Technical Appendix Revised Draft Technical Appendix Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy
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February 2014 November 2013 FAIRVIEW AVENUE CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Technical Appendix
Part 1
PMT Meeting #1 Summary
SC Meeting #1 Summary
PMT Meeting #2 Summary
SC Meeting #2 Summary
PMT Meeting #3 Summary
SC Meeting #3 Summary
Public Involvement Meeting #1 Comment Summary
PMT and SC Preferences for Strategies
Website Public Comment Summary
Website Comment List
Part 2
Technical Memo #1 Existing and Future Baseline Conditions
Technical Memo #2 Problem Statement, Goals and Objectives, and Evaluation Criteria
Technical Memo #3 Corridor Strategies
Corridor Strategies Evaluation Matrix
Appendix for Technical Memo #1 Existing and Future Baseline Conditions
PMT#1 Meeting SUMMARY
Project Name: Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Project Number: 507022.001 Date: April 18, 2013 Meeting Time: 10:00AM to 12:00PM Location: ACHD – Site R (aka Retreat trailer) Prepared By: John Bosket
Attendees:* Attend Invited Role x Jeff Lowe Project Manager, P&P x John Bosket Project Manager, DKS Associates x Amar Pillai Planning & Programming x Brian McClure City of Meridian x Bryan Huey Communications x Christy Foltz‐Alrichs Communications x Christy Little Development Services x Chuck Spencer GIS x Felicia Statkus Capital Projects x Josh Saak Traffic x Karen Gallagher City of Boise * Justin Lucas attended a portion of the meeting.
Meeting objectives: Convene the project team to discuss key findings from the existing and future baseline analysis and goals and objectives of Phase 1 of the Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management project. Agenda: I. Introductions 10:00 (Jeff) II. Review of Where We Are/Schedule 10:05 (Jeff) We are on schedule. The 4.18.13 (later that afternoon) Steering Committee meeting and membership were discussed. The project website and online comment map are live and mailings/ads will be out to announce to public next week. Jeff sent map web‐link and pdf version of the meeting PowerPoint presentation to members. III. Overview of Key Findings from Tech Memo #1 10:15 (John) Technical Memorandum #1 evaluates safety and operational conditions along the Fairview Avenue study corridor during existing conditions and during a future baseline year of 2035. Key finding include:
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PMT#1 Meeting SUMMARY
While Fairview Avenue is classified as a principal arterial and mobility corridor, which would prioritize long and efficient trip movement, the presence of many commercial businesses introduces a mix of shorter trips as well. So there are competing interests in the corridor: longer through trips and shorter trips associated with destinations within the corridor. There are many gaps in the sidewalk network along Fairview Avenue and crossing opportunities are few and far between (about every ½‐mile at the signals). There are only short segments of bike lanes around Hickory to Records. Elsewhere, there are inconsistent shoulder treatments or no place for bikes at all. There is currently on transit on Fairview Avenue from Five Mile Road to the east (an east‐west route from Cole through Orchard and north‐south routes crossing Fairview Avenue at Milwaukee, Maple Grove, and Five Mile). Service is planned to extend out to Eagle Road from the east. The absence of pedestrian and bicycle facilities also limits safe and comfortable access to transit stops. Traffic volumes along Fairview Avenue range from 13,000 to 35,000 vehicles per day (highest volumes generally from Cloverdale to Curtis). Eastbound traffic is heavier in the AM Peak, but westbound traffic is heavier in the PM Peak. The PM Peak is the highest traffic flow period of the day (roughly 4 PM – 6 PM), but the midday peak from noon to 4 PM is also consistently high, which may be an indicator of shopping and business activity. In contrast to the heavy westbound flow during the PM Peak, there is a heavy flow of traffic in the eastbound direction during the PM Peak heading to Curtis Road. This demand results in long queues of traffic in the right lane on Fairview Avenue. Saturday traffic volumes remain high and can be higher than weekday traffic in the central area around Eagle Road. Sunday traffic is much lower – about 25% lower than weekday traffic. Future traffic volumes on Fairview Avenue are forecast to reach 63,000 vehicles per day. This level of demand assumed Fairview Avenue would be widened to seven lanes from Meridian Road to Curtis Road. That level of traffic is what is most commonly served by small (four‐lane) freeways, such as I‐84 in the west end of Nampa east of the Karcher Road interchange. The capacity of the current five‐lane arterial is probably somewhere between 40,000 and 45,000 vehicles per day. Karen asked if constructing medians will help mobility as the capacity of Fairview Avenue is approached – we need to be clear with this when addressing the Stakeholder Committee. Justin commented that it needs to be clear with the Stakeholder Committee that medians are about safety, not capacity. Observations of traffic conditions under current conditions found very long queues of cars at some signalized intersections, frequent red light running, and conflicts between traffic moving through signals and traffic entering nearby driveways.
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PMT#1 Meeting SUMMARY
Operational analysis of existing signalized intersections found all to be operating within ACHD’s performance standard (no worse than Level of Service E). The intersections at Eagle Road and Cole Road were the most congested, operating at Level of Service E. The analysis of operations in the future year of 2035 assumed Fairview Avenue was widened to seven lanes from Meridian Road to Curtis Road and that capacity improvements were made to the intersections at Linder Road, Locust Grove Road, Eagle Road, Cloverdale Road, Cole Road, and Curtis Road. Even with these significant capacity additions, conditions by 2035 will be very congested. The intersections at Eagle Road, Cloverdale Road, Five Mile Road, Curtis Road, and Orchard Street will operate at Level of Service F. Seven other intersections will operate at Level of Service E. This means that 12 of the 19 signalized intersections will be at or over capacity by 2035 – even with significant investments made in capacity improvements. The Fairview Avenue study corridor has the second most number of “high crash” intersections compared to all other corridors in the county. Only Eagle Road has more. Four fatalities occurred between the years 2007 and 2011 (period of crash history analyzed), but no trends were noticed. Despite the four fatalities, crash severities tend to be low. Approximately 40% of all crashes occur at the signalized intersections, with the remaining 60% occurring within the segments of roadway in between. Weekdays experience more crashes than weekends, with Fridays experiencing the most. Sundays experience far fewer crashes than any other day of the week. Crashes most commonly occur between 12 PM and 6 PM, with the crash peak occurring from 5 PM to 6 PM. This trend is much like the trend seen in traffic volumes, which suggests many crashes may be congestion‐related. The intersections with Eagle Road, Cole Road, Curtis Road, and Orchard Street experienced the highest rates of crashes (considering relative volume of traffic served). It was noted that the free/merging right turns at Eagle Road that were significant contributors to crash totals were recently removed (2012). Therefore, it is anticipated that the Eagle Road crash rate will drop in the coming years. It was questioned why Orchard Street crashes were significantly higher than others. The number of crashes that occurred at Orchard Street was in line with other intersections, but the volume of traffic served was much lower. Therefore, the amount of crashes that occurred at Orchard Street was disproportionate. The segment of Fairview Avenue from Five Mile to Orchard experienced the highest rate of crashes. 35% of the crashes in this segment were related to driveways. The unsignalized intersection at Hampton Road experienced more crashes than any other unsignalized intersection. The unsignalized intersections at Fairmeadow, Allumbaugh, and Eldorado also experienced many crashes.
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PMT#1 Meeting SUMMARY
The segment of Fairview Avenue from Meridian to Locust Grove also had a fairly high crash rate, but the current construction project could mitigate some problems. There were a fair number of crashes involving bicycles. The most common trends involved collisions with bikes when vehicles made right turns and collisions with bikes in crosswalks. The intersection at Meridian Road has twice as many bike‐related crashes as any other intersection. Bike crashes typically result in moderate to high‐severity injuries. Research has consistency shown a relationship between high densities of access points and high crash rates. There are approximately 500 access points along the study corridor, which results in a high average density of just under 60 access points per mile. General correlations between access points and where crashes occur can be found along Fairview Avenue. It was noted that it would be helpful to map crashes in the corridor and to show each year of crashes. At least 26% of all crashes in the Fairview Avenue study corridor were related to access points. Felicia noted that the new Petersen motors site was built knowing medians would be in‐ place. Bryan mentioned that the internal site circulation was designed with medians in mind.
In summary, priority areas for improvements include: Walking and Biking o Five Mile to Orchard (secondary area extending west to Eagle) – need for completion of bike lanes and sidewalks, mid‐block crossings, and improved access to transit Transit o Enhance existing service – Five Mile to Orchard o Prepare for future service – Eagle to Five Mile Auto Mobility o Many projects are already planned, but the near‐term needs are at the intersections at Eagle and Cole Safety o Primary area of need is from Five Mile to Orchard – safety improvements at the intersections at Cole, Curtis, and Orchard should be explored. Access management strategies, signal timing improvements, and bicycle lane construction are all needed o Secondary area of need is from Meridian to Locust Grove Considering all needs, the priority area is from Five Mile to Orchard (could be expanded to Eagle). A secondary priority area is from Meridian to Locust Grove
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PMT#1 Meeting SUMMARY
IV. Review of Goals and Objectives (Tech Memo #2) 11:00 (John) The draft problem, purpose, need, goals, and objectives were reviewed and discussed. Key comments included: The existing safety problem should be stressed more strongly in the problem statement, with access management being secondary. The purpose statement should be changed to read, “The purpose of the Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Plan is to prioritize improvements to safety, operations, and capacity for Fairview Avenue through a cooperative plan that primarily manages access to this principal arterial.” Phases of improvements should be all‐inclusive. As an example, if sidewalks are constructed but you don’t address access, you may not improve conditions. It was noted that some improvements may need to occur later and be the responsibility of future development. Emergency services providers should be coordinated with. Would medians increase emergency travel times? Medians could be made with mountable curbs, so emergency vehicles could pass over them. Median breaks need to be located in logical and useful places. This has been a common complaint with the medians on Eagle Road. In Goal 2, addressing neighborhoods, neighborhoods should have safe and efficient access. Cut through traffic should be avoided. Don’t restrict north‐south connectivity at unsignalized intersections. Could this be restricted only by time of day? Shopping trips should be accommodated. No one is aware of any economic plans. This could be removed. It needs to be very clear that frontage roads are a long‐range vision. These need to be non‐specific in alignment, but clear enough to provide needed direction so incremental improvements can be made. Maybe there are areas where they could be more easily constructed? Will need policy or code language to help cities implement such improvements with land use actions. This applies to access consolidations and cross easements as well.
V. Next Steps/Adjourn 11:55 (Jeff/John) Stakeholder Committee Meeting #1 is this afternoon. Jeff is to contact Karen and Brian to set up times to meet with EMS officials and elected officials.
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PMT#1 Meeting SUMMARY
DKS will begin work on improvement strategy concepts and forward to PMT for screening. Mailings to advertise website will go out next week.
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SC Meeting #1 SUMMARY
Project Name: Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Project Number: 507022.001 Date: April 18, 2013 Meeting Time: 2:00PM to 4:00PM Location: ACHD – Auditorium Prepared By: J Lowe
Attendees: Attend Invited Role X Jeff Lowe Project Manager, ACHD X John Bosket Project Manager, DKS Associates X Brian McClure City of Meridian X Bryan Huey ACHD Communications X Karen Gallagher City of Boise X Ken Marler Express Cafe X Mark Peterson Peterson Motors X Mary Barker / Rhonda Jalbert Valley Regional Transit X Mike Meuret Einstein’s Oilery X Moe Stark Honey Baked Ham & Café Stephen Loop West Valley Neighborhood Association X Steve Sedlacek Republic Services X Tom Barry Property Owner Meeting objectives: Convene the Steering Committee to introduce members and present the approach to Phase 1 of the Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management project. Agenda: I. Introductions II. Project History The Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management project has stopped and started several times. Most recently, it stopped after the public workshop in 2011. This effort is a continuation of the project that will take a new look at the issues in the corridor and identify a plan to address them. III. Approach to Completing the Plan Given the length of the corridor (8.5 miles), addressing all issues in detail would be very challenging. Therefore, improvements will be implemented in phases. The planning effort will also be completed in phases. The current stage is Phase 1, where we will be updating past information and reaffirming the needs in the corridor. Problem areas will be identified and prioritized and sets of strategies will be developed to address safety and mobility needs in the corridor. At the conclusion of this stage at the end of September, the goal is to have an initial set of projects identified for near‐term construction.
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SC Meeting #1 SUMMARY
Phase 2 will begin immediately afterward, and will include conceptual design and further public outreach. Engineering design and construction of Phase 1/Phase 2 improvements will occur thereafter. The timing of implementation for subsequent phases will depend on funding. For this project, there is a Project Management Team and a Stakeholder Committee. The Project Management Team (PMT) is comprised of ACHD, City of Boise, and City of Meridian staff. The role of the Stakeholder Committee (SC) is to provide recommendations to elected officials and to talk to others in the community about the issues and potential solutions. It was asked if ACHD is seeking business owner support. Business owner recommendations are being requested and the goal is to have a sound and informed plan. Having business owner support would be desirable. IV. Review of Scope of Work and Schedule Phase 1 began in February 2013 and is scheduled to be completed at the end of September 2013. The construction of Phase 1 improvements could be as early as the summer of 2014. At this SC Meeting, the existing and future baseline conditions in the corridor will be discussed, along with goals and objectives for how the corridor should be managed. Following this meeting, a draft set of strategies will be developed to target identified needs. This effort will be complete in June and a second SC Meeting will be held to discuss the recommendations. SC member input will be obtained and addressed in a Draft Plan for the corridor from June to August. A third SC Meeting and a public open house will be held to review the Draft Plan. That input will be incorporated into a Revised Draft Plan, which will be presented to Boise and Meridian City Councils and the ACHD Commission in September. V. Overview of Key Findings (Tech Memo #1) Technical Memorandum #1 evaluates safety and operational conditions along the Fairview Avenue study corridor during existing conditions and during a future baseline year of 2035. Key finding include: While Fairview Avenue is classified as a principal arterial and mobility corridor, which would prioritize long and efficient trip movement, the presence of many commercial businesses introduces a mix of shorter trips as well. So there are competing interests in the corridor: longer through trips and shorter trips associated with destinations within the corridor. There are many gaps in the sidewalk network along Fairview Avenue and crossing opportunities are few and far between (about every ½‐mile at the signals). There are only short segments of bike lanes around Hickory to Records. Elsewhere, there are inconsistent shoulder treatments or no place for bikes at all. There is currently on transit on Fairview Avenue from Five Mile Road to the east (an east‐west route from Cole through Orchard and north‐south routes crossing Fairview Avenue at Milwaukee, Maple Grove, and Five Mile). Service is planned to extend out to Eagle Road from the east. The absence of pedestrian and bicycle facilities also limits safe and comfortable access to transit stops.
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SC Meeting #1 SUMMARY
Traffic volumes along Fairview Avenue range from 13,000 to 35,000 vehicles per day (highest volumes generally from Cloverdale to Curtis). Eastbound traffic is heavier in the AM Peak, but westbound traffic is heavier in the PM Peak. The PM Peak is the highest traffic flow period of the day (roughly 4 PM – 6 PM), but the midday peak from noon to 4 PM is also consistently high, which may be an indicator of shopping and business activity. In contrast to the heavy westbound flow during the PM Peak, there is a heavy flow of traffic in the eastbound direction during the PM Peak heading to Curtis Road. This demand results in long queues of traffic in the right lane on Fairview Avenue. Saturday traffic volumes remain high and can be higher than weekday traffic in the central area around Eagle Road. Sunday traffic is much lower – about 25% lower than weekday traffic. Future traffic volumes on Fairview Avenue are forecast to reach 63,000 vehicles per day. This level of demand assumed Fairview Avenue would be widened to seven lanes from Meridian Road to Curtis Road. That level of traffic is what is most commonly served by small (four‐lane) freeways, such as I‐84 in the west end of Nampa east of the Karcher Road interchange. The capacity of the current five‐lane arterial is probably somewhere between 40,000 and 45,000 vehicles per day. As demands increase beyond this level, congestion may divert many trips to other corridors. Observations of traffic conditions under current conditions found very long queues of cars at some signalized intersections, frequent red light running, and conflicts between traffic moving through signals and traffic entering nearby driveways. Operational analysis of existing signalized intersections found all to be operating within ACHD’s performance standard (no worse than Level of Service E). The intersections at Eagle Road and Cole Road were the most congested, operating at Level of Service E. The analysis of operations in the future year of 2035 assumed Fairview Avenue was widened to seven lanes from Meridian Road to Curtis Road and that capacity improvements were made to the intersections at Linder Road, Locust Grove Road, Eagle Road, Cloverdale Road, Cole Road, and Curtis Road. Even with these significant capacity additions, conditions by 2035 will be very congested. The intersections at Eagle Road, Cloverdale Road, Five Mile Road, Curtis Road, and Orchard Street will operate at Level of Service F. Seven other intersections will operate at Level of Service E. This means that 12 of the 19 signalized intersections will be at or over capacity by 2035 – even with significant investments made in capacity improvements. The Fairview Avenue study corridor has the second most number of “high crash” intersections compared to all other corridors in the county. Only Eagle Road has more. Four fatalities occurred between the years 2007 and 2011 (period of crash history analyzed), but no trends were noticed. Despite the four fatalities, crash severities tend to be low. Approximately 40% of all crashes occur at the signalized intersections, with the remaining 60% occurring within the segments of roadway in between. Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Page 3 of 8 SC Meeting #1
SC Meeting #1 SUMMARY
Weekdays experience more crashes than weekends, with Fridays experiencing the most. Sundays experience far fewer crashes than any other day of the week. Crashes most commonly occur between 12 PM and 6 PM, with the crash peak occurring from 5 PM to 6 PM. This trend is much like the trend seen in traffic volumes, which suggests many crashes may be congestion‐related. The intersections with Eagle Road, Cole Road, Curtis Road, and Orchard Street experienced the highest rates of crashes (considering relative volume of traffic served). It was noted that the free/merging right turns at Eagle Road that were significant contributors to crash totals were recently removed (2012). Therefore, it is anticipated that the Eagle Road crash rate will drop in the coming years. The segment of Fairview Avenue from Five Mile to Orchard experienced the highest rate of crashes. 35% of the crashes in this segment were related to driveways. The unsignalized intersection at Hampton Road experienced more crashes than any other unsignalized intersection. The unsignalized intersections at Fairmeadow, Allumbaugh, and Eldorado also experienced many crashes. The segment of Fairview Avenue from Meridian to Locust Grove also had a fairly high crash rate, but the current construction project could mitigate some problems. There were a fair number of crashes involving bicycles. The most common trends involved collisions with bikes when vehicles made right turns and collisions with bikes in crosswalks. The intersection at Meridian Road has twice as many bike‐related crashes as any other intersection. Bike crashes typically result in moderate to high‐severity injuries. Research has consistency shown a relationship between high densities of access points and high crash rates. There are approximately 500 access points along the study corridor, which results in a high average density of just under 60 access points per mile. General correlations between access points and where crashes occur can be found along Fairview Avenue. At least 26% of all crashes in the Fairview Avenue study corridor were related to access points.
