HomeMy WebLinkAboutNB 6 CROSSING GUARD 10-06-80DATE: SEPTEMBER 30, 1980
NEW BUSINESS
" NO. 6
~ 10-6-80
Inter -Corn
?0: DAN BLANKENSHIP, CITY ADMINISTRATOR
FROM: NORM HOWER, TRAFFIC ENGINEER
SUBJECT: SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD - RED HILL AVENUE AT OLWYN DRIVE
As requested by the City Council, a school crossing guard study has been
conducted for the existing crosswalk at the intersection of Red Hill
Avenue and Olwyn Drive. This crossing serves the Red Hill Lutheran
School on the ~ast side of Red Hill.
Red Hilt Avenue is a primary arterial highway, 84' in width at this
location, and the total traffic volume is 13,500 vehicles per day with
the critical speeed (85th percentile) being approximately 45 MPH.
This school does not release students to go home for lunch so only a
morning and afternooncountwas taken as follows:
TIME NO. OF STUDENTS CROSSING VEHICLE VOLUME
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
14 ll70
ll 1360
It appeared that the majority of students arrived at the school by private
vehicle.
A total of 25 students c~ossed within the existing crosswalk during the
two hours of observation. The present crossing guards at that location
are employees of the school and seemed to handle the traffc well but the
guard during the morning hour left before school began and all students
had crossed.
The traffic volumes and speeds are high on Red Hill Avenue but the number
of students does not meet the required 40 or more per hour for two hours
during the day to warrant a crossing guard.
General visibility of the crosswalk is very good but vehicles have a
tendency to park right up to the walk and a limited amount of parking
should be removed to increase visibility at the ends to the walk.
Due to the fact that a very limited number of students cross at this
location it does not meet the warrants recommended by the State for
adult crossing guards.
Dan Blankenship
September 30, 1980
C~ossing Guard - Red Hill & Olwyn
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the City Council at their meeting of October
6, 1980 confirm the removal of the crossing guard on Red Hill Avenue
at Olwyn Drive and that the curbs on the approach side of the cross-
walk be red zoned to provide adequate sight distance to motorists when
pedestrians are stepping off the curb.
NORM HOWER
TRAFFIC ENGINEER
NH:dph
8-1979 ~
SCHOOL AREA PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
As noted in Section 10-03.4, an adequate crossing
gapin a'pl~to/tching traffic should occur randomly at
all average rate of at least once each minute during
the school crossing periods.
Traffic Manual
10~-07.4 Special Conditions
A Sch°°l 9ffety Patrol shall ~t be a~igfi~d v;,~ere
inadequate stopping sight distance prevails, tmless
flashing yellow beacons are installed for operation
during School Crossing hours.
Adult Crossing Guard 10-08
10-08.1 General
Adult Crossing Guards are a supplemental tech-
nique and not a traffic control device. They may be
assigned (CVC 2815) at designated school crossings,
to assist elementary school pedestrians at specified
hours when going to or from school. The following
suggested policy for their assignment applies only to
crossings serving elementary school pedestrians on
the "Suggested Route to School."
An Adult Crossing Guard should be considered
when:
1. Special problems exist which inake it necessary
to assist elementary school pedestrians in cross-
lng the streeL such as ,it an unusually complicat-
ed intersection with frequent turning move-
ments and high vehicular speeds; or
2. A change in the school crossing location is immi-
nent but prevailing conditions require school
crossing supervision for a limited time and it is
infeasible to install another form of conh'ol for
a temporary period.
10-08.2 Warranfs for Adult Crossing Guord~
Adult Crossing Guards normally are assigned
where official supervision of elementary school
pedestrians is desirable while they cross a public
highway on the ,'Suggested Route to School", and at
least 40 elementary school pedestrians for each of
any two hours daily use the crossing while going to
or from school. Adult crossing guards may he war-
ranted under the following conditions:
l. At uncontrolled crossings where there is no al-
ternate controlled crossing ~4thin 600 feet; and
a. In urban areas where the vehicular traffic
volume exceeds 350 in each of any two daily
hours during which 40 or more school pede-
strians cross while going to or from school; or
b, In rural areas where the vehicular traffic vol-
ume exceeds 300 in each of any two daily
hours during which 30 or more school pede-
strians cross while going to or from school.
Whenever the critical approach speed ex-
ceeds 40 mph, the warrants for rural areas
should be applied.
2. At stop sign controlled crossings:
a. Where the vehicular traffic volume on undi-
~5ded highwa) s of four or more lanes exceeds
500 per hour during any period when the
school pedestrians are going to or from
school.
3. At traffic signal-controlled crossings:
a. Where the number of vehicular turning
movements through the school crosswalk ex-
ceeds 300 per hour while school pedestrians
are going to or from school.
b. %'here there are circumstances not nor-
mally present at a signalized intersection.
such as crosswalks more than 80 feet long
with no intermediate refuge, or an abnor-
mally high proportion of large commercial
vehicles.
Pedestrian Separation Strucfures 10-09
10-09.1 General
Pedestrian Separation Structures eliminate vehic-
ular-pedestrian eontlicts but are necessarily limited
to selected locations where the safety benefits clearly
balance the public investment. Separation structures
are supplemental techniques for providing school
pedestrian safety and are not traffic control devices.
~09.2 Warrants
Pedestrian Separation Structures should be consid-
ered where the following conditions are [ulfilled.
1. The prevailing conditions that require a school
pedestrian crossing must be sufficiently perma-
nent to justify the separation structure; and
9.. The location must be on the "Suggested Route
to School" at an uncontrolled intersection or
midblock location along a freeway, expressway
or major arterial street where the width, traffic
speed and volume make it undesirable for pede-
=i.~;nns to cross; and