Minutes

TRANSPORTATION SAFETY COMMISSION

June 24, 2008

The Vienna Transportation Safety Commission (TSC) met in regular session on June 24, 2008, in the Council Chamber at Town Hall, 127 Center St., S., Vienna, Virginia. Chairman Stephen Kenney opened the meeting at 8:00 p.m. with the following members present: Andrew Meren, J. Leonard Ignatowski, Jill Decker, Richard Denbow and Sharon Baum. Absent were Frank Johnson, Howard Springsteen, and Tara Voigt. Also present were Matthew Randall, engineer for the Department of Public Works (DPW), Sergeant Mike Reeves of Vienna Police Department (VPD) and TSC Clerk Emily Allen.

Approval of the Minutes

The minutes of the May 27, 2008 TSC meeting were approved with minor corrections.

Receipt of Petitions and Communications from the Public

Mary Ellen Larkins of 317 Church St, NE thanked the TSC for the work that was done getting 2 speed tables put in on the 300 block of Church St, NE.

Sidney Skjei of 603 Creek Crossing Rd, NE told the TSC that he is the last house in Town but the road in front of his house is not maintained by the Town. He would like the TSC’s help in finding a solution to the excessive speeding that goes on in front of his house. The traffic traveling down the street is bypassing Maple Ave and often travels 45mph or more. He has even seen cars passing each other on the 2 lane road. This is especially unsafe because there are 2 school bus stops in the area. He thinks the issue is complicated by the fact that the street might be a snow emergency route as well as the fact that it is not maintained by the Town.

Chairman Kenney told Mr. Skjei that a petitioner from Old Courthouse Rd was present and that the TSC had asked that when she spoke to Fairfax County about traffic problems on the Fairfax County side of Old Courthouse Rd, she also include Creek Crossing Rd in the discussion.

Cris Janoski of 306 Old Courthouse Rd, NE said that Fairfax County is supposed to be planning a meeting but she doesn’t have the exact date yet. Chairman Kenney asked that she inform the TSC of the date when she knows it and Ms. Janoski agreed. She said that she has sent a letter to Delegate Stephen Shannon but she has not heard back from him yet. She is also hoping to talk to Representative Tom Davis.

Bob Russell of Old Courthouse Rd, NE said that State Senator Chap Peterson had come by his house to review Old Courthouse Rd from Beulah Rd to the Town line. Mr. Russell also said that he has written a letter to the District Administrator of the Department of Transportation.

Mr. Skjei told the TSC that he is glad to know that some attention is being given to the area and he hopes it will extend to the excessive speeding in front of his house.

Discussion of Traffic Calming Measures on Old Courthouse Rd

Chairman Kenney recapped that the Town had recently put in some speed tables on Old Courthouse Rd which dropped the speed but there are still issues on the section that is out of Town. Ms. Janoski has been working on getting some improvements to the area for quite some time. Two months back she presented the TSC with a petition concerning the speed of vehicles coming down the hill and heading up the hill on Old Courthouse Rd. The Town did some traffic counts at 233 Old Courthouse Rd, NE on April 30, 2008. The northbound 85th percentile speed was 34mph with 33.25% of traffic traveling faster than 30mph. On the southbound side, the 85th percentile speed was 33.9mph with 41.46% of traffic was traveling faster than 30mph. The Town installed automated speed readers and then did a follow up study while they were still installed; the southbound 85th percentile dropped down to 31.75mph with only 21.1% of traffic traveling 30mph or greater, the northbound 85th percentile remained the same and traffic traveling 30mph or more actually increased from 33.25% to 38%.

Allan Rubin of 237 Old Courthouse Rd, NE thanked the TSC for the improvements on Old Courthouse Rd and said he could see a big difference. However, he had one suggestion. Traveling up the hill, where speed increased, there is a 2/10th of a mile distance between the speed limit sign and the automated speed reader; going down the hill, there is only about 10ft of space. He thinks that the signs have a bigger impact if they are closer together.