In summary, priority areas for improvements include: Walking and Biking o Five Mile to Orchard (secondary area extending west to Eagle) – need for completion of bike lanes and sidewalks, mid‐block crossings, and improved access to transit Transit o Enhance existing service – Five Mile to Orchard o Prepare for future service – Eagle to Five Mile Auto Mobility o Many projects are already planned, but the near‐term needs are at the intersections at Eagle and Cole
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SC Meeting #1 SUMMARY
Safety o Primary area of need is from Five Mile to Orchard – safety improvements at the intersections at Cole, Curtis, and Orchard should be explored. Access management strategies, signal timing improvements, and bicycle lane construction are all needed o Secondary area of need is from Meridian to Locust Grove Considering all needs, the priority area is from Five Mile to Orchard (could be expanded to Eagle). A secondary priority area is from Meridian to Locust Grove
Questions/Comments: Mary – Route 7 along Fairview Avenue is the second highest‐used transit route in the system. Two years ago, this route ran at 30‐minute headways, but congestion has increased travel times so it now runs at 40‐minute headways.
Ken – Why was the old plan scrapped? We are not scrapping the plan but utilizing all information/data we can, reaffirming and clarifying the purpose, and creating an implementation plan for making improvements.
Mark – As arterials become busier, users will find other routes. Corridors change over time and commercial areas will evolve elsewhere. We need to have an understanding of parallel routes.
Tom – Why is Fairview/Orchard identified as a high crash location? In the previous study, it was noted as having only 6% of the crashes. Note: Since the SC Meeting, the project team has investigated this further. If crashes were distributed evenly among all signalized intersections in the corridor from Linder Road to Orchard Street (18 intersections), each would have a little less than 6% of the crashes. The 6% of crashes at Orchard Street is accurate and would be proportional if traffic volumes at each intersection were the same. However, the traffic volumes served at Orchard Street are much lower than other intersections in the corridor. Therefore, more crashes are occurring here than would be expected given the level of traffic present.
Mike – Is one accident a day a lot on average? How many crashes were rear‐ends and how many were related to turning movements (access related)? It seems medians would be a cure worse than the disease. It would be better to have frontage roads in place of the proposed roadway widening so turns could be separated from through traffic.
Tom – Is access management still on the table (part of the plan)? We should get better at being efficient with what we have rather than implementing full‐scale changes.
Other: Need to explain issues and when improvements are needed.
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SC Meeting #1 SUMMARY
Would reducing speeds help? Is there data on actual and average speeds? Reducing speeds could improve safety, but simply lowering posted speeds is not an effective or safe way to do that. Drivers tend to drive at speeds that feel appropriate for the environment and posted speeds are based on that to best fit conditions. When posting speeds, a speed study is conducted and speeds are posted at the 85th percentile speed, which is what most drivers are traveling at. To safely and effectively reduce speeds, the roadside environment needs to change. This could be difficult on a mobility arterial where buildings are set back far from the roadway. The current design and development pattern suggests this is a higher speed, auto‐ oriented corridor.
Most crashes in the corridor are rear‐ends. If medians help reduce turning accidents, do they also help with rear‐ends?
Was legislation passed in Idaho this last session regarding access management (medians) (similar to Oregon)?
How will emergency vehicles use medians? The medians can be constructed with mountable curbs so emergency vehicles can drive over them if needed.
What is the status of the widening project to make Fairview Avenue seven lanes? It is not funded at this time and it is uncertain when it would happen. It is a costly improvement that would need to be done in several phases.
Where has DKS done projects like this and are there comparisons to look at? Would like to see accidents before and after these projects.
What is the impact of medians and access management treatments on business? Do you have examples of studies relating to business success?
Is Eagle Road better now that medians have been installed?
Has signal timing been done recently on Fairview? We should be looking at low‐cost improvements that are less permanent and less impactful first before looking to big capital projects.
Could we prevent crashes if we have smoother traffic flow and less starting and stopping?
Solutions should not be limited to access management. A combination of solutions is most likely needed. We need to look at all accidents and address each type appropriately.
There are too many driveways between Orchard and Curtis and many aren’t needed. Can we work with property owners in this area to reduce the number of driveways instead of installing medians?
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SC Meeting #1 SUMMARY
When we work with property owners, we need to have alternatives and data on cost/benefit.
VI. Goals and Objectives (Tech Memo #2) The goals and objectives in Draft Technical Memorandum #2 were discussed. Committee members were asked to describe what issues they feel are important and how we should measure whether a proposed strategy is beneficial. Are some issues more important than others?
Responses were written for all members to see and are documented below:
Would like information on current studies: what are the effects on business volume and economics? Need to consider source of studies/data. What response would be given if businesses could decline/accept improvements? Do not compromise ease of business access for vendors and customers. Frontage roads/backage roads delineated on plans are not a good idea. Roads on plans cannot accommodate planned traffic without dramatically affecting traffic. Don’t propose improvements that require businesses to alter their site plans. How will, or can, ACHD require cross‐access? Plan should not infringe on business operations or require changes to their property. Utilize existing lanes for different types of traffic, such as one lane would act as a frontage or access lane. A new access/turning lane could be constructed instead of the future third lane. Don’t implement anything big until we try small improvements first. What happens if we first try signal improvements? Exhaust efficiency‐enhancing projects first – be creative. Questions in any survey need to be asked in a fair manner. Look at signal timing, frontage roads, removing access, etc. as alternatives and compare them. Medians are a concern and are shortsighted. Run model for Fairview today with improvements – does it work or not work? The forecasted growth and congestion is questionable. Time delay is not a big issue. Why are we doing this project? North/south roads: how are they affected by the issues on Fairview (travel, congestion, volume, etc.)? Present numbers of crashes in context – are they good or bad, comparable? What are triggers to implement improvements? If you are going to do something, improve the section as a whole with all of the tools combined as a system. Don’t do partial improvements. Compare cost effectiveness of doing small things (i.e., one thing at a time) versus doing all the pieces together.
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SC Meeting #1 SUMMARY
Strike a balance between transportation mobility and livability (City of Meridian). Safety is a priority. As one of only four mobility corridors in the region, mobility is important, but it is also acknowledged that access to businesses is needed as well (City of Boise). Our top priority should be having a plan that is publicly supported. Want to look forward, need to balance what is existing with future uses. The title of the project pre‐supposes the outcome. Projects need to improve access to transit stops, not just on Fairview on crossing corridors as well. Balance mobility and access – get people where they need to go (transit and stops) without affecting traffic movement. Locate stops in corridor to minimize traffic disruption. How long do projects take to complete? How are projects developed through years?
VII. Next Steps/Adjourn Jeff sent to the committee members a link to the online comment mapping tool and a pdf version of the PowerPoint. Meeting notes will be prepared and sent to members for review. Evaluation Criteria and Draft Strategies for the corridor will be developed and the next SC Meeting will be in June.
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PMT#2 Meeting SUMMARY
Project Name: Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Project Number: 507022.001 Date: June 25, 2013 Meeting Time: 10:00AM to 12:00PM Location: ACHD – Site R (aka Retreat trailer) Prepared By: John Bosket
Attendees:* Attend Invited Role x Jeff Lowe Project Manager, P&P x John Bosket Project Manager, DKS Associates x Amar Pillai Planning & Programming x Brian McClure City of Meridian x Bryan Huey Communications x Christy Foltz‐Alrichs Communications Christy Little Development Services Chuck Spencer GIS Felicia Statkus Capital Projects x Josh Saak Traffic x Karen Gallagher City of Boise Meeting objectives: Convene the project team to discuss Corridor Strategies that could be applied to improve identified issues on Fairview Avenue as part of Phase 1 of the Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management project. Agenda: I. Introductions/ Agenda Overview II. Review of Where We Are/Schedule Jeff Lowe asked PMT members to please review the meeting summary from PMT Meeting #1 and send any requested revisions back to him. The focus of today’s meeting will be to discuss suggested strategies for addressing issues noted along Fairview Avenue. This discussion will also be had with the Stakeholder Committee (SC) later in the afternoon. Input will be incorporated into a Draft Plan, which will be brought back to the PMT and SC for review. It will also be shared at a public information meeting on August 15 in coordination with the public information meeting for the Fairview Avenue/Cole Road project. After today’s meeting, enough information will be available to share with elected officials. It was asked how far in advance of hearings each agency would need to have deliverables. Boise and Meridian both need information at least 2 weeks in advance of hearings.
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PMT#2 Meeting SUMMARY
It was asked that DKS provide a summary of public comments received from the project website. Brian McClure and Jeff Lowe intend to talk to businesses on Eagle Road to discuss their experiences with medians prior to the August 15 public information meeting. It was noted that some business are new, so the timing of when businesses opened should be considered. It was thought that ITD may have completed before/after studies of older median applications. Josh Saak will provide ITD contact information DKS can use to follow up and obtain information. III. Review of Revised Goals and Objectives (Tech Memo #2) Goals and objectives have been refined since our last meeting. An evaluation matrix was developed to start the discussion about strategy selection.
It was asked if it was known how long congestion lasts in the corridor. According to the count data obtained, there is generally a single peak hour, but the preceding hour is nearly as congested. So on more congested days or when an incident occurs, the peak could easily spread to at least two hours.
It was noted that the City of Boise acknowledges that we can’t build our way out of congestion. It was noted that corridor travel time is a measure of more interest to Boise City Council than delay.
It was asked if this corridor was used for regional freight movement. Compass should have freight information from a truck study. After some discussion, PMT members did not believe this corridor was significant for anything other than local freight movement.
IV. Overview of Corridor Strategies from Tech Memo #3 John Bosket led a discussion of the proposed strategies from Tech Memo #3. The objective of the discussion was to determine the PMT’s preferences and outline an approach to phasing projects. The PMT agreed that none of the proposed strategies was fatally flawed and that all should be considered.
The following lists represent the outcome of that discussion. Tiers of strategies are used to show preferences, with higher ranked tiers including strategies of greater interest to the PMT. Phases of strategies are used to show how best to implement bundles of strategies. Phasing combines the preferences indicated through the tiers with other factors that could affect project readiness or cost savings.
TIER 1: Non‐traversable medians (thought to potentially have the highest value among all strategies for crash reduction) Reduce number of driveways Remove access conflicts near intersections
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PMT#2 Meeting SUMMARY
Frontage/service roads (recognized as a key strategies for long‐term improvement, but an incremental approach will be necessary that includes near‐term actions such as establishing supporting local policies/codes and filling gaps in existing street system) Create inter‐parcel circulation Complete sidewalk gaps Complete bike lane gaps Bike lane enhancements
TIER 2: Reconstruct driveways to current ACHD standards Update coordinated east‐west signal timing Adaptive signal timing Red light photo enforcement Transit signal priority Bus pullouts (should include establishing a “yield to bus law” as well) Pedestrian and bicycle crossing enhancements Traveler information
TIER 3: Balancing lane utilization Improved street lighting Change protected‐permissive left turn phasing to protected only Install reflectorized borders on signal backplates
TIER 4: It was agreed by the PMT members that there was no interest in pursuing Tier 4 strategies (therefore, not included in phasing). Red light extensions Automated speed enforcement
PHASE 1: Based on findings from the existing/future baseline conditions analysis, it was determined that the first phase of improvements should be implemented in the segment of Fairview Avenue from Five Mile Road to Curtis Road, with additional improvements at the intersection with Orchard Street. It was also agreed that any actions related to establishing policies, code amendments, or new laws should be included as part of Phase 1. It should be noted that the implementation of some strategies will be ongoing and may be primarily accomplished through incremental improvements as land use actions occur. These include: frontage/service road creation, removing access conflicts near intersections, reducing the
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PMT#2 Meeting SUMMARY
number of driveways, creating inter‐parcel circulation, and reconstructing driveways to current ACHD standards. Non‐traversable medians Update coordinated east‐west signal timing Reduce number of driveways (During a phase 1 project, this would only be done as opportunities allow given needs of existing development. Most improvement through this strategy may need to occur incrementally over time through land use actions.) Remove access conflicts near intersections Complete sidewalk gaps Complete bike lane gaps Bike lane enhancements Create inter‐parcel circulation (Phase 1 would only include establishing needed local policies/codes to facilitate creation of inter‐parcel circulation through land use actions and any voluntary changes agreed to by property/business owners) Bus pullouts (Construct when constructing new sidewalk and through coordination with VRT. Should pursue establishment of a “yield to bus law.”) Reconstruct driveways to current ACHD standards (where sidewalk is constructed and where other opportunities allow) Frontage/service roads (Phase 1 would only include establishing needed local policies/codes to facilitate new road construction) Red light photo enforcement (Phase 1 only includes exploring local interest in establishing supporting laws)
PHASE 2: Frontage/service roads (Phase 2 would include construction of short road segments that would complete existing routes) Pedestrian and bicycle crossing enhancements Install reflectorized borders on signal backplates (ACHD would like to complete trial testing of this strategy before full‐scale implementation) Improved street lighting Adaptive signal timing
PHASE 3: Transit signal priority Change protected‐permissive left turn phasing to protected only Balancing lane utilization Traveler information
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PHASE 4: Red light photo enforcement (assuming necessary laws are in place)
V. Next Steps/Adjourn Action Items: PMT members will review the meeting summary from PMT Meeting #1 and send any requested revisions to Jeff Lowe. DKS will provide a summary of public comments received from the project website. Brian McClure and Jeff Lowe will talk to businesses on Eagle Road to discuss their experiences with medians prior to the August 15 public information meeting. Josh Saak will provide ITD contact information to DKS to obtain before/after studies regarding median installations. Christy Foltz‐Alrichs will work with Jeff Lowe to get a summary or identification of themes for the August 15th public information meeting. The desire is to match themes with the Fairview Avenue/Cole Road project.
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PMT#2 Meeting SUMMARY
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PMT#2 Meeting SUMMARY
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SC Meeting #2 SUMMARY
Project Name: Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Project Number: 507022.001 Date: June 25, 2013 Meeting Time: 2:00PM to 4:00PM Location: ACHD – Auditorium Prepared By: J Lowe
Attendees: Attend Invited Role X Jeff Lowe Project Manager, ACHD John Bosket Project Manager, DKS Associates X Brian McClure City of Meridian X Bryan Huey ACHD Communications X Karen Gallagher City of Boise Ken Marler Express Cafe X Mark Peterson Peterson Motors Mary Barker / Rhonda Jalbert Valley Regional Transit X Mike Meuret Einstein’s Oilery Moe Stark Honey Baked Ham & Café Stephen Loop West Valley Neighborhood Association X Steve Sedlacek Republic Services X Tom Barry Property Owner Meeting objectives: Convene the Stakeholder Committee to discuss Corridor Strategies that could be applied to improve identified issues on Fairview Avenue as part of Phase 1 of the Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management project. Agenda: I. Introductions/ Agenda Overview II. Review of Where We Are/Schedule Jeff Lowe asked SC members to please review the meeting summary from SC Meeting #1 and send any requested revisions back to him. The focus of today’s meeting will be to discuss suggested strategies for addressing issues noted along Fairview Avenue. This discussion was also had with the Project Management Team (PMT) earlier this morning. Input will be incorporated into a Draft Plan, which will be brought back to the PMT and SC for review. It will also be shared at a public information meeting on August 15 in coordination with the public information meeting for the Fairview Avenue/Cole Road project. III. Review of Revised Goals and Objectives (Tech Memo #2) Goals and objectives have been refined since our last meeting. An evaluation matrix was developed to start the discussion about strategy selection.
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SC Meeting #2 SUMMARY
It was requested that optimization of the corridor be made a priority before major capital projects are pursued (e.g., ITS and signal timing strategies would be an efficiency item before “brick and mortar” solutions.)
