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City of Yakima Department of Public
Works
Traffic Engineering Division
2301 Fruitvale Boulevard
Yakima, Washington 98902
(509) 575-6005
www.ci.yakima.wa.us
Possible Improvements
Procedures to Implement Neighborhood
Traffic Management Program
Traffic Analysis Glossary
Petition Form (10k PDF)
Speed Hump is a typical traffic calming device.
Picture supplied by Institute of Traffic Engineers
Background of Program
In May of 1995, the Yakima City Council adopted a policy
for reviewing and prioritizing neighborhood requests for traffic
calming, including the development of traffic control plans.
Funding of specific projects may be sponsored by a neighborhood
Local Improvement District, or in some cases approved by City
Council.
Goals of Traffic Calming Program
- Implement a program of possible modifications to neighborhood
streets to allow motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and
residents to coexist with minimal conflict
.
- Emphasize the importance of safety, comfort and welfare
of residents by reducing the negative impacts of vehicular
traffic on their neighborhood streets.
- Provide commuting motorists reasonably convenient collector,
minor and principal-arterial routes as alternatives to neighborhood
streets they are currently using.
- Promote the use of physical traffic control measures in
support of legal statutory regulations in order to reduce
vehicle speeds to acceptable levels on residential streets.
- Encourage and facilitate citizen participation in all
phases of the neighborhood traffic program. Make efficient
use of city resources.
Policies for Neighborhood
Traffic Calming
1) Consideration of a neighborhood traffic management program
should be limited to local-access or collector streets, consistent
with the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan.
The program should promote the routing of neighborhood through
traffic to the adjacent arterial classified streets.
2) Traffic patterns may change as a result of a neighborhood
traffic project. The impact to adjoining streets and neighborhoods
should be considered.
3) Emergency vehicle access should be preserved on local-access
and collector streets and no physical traffic control devices
should be installed which impair emergency access.
4) Reasonable vehicular access should be maintained. However,
neighborhood traffic projects should encourage and enhance
pedestrian, bicycle and transit circulation.
5) Generally, physical traffic calming devices should not
be installed on street segments with grades greater than ten
percent (10%) along horizontal curves with sight distances
less than 150 feet or adjacent to residential driveways.
6) The neighborhood traffic plan should include an inventory,
analysis and solutions to problems with the current street
parking systems, including narrow streets, access needs, sight
obstructions and parking violations at intersections, driveways
and fire hydrants.
Possible Neighborhood
Traffic Calming Improvements
The Traffic Engineering Division shall evaluate traffic control
techniques and utilize traffic calming devices to fulfill
the neighborhood traffic objectives and respond effectively
to traffic–related neighborhood concerns. To learn more
about current Engineering practices related to Traffic Calming
measures you may want to review the Institute of Traffic Engineer
(ITE) website devoted to this nationwide issue at http://www.ite.org/traffic/tcdevices.htm
Engineering standards include the
use of various combinations of the following devices:
Speed Humps: When spaced properly in a series
of three or more, and combined with other intersection treatments,
these are relatively low cost devices that effectively calm
the traffic by reducing speeds along the treated segments
of local access and local collector streets.
Roundabouts and Traffic Circles: These devices
are raised circular islands placed in an intersection to assign
a radial pattern of right-of-way assignment, calm the traffic
near an intersection and reduce conflict points and collisions.
They are most effective when installed in a lineal series
along a street.
Chokers/Chicanes and Curb Extensions: These
devices narrow the street by widening the sidewalk or parking
strip to extend and clarify pedestrian crossings and create
physical roadway width variations to calm approaching traffic.
Diagonal and Semi-Diverters: These devices
limit access to a street from one direction, completely block
access across an intersection or on one side of a street segment,
allow only pedestrian and bicycle traffic or limit specific
turn movements at an intersection. They function best when
used throughout a neighborhood to prevent the movement of
traffic problems to adjacent parallel streets in a network.
