City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JANUARY 6, 2016
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing, Second Reading, and Final Passage of an Ordinance to Amend Title 10 (Motor Vehicles and Traffic), Chapter 1 (General Provisions) of The Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, 1981, as Amended.[ROLL-CALL VOTE]
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of an ordinance to prohibit through truck traffic in the unit block of West Rosemont Avenue between Commonwealth Avenue and Russell Road.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council pass the proposed ordinance (Attachment 2) to adopt the Title 10 (Motor Vehicles and Traffic), Chapter 1 (General Provisions) of the code of the City of Alexandria on second reading on Saturday, January 23, 2016. The ordinance shall become effective upon the date and at the time of its final passage.
BACKGROUND: West Rosemont Avenue is classified as a local street on the City’s street classification map and provides a connection between King Street and Commonwealth Avenue. This section of West Rosemont Avenue has residential homes on both sides of the street and there are no commercial properties. The Traffic and Parking Board considered a request at the Board’s November 16, 2015 meeting to prohibit truck traffic in the unit block of West Rosemont Avenue. Two members of the community, David Norcross and Linda Holland spoke in favor of the proposed restrictions and no members of the public spoke in opposition. Following the public hearing on this matter, the Board voted unanimously to recommend a prohibition of through truck traffic on West Rosemont Avenue between Commonwealth Avenue and Russell Road. As a traffic control action affecting truck routes in the City of Alexandria, City Council approval of this recommendation is required.
DISCUSSION: West Rosemont Avenue runs between King Street and Commonwealth Avenue and is one of only two east-west streets in Rosemont providing connectivity to King Street from Commonwealth, as shown in Attachment 3. This block of West Rosemont Avenue is a residential street and has a small median separating the directions of travel. The roadway width on each side of West Rosemont Avenue is 19 feet with parking on one side leaving an 11-foot travel lane with an eight-foot on-street (parallel) parking lane.
Residents expressed concerns about commercial trucks using West Rosemont Avenue and have requested “No Thru Truck” restrictions to prevent through trucks from using West Rosemont Avenue. Trucks that have business on this block may still travel on the street with the proposed restriction. City staff conducted a study in September 2015 which found that eight westbound trucks and six eastbound trucks used the unit block of West Rosemont Avenue between noon and 3:00 PM. This is a total of 14 trucks in a three hour period, amounting to nearly five trucks per hour. A 24-hours study performed in October 2015 showed 1,184 vehicles per day travel on West Rosemont Avenue, with 11 percent truck traffic. As a residential street with 11-foot travel lanes adjacent to a median and on-street parking, West Rosemont Avenue was not designed to accommodate this level of through truck traffic.
The City Code defers to Virginia State Code because the City Code does not define “truck.” Virginia State Code, 46.2-100, defines “truck” as “every motor vehicle designed to transport property on its own structure independent of any other vehicle and having a registered gross weight in excess of 7,500 pounds.” A “No Thru Truck” restriction will therefore prohibit any vehicle in excess of 7,500 pounds from using West Rosemont Avenue as a through street. West Rosemont Avenue meets the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) criteria for prohibiting through trucks. The CTB criteria are included in the Attachment 4.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Ordinance Cover
Attachment 2: Ordinance
Attachment 3: Map
Attachment 4: Commonwealth Transportation Board Criteria
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Chris Spera, Deputy City Attorney
Yon Lambert, Director, T&ES
Carrie Sanders, Acting Deputy Director, T&ES/Transportation
Bob Garbacz, Division Chief, T&ES/Traffic Engineering