Donna Smith of 233 Old Courthouse Rd, NE informed the TSC that the automated speed reader signs were not working at one point. She doesn’t think it was working when the traffic counters were out.

Chairman Kenney questioned whether DPW was aware of this. Mr. Randall said that he thinks the sign was not working for about 2 days. Ms. Smith added that there was a 2nd period where it wasn’t working for a couple of days as well. It froze on 16mph once and 22 mph another time.

Chairman Kenney asked Sergeant Reeves if he noticed whether the signs were working when he collected the traffic counts. Sergeant Reeves answered that he did not recall but thinks he would have noticed if they were not.

Ms. Janoski added that there was also an error message on the northbound sign for awhile. She a said that she likes the 25mph signs painted on the street on Church St and wondered if that could be considered for Old Courthouse Rd, NE.

Chairman Kenney told Ms. Janoski that the signage was posted on the street on Church St to remind drivers that they were leaving a commercial district and entering a residential zone.

Ms. Janoski added that she would also like to see a bigger presence from the VPD. Sergeant Reeves said that the VPD sits in that area more than they do anywhere else. In fact they were there today and yesterday.

Chairman Kenney reminded everyone that the automated speed readers are expensive and it is not something that the TSC can recommend on every street.

Commissioner Denbow said that he is a fan of striping and signage on the street. There was great success on Malcolm Rd, NW near Lawyers Rd, NW using these measures and the citizens seem to be satisfied.

Commissioner Meren agreed that was a good first step. If it doesn’t work, the TSC can always take a second look.

Chairman Kenney said that he thinks the TSC should consider recommending one permanent automated speed reader for Old Courthouse Rd, NE. If that cannot be done, then Old Courthouse Rd, NE should at least be added to the list of streets that the temporary automated speed readers are rotated on.

Mr. Randall, DPW engineer, said that the Town currently has 4 automated speed readers that are rotated throughout Town. Usually, VPD will radar an area for a couple of weeks and then the read out boxes will be put in for another couple of weeks as a follow up. The location of the speed read out boxes is determined by the VPD or by Town Council.

Chairman Kenney asked if there was a way that citizen’s can request to have the boxes on their street. Sergeants Reeves said that the VPD has possession of a radar trailer and citizen’s can request that on their street.

Chairman Kenney said that the automated speed read out boxes cost about $5,000 and placing Old Courthouse Rd, NE on the list of streets that the automated speed read out boxes are rotated on should be the backup plan.

Commissioner Meren said that he likes the idea of putting 25mph signage on the street in addition to requesting a permanent speed read out box on Old Courthouse Rd, NE.

Commissioner Meren made a motion to put ‘25mph’ signage in the street on both ends of Old Courthouse Rd when entering the town and to put Old Courthouse Rd, NE on the list of streets that the automated speed read out boxes are rotated on. Also, the Town Council should consider a permanent automated speed read out box for Old Courthouse Rd, NE.

Commissioner Decker seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.

Petition Requesting a Four-way Stop at Frederick St, SW and Kingsley Rd, SW

Carey Hunter of 924 Frederick St, SW lives at the intersection of Frederick St, SW and Kingsley Rd, SW and presented the TSC with a petition requesting a four-way stop. She said that the neighbors she approached were very enthusiastic. People come speeding down from Cottage St, SW and there is a dip and a bit of a blind spot. Currently, there is only a very faded crosswalk. She has never seen anyone slow down to let her cross. A lot of people think there is a four-way stop there so they slam on their brakes and then others almost run into them. She has a child that is now attending Marshall Rd School and there is nowhere to cross except for at Ware St, SW. The intersection of Kingsley Rd, SW and Ware St, SW is a great intersection and she would like to see Kingsley Rd, SW and Frederick St, SW mirror that. She thinks the intersection should be a four-way stop with 4 crosswalks.