IV. Overview of Corridor Strategies from Tech Memo #3 John Bosket led a discussion of the proposed strategies from Tech Memo #3. The objective of the discussion was to determine the SC’s preferences and outline an approach to phasing projects.
A case study in median installation and potential impacts to business was shared with the SC following up on a request from the last meeting. The case study was from a project in Battle Ground, Washington where medians with left turn openings and U‐turns were installed on a commercial arterial over a one‐mile stretch. The medians were installed in 2005. The city did not conduct a before/after study following the project, but when asked about known operational problems or complaints from businesses they stated that they were not aware of any negative impacts and have heard no complaints. The Chamber of Commerce, whose office is in the corridor where medians were installed, was also unaware of any complaints or negative impacts on business. While not a definitive analysis of business impacts, DKS compared potential changes in property values between the affected corridor and the adjacent corridor where no medians were installed (also commercial arterial) by examining past property tax records. It appears that the assessed values of properties in the corridor where medians were installed have increased at a higher rate than those where no medians were installed. There have also been some new businesses established since the median installation, indicating economic growth is occurring.
Many SC members did not feel the Battle Ground case study was relevant or comparable to Fairview Avenue. SR 502 in Battle Ground is more of a commuter corridor where Fairview Avenue is more of a destination corridor. If corridor access were better managed, medians would not be needed. Eagle Road already has better management of access, so medians work better than they would on Fairview Avenue. Other solutions to better manage access and improve efficiency should be applied before median installation. It was also stated that improved vehicle technology will avoid future collisions, which is another reason that less invasive strategies should be applied first.
One SC member disagreed and stated that access on Eagle Road was not managed well in the past and that is why medians were needed. Access on Fairview is more comparable to Broadway Avenue, which has had medians for years and works well. It was agreed better management of access would make medians work better too.
It was also noted by the SC that comparing property taxes is not compelling. They would like to see information such as vacancy rates, business turnover, business relocations, and business closures.
Was the construction of right turn deceleration lanes to reduce conflicts between through traffic and turning traffic considered? – Yes, it was, but was not included as a recommended strategy for Fairview Avenue. Widening the corridor to include this lane would be very costly Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Page 2 of 8 SC Meeting #2
SC Meeting #2 SUMMARY
and would make left turn movements into and out of driveways more dangerous. If the corridor were widened further (to 6/7 lanes), median installation would be highly recommended for safety reasons. Also, bus volumes aren’t high enough to get much benefit out of a lane prioritized for transit movement and turn movements.
The following lists represent the outcome of the discussion that grouped strategies into Tiers and Phases. Tiers of strategies are used to show preferences, with higher ranked tiers including strategies of greater interest to the SC. Phases of strategies are used to show how best to implement bundles of strategies. Phasing combines the preferences indicated through the tiers with other factors that could affect project readiness or cost savings.
TIER 1: Reduce number of driveways ‐ The SC felt this would be effective, but was concerned about the need for fair implementation. The needs of existing business operations must be respected. There should be a logical approach to applying this strategy. Most gains should be made as properties develop/redevelop, but reasonable requirements through the land use process are needed. If done through construction projects, it should be opportunity driven and applied on a property‐by‐property basis where appropriate. Create inter‐parcel circulation – The SC liked this strategy as long it is referred to sharing driveways. They do not like arrangements where one business’ traffic drives through another business. This can be dangerous. There were three collisions with pedestrians at the Idaho Athletic Club site due to an arrangement such as this. Do not put a burden on private properties to manage traffic. Call this strategy “shared access” or “shared driveways.” Update Coordinated East‐West Signal Timing ‐ Fewer stops would result in fewer rear‐end crashes. Hence the support for signal timing improvements. Adaptive Signal Timing Red Light Running Photo Enforcement ‐ SC noted that there is an epidemic today of running red lights. Balancing Lane Utilization Install Reflectorized Borders on Signal Backplates ‐ SC supports this strategy if the benefits are found to be significant.
TIER 2 Improved Street Lighting Change Protected‐Permissive Left Turn Phase to Protected Only ‐ SC noted that removing Protected‐Permissive left turn phasing would result in a reduction in capacity. However, there is a Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Page 3 of 8 SC Meeting #2
SC Meeting #2 SUMMARY
potential for safety benefits. The trade‐offs must be understood first. SC would like to see this considered during rush hours Transit Signal Priority ‐ SC wants to know if there is a conflict between this strategy and the signal timing improvements. This would not likely be a problem. Complete Bike Lane Gaps ‐ What gaps? Is there a bike network here? Bicyclists tend to go the wrong way sometimes. There is a need to educate bicyclists. Does promoting bicycling create more congestion is bicycling habits are poor? Complete Sidewalk Gaps Pedestrian & Bicycle Crossing Enhancements ‐ SC supports this strategy at locations with high pedestrian activity. Watch for impacts to through traffic. Bike lane enhancements
TIER 3: Non‐Traversable Medians ‐ SC wants projects that require the least infrastructure improvements to be implemented first. “Bottom line is little infrastructure.” Medians have been applied unfairly in the past by ITD (Eagle Road). There is concern that the proposed applications of medians on Fairview will also be unfair. Citizens can’t stand medians. Cars are cutting through neighborhoods to avoid medians. Can we try other things that are more cost effective first? Not in support of medians for this corridor at this time. One SC member noted that Fairview Avenue is a principal arterial and medians will help move traffic along Fairview Avenue. However, ACHD should be specific about the applications of medians at each location. Jeff Lowe (ACHD) expressed that ACHD intends to work with property/business owners through the design process to fully understand and address potential problems with median installation. Traveler Information – The SC saw little value in this as there are no clear alternatives to Fairview Avenue if congestion or an incident is present. Reconstruct driveways to current ACHD standards ‐ The SC generally does not favor this strategy. There was concern about potential impacts to properties.
TIER 4: Remove Access Conflicts Near Intersections ‐ SC found this strategy to be too vague in description and were concerned about business Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Page 4 of 8 SC Meeting #2
SC Meeting #2 SUMMARY
impacts. A set distance away from intersections is needed to know what the impact area is (100’ would be okay). Frontage/Service Roads ‐ SC does not favor this strategy and is very concerned about impacts to properties/businesses. Red Light Extensions ‐ SC does not see a need to consider this strategy for implementation. Bus Pullouts ‐ This strategy was moved to Tier 4 for reasons of cost and difficulty for buses to pull back into the traffic stream. Automated speed enforcement – SC is not interested in this strategy.
PHASE 1: (emphasis on low cost projects that maximize efficiency without impacting businesses) Update Coordinated East‐West Signal Timing Adaptive Signal Timing Red Light Running Photo Enforcement Balancing Lane Utilization Install Reflectorized Borders on Signal Backplates Improved Street Lighting Change Protected‐Permissive Left Turn Phase to Protected Only – Implement time of day changes to improve safety with minimal impact on delay.
PHASE 2: (The SC is generally okay with moving Phase 2 improvements into phase 1 if funding allows.) Reduce number of driveways ‐ Identify locations where implementation is easy. Implement other strategies first. Complete policy amendments in Phase 2 as well. Create Inter‐Parcel Circulation (“Shared Driveways”) Transit Signal Priority Complete Bike Lane Gaps Complete Sidewalk Gaps Pedestrian & Bicycle Crossing Enhancements Bike lane enhancements Reconstruct driveways to current ACHD standards – only where sidewalks are being constructed/reconstructed.
PHASE 3:
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Non‐Traversable Medians ‐ This is an invasive strategy. Rear end collisions are a concern. Can’t just put medians in throughout corridor. Takes time to strategically implement at specific locations. Remove Access Conflicts Near Intersections Frontage/Service Roads
PHASE 4: Traveler Information Red Light Extensions Bus Pullouts – can include in Phase 2 if it can be incorporated as part of completing sidewalks. Automated speed enforcement
V. Next Steps/Adjourn The project team will incorporate the SC comments along with the PMT comments into a Draft Plan for Fairview Avenue. This will be discussed at the upcoming PMT and SC meetings in August, as well as at a public information meeting.
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SC Meeting #2 SUMMARY
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PMT#3 Meeting Summary
Project Name: Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy Project Number: 507022.001 Date: August 14, 2013 Meeting Time: 10:00AM to 12:00PM Location: ACHD – Site R (aka Retreat trailer) Prepared By: John Bosket, DKS Associates
Attendees: Attend Invited Role X Jeff Lowe Project Manager, P&P X John Bosket Project Manager, DKS Associates X Peter Coffey DKS Associates X Amar Pillai Planning & Programming X Brian McClure City of Meridian X Bryan Huey Communications Christy Foltz‐Alrichs Communications Christy Little Development Services Chuck Spencer GIS Felicia Statkus Capital Projects Josh Saak Traffic X Karen Gallagher City of Boise X Sabrina Anderson Planning & Programming X Ryan Head Planning & Programming Meeting objectives: Convene the project team to review and discuss the Draft Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy report. The primary focus will be on recommended strategies and phasing of implementation. Preparations for the upcoming Public Involvement Meeting will also be discussed. Agenda: I. Introductions/ Agenda Overview II. Review of Where We Are/Schedule Jeff Lowe asked PMT members to please review the meeting summary from PMT Meeting #2 and send any requested revisions back to him. No revisions were requested at the meeting. Today we will be discussing the Draft Plan with the PMT and SC. The following day, we will hold a Public Involvement Meeting (PIM) to discuss findings and recommendations to date. Following these meetings, we will revise the Draft Plan to incorporate comments. We will then begin the adoption process in September, presenting at public hearings in Meridian and Boise and before the ACHD Commission. We hope to have this process complete in October.
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PMT#3 Meeting Summary
III. Review of Draft Corridor Management Strategy report PMT members had previously commented on an earlier version of the Draft Plan. Therefore, this review primarily focused on the recommended phasing plan for improvements. It was noted that an allowance for integration with other construction projects should be provided in the phasing plan. An example would be the Fairview/Cole project, which could create opportunities to implement improvements from the Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy within the project limits. What performance measures should we use to know if we were successful? Should we include an evaluation period following each phase and how long should it be? One likely measure would be a reduction in crashes. Measuring crash reductions typically requires an evaluation period of at least three years. Improvements in travel time or other mobility measures can typically be measured right away. Since improving safety is a key objective of the project, a three‐year evaluation period may be appropriate for most phases. DKS will include recommended performance measures and evaluation period/process in the revised plan. What should we assume for the timing of the 7‐lane widening of Fairview Avenue and how does this impact the construction of bike lanes and sidewalks in Phase 1? The timing is unknown. For the purpose of this effort, we should focus on “interim” bike lane/sidewalk improvements to improve connectivity right away at lower cost. This approach would fill gaps in existing sidewalks and bike lanes in adjacent to the existing travel lanes. We would not try to put bike lanes and sidewalks where they would ultimately go in a future 7‐lane cross‐section. It may still be difficult to construct bike lanes in Phase 1 in some areas. It was asked if bike facilities on Fairview are necessary if facilities are provided on parallel corridors. Bike facilities on Fairview are needed because parallel facilities are too far away, don’t provide access to destinations along Fairview Avenue, and don’t enhance connections to Fairview transit. Crash and count data show that cyclists are present now with no facilities, so the demand is already present. Table 1, Phase 1 Improvements: Regarding lighting (strategy B6), ACHD lights intersections, but not corridors. Cities would pay to light corridors if desired. Cities also pay for lighting maintenance and operations costs. Would lighting in corridors be pedestrian scale or vehicular scale? Vehicular scale – would also benefit pedestrians. A cost share agreement for additional lighting on Fairview Avenue needs to be worked out. For now, put new intersection lighting analysis and construction in Phase 1. Corridor lighting analysis can go in Phase 1, but construction would need to be deferred to Phase 2. For strategy B7, modify the description as follows: “Evaluate Change of Protected‐Permissive Left‐Turn Phasing to Protected Only.” Also, include both the evaluation and implementation in Phase 1. For strategy A1, “Reduce Number of Driveways”, joint policies between cities and ACHD are needed to strengthen authority to require desired changes through land use actions.
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PMT#3 Meeting Summary
For A6, “Non‐traversable Medians with U‐turns”, change the note as follows: “Can be fully implemented. May be needed Needed in Phase 1 to provide notable safety improvements.” Also change the limits of implementation to end at Curtis instead of at Orchard. For B8, “Installation of Reflectorized Borders on Signal Backplates”, we are only proposing installation at Cole Road and Curtis Road in Phase 1. Additional installations in later phases would be pending evaluation of effectiveness. It was asked if Bus Pullouts should be included in Phase 1 given need for further coordination with VRT. It was agreed that they should be kept in Phase 1. For A2, “Create Inter Parcel Circulation”, we should better define what this is meant to represent. The Stakeholder Committee was okay with shared driveways, but don’t want to see circulation roads through neighboring properties because it would be unsafe. The objective of this strategy is not to encourage high levels of cut‐through traffic on neighboring properties, but to connect adjacent parking lots. Table 2, Phase 2 Improvements: For B8, “Installation of Reflectorized Borders on Signal Backplates”, change the note as follows: “If found to be beneficial following Phase 1, complete implementation at all select signals in corridor during Phase 2.” Move strategy D3, the Shamrock Avenue pedestrian and bicycle crossing, to Phase 1. Move strategy B5, the lane balancing improvement at the I‐184 eastbound ramp, to Phase 1. Table 4, Long Range and Incremental Improvements: Change the table title to: “Incremental and Long Range Improvements.” For C1, it was noted that a Transit Signal Priority pilot project is in process on State Street. E1, Traveler Information, is not currently listed in a phase. It was decided to leave it where it is. IV. Discuss August 15 Public Involvement Meeting The PIM will be held on August 15th at 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The first hour is intended to be dedicated to business/property owners, with the general public showing up at 5:30 PM. V. Next Steps/Adjourn Action Items: PMT members will review the meeting summary from PMT Meeting #2 and send any requested revisions to Jeff Lowe. The PIM will be held on August 15th at 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM. DKS will revise the Draft Plan following receipt of comments from the PMT, SC, and PIM.
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SC#3 Meeting Summary
Project Name: Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy Project Number: 507022.001 Date: August 14, 2013 Meeting Time: 2:00PM to 4:00PM Location: ACHD Auditorium Prepared By: John Bosket, DKS Associates
Attendees: Attend Invited Role X Jeff Lowe Project Manager, ACHD X Sabrina Anderson Planning & Programming X Ryan Head Planning & Programming X John Bosket Project Manager, DKS Associates X Peter Coffey DKS Associates X Brian McClure City of Meridian X Bryan Huey ACHD Communications X Karen Gallagher City of Boise X Ken Marler Express Cafe X Mark Peterson Peterson Motors Rhonda Jalbert Valley Regional Transit X Mike Meuret Einstein’s Oilery X Moe Stark Honey Baked Ham & Café X Stephen Loop West Valley Neighborhood Association Steve Sedlacek Republic Services X Tom Barry Property Owner Meeting objectives: Convene the Stakeholder Committee to review and discuss the Draft Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy report. The primary focus will be on recommended strategies and phasing of implementation. Preparations for the upcoming Public Involvement Meeting will also be discussed. Agenda: I. Introductions/ Agenda Overview II. Review of Where We Are/Schedule Jeff Lowe asked SC members to please review the meeting summary from SC Meeting #2 and send any requested revisions back to him. No revisions were requested at the meeting. Today we will be discussing the Draft Plan with the PMT and SC. The following day, we will hold a Public Involvement Meeting (PIM) to discuss findings and recommendations to date. Following these meetings, we will revise the Draft Plan to incorporate comments. We will then begin the adoption process in September, presenting at public hearings in Meridian and Boise and before the ACHD Commission. We hope to have this process complete in October.
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SC#3 Meeting Summary
III. Review of Draft Corridor Management Strategy report John Bosket started the discussion with a review of the process followed to date. It was important when taking a fresh look at this plan to understand and confirm the needs for improvement along Fairview Avenue. Therefore, the first step taken was to complete an evaluation of the “no build” condition today and 20 years from now. Many issues were identified, such as congestion, high projected traffic growth, incomplete walking and biking facilities, and limited access to transit stops, but safety was the greatest issue noted due to the significant crash history. Next, we discussed goals and objectives with the PMT and SC. This provided a framework for evaluation criteria that will be used continuously throughout the design of each phase. Then we considered more than 20 different types of solutions to address the needs found in the corridor. Some solutions considered (referred to as “strategies”) were able to address multiple needs, but most were targeted at a specific need. Therefore, a combination of complementary strategies was needed to achieve the greatest benefit. Finally, the Draft Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy included recommended bundles of complementary strategies and outlines a plan for phased implementation. When building phases for improvements, key considerations included: o the evaluation criteria – used as a fatal flaw screen at this stage o the PMT’s interest in making safety improvements a top priority and the need to make significant improvements to safety quickly o SC request that a wider range of improvement options be considered, with a preference toward lower cost, efficiency‐enhancing improvements o SC request for an incremental phasing approach where the least impactful (to businesses) strategies are tried first and others are only implemented if still needed o A desire to minimize construction impacts on businesses by avoiding repeated construction activity in the same area of the corridor o Reducing project costs and maximizing benefits by bundling strategies
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SC#3 Meeting Summary
In balancing the many interests, many SC requests have been accommodated such as using a range of lower cost solutions and not just focusing on access management. However, in an effort to lower project costs and construction impacts, maximize benefits, and provide immediate improvement to the current safety problems, bundling strategies is recommended over a drawn‐out incremental implementation approach. In an attempt to respond to SC concerns over this, our incremental approach will be to limit the application of some strategies to defined areas of the corridor (highest priority areas first), then evaluate their effectiveness before applying them to other areas. The process for advancing each phase would start with a design effort where the conceptual recommendations are refined to fit corridor opportunities and constraints. This design stage will include a significant public involvement effort where all property/business owners will be invited to discuss recommended improvements and how they might be modified to their needs. Prior to moving into construction, the recommended design would be taken to the ACHD Commission for approval. This offers another opportunity for public comment. Pending approval, improvements would be constructed. Following construction, ACHD would monitor and evaluate improvements achieved over a period of three years before advancing the next phase. The first phase of improvements is focused on the area from Orchard Street to Five Mile Road, although it does include some strategies in other parts of the corridor. The Orchard to Five Mile segment was chosen for Phase 1 because it experienced the highest rate of crashes in the corridor. It should be noted that the installation of medians with U‐turns is only recommended from Five Mile Road to Curtis Road because the rate of crashes drops significantly east of Curtis Road. The second phase of improvements would focus most improvements in the segment from Locust Grove Road to Meridian Road, which was noted as the area with the second highest rate of crashes. The third phase would implement improvements in the remainder of the corridor.
