Board Issues
Attachment 5: Comparison of the Board’s existing duty and authority under Section 5-8-3 and proposed amended language
Attachment 6: Presentation
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Yon Lambert, Director, T&ES
Joanna Anderson, City Attorney
Dori Martin, Assistant City Attorney
Adrienne Fine, Assistant City Attorney
David Lanier, Assistant City Attorney
Hillary Orr, Deputy Director, Transportation, T&ES
Christopher Ziemann, Division Chief, Transportation Planning, T&ES
Bob Garbacz, Division Chief, Traffic Engineering, T&ES
Katye North, Principal Planner, Transportation Planning, T&ES