Cul-de-sacs: These are complete street closures
at an intersection or mid block location. Due to their severe
access limiting affects on neighborhood circulation and detriment
to emergency vehicle access, they should normally be limited
to use with unusual property shapes or in areas with topographic
constraints.
Intersection Control Plans - Limited Stop Sign Installation:
Stop signs are not intended as speed control measures. Stop
signs are regulatory signs used to assign right of way and
to prevent collisions. However, the City of Yakima has found
that limited applications of stop sign installation within
a neighborhood can create natural breaks in the travel patterns
and may influence the travel speed. This pattern creates a
rational, systematic approach to intersection right of way
assignment on neighborhood streets to promote a more consistent
level of driver expectancy and comfort. This may include a
stop control at every other intersection in a project neighborhood,
with classified collector streets excluded. Analysis of the
neighborhood characteristics is necessary. This pattern may
help reduce cut through travel patterns by commuter traffic
on local access neighborhood streets and it may spread local
traffic more evenly throughout the street network as well
as promote greater use of arterials. To find out more about
Stop Signs, please contact the Traffic Engineering Division.
Procedures to Implement
Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program
1) Citizen Request and Initial Review. Citizens or neighborhood
organizations may make traffic-related requests. Traffic staff
gathers preliminary traffic data including volumes, speeds,
collision information and existing conditions including signs,
paving, sidewalks, geometry and sight obstructions.
The first phase of review usually determines if additional
stop signs are warranted within the neighborhood area. Traffic
Engineering staff will determine appropriate locations for
two-way and possible four-way stops. Installation of stop
signs is not appropriate in many locations and can have negative
impacts to the neighborhoods. To learn more about stop sign
requirements, contact the Traffic Engineering Division.
There is generally no cost to the neighborhood for stop sign
installation, when warranted. If additional measures are desired
by the citizen or neighborhood group, a Citizen Petition to
Study Traffic Calming Measures will be necessary.
2) Citizen Petition to Study Traffic Calming Measures. To
initiate a study of possible traffic calming measures, beyond
stop sign installation, city policy requires that a citizen
petition be submitted. The petition documents the level of
agreement among residents in the project area that a problem
exists and confirm the specifics of the request.
Traffic Engineering staff will meet with the requester and
explain the petition procedures to the citizen who is responsible
for circulating the petition. The petition should be signed
by property owners and residents within the neighborhood and
impacted street area. Signatures from fifty-one percent of
the project area residents/businesses are required to move
the project forward. Each household and business is entitled
to one signature. Non-resident property owners are excluded
from the petition to study process; however, they are given
project status updates and are welcomed to submit input on
the project.
3) Plan Development. Traffic Engineering staff will gather
data about the neighborhood area, including traffic volumes,
speeds, collisions, land uses such as schools and parks, and
street geometrics. Alternative proposals may be developed
by staff for the neighborhood to consider. A technical meeting
may be held with representatives of the Fire, Police, City
Engineering Office and utility providers to discuss potential
impacts of physical changes to the street. A public meeting
will be held with the neighborhood and petitioners.
The affected neighborhood, various city departments and other
interested agencies such as Transit and school districts evaluate
alternative solutions and their possible impacts. The perceived
and actual problems analyzed will normally involve, but are
not limited to: speeding traffic, increased volumes, heavy
cut-through traffic, improper or inadequate intersection traffic
control, concerns for child safety, street parking and sight
obstructions. Traffic staff should work with the residents
to develop an effective plan and solution to these problems.
Consideration should be given to any land-use changes and/or
generators or roadway improvements occurring adjacent to and
outside the neighborhood traffic project area, but which may
have a short term or future impact on traffic conditions in
the area.
All devices will be planned, designed and installed in keeping
with established and sound engineering and planning practices.
The Traffic Engineer shall direct the installation of traffic
calming and control devices including signs and markings needed
to complete the project in compliance with municipal codes
and the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
4) Ballot. To forward the neighborhood traffic project to
the City Council, a confidential mail ballot is administered
which requests approval from the households, businesses and
non-resident property owners within the defined ballot area.
