2011-05-24_PWETC_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

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(which is one -way west from Barton to Asbury and one -way east from Barton to Ridge) and has been shown to be very effective in reducing speed and volume of traffic. It is, however, inconvenient for the residents, because the same access restrictions apply to them as well as to those trying to cut through the area. Another impact is the difficulty in giving directions for deliveries or even for visitors, since there is no direct access from either Ridge or Asbury to Harvard Terrace. Additional Signs Placing additional signs, such as stop signs or speed limit signs, has been a fairly common traffic control measure in Evanston. It has been relatively successful at some locations, but ineffective at others. Additional signing will continue to be necessary to control traffic in Evanston, but the proposed policy encourages us to look at neighborhoods as a whole, rather than to continue to respond to individual requests for four -way stops at isolated intersections. Additional markings We use white edgelines to mark the parking lanes on some major streets to discourage motorists from using the curb lane for passing on the right. This has been successful and it may be beneficial to try this on local streets. The purpose would be different, however, in that the lines would be used to try to narrow the street visually. The same pavement width would obviously still be available, but the lines would make the street appear narrower and drivers have been shown to reduce speeds when this occurs. This technique has not been used in Evanston, and it should be done on a trial basis before recommending its use throughout the City. This would allow us to see if speeds are actually reduced. Parking modifications Adding parking where it is currently prohibited is used in some communities as a traffic calming measure because this creates "side friction" for passing traffic and results in reduced speeds. It has limited application in Evanston because our need for parking has resulted in spaces being added at just about every location possible. However, we have tried relocating the parking from one side of the street to the other to force traffic to drive around parked cars, creating a chicane effect. This was done on Colfax and Lincoln between Ridge and Sherman. It is inexpensive and self enforcing, but can only be used on fairly narrow streets with one -sided parking. Physical Changes to Streets Traffic Circles Traffic circles are islands which are constructed in the middle of intersections, but without any street widening or changes to the curb radius. They are designed to be both physical obstructions and visual obstructions. They force traffic to alter the straight -line path being followed, which results in a speed reduction without the need for any Police enforcement. Also, they break up the look of the long "straight- 9