Commissioner Meren asked where the sidewalk on the south side of Kingsley Rd ends and Chairman Kenney answered that it ends at Frederick St, SW.

Chairman Kenney took a minute to read a letter of opposition from Joseph Drozd of 924 Cottage St, SW. Mr. Drozd wrote that he passes through the intersection of Kingsley Rd, SW and Frederick St, SW every weekday morning and evening on his way to and from work, approximately 500 times a year. During those 500 times, he estimates that he has seen people waiting to cross less than 5 times. A four-way stop would lead to unnecessary stops for pedestrians who are there less than 1% of the time.

Chairman Kenney then went over the traffic counts. On the eastbound lane of the 400 block of Kingsley Rd, SW the 85th percentile out of the 2,444 cars that passed through in a 24 hour period was 34.46mph and 44% of traffic was traveling 30mph or faster. In the westbound lane, 2,180 cars passed through and the 85th percentile speed was 34.08mph and 34.77% of traffic was traveling 30mph or faster. In the 900 block of Frederick St, SW 113 cars traveled down the southbound side and in the 1000 block of Frederick St, SW 48 cars traveled on the northbound side. The speeds on Frederick St, SW were inconsequential because there is already a stop sign on Frederick St, SW. He noted that on the southbound side of Frederick St, SW, between 2-3p.m., the volume of cars spiked to 53 but no one knew why. Chairman Kenney warned Ms. Hunter that the numbers are pretty low. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) standards say that for a four-way stop, 1/3 of traffic volume should be from the minor roadway. Ms. Hunter responded that her main concern is making it safe for people to be able to cross the street. Chairman Kenney said that the issue with putting in a stop sign that is mainly for pedestrian use is that motorists will sense that it is unnecessary and run it.

Ms. Hunter said that she feels the TSC should be less concerned with the motorists than the entire neighborhood that is behind a four-way stop.

Chairman Kenney asked her why she does not cross at Ware St, SW and Ms. Hunter said she can do that if she is walking to the school.

Commissioner Meren asked if she was open to the idea of repainting the crosswalk and Ms. Hunter said she is open to it but really feels the neighbors want a four-way stop.

Tobi Whiteside of 402 Kingsley Rd, SW said that her house is at the intersection of Kingsley Rd, SW and Frederick St, SW and she finds it hard to back out of her driveway. There is no sidewalk on either side of the street either.

Commissioner Meren asked Chairman Kenney if he knew the status of sidewalk construction on Kingsley Rd, SW. Chairman Kenney said that it is on the list and there are only about 2 blocks on Kingsley Rd that are missing sidewalks. The best prediction he could give would be 2-3 years out.

Cara Reynolds of 1003 Frederick St, SW said that she walks with her stroller everyday and no one ever stops to let her cross. If they cannot have a four-way stop then repainting the crosswalk would make a big difference.

Chairman Kenney said that the new zebra striped crosswalks are much better than the old ones with just 2 lines.

Walter Blotkamp of 1005 Rachel La, SW said that he is against a four-way stop. His concern is that next the people on Hillcrest Dr, SW will come to the TSC wanting a four-way stop as well and pretty soon every intersection in Town will be a four-way stop. He thinks putting in a “Slow: Children Playing” sign along with repainting the crosswalk would suffice.

Susan Webber of 501 Kingsley Rd, SW said she feels timid trying to get into or out of her driveway. She cannot see people coming over the hill and thinks that the intersection is unsafe.

Ms. Hunter noted that the traffic counts indicate that the average speed on Kingsley Rd, SW is 34mph. That does not make it safe for people trying to get out of their driveways, especially with a blind spot from the hill. If the Town repaints the crosswalk, who will be there to enforce it?

Commissioner Denbow asked if speed tables were mentioned at all when Ms. Hunter spoke to her neighbors. Ms. Hunter said that her neighbors were not at all in favor of speed humps and that there used to be some on Kingsley Rd, SW but they had petitioned to have them removed.
Commissioner Denbow clarified for Ms. Hunter that those were speed humps and now the Town puts in speed tables which are much less disruptive.