It was noted that the fact that the recommended strategies are only conceptual at this stage should be more clearly and strongly stated. It should also be stated that further design work is required and that further public involvement will be included as part of each design phase. This should all be included in a thorough description of the
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SC#3 Meeting Summary
implementation process detailing what ACHD will do during design phases to engage the public and property/business owners. What is the intended approach for involving property/business owners during the design of each phase? This hasn’t been determined yet. The intent is to reach out to every business/property owner in the project limits to discuss how the proposed improvements could affect them and how adjustments can be made to work better for them. A comment was made that this still looks like it is all about medians like the last plan was. The public already responded definitively against this. Businesses will continue to be opposed if this is presented in the same way as the previous plan. A distinction between shared driveways and circulation between parcels needs to be made. Do not create cut through traffic on properties due to medians. Creating cut through traffic across businesses is unsafe. Shared driveways would be okay, but don’t create access roads through properties. What can be done to promote establishment of shared driveways and connections between adjacent properties? This is an area ACHD, Boise, and Meridian want to improve on by strengthening local code requirements as part of Phase 1. Bryan Huey shared that he has spoken with more than 20 businesses on Eagle Road to discuss how the new medians have impacted them. The responses were largely positive. All but one had no problem with the medians and did not feel they had a negative impact on their business. Prior to closing the meeting, SC members were asked to provide any further comments. Moe Stark: Would like to come to the PIM tomorrow night and ask more questions. Could medians be tried with temporary materials when evaluated? Would permanent medians be attractive? Temporary installation of medians isn’t likely. Temporary materials may not be clearly understood, could be violated easily, and could become a maintenance problem. Also, it will take 3 years to collect enough data to assess the effectiveness. The design of medians, including possible aesthetic designs, hasn’t been discussed. ACHD may not be able to maintain landscaping. An “Adopt a Median” program is used in Santa Fe where partnerships with business owners and individuals have enabled the city to landscape and maintain medians. Mark Peterson: Appreciates that the SC gets to express an opinion and wants to make sure the SC opinions are expressed appropriately and fairly. The SC members represent others in the corridor. He can be Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy Page 4 of 6 SC#3 Meeting
SC#3 Meeting Summary
satisfied with the process if the SC voice is heard and represented. Will the SC still exist after October when this plan is done? He is hesitant to approve of concepts that aren’t clearly defined. Does this give ACHD the freedom to do what they want later? Will property owners have any more say in this? Can we find the middle ground now? It is unknown if the same SC will be used for future public involvement efforts. There may be more focus on stakeholders in the primary project area for each phase. It is also important to ACHD and the cities of Boise and Meridian that the SC opinions are presented fairly. SC members are encouraged to review all meeting summaries and make sure opinions are appropriately documented. SC members are also encouraged to attend the PIM tomorrow night, as well as the public meetings with City Councils and the ACHD Commission. ACHD will refine concepts into detailed designs as each phase is advanced. This effort will include much more public involvement and the ACHD Commission must approve it before construction. So approving concepts now does not free ACHD to build anything within that description at any time. Sabrina Anderson clarified the adoption process. The Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy (all phases) will be taken to the cities of Boise and Meridian and to the ACHD Commission for adoption. First, they want to know if the overall strategy makes sense. They want all sides to be represented in this discussion. Then they will ask if they should proceed with design. If approved, this would start more detailed design and further public involvement on the first phase. Stephen Loop: Fairview Avenue is the front door for the surrounding neighborhoods, so it should look good. Fairview Avenue is a principle arterial and it needs to function like one so traffic doesn’t divert through neighborhoods to avoid congestion. It needs to operate properly, be safe, present a good image, and have successful businesses. Mike Meuret: Expecting the public to accept the plan requires trust and there is a lot of distrust of government. He appreciates how the SC has been involved. The project team has done a great job in that regard. He believes medians do provide benefits and isn’t necessarily against them, but still has concerns about business impacts. Just because some business responses on Eagle Road have been positive regarding medians, we shouldn’t assume the experience will be the same on Fairview Avenue. Eagle Road is more of a commuter corridor, while Fairview Avenue is more of a destination corridor. We need to work with the public better than ITD did on Eagle Road. ITD’s actions were perceived as “mob‐like.”
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SC#3 Meeting Summary
Even after adoption of this strategy, there is more work to be done. We will need help working through design and implementation issues and must listen to constituents. Tom Barry: Likes the approach taken in the plan. Public outreach can be one‐directional or two‐directional. What are ACHD’s intentions for future public outreach? Engagement is more important than mere outreach and there is a need to articulate, “Yes, these are strategies but another strategy is the ability to have your say.” The process for implementation and how the public will be involved needs to be documented in the plan very clearly. It is difficult to trust in this otherwise. Also, while he agrees that medians can be beneficial, it depends on the users. His business has large trucks with trailers as customers. If they can’t get in and out, he will lose business. Ken Marler: Feels a well‐designed median wouldn’t be a problem. IV. Discuss August 15 Public Involvement Meeting The PIM will be held on August 15th at 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The first hour is intended to be dedicated to business/property owners, with the general public showing up at 5:30 PM. SC members are encouraged to attend and invite others. SC members are also encouraged to share the PIM comment sheets with customers and other property/business owners. V. Next Steps/Adjourn Action Items: SC members will review the meeting summary from SC Meeting #2 and send any requested revisions to Jeff Lowe. The PIM will be held on August 15th at 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM. DKS will revise the Draft Plan following receipt of comments from the PMT, SC, and PIM.
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PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT MEETING #1 SUMMARY
Project Name: Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy Project Number: 507022.001 Date: August 15, 2013 Meeting Time: 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM Location: The Clubhouse Event Center, 7311 W. Potomac Dr., Boise , ID Prepared By: Sai Sirandas, DKS Associates
Attendance: 73 people signed in Meeting objectives: Elicit public comment on Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy, including: Developing a long‐range plan to increase safety and reduce congestion with access management (including center‐of‐the‐road medians) as just one element. Evaluating and updating information from past efforts. Developing an implementation plan that recommends improvements to occur over the next 20 years. Comment Summary: Eighteen comment sheets were received at the public involvement meeting, and eleven comments were received after the meeting. Comments from these 29 members of the public are summarized below and organized by topic area based on the comment form. Note that not all 29 members of the public provided comment on all topic areas. When similar comments and responses were provided by more than one member of the public, the number of similar comments is shown in parentheses. 1) Do you agree or disagree with the proposed Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Plan? Agree (11) Disagree (13) Not Sure (2) No Response (3) Why? Medians limit/restrict access to property; Medians will have severe economic impacts (10) There is a need for improvements; something needs to be done to improve safety, and existing and future traffic congestion (7)
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PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT MEETING #1 SUMMARY
Traffic too fast; reduce speed limit (2) Needs better signal timing (2) Do not agree with reduced driveways Concerned about service roads bisecting properties Concerned about driveway reduction Five Mile Road to Orchard Street (Phase 1 Segment) is already facing economic crisis Concerned about traffic noise Speed up traffic Need more lanes Need bike lanes Need better lighting Plan does not meet its own listed goals (Transportation, Social & Economic)
What do you like about the plan? Support pedestrian and bike improvements (5) Support the effort to improve safety (4) Support bus turnouts (3) Public involvement and the exchange of ideas are great. Educational materials are helpful (2) Support reducing access conflicts near intersections (2) Support reconstruction of driveways (2) Support the effort to improve mobility Support medians Support inter‐parcel circulation Maintains economic growth Support the three‐phase approach Support proactive approach
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PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT MEETING #1 SUMMARY
Support driveway consolidation
What do you dislike about the plan? Medians will limit access; No medians (11) Construction work will impact property (2) Needs signal at Wildwood Street instead of Steelwood Avenue (2) Bike lanes Reduced driveways Frontage/Service roads will impact private properties Plan lacks specifics Do not support red light running cameras Implementation could be long and drawn out Negative feedback about Curtis Road project The eastern portion of the corridor (Five Mile to Orchard) is the most “delicate” area, therefore it should not be considered for Phase 1. Do improvements in other areas of the corridor before improving the eastern portion
2) Do you believe the appropriate strategies are being applied in each area? No (7) Yes (8) Somewhat (2) No Response (12) Please explain Do not support medians (6) Medians will not work in Idaho because of too many large trucks (3) Improve bicycle and transit facilities on other corridors, not on Fairview Avenue (2) Apply medians at locations adjacent to undeveloped areas (west of Five Mile) (2) Medians are not suitable in areas that get snow (2)
Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy Page 3 of 6 PIM Meeting #1
PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT MEETING #1 SUMMARY
Consider improving parallel facilities (Franklin Road); Study additional I‐84 freeway exits Focus on business access Educate drivers to avoid using the phone while driving Insufficient details on strategies being applied Handouts of strategies were not provided at the Open House Medians decrease access for emergency vehicles, increase blockages and decrease safety for everyone
3) Are there other strategies we should consider for the corridor? Improve transit frequency, longer hours, and introduce express buses (2) Develop off‐road bike paths (2) Severe lack of street lighting from Hickory Avenue to Fred Meyer Better to spend money on red light running cameras than medians Buffer zone on along both sides of Fairview Avenue, which would include a combination of bike lane and a sidewalk with landscaping and lighting Signal timing improvements should be applied immediately. Improve signal timing during non‐peak hours Add more right turn lanes Provide reasonable crossing walking and crossing opportunities to people with children, the elderly and the disabled Change the direction of flow during peak hours. Use middle lane as a reversible lane (eastbound in the morning, westbound in the evening)
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PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT MEETING #1 SUMMARY
4) Please rank the following in order of importance, with 1 being the most important and 6 being the least Average Scores: Safety 1.6 Efficient travel 1.7 Pedestrian crossings 3.1 Better sidewalks 3.3 Improved access to transit 3.4 Bike facilities 3.6
5) How do you use Fairview Avenue (choose all that apply)? Live on Fairview or in neighborhood adjacent to Fairview (11) Commuting (10) Shopping (9) Own/operate a business along Fairview (7) Work at a location on Fairview (2) Other (1)
6) General Comments Signage and reflectors to help people see medians during snow, darkness and rain Consider why people prefer Fairview to the parallel freeway and other parallel facilities Business owner suffered through several construction phases over the years. Medians are “business killers” One business owner experienced that it was faster to access their old location, which was adjacent to a section of Fairview Avenue with medians than the new location which is now adjacent to a section without medians. However, customers have a perception that the older location was faster and less difficult to access The only Open House was held in late summer, with inadequate handouts. Due to this it had poor attendance, and the response time was too short to let others
Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy Page 5 of 6 PIM Meeting #1
PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT MEETING #1 SUMMARY
know, and the online materials were illegible in many cases. Open House needs to be redone with improvements to allow for adequate input Please listen to the residents instead of trying to convince them Maintain the medians for weed and dirt control Implementing flashing yellow arrows was a good decision by ACHD. It helped traffic flow and reduced engine idle time at the intersections Bike lanes must be separate from the roadway
Fairview Avenue Corridor Management Strategy Page 6 of 6 PIM Meeting #1 Table: PMT and SC Preferences for Strategies Tiers Phases PMT & SC PMT & SC PMT & SC Strongly PMT & SC Strongly PMT SC Agreed Disagreed PMT SC Agreed Disagreed A1 Reduce Number of Driveways 1 1 12 A2 Create Inter Parcel Circulation 1 1 12 A3 Reconstruct Driveways to Current ACHD Standards 23 1 2 A4 Remove Access Conflicts near Intersections 1 4 13 A5 Frontage/Service Roads 1 4 23 A6 Non‐Traversable Medians 13 13 B1 Update Coordinated East‐West Signal Timing 2 1 1 1 B2 Adaptive Signal Timing 21 2 1 B3 Red Light Running Photo Enforcement 21 4 1 B4 Red Light Extensions 4 4 44 B5 Balancing Lane Utilization 3 1 31 B6 Improved Street Lighting 3 2 2 1 B7 Change of Protected‐Permissive Left‐Turn Phasing to Protected Only 32 3 1 B8 Installation of Reflectorized Borders on Signal Backplates 3 1 21 C1 Transit Signal Priority 22 32 C2 Bus Pullouts 2 4 14 D1 Complete Bike Lane Gaps 1 2 1 2 D2 Complete Sidewalk Gaps 1 2 1 2 D3 Pedestrian and Bicycle Crossing Enhancements 22 22 D4 Bike Lane Enhancements 1 2 1 2 E1 Traveler Information 2 3 3 4 E2 Automated Speed Enforcement 44 44 Table: Website Public Comment Summary Comments and Likes Combined Against Medians 782 For Better Signal Timing 160 For Bike Lanes 118 For Sidewalks 116 For Medians 23 Improve Parallel Corridors 23 Better Pedestrian Crossing 22 Improve Freeway Access 20 For Fewer Driveways 6 Table: Website Public Comment List Subject Datet Posted By Category Comment Votes
Comments: most of fairview ave, west of maple grove, already has ample amounts of room to allow three lanes in each direction, and i think that these areas not currently in use is a huge mistake. the simple addition of asphalt and maybe even curbs and sidewalks to these numerous areas would allow this corridor to go from a failing grade to at least a C… i cant understand why this has gone unnoticed, and so very obviously neglected… i would invited everyone in achd to pay more attention to out of state road building and design, because it is way too apparent that achd is very close minded about just how much traffic issues are being created by such an abundance of the lack of knowledge required to truly understand the needs of automotive transportation in fairview ave corridor 26-Jun recd. via email 0 ada county. why are we attempting to redo a corridor that has no realistic exit plan onto roads, that to this day, are still only two lanes?! 5 mile, cloverdale and many others, for example, should be expanded to at least 5 lanes for 2 miles on either side of fairview ave well before a fairview corridor rebuild should even be discussed by anyone. cole road intersection should be done already also, as there is no more school and plenty of room for widening for over two years now. how can achd explain to the people of ada county that it was more important to do every single intersection on fairview ave and then skip cole road? that intersection alone creates a back up for at least half a mile in all directions from 7 am to 7pm regularly, every single day. and worse yet cole road is an interchange for both I84 AND I184…. WTF ACHD! if there is money to do this big of a project, then push Driving some of the other smaller projects connected to fairview ave further up on the calendar and conduct yourselves accordingly. The intersection of Fairview Ave. and Cloverdale: vehicles east‐bound on Fairview, trying to make a left turn (north) onto Cloverdale. With the new blinking yellow light, there is not enough time for drivers to make their left turn onto Cloverdale AFTER Concern for safety 23-Jun Cheryl Danley the blinking yellow turns into a solid yellow. I’ve seen so many near‐misses and people getting angry and honking their horns, 0 There’s going to be a bad wreck there some day. Is there any way to keep the solid yellow, yellow just a little bit longer to allow Driving people to complete their left turn onto Cloverdale? The islands on Eagle Road are bad enough. Do not add more here. Leads to more congestion as people try to figure out how to NO ISLANDS 21-Jun Kayla Miller now get to the blocked off business and wastes fuel driving out of way to get to the correct business. Islands are very anti‐business 0 Driving and anti‐people! Leave alone!!! 14-Jun Admin Driving Leave Fairview alone.I use it at least twice a day and I don’t see any serious issues.I’ve lived right by it for 20 years 0
The corner of Maple Grove and Halstead has become unsafe due to tree growth that blocks view of cars and bicyclists traveling on Unsafe Corner 14-Jun Luann Hyde 0 Maple Grove. The trees need to be cut back on the corner. In order to see the traffic heading South on Fairview, you must pull out Driving onto Fairview to see traffic which causes motorists and cyclists to swerve to miss a waiting car to pull out.
I have lived in Boise now for more than 16 years and lived at the interseciton of Cole and Fairview for a period of time. Fairview Fairview Avenue as a regional c 11-Jun Heidi Carter Avenue has always been a street that I avoid due to the over abundance of driveways and lack of control for traffic entering and 0 exiting these approaches. This roadway does not function safely or efficiently due to the number of approaches and I am very glad Driving to see that this corridor will finally be getting some much needed access management in the near future. bus turnouts 9-Jun anonymous There should be turnouts at every bus stop to pick up passengers and it would keep traffic flowing. It would also be safer for 1 Bus people boarding the bus. Location: all bus stops. This would also be very good for school bus stops everywhere.
