City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: FEBRUARY 5, 2020
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance Amending Title 10 (Motor Vehicles and Traffic), Chapter 1 (General Provisions) of The Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, 1981, as Amended
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ISSUE: After-the-fact consideration of whether to maintain ‘No Thru Truck’ signs in the unit to 600 blocks of East Taylor Run Parkway between Janney’s Lane and Duke Street.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council consider the proposed ordinance on first reading and set it for second reading, public hearing, and final passage on February 22, 2020.
BACKGROUND: East Taylor Run Parkway is classified as a local street on the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) street classification map and primarily serves the residents of the street. The section of East Taylor Run Parkway between Janney’s Lane and Duke Street is residential with no commercial properties requiring truck deliveries.
Truck restrictions on East Taylor Run Parkway were considered by the Central Alexandria Traffic Study Task Force but never formalized into a Task Force recommendation because the City’s truck restriction policy was being revised at that time. The policy has since been adopted by the Traffic and Parking Board. However, given the Task Force interest in the ‘No Thru Truck’ signs for East Taylor Run, staff docketed this item for Board consideration in June 2018. The Board voted unanimously on June 18, 2018 to approve the request and the signs were posted soon thereafter.
However, as a traffic control action affecting truck routes in the City of Alexandria, City Council approval of the Board recommendation was required prior to installation of the signs.
Staff has implemented new administrative procedures to ensure that all future ‘No Thru Truck’ requests follow the correct process. As noted above, the Traffic and Parking Board has adopted a new process for consideration of truck restrictions (that still involves Council approval). Additionally, Board meeting actions are now distributed immediately (no later than three business days) after each meeting to the entire Board and senior T&ES managers are made aware of items that may require additional legislative approvals. Such items are immediately added to the City’s legislative system for consideration by City Council.
As further background: In 2018, staff had undertaken an effort to clarify the Traffic & Parking Board role in citywide traffic and parking matters and update the City Code for the first time since 1963. Among the items under consideration was which body would have ultimate approval for truck routes. The Board recommended, and Council ultimately approved in December 2018, that there should be no change in the truck route approval process with City Council maintaining the authority to designate truck routes.
DISCUSSION: +During the Central Alexandria Traffic Study community process, City staff received multiple requests for ‘No Thru Traffic’ and ‘No Thru Truck’ restrictions on East Taylor Run Parkway. In response to the community’s concern for general traffic cutting through during the PM peak period (and causing delays and safety concerns at the intersection of Duke Street at West Taylor Run Parkway, a high crash location), traffic was banned from making a right turn from East Taylor Run onto the Duke Street service road between 4 and 6 pm Mondays through Fridays. This effectively prohibited traffic that did not have a destination on the street from utilizing the roadway during this time period.
‘No Thru Truck’ signs are also not new to this area. A ‘No Thru Truck’ restriction was installed on West Taylor Run Parkway, from Janney’s Lane to Duke Street, in 2007. This nearby restriction, in addition to the congestion on nearby roadways, leads navigation apps to route both passenger vehicles and trucks onto East Taylor Run Parkway during peak traffic periods. Staff collected data and conducted a traffic study to determine if East Taylor Run Parkway met the City’s criteria for truck restrictions as listed below:
• The roadway must be classified as a local road or residential collector (based on City of Alexandria Roadway Classification Map)
• There must be a reasonable alternative route available
• AND the roadway must meet at least one of the following criteria:
1. Truck volume must be at least 5% of total daily traffic volume, or
2. There must be at least one crash involving a truck in the previous three years, AND
3. There are safety concerns such that lane widths or travel way less than 12 feet in one direction or tight radius curves/corners that cannot be navigated by trucks
East Taylor Run Parkway is classified as a local road, there are reasonable alternate routes from Janney’s Lane to Duke Street, and staff received reports and photographs of large trucks causing damage to parked cars and knocking off mirrors. Due to these factors, staff recommends including East Taylor Run Parkway in the City Code as a No Through Truck Route.
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 Through Truck” restriction will therefore prohibit any vehicle in excess of 7,500 pounds from using East Taylor Run Parkway as a through street.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Ordinance Cover
Attachment 2: Ordinance
Attachment 3: Map
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Joanna Anderson, City Attorney
Yon Lambert, Director, T&ES
Hillary Orr, Deputy Director of Transportation, T&ES
Bob Garbacz, Division Chief of Traffic Engineering, T&ES