Mr. Blotkamp said that the problem with speed tables is that people slow down to go over them but tend to accelerate afterwards, so people would be speeding through the intersection which is what is trying to be avoided.

Commissioner Baum said that she feels the TSC should recommend repainting the crosswalk and adding signage advertising the crosswalk and that cross traffic does not stop. Her experience is that people do not always stop for a stop sign and a stop sign there might give children a false sense of security.

Commissioner Meren said that he lives on Kingsley Rd, SW, closer to Nutley St, SW. Sometimes it can take him a long time to get out of his driveway in the morning but he knew that it would be like that when he moved there. He does not think that any of the intersections along Kingsley Rd that do not already have a four-way stop warrant one.

Chairman Kenney asked the TSC members what they thought about putting 25mph speed limit signs in the street in opposite directions on the 300 and 500 block of Kingsley Rd, SW.

Commissioner Decker answered that she thinks speed limit signs are very affective.

Commissioner Meren said he was hesitant to agree because there are so many other places in Town that people could request those for.

Chairman Kenney said he is making the suggestion in response to the 85th percentile speed of 34mph.

Commissioner Denbow mentioned that putting “Crosswalk Ahead” in the street instead of the speed limit is an option as well.

Commissioner Baum made a motion to repaint the existing crosswalk, add signage to note that there is a crosswalk and that cross traffic does not stop and put 25mph vinyl markings in the street.

Commissioner Ignatowski said that he thinks the TSC should have a more orderly protocol instead of coming up with a new solution each time. He thinks it would be better to do the signage first and go back and do the vinyl markings if need be. Commissioner Meren agreed.

Commissioner Decker seconded Commissioner Baum’s motion and it was unanimously approved.

Commissioner Meren asked that it be noted that this is for a specific incident.

Chairman Kenney responded that yes, this is for a specific condition where there is a volume of 4,500 cars with an 85th percentile of speed of 34mph. He also wanted the petitioners to know that when this goes before the Town Council, Town Council could reject the TSC recommendations and approve a four-way stop.

Additional Signage for Crosswalk at Park St, SE and McHenry St, SE

Jennifer Min of 212 McHenry St, SE wanted the TSC to know that she is very pleased with the crosswalk at Park St, SE and McHenry St, SE. However, she would like for there to be an added yellow pedestrian crossing sign in the crosswalk. She thinks that they grab peoples’ attention much better because they state that it is the law to obey the crosswalk. It is especially dangerous to cross because people park on Park St, SE when dropping or picking up their children so it is harder to see people coming out from between cars.

Chairman Kenney asked why Ms. Min does not cross at Park St, SE and Adahi Rd, SE.

Ms. Min responded that she does not think she should have to. The Town put in a crosswalk at Park St, SE and McHenry St, SE and she should be able to use it safely.

Chairman Kenney informed Ms. Min that the Town Manager specifically told the TSC that they cannot place these pedestrian crossing pylons everywhere in Town. They have ordered some but they are supposed to be for high pedestrian areas; one will probably go in at Cunningham Park School but it will be at Park St, SE and Adahi Rd, SE, not at Park St, SE and McHenry St, SE.

Ms. Min said she still feels there should be signage of some sort at the crosswalk.

Chairman Kenney asked if there was no signage there now and from looking at photos it was determined that there is no signage at the crosswalk at this time.

Commissioner Baum said that she agreed with Ms. Min. The Town has gone to the expense of putting in a crosswalk, it should be more protected. Putting “Pedestrian Crossing” in the roadway would be a good improvement.

Chairman Kenney suggested putting in a regular sign on a post. There will be the pedestrian crossing pylon 200 feet away.