I am opposed to the median project on Fairview Ave. It will hurt business, increase drive times putting more emissions in the air, Fairview access 8-Jun Phillip 1 make truck deliveries very difficult and force U turns in front of oncoming traffic. I do not believe the cost of this project is justified Other in light of other road projects that are needed such as widening Five Mile, Cloverdale, Ustick ect. I figure in the last 10 years I have driven Boise City Taxis in excess of 400,000 miles within Ada Co.. With the exception of a few “hidden” curbs in the middle of the road, (the ones you can’t see at night) ACHD has done an amazing job keeping up with growth. spend it elsewhere 7-Jun Jason Plesner The medians on Eagle work well during the commute. The other 20 hours of the day they just make driving a pain for truckers, 1 taxis, delivery people and the elderly. How about shortening your corridor to one mile either side of Eagle Rd. and save a few Driving bucks?
Something for the cyclists 6-Jun Jon R. I ride my bike over the bridge here almost daily and something that warns motorists to watch out for cyclists on the southbound 0 Biking lane would be helpful. Better yet, repaint the bike lane so cyclists are placed on the correct lane going over the bridge. Speed Trap 6-Jun Joe Blow Driving Speed trap in the mornings around 8am on a regular basis 1 Cole Rd needs to be widened between Franklin and Farview. People are trying to make left hand turns into the residential and Center turn lane needed 5-Jun Admin business areas East and West of Cole and without center turn lanes block an entire lane of traffic on an already extremely busy 0 Driving road during rush hour times. Commuting on Fairview by bike is absolutely terrifying. Some nice bike lanes would improve our community’s health, and overall Bike Lanes 5-Jun Brady 6 Biking awesomeness. Bicycle lanes! 5-Jun Admin Biking More bicycle lanes! Get everyone out of their car, off their butt, and in to a local bicycle shop! 1 I live downtown but need to get out to eagle/fairview and even further at times. There needs to be a safe way for cyclists downtown to make it to at least eagle and fairview. There is sooooo much along fairview that could be opened up to people if they Bike lanes pleeeease 5-Jun Christian could safely bike there! If you’re on sidewalks you have to constantly get off the bike when there are people, or be an ass and ride 4 on through them, and it’s just unsafe to go down the side walk at a faster pace, which any pace on a bicycle is considerably faster Biking than what should be on the sidewalks anyway.
I travel Fairview daily and using the median to turn left into a business or coming out can be a scary thing during busy times. I have seen many accidents when two people who have crossing paths go for the same spot in the median not stopping to think about the apposing side. I have had many people pull out in front of me while I’m in the median and have the right of way, and my favorite is when someone is driving in the median, trying to merge like it’s the I‐5. Think if someone is coming the opposite and trying to enter the median, do they cause an accident or swerve back into traffic? I’m sorry to say the medians are needed. I’ve Fairview needs to be safer 4-Jun Lucifer 1 lived in parts of California and seen some of the busiest roads on earth, yet with raised medians and limited access I actually saw less accidents there than here and making a left turn into the grocery store wasn’t nearly as scary. You don’t have to worry about someone on the other side going into the median the same time as you or all the idiots that like to drive down the thing using it as an extra lane. I know people don’t want to see our roads become like California’s but let’s face it, the traffic is already there and we need to do something about it. PS, getting around in Fresno is easier than getting around here and almost every road has a Driving raised median.
I think the best way to streamline traffic would be to restrict entrances and exits to parking lots of strip malls. Reduce the access Access 31-May Darwin Zanders 1 to one per mall as far from intersections as possible. The Albertsons at Cole is an example. Eliminate Starbucks entrance and make Driving cars drive through the parking lot so there aren’t cars exiting or entering Fairview right st Cole. You keep coming up with projects: Bikelanes and sidewalks on Mountain View, How about some trees? “how is Fairview doing, etc. Why not complete a critical project first! For example, I submitted a petition to ACHD in January to improve the traffic flow on Improve Mountain View Drive 31-May Thomas Taylor 3 Mountain View Drive, Glenwood to Cole, where we have 15000 cars per day! I had approximately 60 signatures of local residents who live here! Not a word back from ACHD! are you listening to your citizens? Please complete a critical project before moving on. Driving This has been in the works as long as I have lived here (20 years) Please finish the Glenwood cuplet. It has been on the maps since the 70′s. With the Wal‐mart coming to the neighborhood it is Finished the Cuplet. 30-May Admin 2 Driving needed. It have been promised , please do it. you can’t turn into particular businesses due to the concrete dividers on Fairview. U‐turns are permitted. Many time i have seen u‐ middle concrete dividers 30-May Barbara Fox 0 Other turns in the middle of the intersection after the traffice light turns yellow. I am responding to Sunday Statesman request for comments on plans for changes to Fairview Ave. I frequently travel most roads in the west valley. Fairview Ave. is the LEAST of the areas that need quicker changes. The very most frustrating areas I feel need PRIORITY for this valley are widening projects at: McMillan West from Eagle Rd., at least to Meridian Rd. Ustic Rd. West from Five Mile at least to Meridian Rd. Five Mile So. from McMillan, as far South as possible. Cloverdale So. from Chinden, as far South as possible. Locust Grove, Fairview to Chinden, Overland South. Planned enhancement – Fairvi 29-May recd. via email 1 Chinden to Caldwell. I feel confident that if these areas were addressed first, it would ease traffic on Fairview and improve SAFETY issues for the routes above. Many of these areas have no bike lane or sidewalks. Sometimes I will choose Fairview Ave just to avoid congested alternate routes east or west/north or south, it moves BETTER on Fairview like it is. I am on all these roads frequently because I help transport kids to/from soccer/basketball practices and games/to‐from school, and frequent personal use. Driving Please consider these as priorities over Fairview. Bike Lane Transition from Maple Grove to North side of Fairview intersection is @ 6 inches wide for about 100 feet on both sides Unsafe bike lane 29-May X. Barrett 2 Biking of Maple Grove. I drive Fairview everyday from Eagle Rd. to Curtis, from Eagle rd to Milwaukee rd is the only busy part and only during rush hours. More than 1 solution 29-May Admin Nothing is needed from Milwaukee rd to Orchard rd very little traffic except at 5;00pm There needs to be a common sense 0 Driving approach t0 different stretches of Fairview and not one plan for the entire corridor. This busy street needs bike lanes if Boise is committed to reducing greenhouse gases, reducing fossil fuel consumption, and Bike Lanes 28-May M.Bergstrom 1 Biking combatting obesity in Idaho. Bike Lanes, simple!
Putting in a boulevard with nice trees with hanging slower pots, etc., in place of the current “suicide lane” will do the following: 1) Give pedestrians and cyclists more safety when crossing. 2) Tame drivers instincts – promoting ‘freeway’ drivers to go to the freeway.. It’s time to invest in this area o 25-May G. Horeczy But also… 1 3) Raise property values of a whole sector at risk of becoming a street of empty car lots. 4) Reduce crime (see point 2). 5) Introduce a sense of community, if it’s done aesthetically. Walking Items 3, 4 and 5 are the real payback for this investment.
I live on the southside of the intersection of Fairview and Wildwood (GoldenWheel and Dutch Bros). Im not sure what exactly Unsafe intersection 25-May Admin what to suggest, but I can tell you that the extensive traffic into Dutch Bros in the morning results in me and many others waiting 1 for 10 min max to pull out onto Fairview. I also feel that this intersection is VERY unsafe. There have been several “almost” Driving accidents. There are so many directions and factors to be considered before pulling out, and Im certain many dont consider them. One way achd can make less traffic on Fairview is more on and off ramps off the interstate. That way you don’t need to exit until Less traffic on Fairway 25-May Ken and Marte Abe much closer to the business you are going to, such as Maple Grove‐ 5 mile etc. It is so ridiculous that you have to travel so far on 2 Driving such a busy street just to get where you are going. Bikers 23-May Alyssa 0 Biking They need to be on the sidewalks or at least farther away from cars. I do not like driving with a biker on a busy street like fairview. People using the center lane lik22-May Admin 2 Driving I have seen people drive blocks down the center lane at 35‐40 mph to “merge” into traffic. This will get someone killed.
Unsafe parking lots 22-May mike goff With all the islands beinng added, the parking lots are now unsafe as people use them now to cut through at a high rate of speed. I 2 Driving have personally witnessed several children almost being hit in parking lots because of the people who cut through.
These medians are a complete waste of taxpayer money. I believe that powers that be have tried to justify this by using the keyword ‘Safety’. What a joke. My parking lot at Snake River Yamaha has now turned into an access road. We were forced to add speed bumps in order to preserve our own lives. People STILL speed through our parking lot and actually pass other cars. Danger Zone 22-May Steve Goff 3 I’ve seen several accidents out front directly related to the new ‘safe’ medians. The cars making new ‘legal’ Uturns are a serious safety hazard. The medians are a serious impediment to the very businesses that are paying the taxes to build these stupid things. All in all it’s a serious waste of time and money and has put the public as well as local businesses at risk. Whoever thought this up Driving should be tarred and feathered and run the hell out of town. Thinking of putting in a median on Fairview? You have got to be kidding! BAD IDEA! Bad for businesses – bad for customers – bad for tourists – bad for anyone who values safety. Really – drivers of all types – new drivers – experienced drivers – impeded drivers Another traffic disaster paid fo 22-May Suzy - Concerned – elderly drivers – truck and delivery drivers ‐it will be a nightmare! Vote NO for the idea and whoever promotes the idea! Fairview 5 is not nearly as dangerous now as it will be when you add a median. Surely there is a better more practical project on which to Driving spend our money.
ACHD has an irrational and unjustified love of medians on major roads, and they cause more frustration than a simple middle turn lane. Fairview Rd does NOT need restrictive medians – especially in the primarily residential neighborhoods west of Meridian Rd. No medians please! 22-May Brett Mayes 4 It’s an absurd idea that the public DOES NOT WANT – as evidenced by the comments here. It’s our money, they’re our roads. Don’t screw them up because you think every major road needs to have a median. No other large cities do this with the frequency Driving that ACHD tries to. That should tell you something. I have to agree with a previous poster on the new U‐turn points. The selling point ACHD used for the Medians was to eliminate dangerous left turns on these busy roads. Okay, that makes sense. Cool…. so now let’s create U‐Turn points. Say what? on a 55 MPH road? How is that safer than a normal left turn? It’s not! U‐Turn is safer than a left turn 21-May Admin I was born and raised in Boise and I’ve always felt that the ACHD cival engineers were subpar when it came to ‘bright ideas’. 2 Having driven in several other large cities across the US, and lived in Seattle for 6 years, I have to say that those experiences only bolster my feelings on this. The civil engineers in those places know what they’re doing, and know what good ideas really are. Driving ACHD has a long ways to go. Sorry! The right most, west‐bound straight through lane is basically a drag racing lane. Shortly after going through the intersection, the lane ends. What you end up with is all of the aggressive drivers (5 or 6) queued up in the right lane, and all the safe drives lined up Drag racing lane 21-May Admin in the next 2 lanes. Then when the light turns green the 5 o 6 drivers in the right lane gun it and force lane changes before the lane 6 ends. There’s always at least one aggressive cut off that occurs during each green light. This right lane before the intersection Driving needs to go! Is there a reason why Fairview and Meridian rd needed to be torn up at the same time? It takes 15 min. to get through the Finish Construction 21-May Admin 1 Driving intersection. Get someone to direct traffic so more can get through it.
I ride a bike to work every morning and I think that Fairview is dangerous for bikes. No bike lanes and the lack sidewalks that run Fairview Ave 21-May Russ 0 all along either side of Fairview. Plus, No street lights except for the intersections is a huge issue. I am in favor of The Fairview Other median project as long as the above issues are addressed and somehow worked into the project.. Light Synchronization 21-May Kevin A few weeks ago the lights on Fairview at Main and Meridian were very well synchronized, but lately it is taking 3 and 4 light cycles 2 to get through. This is true even in off‐peak hours. A little more time dedicated to studying this pattern could improve traffic flow. Driving I drive this route 4 times per day M‐F. Living and working on Fairview/Cherry, there is no logical way around the construction. I am opposed to installing center medians along Fairview Ave in speed zones that are 35mph max. The medians are cumbersome Proposed Center Medians alon 21-May Curtis when accessing businesses and creates a longer drive. 3 Driving However I favor the medians on Eagle Road because the speed limit is much higher than on Fairview Ave. Four Way Stop 21-May Curtis 0 Driving So glad that you removed the merge lanes at the corner of Fairview Ave and Eagle Road. The four‐way stop is so much safer. Once a cyclist gets here it is kind of over. It would be nice if Orchard can have some type of connection to the other side of End of the greenbelt spur line 20-May Admin 0 Biking Fairview. Or South on Orchard was hospitable for walking and biking.
PLEASE add median barriers on Fairview. Too many times I have seen drivers racing down the center turn lane for up to 1/2 mile Medians 20-May Admin 3 to reach the intersection, endangering other drivers that might use the center lane for the intended purpose (left turns/merging). Driving Adding barriers and controlling how one enters and exits parking lots and left‐turn lanes will make Fairview safer.
Going west on Fairview & Eagle is an intersection I find all over Meridian. I am going straight & am in the correct lane. People People going straight in lanes t 19-May Anonymous constantly get in the lane to the right of me, floor it when it turns green, and cut me off. It is a lane that peters out. Why do you 2 purposely cause Road Rage? People should get tickets for this. To know you are going straight & think YOU ARE SPECIAL so you get Driving in the far right lane & push everyone else aside to get a few car lengths ahead is just plain rude. I even see the cops here do it. The right turn lanes are too short here. I often have to wait for several light cycles to turn right. While no one in the intersection is Right turn lanes 17-May Ben P 1 Driving moving. Left turn signals 17-May Ben P 1 Driving Thank you for finally adding flashing yellow lights on all the left turns. I greatly reduces my waits during non‐rush hour times. The only entrance to my neighborhood is Bryson. Adding medians would force me to multiple U‐turns everyday. I find U‐turns much more dangerous than using a turn lane. when you are using a turn lane you can see all the directions that traffic is coming Bryson & Fairview 17-May Ben P 2 from and you can signal your intent. With a U‐turn you can’t effectively signal them and you can not tell all the directions that Driving traffic could be coming at you.
The medians are devastating to businesses. Plus, if a customer can not easily access a business, they will get frustrated and cause Stop the Medians 17-May LB 5 more problems on the roadways with their anger. U‐turns at major intersections cause further backup and confusion for drivers. Driving Please give our businesses a fighting chance and not eliminate access with medians.
I frequently attempt to turn left from westbound Fairview at Kimnball Street. If I am lucky enough to avoid the people trying to get Suicide left turns 16-May Admin 0 out of the Subaru dealership, I can wait for four or five minutes in the center turn lane for a break in east bound traffic. Normally I Driving get honked at from someone, either behind or coming towards me in the lane. I ride a bike for pleasure and avoid Fairview as much as possible. There are no bike lanes, the sidewalks are rough and uneven to Bikes on Fairview 16-May Stephanie Fox 2 Biking ride on. It is too scary to ride my bike on. I live a few blocks south of Fairview and drive it every day for work, etc. Evening rushhour is especially conjested heading home/west and I have to get into the center turn lane. I’ve obsered many traffic accidents at my intersection of Fairview and Unsafe intersection 16-May Stephanie Fox Allumbaugh, especially at this time. It is too busy! If I’m trying to cross Fairview from Allumbaugh to head west in the late 0 afternoon, I will have a long wait, again too busy! I observe people taking short cuts either trhough Jerry’s State Court Cafe parkng log or those new side streest between Allumbaugh, Liberty and the one in between those two.. There is a propose 168 unit Driving apartment comples on Allumbaugh. I can’t imagine what that will do to this intersection, Fairview and Allumbaugh. MAKING U TURNS IS A TRICKY AND DANGEROUS MOVE. I AM NOT HAPPY MAKING THEM OR AVOIDING OTHERS MAKING THEM. I U TURNS ARE DANGEROUS 16-May Admin AM REALLY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE PRACTICALLY ONE WAY DESIGN OF FAIRVIEW NOW. IT’S DIFFICULT TO GET TO SHOPPING 2 Driving AREAS WITHOUT MAKING A HUGE UN NECESSARY LOOPS. BAD BAD DECISION ACHD needs to listen to the people that utilize the Fairview corridor. A center median will be a disaster. The businesses will be Center Median’s Not Needed 16-May Jim devistated and the corridor will be more unsafe with everyone doing U‐turns at the major intersections. The traffic will become 3 Driving congested as well.
