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Home My WebLink AboutItem 07 - Speed LimitsMEMO TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: ROGER NELSON, CITY MANAGER � ? MEETING DATE: DECEMBER 21, 2004 SUBJECT: SPEED LIMITS — HALL -JOHNSON ROAD AND MINTERS CHAPEL ROAD RECOMMENDATION: City Council consider adopting an Ordinance amending Section 23-26, Speed Limits - Schedule for Certain Public Streets and Ways, of the City Code of Ordinances to establish: • A 35 -mph speed zone in both directions on Hall -Johnson Road between Parr Road and State Highway 121. • A 40 -mph speed zone in both directions on Minters Chapel Road between Dallas Road and State Highway 114 Westbound Service Road. BACKGROUND: The speed limit on Hall -Johnson Road between Parr Road and State Highway 121 is currently posted at 30 mph. A 30 mph speed limit is too low for a divided 4 -lane arterial. Staff has received numerous complaints from citizens regarding the low speed limit. There is currently no posted speed limit on Minters Chapel Road. An engineering study was conducted on the subject streets to determine a safe and reasonable speed limit. The investigation typically involves measuring the actual speeds of free-flowing vehicles and determining the speed at which the majority of the vehicles (85%) are traveling. The speed limit is set close to this 85th percentile speed. This process ensures that the speed limit is set neither artificially too high nor too low. The traffic engineering study indicated that the 85th percentile speeds for the subject section of Hall -Johnson Road is 38 mph in the eastbound direction and 39 mph in the westbound direction. Therefore a 35 mph speed limit is recommended. On Minters Chapel Road, the 85th percentile speed was 46 mph in the southbound direction and 50 mph in the north bound directions. City Council had expressed concern about establishing a speed limit above 40 mph on this roadway and requested the Staff to review the speed issue on this roadway. Minters Chapel Road has a high proportion of truck traffic. A higher the speed limit on this relatively short segment of roadway lends itself to a larger the speed differential December 15, 2004 (2:48PM) between trucks and other vehicles. A large speed differential between vehicles can increase accident potential. Therefore a speed limit of 40 mph is recommended on Minters Chapel Road. This speed limit will also be consistent with the speed limit on Dallas Road. Staff recommends approval of the proposed speed limits, which have been determined to be safe and reasonable speeds on the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation. RC\lg 0:\agenda\SpeedLimitsonHallJohnsonRd&MintersChapeiRd December 15, 2004 (2:48PM) ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS AMENDING THE GRAPEVINE CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER 23 TRAFFIC, SECTION 23-26 SCHEDULES FOR CERTAIN PUBLIC STREETS AND WAYS, ALTERING THE PRIMA FACIE SPEED LIMITS ESTABLISHED FOR VEHICLES UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF SECTIONS 167 AND 169 OF ARTICLE XIX, R.C.S. 6701 d, UNIFORM ACT REGULATING TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAYS, UPON THE BASIS OF AN ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC INVESTIGATION UPON CERTAIN STREETS AND HIGHWAYS, OR PARTS THEREOF, WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE AS SET OUT IN THE ORDINANCE; AUTHORIZING THE ERECTION OF TRAFFIC REGULATION SIGNS; REPEALING CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; PROVIDING A PENALTY OF FINE NOT TO EXCEED THE SUM OF TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS ($200.00) FOR EACH OFFENSE AND A SEPARATE OFFENSE SHALL BE DEEMED COMMITTED EACH DAY DURING OR ON WHICH AN OFFENSE OCCURS OR CONTINUES; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE WHEREAS, Sections 167 and 169 of Article XIX, R.C.S. 6701 d, Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways, provide that whenever the governing body of the City shall determine upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation that any prima facie speed therein set forth is greater or less than is reasonable or safe under the conditions found to exist at any intersection or other place or upon any part of a street or highway, with the City taking into consideration the width and condition of the pavement and other circumstances on such portion of said street or highway, as well as the usual traffic thereon, said governing body may determine and declare a reasonable and safe prima facie speed limit thereat or thereon by the passage of an ordinance, which shall be effective when appropriate signs giving notice thereof are erected at such intersection or other place or part of the street or highway. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS: Section 1. That Chapter 23 Traffic, Section 23-26 Schedule for Certain Public Streets and Ways of the Grapevine Code of Ordinances is hereby amended upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation heretofore made as authorized by the provisions of Sections 167 and 169 of Article XIX, R.C.S. 6701d, Uniform Act. Regulating Traffic on Highways, the following prima facie speed limits hereafter indicated for vehicles are hereby determined and declared to be reasonable and safe; and such speed limits are hereby fixed at the rate of speed indicated for vehicles traveling upon the named streets and highways, or parts thereof, described as follows: Street and Location Speed Limits (Miles Per Hour) "Hall Johnson Road between Parr Road and State Highway 121, eastbound and westbound..... 35 Minters Chapel Road between Dallas Road and State Highway 114 Westbound Frontage Road, northbound and southbound..... 40" Section 2. That the City Manager, or his agent, is hereby authorized to have the proper traffic signs erected, constructed, and placed at such points along said highways, streets or alleys, or portions thereof under construction, maintenance, or repair, so that travelers will be reasonably notified of said traffic regulations. Section 3. That all ordinances or any parts thereof in conflict with the terms of this ordinance shall be and hereby are deemed repealed and of no force or effect provided, however, that the ordinance or ordinances under which the cases currently filed and pending in the Municipal Court of the City of Grapevine, Texas shall be deemed repealed only when all such cases filed and pending under such ordinance or ordinances have been disposed of by a final conviction or a finding of not guilty, nolo contendere, or dismissal. Section 4. That any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction in the Municipal Court, shall be fined in an amount not to exceed the sum of Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) for each offense and a separate offense shall be deemed committed each day during or on which an offense occurs or continues. Section 5. If any section, article, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase or word in the ordinance, or application thereto any person or circumstance is held invalid or unconstitutional by a Court of competent jurisdiction, such holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance; and the City Council hereby declares it would have passed such remaining portions of this ordinance despite such invalidity, which remaining portions shall remain in full force and effect. ORD. NO. 2 Section 6. The fact that the present ordinances and regulations of the City of Grapevine, Texas do not adequately regulate the traffic within the City creates an emergency and the preservation of the public health, safety, and welfare requires that this ordinance take effect immediately from and after the date of its passage. PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS on this the 21st day of December, 2004. UTOMM.-TOM"D ATTEST: ORD. 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