CREVE COEUR POLICE DEPARTMENT

Inter-departmental Memorandum

 

 

TO:                  Mark C. Perkins, City Administrator                               June 18, 2003

 

FROM:             John T. Beardslee, Chief of Police

 

RE:                   Belle Coeur Subdivision – Traffic Calming

 

 

 

As you are aware, at their last meeting the City Council directed staff to submit a report for the June 23rd meeting regarding the status of the Belle Coeur Subdivision Traffic Calming Program (TCP).  The following information briefly reflects some past efforts, then more specifically addresses recent activity and data pertaining to the program.

 

In the fall of 2000, the City approved use of wooden barricades to replace bump-out planters on Chasselle Drive.  In March 2002, the City Council adopted the City of Creve Coeur Traffic Calming-Traffic Mitigation Program document.  In accordance with said document, the Belle Coeur Subdivision established a Neighborhood Assessment Committee (NAC). In turn, the NAC submitted a request to implement additional traffic calming measures.  In December 2002, the City Council approved implementation of a one-way restriction between the two “turn-about” islands located at opposite ends of Chasselle.

 

In accordance with the TCP, a 90-day assessment was conducted which included the following:

 

1)      Automated Traffic Counts after completion of construction at the Mason & Ladue Road intersection;

 

2)      Automated “Verification” Count to assess discrepancy in the earlier automated count;

 

3)      Manual Counts to further validate the automated counts, but more importantly, to assess the volume of cut-through traffic in and around the PM restriction period.

 

Several attachments are provided to assist in reviewing program data.

 

Attachment #1 – Automated Traffic Counts:  This chart reflects vehicle counts and 85th percentile speeds at key points since the inception of this traffic calming initiative.  While the subdivision traffic has declined by 28% overall since the start of the program 2 1/2 years ago, the one-way restriction has shown little benefit for the subdivision as a whole.  As indicated by the chart, the overall traffic count has only dropped by 43 vehicles during the course of the one-way restriction.  While the volume has dropped impressively for Chasselle Lane, it has increased dramatically at an equivalent volume for Clion (the 3C loop).  Another notable point is that the fluctuation in the 85th percentile speed for both streets is pretty typical of past surveys. Specifically, non-resident (cut-through) traffic appears to be largely responsible for the 85th percentile speed staying higher than the goal of “within 5 MPH of the posted speed limit.”  To further illustrate the point, fewer vehicles on Chasselle, the restricted street, resulted in lower speeds; and the higher volume of traffic on the 3C’s resulted in higher speeds.

 

Attachment #2 – Passing the Traffic:  This chart simply shows how the total volume of traffic has virtually gone unchanged for the subdivision.  Yet, the transfer of traffic, primarily cut-throughs, has simply moved from Chasselle to Clion.  Based on the Verification Count conducted in June 2003, potentially 100% of the cut-through traffic has moved to the 3C’s.

 

Attachments #3 and #4 – Manual Counts:  In early June the Police Department conducted manual counts for two reasons:

           

1)      to validate previous automated counts; and

2)      to assess the degree of cut-through traffic in/around the PM cut-through restriction period

 

The data reflected on attachments #3 and #4 suggest the following:

 

·         The total manual count (201 vehicles) validates the accuracy of an earlier automated count (229) during the same time of day.

 

·         There is an average of 42 vehicles per day illegally cutting through the subdivision during the PM restriction; and additional concentrated enforcement would be necessary to reverse that situation.

 

·         There continues to be wrong way violations, yet it is unknown if those are intentional violations or acts of ignorance.  Greater enforcement efforts will be needed to correct that situation.  Note:  an earlier survey suggests an average of less than 20 wrong way violations per day (24-hour period), with only three violations occurring in three separate hourly blocks.  With many hourly blocks showing zero or one wrong-way violations, the Police Department feels random enforcement is not warranted. 

 

·         48% of all traffic during the surveyed periods (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.) is cut-through traffic.

 

·         60% of all traffic during the surveyed restricted periods (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.) is illegally cutting through.  Significant concentrated enforcement will be necessary to reverse this situation.

 

On June 17th, the above information was presented at a meeting of Belle Coeur subdivision residents.  In addition, I presented a review and my opinion of the success of the traffic calming efforts in the Belle Coeur Subdivision.  I explained the intent and purpose of the TCP, emphasizing the primary and ultimate goal is “to solve the problem” (see attachment #5).  I presented the three functional goals and corresponding objectives, as stated in the TCP, and indicated that we have largely not accomplished those goals (see attachments #6, #7, #8, #9 and #10).  I then presented attachments #11 and #12, showing that before and after all our efforts, the subdivision as a whole still qualifies for traffic calming measures, according to the TCP.  I suggested to the residents that their concerns are still warranted and that they should approach the issue as a subdivision instead of a split group (the current direct and indirect impacted areas).  Remember that a 4-point rating qualifies for traffic calming measures.  Finally, I presented a list of alternatives (see attachments #13, #14 and #15). 

 

In closing, I informed the residents that I have not been charged with making a recommendation, nor would I.  However, I emphatically stated that the level of Police Department involvement has been a tremendous administrative and operational burden on department staff; and that no one should discount that the Department’s education and enforcement efforts have probably been the most significant aspect or contribution to whatever success has been realized to date; and to be assured that if no traffic calming improvements are made, then the need for significant traffic enforcement will not go away, nor will the goals and objectives of traffic calming be accomplished in the Belle Coeur Subdivision, with numbers potentially returning to the original levels.

 

No further to report.