The light cycles at Fairview & Maple Grove, Mitchell, Five Mile, Cloverdale, and Eagle Road are too long. They lead to backups at the lights, especially Five Mile and Eagle Roads. A side effect of the long green lights given to Fairview traffic is the inability to Light Cycles Too Long 16-May Grace enter Fairview from side streets and business approaches. The wait to turn right or left onto Fairview is too long. Waiting to turn 2 left from Eagle Road onto Fairview in the late afternoon sometimes takes 3 cycles of 3 minutes each. If your car doesn’t have air conditioning, the wait can be very uncomfortable in the summer. I’ve driven in cities larger than Boise, and no where have I Driving encountered the long waits at red lights like in this area. Irving is nice, Orchard is crap until North of Fairview. There must be a way to allow cyclists an easier time getting past Fairview. Bicycle connection needed her 15-May Admin 1 Biking Maybe a “share the Road sign”, or “may use full lane sign”? I guess I’ll take the lane here? I know it is okay to do so, but the drivers around me seem to think it is not okay. Maybe a “may use Bike facilities 15-May Admin full lane” sign. 3 Biking thanks
For sure Fairview needs bike lanes. Also, there should be easier ways for people to cross Fairview to get to and from bus stops. Center of the road medians are a poor idea and will slow traffic as well as hurt businesses on Fairview. This comment map is a Access, safety, etc… 15-May John Weber difficult way to comment. To make Fairview safer reduce the speed limit and encourage people to take other routes or travel by 3 other means than being alone in a car by having better sidewalks, bike lanes, and consider a carpool lane. It seems we already commented on this in the past. ACHD need to listen to prior comments and not try to jamb center of the road medians on people Biking and businesses that don’t want them. Stoplight timing 15-May John Weber Driving Stop lights should be timed so traffic flows without stopping as much 1
It really doesn’t matter what WE the residents and users of Fairview have to say about the changes because you are going to do it anyway! This has already been demonstrated by your continuing to put in traffic barriers from Cloverdale to Eagle (and maybe beyond, I don’t go there any more). It seems to be prohibiting traffic into the businesses on the south side of Fairview while What a “SoCal” mess!! 15-May Extremely Disguste 2 promoting access to the new (out of state) development going in at Fairview/Eagle. There are so many barriers to travel, I just quit going to those businesses and order more and more and more online delivered directly to me. Problem solved!! Since no one is listening or willing to give up their preconceived “improvement” nothing but a disaster has been and continues to be created on Driving our major arterials. Businesses in the Fairview corridor have been beat down in the past few years by road construction. Commuters and other drivers are just now starting to readjust to their normal traffic patterns after years of delays in this area. By shutting down the medians, you will cut down on customers ability to enter the businesses by 30‐40%. I don’t know of a single business that can withstand Business Won’t Survive Media 15-May Admin 1 that level of a cut to the number of customers that can access their business. Some businesses can relocate and adjust when this sort of thing is imposed. Others are geographically bound by the type of business they operate. Car washes, gas stations, and other service retail companies can’t just pack up and move their stores down a few blocks to an area that doesn’t have medians Driving impeeding customer traffic. Medians will kill this corridor.
I may also be in a minority by saying that I actually like the medians installed on Eagle Road. The problem I run into with the medians is that the signals are timed poorly and I can’t hit a gap to merge left to make a U‐turn, notably at leaving Target on Eagle, and trying to hit the far left lane to U‐turn at Chinden and head south. If you can put medians on Fairview AND time the signals so U‐Turns are Okay 15-May Admin 0 thru traffic can flow smoothly, and still provide a good few second gap in traffic so I can quickly merge left and make a U‐turn, I’m okay with this. Medians are a learning curve, and I’ve visited many other cities like Las Vegas and Denver with lots of medians, it’s something I’m used to. It will take time to “enjoy” and get used to but it does help prevent left‐in/left‐out T‐bone accidents out of Driving businesses which can shut down highways for hours and cause even worse headaches for commuters. It is almost impossible to take a left at Wildwood to get on fairview. It will work early morning and late evenings. I have to go to Steelwood or Shamrock to take a left on Fairview. Forget about trying to get across the street on Wildwood to Primary Health. We Wildwood and Fairview 15-May Doret 0 have cars coming from every direction. It is like being at a race track, hoping to make it into the median with out being wiped out. Driving We could use a traffic light . Fairview traffic actually seems to flow very well, especially when compared to really bad roads like Eagle. There have to be some areas where biking is not the primary mode of transportation– like on Fairview. And, the City of Boise could learn a lot by Fairview Traffic 14-May Admin providing bike lanes where it makes sense instead of on EVERY single major arterial. 2 The busses run well on Fairview– timely and regular. Businesses seem to generally be doing pretty well. Other The death nail will be a median. It’s not working on Eagle Road and it won’t work on Fairview. This area is a safe place to drive. Fairview between Meridian Rd 14-May scott dechambeau The only problem will be fixed after the contruction 0 Driving is conpleted on Meridian Rd. The contruction make it terrible to travel or shop. I recently used Eagle Road and observed how the access management plan works there. I didn’t see any cars using the midmile uturn points, and quite frankly, the idea of doing it myself was terrifying. Who is going to make a uturn with oncoming traffic going Midmile Uturns 14-May Admin 5 55 mph? It’s unsafe! Even though Fairview has lower speeds overall, I can’t imagine making a uturn anywhere other than a Driving protected intersection.
After using Eagle Road recently and seeing how the forced uturns work, I’m convinced that doing the same thing on Fairview will Businesses Will Suffer 14-May Admin 1 destroy many of the businesses. I will avoid businesses on Eagle Road in the future because it is so difficult to do anything but Driving drive straight through. It’s great as a thoroughfare–but terrible if you’re trying to access a business. I observed several cars making uturns at Fairview & Records last night. I noticed that nearly all of them used three lane widths to complete their uturns, then scooted back into the second lane they were aiming for. These were not exceptionally large Uturns Not Practical 14-May Admin vehicles–two of them were average size family sedans (Toyota Camry type). Unless people are driving compact cars, I’m not sure 1 how they’re going to manage uturns on stretches of Fairview that don’t have three lane widths to work with. Please find an Driving alternative solution–forced uturns are simply not practical.
Islands preventing left turns 13-May Diana I have adjusted to the islands and believe that the traffic moves faster and safer. The public learns to adjust to making left hand 1 Driving turns before they reach their location. I know I am in the minority but I think there should be more islands. Safety Issue – Wildwood and F 13-May Diana It was an unsafe intersection before but now with the coffee stop added – it is a very unsafe intersection. Wish your original plan 0 Driving could have gone thru so that the left turns were eliminated and were done at the light (which you have removed). I have seen many near wrecks along Fairview as drivers attempt to make U‐turns. While a driver is attempting a U‐turn, there is generally another driver attempting to make a right hand turn at a red light. The drivers making the right hand turn are not medians and U‐turns 13-May Chad 4 expecting or looking for someone making a U‐turn. I believe the medians will cause more accidents and make Fairview more Driving congested. Please stop your project of adding the medians.
My biggest fear is that Fairview will be torn up for way too long, along with all of the other main roads being closed at the same time. I am constantly seeing multiple roads being torn up and absolutely no way to get anywhere because of it. I’d like to see one job started and finished before the whole place is a traffic jam. Meridian is a perfect example of that. Franklin, Pine, Meridian. Fairview all torn up in places. It’s a friggin wreck to get anywhere. I am forced to use Ustic to commute, along with everyone else. I have lived in areas where they use medians and frontage roads before, and they don’t make things safer in most cases. In fact it’s Traffic light timing needed. 13-May Ben Simpson 1 the opposite, People on foot, and in cars are blind to a lot of oncoming traffic. And there doesn’t seem to be enough room for all of this to be made to work effectively. There will be a lot of store front, side walk lost in the process. I think other things could work for effective travel on Fairview. Like traffic light timing, so one can move along at a descent rate without stopping at every light. It would speed up travel and keep things moving. There is no reason to stop traffic for three minutes to allow one car to turn left. Driving I know whatever happens will happen, but I said my piece.
Your medians are causing more harm than good regarding safety issues and damage to property and business owners along Fairview. I consistantly see trucks drive over the medians and failure to yield and confusion at the u‐turns. For example the medians that you installed at Eagle and Chinden are putting the shopping center located at the north east corner out of business. I Your medians suck. Whose stu 13-May Admin go to the gym there every day and approach if from the north on Eagle Road. I hate going in there now because every day 2 someone nearly runs in to the back of me when I u‐turn or they nearly run into the front of me when they fail to yield turning north on Eagle Road while I am in the process of making a u‐turn. The safety reasons for which you justify the installation of the medians is a joke. You create bigger traffic flow problems and safety issues not to mention serious economic impacts on business Other owners and property owners along those roads. Great job ACHD. I don’t ride Fairfiew very often because the road isn’t conducive to bicycles. Bike lanes along Fairview Ave. are important and Bike Lanes 13-May Michael 2 Biking should be included in the plan. I’ve heard of suggestions or plans to put islands in the center of Fairview. These islands do nothing but irritate drivers, cause disruptions in traffic flow as people have to make u‐turns and or pull into someplace to turn around, etc…. It would also be a No islands! 13-May Duane L. Martin headache for the businesses that line Fairview. Anyplace these islands have been installed, it’s just one huge headache. Rather 1 than adding more, how about removing a lot of the ones that are already around out there? You’d make life for the drivers around Driving here a whole lot easier.
the flashing yellow left turn signals at the Fairview‐Cole interection seem to help vehicular traffic flow. The downside seems to be pedestrian access 13-May Mike Sanders 1 that pedestrian flow is impeded. I requently cross at this interesection and frequently wait through 5 or 6 complete revolutions of Walking traffic before a pedestrian signal comes up. Can these 2 uses be integrated better? With this being such a high traffic area, it would be nice if we didn’t have to look at ugly jack and the bean stalk weeds growing Eye Sore (all of Fairview) 12-May Admin from the cracked pavement. This is the City of Trees and it would be nice if the beauty could be spread all across the town instead 0 Other of staying in the north end! Include right turn lanes!!! Right Turn Lane 12-May William Baker Not having right turn lanes impedes traffic flow. Without them, you always see vehicles waiting in line behind the ONE dipstick 1 Driving going straight instead of turning. Why is there supposed to be a light at Steelwood? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have one at Shamrock? Shamrock, both north and south, seem to serve more residences DIRECTLY and connects many more surrounding subdivisions right now! Having to wind Light at Steelwood? 12-May William 0 left and right and right and left to get from Shamrock to the Steelwood signal seems a bit silly. Steelwood dumps into a bunch of empty fields, and I doubt the single house on the south side of Fairview really needs it’s own signal right now. (I’m assuming the Driving house will be gone in the next couple of years, but still. How far ahead do we need to think?) I don’t know why all these streets have such slow speed limits. Fairview, Ustick, and Chinden should all be at least 40 MPH. Isn’t Increase Speed Limit 12-May William that what most of Franklin and Overland are, anyways? I’d say about 9 of 10 cars drive at least 40 MPH or more on Fairview and 4 Driving Chinden, from my observations. Intersection of Fairview and Cole is way too small. Needs to be updated ASAP with dual left turn lanes and a right turn lane on all New Intersection at Cole 12-May William 0 Driving four legs. However, try not to block all left turns into Albertsons or Hastings.
When I am driving Eastbound on Fairview, to turn north onto Barbara Dr to the trailer park, on multiple occasions I have almost been hit head on by someone in the opposite direction on Fairview looking to turn left into the apartment complex (N E 5th Ave Realignment at Barbara/N E 5t 12-May William on the map) and also entering the center lane at full speed. Other times, someone is already there trying to turn left into the 0 apartments, and I have to slow down in the travel lane to quickly merge behind that driver into the center lane to turn left onto Barbara, and that’s dangerous and frustrating for people behind me. These two streets are staggered awkwardly – consider Driving realigning N E 5th Ave (the apartment entrance) to the east to make these directly across from each other. LEAVE FAIRVIEW ALONE! Except remove the dividers at Steelwood. Reduce the volume of traffic is the best solution!! LEAVE FAIRVIEW ALONE!!! 11-May 20Kmiles per year 4 Try finishing the other roads that you started‐like Ustick, Maple Grove, 5 mile, Cloverdale, make chinden rd 40 mph west of Driving veterans. EAGLE RD? Oh, and Pierce Park WTF!!
We live just off Fairview with the turning lane just a mile we travel it almost daily,we find the flow to be comfortable.With four lanes we see traffic moving at a resonable speed and with most cases resonable time involved.NOW let’s address Ustick Rd.It seems our neighbors are all paniced over what is happening on Ustick.There is a LDS church west from us and a Day care center they both have traffic and lots of activity on a daily basis,and so far the dept has decided to make a cross walk further down towards Fivemile than closer to Cloverdale.Why?? when the traffic is consentrated more to in front of the church,varies excuses have been presented but why are the crosswalks so far away from the needed sorce? The plan from Five Mile thru to Cloverdale is revisit existing plan Fairview is 10-May Lawrence & Gloria 0 on the north side of Ustick now for some unknown reason its being changed to south side which will bring another problem to the area.From Albertsons on Five mile and Ustick there a snafo coming out of Albertson going west on Ustick,there is not ever a incendent of using this area that a driver doesn’t spped and try to outrun another vehicle going west.We witness this daily.What Ustick needs is a turning lane,we do not believe every street in the county needs to be five lanes,we are just a mile from five laned Fairview and further south both Overland and Franklin are five lanes for the most part,you are disturbing old established neighborhoods and not making them family friendly for the sake of 15‐20 min commute for some travelers when already east and west areas are established. Please consider these points before another part of our city is ruined by so called progress. Sincerely L Other G Ridenour
I drive Fairview 3 to 4 times everyday from Cole to Curtis this stretch is never real busy until 4;30. I do not want Isalnds to have to How about nothing needed for 10-May Brent 1 go around and make u urns on side streets or parking lots I’ve had more close calls because of trying to negotiate islands on Eagle Driving Road. I would use different controls for different stretches of road. One size does not fit all! I appreciate ACHD’s role in ensuring our customers have reliable roads on which to drive. Unfortunately, I see questionable safty improvements and definite negative impacts on our business as a result of the plan. The plan will have a significant impact an the ability of our customers to reach our business. Previously full accesses wil now be right‐in/right out, meaning east bound traffic Fairview Access Management 10-May Lew Stiner will be forced to travel a significant distance before deciding whether our existing customer or potential customers will tun around 6 to visit our dealership. We also have the issue of customer pulling their boat trailer of not being able to access us as they will be to long to make a u‐turn and delivery trucks will experience the same issue(How will a truck with a 40 foot trailer manuaver a u‐turn under this plan?) This will only create issues on the existing side streets. The existing turn lanes work very well and make for convient acess to all businesses on the Fairview corridor. The busness on Fairvew take great pride in keeping their facilities very Driving clean and modern. By limiting access Fairview business will begain to fail and the city, county and state will loose. Due to access to other businesses please don’t place medans in center of roads. Just keep turn lanes so we can acess businesses Median project 9-May Bonnie Demo 2 Driving on both sides of road. It also effects the business in income if blocked. There is no eastbound bike lane on W Fairview Ave between N Curtis Rd and N Orchard Rd. When a bicyclist crosses Curtis heading for Orchard he/she must pass the opening of the on ramp to I‐184, and if there is any traffic attempting to enter the ramp the bicyclist must pull to the side, stop, and wait until it is completely clear before crossing the opening of the on ramp. Drivers are usually in a hurry to get downtown and are aggressively speeding up and jockeying for position to make certain they can enter the ramp for I‐184, between nearly hitting me or braking hard and risking a rear end collision, it’s a dangerous situation for drivers and No problem – just run me over 9-May A brave rider bicyclists alike. 3 The solution might be to put up two signs, “Yield ahead” just past Curtis, and after another one hundred feet a sign with a flashing yellow light on it that reads “Yield to peds and bikes”, then extend the sidewalk on each side of the on ramp entry and put in a crosswalk and a dotted line bike lane across the entry. My suggestion is applicable only if we’re serious about having safe bike lanes and promoting low carbon emission transportation Biking like bicycles. If not, don’t complain about the smog, traffic congestion, and higher cancer rates. Irving is great, but then you have the poor corridor of Curtis road North/South over the connector. Maybe put a sign that says “you’re on your own”, or “sorry”. Connectivity from Irving to Cur 9-May Admin 3 Something as simple as Sharrows and a “may use full lane sign would help this connection. Biking thanks. poorly developed intersection 9-May Admin Why do intersections like this exist? The development to the North East of here is absurd as well. No housing planned, So traffic 2 Biking will increase in this area. Good luck ACHD, You have been doing a great job, but this intersection is so 10 years ago. Dear cyclists and pedestrians, Go %^ yourselves, yours always, inhospitable intersection 9-May Admin 4 Fairview and Orchard. I mean can we get some facilities up in this piece. Shared lane markings, signs, traffic calming, better zoning, complete streets, Biking Smart Growth, etc. I am aware that bicycle may use the full lane in a situation like this…many motorists do not. Headed North/South over the connector is a pain. I have to control the lane of traffic. I don’t really mind doing it, but by having a lack of bicycle facilities here, Bicycles may use full lane 9-May Admin 2 you eliminate anyone who isn’t comfortable taking the lane, anyone with a trailer, kids, etc. Maybe we can install some singe or Biking enforce the laws in this stretch.
Suicide lane 8-May Admin Do away with suicide lane from Cloverdale to Orchard. With the additional traffic I find it more often that will have vehicles going 1 Driving both directions in the center turn lane. A nightmare. Would rather go down the island and make a u‐turn. With the increased traffic on N Locust Road and the reduction from 5 lanes to two between Fairview and East Chateau left hand Need left hand turn signals 8-May Admin 0 Driving turn signals are needed at the N Locust Grove and Chateau intersection
While I do appreciate a 5 lane road with no bicycle facilities and awful sidewalks, maybe we can make this Orchard/fairview area Can a sister get a bike lane? 8-May Admin 4 more accessible to anyone that doesn’t drive a single occupancy vehicle (about half of us). Bike lanes, sidewalks, trees, traffic Biking calming, road diets, education, enforcement for drivers and cyclist, “may use full lane signs”. Thank you for this project. When I look at Fairview, I see failed land use and transportation planning policy of the past. We have learned from those mistakes and are ready to build cities for people, not just cars. I have mentioned before…If you were to show a soldier a photo of Fairview and tell them that is what they were fighting for. You would break so many hearts of our brave service personnel. Please help Help make this road hospitable 8-May Admin 1 make this area a place worth fighting for. A place where people can walk, ride, bus and drive. Use Smart Growth principals and complete streets policies. Biking Thank you.