Commissioner Baum wondered whether there was a law that says you must park a certain distance for a crosswalk. Sergeant Reeves said that the law only states that you cannot park on the crosswalk. Commissioner Baum suggested installing “No Parking” signs designating the area 20 ft from the crosswalk as a no parking zone.

Chairman Kenney asked Mr. Randall the status of the pedestrian crossing pylons. Mr. Randall answered that the Town has installed 2. The other 2 were the wrong kind and he was unsure whether the Town had decided to keep them or not.

Commissioner Baum made a motion to add signage noting that there is a crosswalk and to add “No Parking” signs 20 ft from the crosswalk.

Commissioner Ignatowski said that since this is a school issue, a letter should be written to the principal asking him to remind parents that they should not be parking there.

Commissioner Denbow seconded Commissioner Baum’s motion and it was unanimously approved

Report of the Commissioner

Chairman Kenney reminded everyone that the Mayor had asked the TSC to look at bicycle friendly options for the Town. From talking to the bike shops in Town, it was noted that there is a lack of bike racks in Town. Last meeting, the Town was divided up among the TSC members to look for bike racks. Also discussed, was the map that Fairfax County publishes of bike routes. The plan is to make this map available at Town Hall.

Commissioner Meren said that he looked at the parks. He drove to the parks thinking that the bike racks would be on the edge but that was not the case. At Glyndon Park, the bike rack is in the middle of the park. The tennis court and baseball diamond would be better locations. There was no bike rack at the little league fields. He took pictures of places that he thinks would be good locations for bike racks. He noticed that the Northside Park leads to the W&OD trail and thinks a sign should be posed there with a map of the bike routes. This would also be a good idea for the northern entrance of the metro.

Chairman Kenney thought that the caboose would be a better place.

Commissioner Meren said that is a good idea as well but thought that if the Town was trying to make Vienna more bicycle friendly then it would be good to start somewhere you don’t need a car, such as the Vienna metro.

Chairman Kenney said that he observed that a lot of restaurants had bikes chained up out back that belonged to employees. He also said he thinks that the Town has more ash trays than bike racks and this is not a good message.

Commissioner Ignatowski said that if putting bike racks in will take up parking spaces, businesses will not be interested.

Chairman Kenney went over Commissioner Ignatowski’s notes which stated that there were bike racks at the caboose, the bike trail, the library and Whole Foods. Commissioner Johnson’s notes recorded bike racks at Westwood Country Club, Spokes, Yorkshire Furniture and Evolutions fitness center.

Chairman Kenney reported that he did ask the elementary schools in Town about their stance on biking to school; Cunningham Park discourages biking to school, Vienna Elementary has a bike rack, Louise Archer has a bike rack and he had not yet heard back from Marshall Rd but suspected that they discouraged biking as well.

Commissioner Baum stated that she had seen bike racks at Noodles and Company, Whole Foods, Water’s Field – but it was crowded and could use another one, Vienna Elementary and the library. She noted that there was not one at the tot lot at Branch Rd, SE and Locust St, SE.

Commissioner Kenney stated that he thought it was odd that all along historic Church St there are historic hitching posts but no bike racks. He offered the suggestion of having the Town offer a tax break to businesses who installed bike racks.

Report of the Chairman

Chairman Kenney reported that he had met with the Town Council in regards to the traffic consultant’s report. There will be a public hearing scheduled sometime in the near future. The Town Council wants the TSC to follow up on the Citizen’s Guide to Traffic Calming and make some recommendations for fine tuning. They also requested that the TSC come up with some long term goals by quadrant for the Town. There will be a sidewalk hearing in the fall once the Town Council gets some cost estimates from DPW.

The traffic calming measures that the TSC recommended were installed at Church St, NE and East St, NE. Chairman Kenney requested some traffic counts be done on Church St, NE to see if there was an impact on speed after the median was created.

Sergeant Reeves said that he had noticed a change in speed.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:14 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Emily L. Allen
TSC Clerk

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