The ballot area includes all properties located in the project
boundaries established at the time of the petition. The affected
area will include all properties adjacent to the city streets
within and including the neighborhood boundary streets, which
are decided upon in the plan development phase. Residents
from sixty percent of eligible properties must respond favorably
to forward the project. Each household, business and non-resident
property owner is entitled to one ballot response.
5) City Council action. After project evaluation and a positive
ballot, traffic staff prepares a report with recommendations
for City Council action which outlines the process followed,
describes the project results and findings and clearly states
the reasons for the recommendations. If a project does not
obtain the required ballot approval, it is not forwarded to
the City Council.
City Council may choose to approve the project and direct
city funds to sponsor the project, or accept the project subject
to formation of a Local Improvement District to implement
the improvements. Other funding mechanisms may also be possible
which would be decided at the time of approval. The Council
may establish an evaluation period in which to determine whether
the traffic calming measures have been effective and do not
impair neighborhood safety.
6) Design and construction. Final design, installation and
construction of proposed and adopted traffic control devices
and techniques is administered by the city with a completion
period of twelve months or less depending on funding and resources.
7) Monitoring/Maintenance. The traffic staff monitors the
traffic control devices and is responsible for maintaining
their appearance, physical integrity and adherence to established
standards and specifications for size, materials and placement.
8) Follow up evaluation. Within one to five years after construction
of traffic management devices in an project neighborhood or
due to citizen complaints, the Traffic Engineering division
will conduct follow-up evaluations to determine if the traffic
control devices meet established criteria and objectives or
if removals and/or adjustments are warranted. Evaluations
may include conducting traffic speed studies, collection of
vehicle traffic volumes, collision analysis, and public opinion
surveys.
Traffic Analysis
Glossary
Classified Streets
Specific streets in the City of Yakima are classified by the
city and Washington State Department of Transportation as
arterial streets. The hierarchy of classifications for arterial
streets within the City include Principal Arterial, Minor
Arterial and Collector Arterial streets, which correspond
to traffic volumes, lengths of roadway and other geometric
features. These urban streets connect neighborhoods, link
residential areas with commercial centers and provide through
access to county, state and federal roadways. Neighborhood
traffic projects are normally not implemented on collector,
minor and principal arterials. However, some classified collector
streets may be eligible for neighborhood traffic analysis
if their current and/or projected traffic volumes are at local
levels and they have a high percentage of residential frontage.
Also, other traffic factors and conditions should be analyzed
to determine which classified streets might be considered
for neighborhood traffic management.
Neighborhood Streets
Neighborhood or local access streets are the minor, lower
volume neighborhood streets linking the residential land uses
to the arterial system. They make up the majority of Yakima’s
street networks and they serve local circulation needs for
automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians. They are normally designed
for residential traffic volumes and lower speeds (25 mph).
It is on these local streets that the neighborhood traffic
projects are implemented.
Travel Speed
This is usually the most often discussed traffic problem on
neighborhood streets. Unless otherwise posted, local neighborhood
streets have a speed limit of 25 mph. When requested, the
traffic division will conduct a speed study to determine the
appropriate speed limit on a specific street. Factors considered
include adjacent land use and access, accident history, roadway
geometry, traffic volumes and current speeds. When a speed
limit change is recommended, staff submits the proposal to
the City Council for approval or includes this as one of possibly
several traffic issues considered in a neighborhood traffic
program.
Volume
This refers to the actual number of vehicles that cross a
section of roadway during a specific time period on a typical
traffic day. Data is usually gathered for twenty-four hours
on a weekday. This is also a significant analysis factor in
neighborhood traffic projects.
Accident History
Traffic accidents are analyzed on a roadway segment and/or
at specific intersections in a neighborhood. Many accidents
at low volume residential intersections are of a random nature,
and one or two collisions annually are often normal. However,
staff does look for a continual pattern of two or more similar
accidents during a three-year period as this is indicative
of problems at or near a specific intersection that may be
reduced or eliminated by traffic control devices and a neighborhood’s
project plans.
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