If possible, going east on Fairview trying to take a Right Turn going south on Curtis to get onto I‐184, the Right Turn lane needs to Right Turns on corner of E Fairv 7-May Kyle 2 be expanded (by the old Arby’s). Since that is a main connection on to the connector, if the R Turn lane is longer, it would help the Driving traffic flow better. There’s already enough traffic built up for vehicles wanting to take the connector by CH 7 going into town.
It would be great since I usually turn left to have a stoplight at Fairview and N. Allumbaugh but more important, my teenage son’s bus drops him off on the north side near the key bank and on weekdays he has to run across traffic just to get home. I find this Stoplight and crosswalk please 7-May M Rollins 2 very dangerous. I have tried to get the bus company to change the stop but they have refused numerous times. Since it is such a problem to turn onto Fairview anyway especially with the Jerry’s restraint entrance and exit where more than once I’ve had a Walking close call but it’s not a good situation for pedestrians at all.
All of these raised curbs are dangerous and are a traffic nightmare. First off, people just need to learn how to drive. I constantly see idiots turning left out of a business right into a turn lane – that is not for you! Go back to the driver’s manuals: if you can’t Raised medians are dangerous 6-May Erika make the turn completely without oncoming traffic either way, you don’t make the turn. It is not a waiting area. Second, I ride my 1 bike quite often and the medians pose quite a danger to cyclists. Third, shouldn’t we always be thinking of road designs easy for out of town people to navigate? When we have heavy snows, those medians can be covered. If you don’t know the area, or that Driving there are medians in the road, considerable damage can happen to a vehicle. Just look at the shape of medians all across town. Going to work in downtown Boise, I have driven east on Fairview Avenue, from Eagle Road every morning, 5 days a week, for many years. For the most part, I am very satisfied. However, I am still amazed at the number of inconsiderate drivers, who will insist on forcing their way out of the center lane into the right lane, after leaving the light at N Curtis Rd. They know they want to Fairview east‐bound at Curtis 6-May 'Still Waiting' turn off onto the connector at Channel 7, but are not willing to wait their turn in line in the right lane prior to the light at Curtis. I 8 don’t feel a lane change to the right should be allowed, on Fairview Avenue, between Curtis Road and the right turn onto the overpass over the connector near Amber Street. Perhaps even a block or two before Curtis Road. I can’t believe it’s gone on this Driving long. Boise, 05.05.2013 Dear Madams / Sirs, Subject: Proposed Mediums @ Fairview Avenue, Boise / Meridian. Mediums would be a death sentense, for every small business up and down Fairview Avenue, who are not right on a cross Street or Mall. For example: A potential customer comming from Boise going to Meridian trying to excess a store on the south side of the Street. He has to wait and pass a Medium to turn and go back to the diection where he came from. After Propsed mediums @ Fairview 5-May Fred leaving the business, again, he has to go back to the direction he came from, to find a suitable turnaround to proceed to go to 24 Meridian. No one we know, including us, is willing to do so. Commercial property values will plunch down, to zero. Who wants a business on a practically one way Street? Picture emerencies in the rush hour. Police, Fire department etc, are using the middle lane now, to get there fast. It is not practicle to put shrubs and trees in their ways. Other Fred
I would like to suggest the impossible. Reverse the multiple entrance and exits to the properties not only on Fairview but throughout the city. I believe it would reduce the possible head on accidents as drivers exit properties which we have to watch carefully as we exit entrance/exit saftey 5-May Norman Beattie Stanley street onto Emerald. There are too many ways for the drivers to exit and two opposing left turns put the drivers in head 0 on positions. This would also smoothout/level the sidewalks for pedestrians, bike riders and the handicapped. As a recent accident victem I have noticed how difficult it is to walk on the sidewalks with the continual change in pitch. Pity the wheelchair operators. Other Thank You ! Fairview is a very dangerous street for bikes and I avoid it as much as I can. Bike lanes that are separated from car lanes would be Poor for biking 5-May Jen the best solution, but at least something that is wide enough to make cyclists feel moderately safe would be an improvement over 4 Biking the current (very dangerous) situation. I would like to see access/frontage roads for safer access to streets which would lead to a stoplight. We only have two exits from a large subdivision–to Fairview or Ustick. Neither one of these exits have a traffic light which safely allows left hand turns. With these proposed medians, I will have to travel west when I really need to be driving east. Medians Cause Extra Driving 5-May Karen 2 There was a stoplight on Fairview between 5 Mile and Cloverdale (which shows on the map) but it was removed. I really hated to see that go. There was a stoplight on Fairview between 5 Mile and Cloverdale (which shows on the map) but it was removed. I really hated to Driving see that go. Instead of utilizing all your resources to finish one project (Meridian Road). You tore up lanes within the only usable and accessible area to drive (Cherry Lane/Fairview and Main along with the other side of Meridian Road). Finish one project utilizing all your manpower than complete the next project. It may not be bad for people just passing through to have it torn up for some time. The people who live and commute to work living near this area are having a terrible time. If we could have had one area accessible as mentioned above. Once Meridian Road was complete we could begin using this Huge Mess! 4-May Jake thruway. 5 Then once again come in with full manpower and finish the project in no time. This current area is terrible to traverse, making surrounding roads and bypasses clogged and irritating. On another note: When you have completely messed up a major intersection, please watch and change the light system on other intersections people use to avoid your terribly mis‐managed intersection. Thanks Driving Jake
No Left Turns 4-May Admin South‐bound cars on Hampton are making dangerous left (east) turns onto Fairview, many heading directly into the opposing 1 Driving traffic lanes (for up to a block!) in order to avoid west‐bound cars in median lane on Fairview waiting to turn south onto Hampton.
I’ve lived in the Boise area for nearly 40 years and have driven on Fairview Ave and Cherry Ln hundreds, if not thousands of times. Congestion has been a problem during all the years I’ve lived here. Synchronizing the stoplights on Fairview/Cherry to allow better Synchronized stoplights neede 4-May Bill Woodward traffic flow would be relatively inexpensive compared to some other changes. I recommend doing that first. In general, I’m against 2 adding center lane curbing unless there are documented cases of accident hazard zones. The center lane is very useful in many areas in allowing free access to businesses on the opposite side of the street. Synchronizing the stoplights will result in periodic Driving light traffic and safe use of center lanes.
I live on W Chateau Dr. and visit the Meridian Library often. To get there I make a left turn from Linder Rd to Cherry, then use the Center lane at Meridian Library 4-May Bill Woodward 1 center access lane to the library in order to make a safe left turn into the parking lot. This center lane is used very frequently for Driving cars entering and leaving the library. It has provided what appears to be a very safe method of access and egress. Please retain it.
This project was discussed at our recent Azure Meadows HOA meeting and those in attendance were strongly opposed to raised Opposed to Fairview Access M 4-May Gene N. Hain, Azu medians on Fairview. This would adversly impact hundreds, if not a thousand residents and many businesses. A better approach 1 would be more traffic signals that are coordinated at the speed limit to allow good traffic flow and safer left and u‐turns. Other cities have done this for years. What about the hazards of rear end collisions from slower cars making left turns? Driving By the way, the HOA endorses the Shamrock bicycle project. Why not extend shamrock south of Fairview to Executive?
Ohh yes!! I want to add to this project about traffic in Fairview Ave. I demand all speed in Fairview Ave down to 30 mph! I don’t care what impatient drivers complain. I don’t give a damn to them! I think about safely for oncoming vehicles to turn left and slow Fairview Ave. 3-May Earl Hafer Jr. speed will give enough time for drivers to slow down or stop for pedestrians and bicyclists. 0 When I lived in Gooding for 30 years, I used my bicycle to food stores, doctor and friends especially work at ISDB. Those speed limit is 25 mph. Driving Other thing! I want to have a new traffic light on Wildwood St, not Steelwood Ave! Please!!! A line divisor wall is needed at the intersection of Fairview Av & Five Mile Rd.: Traffic running eastbound Fairview, when entering the left line to turn towards North Five Mile, suddenly may find a car on the opposite direction invading the lane thinking that it’s Line divisor wall needed 3-May Frederick Ferber 0 the changing direction traffic lane. This is a problem I’ve experienced several times since I drive to the US Bank branch almost Driving every day during the rush time. With Dutch Bros, Primary Health, and now Napa Auto parts, a light is much needed. This intersection is also a bus stop, which Light at Wildwood 3-May Amanda 0 unfortunately, numerous mornings have involved slammed breaks due to children crossing or being too close to the edge of the Driving street. It also gets congested with people trying to turn left into Keeneland and the other side of Wildwood. Protected bike path 3-May Admin Biking Consider protected bike path similar to Federal Way all along Fairview. 3 Left turn signal 3-May Admin 0 Driving Very short turn lane makes it difficult to get into the turn lane and very long wait until next signal
Northside Shamrock Avenue, left turn onto Fairview going Eastbound is a major ordeal almost any time of day. The Center Lane is many times occupied with folks entering from Eastbound Fairview turning left onto Shamrock Avenue, north and folks entering from Westbound Fairview, turning right onto Shamrock Avenue, south — very nerve racking. Fairview and Shamrock 2-May Gary & Ilse Goff Several years ago, a traffic light was installed at Fairview and Steelwood Avenue, about a block East of Shamrock Avenue. It has 0 since been removed, but a Westbound, left turn divider was left intact on Fairview at that intersection essentially removing the Center Lane on Fairview for use on Eastbound turns from Steelwood Avenue. Suggest either re‐installing the light at Steelwood Avenue and Fairview as a safe option for the residents to use that are located in the communities North of Fairview, OR removing the divider on Fairview at that intersection so that the Center Lane is restored on Driving Fairview for Eastbound traffic turning from Steelwood Avenue. Is it possible to turn the sidewalk into a walk/bike share space like on the greenbelt? I drive on Fairview daily, and avoid it when bike/pedestrian lane 2-May Kit Herndon 2 Biking I’m biking.
I hope my letter finds you in good health. A few years ago, the intersection at Cole Road and Fairview Avenue was scheduled to be updated like Milwaukie and Maple Grove at Faierview Avenue. The project was set aside for the Milwaukie upgrage and was a good decision as the heavy traffic was moving west. Now Cole and Fairview need to be upgraded. It is the right thing to do now. The other major problem is .to reduce the huge number of access driveways to the businesses along Fairview by having the small Fairview Avenue Protect 2-May Admin 1 properties share wide driveways or accesses. If possible, have the access for a property along an intersecting street rather than a Fairview access. Also, as much as is possible, make Fairview Avenue a “right turn in and a right turn out”, and reduce the availability of left turns. I have lived near the Cole/Fairview intersection for over forty years and the the pedestrian and drivers seem to be alert and looking out for each other, The cyclists, however, are a much more dangerous driving problem as they are totally unpredictable. So, good luck with the biking problem. Other Thank you for allowing me to respond to our inquiry. I am the owner of Cloverdale Plumbing and I know if a center turn lane is removed and medians installed it would be hard for us to get to where we want to go by turning left. Expecially for our larger vehicals. However now that I see how the 180 degree turns Center Turn Lane 2-May Kenny Calkins 1 have worked out on eagle road seems to be the way to go. I would want anouther turn around half way between Fivemile and Driving Cloverdale Possibly at Wildwood. I commute, and bicycle and my tenants bicycle along fairview from our location on the south side of fairvew & Shamrock. 1st: The ramp up to Fairview is so steep no one can get onto Fairvew with any amount of snow or ice and many folks cut through Mary’s Antiques or go west throught the parking lots where it is still steep. 2nd: the road there is so narrow I have seen vehicles go onto Fariview & Shamrock 2-May John Butts the sidewalk to get by traffic. I am amased there have not been more accidents there. 3rd: Traffic moves terribly slow west bound 1 at 5pm and it seems the traffic signals could by syncronized better. 4th: I know may folks including my tenants who commute to downtown, a better East West bicycle corridor would help. and 5th you guys are wanting to make a North South bicycle corridor but what would be nice is a corridor to get me all the way to the river for Shamrock and Fairview. Right now it is best to go all the way via Cloverdale and down the hill across Chinden, I know you can do better than that because Cloverdale is “Death Ally” to Other bicycleists. Best Wishes, When are you going to widen 5mile, Ustick to Franklin? Thanks
Most of the stop lights on Fairview are fairly well placed, but the stop light going into Meridian proper and the one at the intersection of Meridian road and Fairview are too close together and really cause a bottleneck. I don’t think a change in the timing of the lights will help. Is there a way to remove one? I have lived in this valley since 1962. During that time I have seen the traffic get worse and worse. I have seen changes throughout the city in direction of traffic, the closing of intersections, and the addition of center lane dividers, and as a driver, I only see more traffic congestion. I have worked a good many years going to work before 4 am and having to wait at lights when there isn’t any traffic. I have had to straddle two lanes to be recognized by the lights just to get them to let me go. I have watched as Eagle road has gone from two lanes to almost six lanes with a stop light at ½ mile intervals causing traffic to come to a grinding halt most of the time. I take Fairview to Eagle and watch as only three cars can turn north and get through the stop light, four if the last one runs a red light and this when the intersection really isn’t busy. I don’t understand what is going on in your minds. All the changes you have made, to my perception, have only created more bottlenecks. I have wondered if your overall plan has been to keep people from moving into this valley by having such bad traffic congestion traffic planning 2-May Admin with bad planning or bad design. I have driven this city and had to stop at every stop light while going straight. I have driven across 0 town and counted the number of stop lights I have not had to stop at and been able to count them on one finger. That is about eleven miles of stopping about every half mile, and now Eagle road, which is a highway, where the speed limit is supposed to be between 50 and 55 miles per hour, and we have to stop every half mile. Now you want to make changes to Fairview Avenue. With the planning that has gone into the previous improvements, I wonder if it is more of a step backward. Highways should NOT have stop lights every half mile. One stop light every mile is more what Salt Lake does on its highways, but not here in Boise. At least ten times smaller with room to make good improvements and we have more terrible bottlenecks than they have. Are you going to continue the trend and put stop lights every quarter mile on Fairview and call it an improvement? Are you going to time the lights causing every car but a few lucky ones to stop at every light? Oh, and by the way, I am talking about non‐rush hour traffic. I know all your studies show traffic moving very well, but I wonder if your planners just moved here from some very large city and think this is good planing. Well it isn’t. This traffic burns more fuel sitting at intersections waiting for the light to turn green and depending on direction or change of direction only being able to move up 4 or 5 car lengths only to be stopped by Driving another red light and at the same intersection.
Red Light Cameras 2-May Admin I say you put red light cameras at every intersection and with the outrageous amount of money you will get from it, you can afford 0 Driving to expand Fairview to fit more cars. Medians won’t help your problem they will just make people upset. You NEED to add a lane.
Unsafe Area 1-May Karl Fengler North of Fairview the traffic volume is too heavy and unsafe merging & turning by Fred Meyers. 1 Driving In general the volume of traffic creates dangerous situations all the way along Locust Grove from Fairview to Ustick. I would love to see sidewalks. There is plenty of room, it just needs to be paved. We walk/ride our bikes on Fairview near Five Mile Sidewalks 1-May Admin 1 Walking and Cloverdale and it’s dangerous without sidewalks.
