Dallas Avenue Traffic Calming Department of Mobility and Infrastructure Katy Sawyer, P.E., Project Engineer Craig Toocheck, Staff Engineer August 1, 2018
Dallas Avenue Traffic Calming
Department of Mobility
and Infrastructure
Katy Sawyer, P.E., Project Engineer
Craig Toocheck, Staff Engineer
August 1, 2018
South Dallas Ave characteristics:
• Focus area: Wilkins to Forbes
• 30 feet wide
• About 8,000 vehicles/day
• Speed limit 25 MPH
• Median speed ~37 MPH
• Parking lane on west side,minimally used
• Cemetery on east side
SAFE CROSSINGSCrosswalk Policy + Traffic Calming
• Elements like high-visibility crosswalks and pedestrian refuge islands can, under the right conditions, slow traffic speeds and make crossing the street safer and easier.
A concrete pedestrian refuge island provides a place to wait and slows traffic (New York City)
High-visibility crosswalks can improve yielding to pedestrians when speeds are slow.
SAFE CROSSINGSPermanent Refuge Island (Capital Construction)
A refuge island with plantings (Vancouver, BC) A refuge island with pedestrian crossing signs (Silver Spring, MD)
A high-visibility crosswalk and pedestrian refuge island,built using interim materials (Seattle, WA)
Trial pedestrian refuge islands built from rubber curbs and pedestrian crossing signs (Atchison, KS)
SAFE CROSSINGSInterim Refuge Islands
• Characteristics
• Extension of the curbline toward the centerline of the street
• Can be achieved via physical curb, paint, pavement removal or other techniques
• Typical use
• Appropriate on most street types
• Paired with crosswalks can narrow pedestrian crossing distance and improve visibility
• Considerations
• Street cleaning and snow removal
• Maintenance and cost
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BULBOUT/BUMPOUTHorizontal Control
INTERIM BULBOUT/BUMPOUT
• Painted curb extensions can be built quickly to test their efficacy, before building out in concrete.
Interim curb extensions using paint and flexposts (Seattle, WA)
• Characteristics
• Vertical edge to the street
• Gives a sense of enclosure naturally slowing travel speeds
• Typical use
• Any street type
• Considerations
• Can be accomplished with built structures or street trees
• The closer together vertical elements are, the more effective the traffic calming effect
• Trees take time to grow; large buildings are not appropriate in all contexts
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VERTICAL ENCLOSUREVisual Control
SAFE CROSSINGSTypes of treatments by intersection
CEMETERY ENTRANCES
TYPICAL INTERSECTIONS
SAFE CROSSINSCrosswalk with interim refuge island