Boise is a growing city and Fairview is too big to be going 35 mph. Raise the speed limit to 40, and getting from one end of Fairview Speed, Right Turn Lanes, and L 1-May Julie to the other would be much easier. Also, lights need to be timed better so that drivers aren’t stopping at every single light. 4 It would be extremely beneficial to put in right turn lanes so drivers aren’t waiting in traffic just to turn right. Driving The new left turn lights are very helpful! I think we need more of those at nearly every signal.
live in the Colehaven subdivision at the southwest corner of Fairview/Cole intersection. There is an entrance/exit to Fairview frmf Owens St. and to Cole from Colehaven and Maxwell Streets. During the datetime on Mon‐Fri it is difficult to turn left from Fairview Ave plan 1-May rcd via e-mail Colehaven or Maxwell. That makes Owens at Fairview the primary exit if going west, north or east. I am concerned of the effect of 2 a barrier being placed down Fairview at that point. I would have to go right and then make a u‐turn somewhere is order to go west. I would like to suggest that any such barrier not block that left turn. I know a light signal is probably not feasible considering Driving the proximity to the Fairview/Cole intersection
fFirst of all you already had medians from Cloverdale to Eagle and that did not solve any problems it created them and so you , then removed them! Now to place them back would first of all “back up” traffic &, make U‐turns more dangerous and since we live in an unincoprated section, we have a problems’, now with ingress & egress, a park with very limited parking so our problem becomes making an enterance to the park a through ‐fair for traffic wanting to get to the business’ and park ,plus an additon of Medians? Turnabouts. 1-May Admin new business’ (car dealersships). What do you do with trying to go into the cemetaries access’ ( processions)on two of the busiest 0 roads on the project? If you put in more lights, (on demand signal) along the way and add lanes for access’ to all business’ on either the north/ south sides of Fairview you wouldn’t need your medians and if the light at Steelwood was put in an usable place rather then at Steelhead that would help. Put in better bike lanes, better walk ways, and not make it harder for those of us who have only one way to get in or out of the residential areas along the route would also go along way. Plus maybe a better way Other would be to see if roundbouts would be a viable alturnative at some points along the route. We really oppose the idea of putting medians on Fairview Ave. The center lane works well for crossing. I live here and sometimes the traffic gets congested but improving the stop lights could grately improve that. There seem to be alot of accidents but most of Medians 1-May Sharon Kelley them are because people are being inattentive and medians certainly won’t help that. Putting in more sidewalks would be helpful 31 but other than that leave it alone. Don’t make a mess out of it like you did on Eagle Road. I feel sorry for the businesses that have Driving next to impossible access to their property. I am highly apposed to medians being put down Fairview Ave. I think Eagle road is a mess since they went in. It makes access to No Medians 1-May James Pfost businesses much more difficult. When it’s hard to access a business people will just go on by and go to one that is much more 30 Driving easily accessed. U‐turns cause more problems then they help. The problem with Fairview is that there is not enough lanes for all the cars that are traveling on it. Also the turn lanes are really No right turn only 1-May Admin 1 Driving short DO NOT PUT IN MEDIANS ALONG FAIRVIEW!!!!! I now avoid Eagle Rd at all costs because traffic is so congested because of the medians that are supposed to help. Not to mention Dumb Medians 1-May Admin 35 it is extremely difficult to get to where you are going. I also work at a retail place on Eagle and customers complain to us how hard Driving it is to get in to our parking lot now. I make it a point to stay off Fairview == it should have its name changed to “BusyFairview” — We need another street to make Fairview safer and less busy. much too busy 1-May Jim Bowen 0 Think the only solution to to have other routes across this part of town. Driving I try and use Ustick and Franklin whenever possible. shamrock/steelwood/wildwoo 1-May chel Reactivate the steelwood signal light‐ really, how much can it cost? The light is in, the developer paid for it, so use it. Make 1 Driving wildwood and shamrock right turn only onto and off of Fairview. All left turns should be made at the light at steelwood. We have been amazed that you did not put right turn only lanes on all 4 corners of Cole Rd. & Fairview. Why??? That would Fairview Ave. 30-Apr Dick and Betty Blac 3 Driving relieve a lot of backed up traffic.
I found the map; however, I could not figure out how to add comments. I’m sure it is easy….but can someone let me know how to do that? I live off Fairview and travel from Cole to Curtis in the morning on my way to work and get on I84 at Curtis. I’m sure others have Fairview project 30-Apr Connie Morgan commented on the short right turn lane, going east, at Fairview & Curtis, as it only accommodates around 7 cars. In the mornings, 1 traffic can back up to Liberty some times because the light changes so fast and not many cars make it through that right turn. I think the light is set for the traffic going straight through east and when there is a gap because the cars cannot get into that turn lane, it turns red. Just wondered if part of the project includes lenghtening that lane at all. Not sure that can even be done, Driving because of the businesses along that sounth side of Fairview. I doubt there is extra land that can be used. The following should be considered. Sidewalks the entire length of the project. Replace the signal between 5 mile and Cloverdale for ‘U’ turns. Increase the speed limit to 45 from 40 because of the divided road. Use as much concrete for the roadway surface as can be budgeted. Lighting is poor where some LED’s are used. Get better illumination. Provide additional temporary pavement Fairview Ave 30-Apr Nick Brizzi 2 during construction to keep at least 2 lanes open in each direction. Contractor incentive to complete the work ahead of schedule. Provide REAL bicycle lanes in each direction and sweep them on a regular so cyclists do not need to crowd or ride in the auto Other lanes. Fairveiw between Cloverdale and Fivemile needs to be chip sealed, its slick when it rains and very slick whe it snows. Fairveiw Fairveiw Ave. 30-Apr Kerry Covington from Cloverdale to Eagle has been done as well as Fairveiw from Fivemile to Maplegrove, but for some reason has not been done 0 Driving from Cloverdale to Fivemile. No Medians 30-Apr Michael Demo Driving Medians just add driving time and do not allow assess to the business that are on the other side of the road. 26 Are you really prepared for all of the business closures due to the lack of access to them? If one has to drive blocks ahead to gain access to a back entrance, only to turn back in the direction we already came from to patron a business, it won’t happen. PLUS, Medians 30-Apr Admin 17 how much gas are we wasting by having to go out of our way, instead of being allowed to make a left turn from an already existing Driving center turn lane?!
Honor the Maple Grove interse 30-Apr Popeyes Louisiana I was told and shown left turn access at 8840 Fairview Avenue for our agreement with ACHD with the Maple Grove intersection. 0 Driving I also expect ACHD to honor that agreement.
Simply TIME THE LIGHTS. Timing the lights is not that hard to do but it appears ACHD is bent on spending money on concrete even though the majority have Just Time The Lights 30-Apr Mark W spoken against the medians. The problem is that cars stop at almost every light on Fairview at all times of the day & night. 17 There are so many little businesses that cars go into. Adding medians down the middle simple cause cars to go down to a light and make a u‐turn…adding to the miles driven and traffic. Driving (I grew up in the 60s. Our city traffic lights were timed back then. It’s not that hard to do.)
I work on broadway ave. There are medians there and I hate them. I think it affects our business when people have to make a u No medians 30-Apr Pam turn to enter. People will use a business on the side of the street they are driving on. I have a home in the area also and having to 17 make a u turn to enter my place seems silly when there is already a center turn lane. Adding a median means more money in the Driving long run. Trees to water,grass to mow, and sprinklers to maintain. I’m sure our monies can be spent better than this. I live off Fairview and think medians would make it difficult to make a left hand turn out of my neighborhood .I dont like the idea no medians please 29-Apr Admin of having to go to Cloverdale to make a U‐turn. I dont really care for the medians in front of ShopKo, but at least you can turn on 13 Driving Records St. instead of going to Eagle Rd and making the U‐turn. As someone who uses Fairview a lot I feel that putting in medians would cause more confusion and traffic rage. I feel that Fairview faiirview median suggestions 29-Apr anonymous 10 Driving flows nicely as is. Medians on Fairview all the way are a fantastic idea. We were against them until we observed these in Phoenix this year and they do work once Medians Yes!!! 29-Apr Admin 0 people realize they need to plan ahead a little. Hope they will Driving include the cutout turns that protect the turners. I live just to the south of Fairview, off Alumbaugh. I am afraid to turn west/left onto Fairview because people use the center lane safety 29-Apr Admin as a 5th travel lane, and are not looking at oncoming turn traffic. I have had a few near misses, trying to get out of their way. I go 1 Driving all the way around .. Emerald, Cole, Fairview.
Outlaw drivers who do not use blinkers especially for turning onto Fairview from side streets, cutting in front of a bicyclist deserve Stoplight Needed at Allumbaug 29-Apr Anonymous to have a light at this intersection. And perhaps even a center‐of‐the‐road median will control these outlaws who insist on not 1 showing respect or giving proper right of way to anyone on the road. Much better even yet, would be a signal that can be Biking activated for only pedestrians and bicyclists to cross, but does not allow automobiles to cross or turn onto Fairview. need bike lanes 29-Apr Aaron von Lindern Biking Fairview needs safe bike lanes 4 The new yellow turn signals make driving in the morning marginally faster but as the east bound traffic is high it makes little New Traffic Signals 29-Apr Alan difference. When Walking / biking the intersection the yellow turn signals prove more to be more for a hazard as turners can cut 1 Walking off bikes and pedestrians. The medians near Eagle and Fairview are such a disaster, I don’t even try to shop in the area anymore. It’s impossible to get where one wants to go. (And this coming from someone who had no trouble navigating Los Angeles roads.) Please don’t add them to Don’t Add Medians! 28-Apr Chryssa R. 29 Fairview in Boise. You will kill the small businesses and just add accidents and congestion as people try to u‐turn when there’s no Driving other option. For those of us who live South of Fairview, the closest park is Winstead Park, North of Fairview. We have to walk a good 10 minutes out of our way, each way, to get to crosswalk. There is a huge amount of multi‐family housing in my area and we would Crosswalk Needed Near Allum 28-Apr Chryssa R. all benefit from having safe place to cross near Allumbaugh or McKinney St. 2 I also see lots of people trying to run across Fairview in a number of places, even adults with children on bikes. It’s only a matter of Walking time before someone is killed. Fairview is awful for bikes! The sidewalks are narrow and beat up with obstacles like metal hole covers and bus benches. Drivers Dangerous for Bicycling 28-Apr Chryssa R. coming out of fast food joints are never paying attention, and the space in front of Flying Pie is bad because drivers treat the 2 Biking whole thing as roadway – very dangerous for pedestrians and bikers.
Most left turn signals on Fairview have blinking yellow arrows while through traffic is green. I would like to see this implemented Blinking yellow left turn signal 28-Apr Matt 0 at the Fairview and Mitchell intersection. It is frustrating to wait at the light when there are plenty of breaks in traffic, and on Driving several occasions I have witnessed drivers turning left on red because the wait can be so long. Actual bike lanes could help make Fairview a route that cyclists could use. Currently this is a very dangerous road that cyclists Fairview is not safe for bikes 28-Apr Alex Mckinley 3 Biking avoid and bike lanes separated from car lanes would help to improve this situation. (entire area) I am questioning whether you really want any comments about this project. In the past when comments have been asked for from the public they have been ignored and if used it was only miniscule. This projedt is a waste of time, energy and materials and will ACHD‐ Arbitrary capricious hee 28-Apr Leonard Neiwert 20 serve no useful purpose to the public. This is just another excuse for you to get in the way of the peoples movements and 22 construct interference in the lthoroughfares. It is very obvious your only goal is to expand your control over the people and prove Driving to yourselves what a great organization you have. There needs to be a traffic light at wildwood and Fairview. There is too much traffic from the apartments and from everyone using traffic light needed at Wildwoo 28-Apr Admin wildwood as a through street. Too many people try to go straight across fairview. There is more traffic at the wildwood/fairview 0 Driving intersection then at shamrock. The intersection at wildwood and fairview is very dangerous. There are people that try to go straight across fairview and there is WE NEED A LIGHT AT WILDWO 28-Apr Admin 1 Driving too much congestion from both sides of fairview I live in this area and see a large number of pedestrians and middle school students trying to cross Cherry Lane to get to the Crosswalk/pedestrian light nee 28-Apr Admin convenience store and neighborhoods on the north side of the street. I know of at least one pedestrian that was hit by a car trying 0 Walking to cross in this area. Bike Lanes 28-Apr Anonymous Biking It would be nice to have bicycle lanes on both sides of Fairview. 2
Putting a median on Fairview will not decrease accidents, it will merely shift traffic to side streets where accidents will increase. Typically side streets have speed limits of 20 or 25 MPH. Drivers will speed through these neighbourhoods. Fairview fiasco 28-Apr Craig LaChance Additionally, business will suffer. Just look at Eagle road. Medians have crippled some small businesses. 23 No matter the outcome, bikers should NOT have a bike lane on Fairview. There is too much traffic for bikers and with current irrational laws allowing bikers to NOT have to stop at crossroads means a greater chance for accidents. I strongly oppose placing a median on Fairview. I live on a side street and there is already around 600 vehicle on my side street Driving daily as vehicles seek to avoid the Fairview‐Cole intersection.
Fairview Avenue Acess Manage 28-Apr Bill Hall STOP the continual out of control development. Meridian is all about tax base. Could care less about traffic or quality of life. Less 6 Driving shopping centers and more office would help. Go look at Eagle and Fairview, this is a created mess.
I lived near Fairview/Curtis for many years before purchasing a home on Cole a few blocks north of Fairview. I commute daily to the Northend for work. I definitely oppose coenter‐of‐the‐road meridians along that route because it would eliminate access to Fairview project 27-Apr Sandy Shaffer 2 the businesses I almost daily frequent. The greatest safety issues I encounter are over grown scrubs, signs, etc., obstructing view as drivers try to enter Fairview from a Driving side street. Further out toward Meridian, the congestion seems substantially greater than between Cole and Orchard. It would be very helpful if you could improve traffic lights synchronization along Fairview. Once you clear an intersection and go Traffic Lights 27-Apr Bruce Fuller 3 Other the speed limit, you should not have to stop at all the other lights!
The most important factor is to be able to make a left‐hand turn into the many businesses on this road. We do NOT want any medians. No Medians are Necessary 27-Apr David 14 We want left‐hand turns. We want a designated turn lane. This could be done for far less money. Just widen the road (increase lanes, where possible) and clearly mark a turn lane. Driving Medians, if installed, will kill a lot of customer traffic, unnecessarily.
Right‐turn lanes needed 27-Apr Admin I suggest putting in right‐turn lanes at all 4 corners of every major intersection coming onto or leaving Fairview. For example, a 4 right‐turn lane on Fairview for east‐bound traffic turing south onto Cole road would help the flow there. Driving Similarly, the south‐bound traffic on Milwaukee (Maple Grove, etc) turning west on Fairview would help in those areas as well. access on to Fairview at either Shamrock of Bryson is extremely dangerous. Suggest a stoplight at Shamrock to create a break in stoplight needed 27-Apr Paddy Rogers 0 Driving the traffic flow. I have a contract with ACHD for a left turn lane to cross the west bound lane of fairview avenue for access to 8904 fairview. This 8904 Fairview 27-Apr Ken Parsons contract was initiated with the purchase of frontage for the expansion of the intersection at fairview and maple grove. I expect 0 Driving ACHD to honor this contract. I like on Primrose St. and work in Meridian. I either take Fairview east to Curtis then on the freeway, or straight done Fairview to Meridian. The corner of Fairview and Curtis is the worst part of Fairview I think. Eastbound drivers cause tons of congestion to go Unsafe @ Fairview and Curtis 27-Apr Dan R. south on Curtis and to jump on the connector.Lots of accidents happen between Curtis and Liberty. I don’t believe medians will 1 help that much and will cut of a lot of access to businesses. My only other complaint would be Cole Rd. tends to get pretty backed Driving up at Fairview in the evenings. Don’t get to ‘carried away’ with media dividers. Keep the middle lane available as much as possible to access businesses on a Access 27-Apr Don B. 11 Driving drivers left. Otherwise, to much backtracking or U‐Turns will add to congestion.
At Fairview where Wildwood runs perpendicular to the street, a driver coming on to Fairview and turning east has their view obstructed by Golden Wheel’s sign. This crossing is already dangerous during busy traffic hours, but safety is further jeopardized because of drivers accessing Fairview both on the north and south side of the street in that particular area. Since I live just north of Fairview between Cloverdale and Five Mile, I am frequently using Fairview. This road is extremely Unsafe Crossing 27-Apr Admin dangerous for motorists, pedestrians, or bicyclists because of the heavy traffic (as you know). It is very common for me to see 0 accidents when I use this street. Center of the road medians are desperately needed!! Many times you will have cars trying to access Fairview from the north and south side of the street while you have a car turning off of Fairview all at the same time‐a recipe for an accident. Trying to maneuver on and off of Fairview is sometimes a “dodging bullets” experience for motorists and others. It would be an understatement to say that Fairview needs some immediate safety changes. I believe this is an urgent project due Driving to the extreme danger the heavy traffic poses. Implementing solutions for safer access to Fairview would be greatly appreciated. When going northbound on Maple Grove during high traffic, the traffic backs up for a couple of lights. Add a another northbound Maple Grove Intersection 27-Apr Jeff Cook 0 Driving lane. Being retired, I don’t have to use the corridor at peak times. The one thing I believe would help is to have mandatory driving tests response to postcard 27-Apr Kathleen Cady 0 Driving for older citizens. Some of those on the road now should not be driving.
Gentlemen; You have done an excellent job in creating a corridor for motor vehicles on Fairview. I do have some concerns however. It seems to me that the use of mass transit has been largely overlooked or forgotten in your efforts to provide for motor vehicle movement. I have lived in this valley for 35 years and have witnessed one attempt to provide mass transit which failed, mostly because the use of existing rails was uncomfortable. In the early 20th century we had a mass transit system in the valley. It Fairview project 27-Apr Barry D Mitchell 2 was done away with when cars came on the scene. If you were to look at restoring a light rail system to the main corridor of Fairview it may be worth your look. Or perhaps expanding the bus system to include Meridian and Nampa in its’ stops. The population of the valley is getting older and a good mass transit system would help the older public to get to shops and businesses better. Also as the cities grow the demand for public transit ill also grow. We cannot rely on cars forever. The inversion factor should also be taken into consideration. Air quality in the valley would be greatly improved if we cut back on car use and used a Bus mass transit system. Just a few thoughts for you to mull over. Thank you for your consideration;Barry D Mitchell I drive Fairview from Meridian Rd to Mitchell several times each day. (meridian School bus) I think the Divided road like was done on Eagle would be big improvement. Have had several close calls with cars turning left onto or off the road. Close off the first Fairview Ave 27-Apr David H Mills 0 entry way on the east side of Eagle Rd gong into the plaza, not needed and cars making left turn from Eagle to East bound Fairview Driving take chances cutting across traffic to enter there. I use an electric wheelchair and during the summer go along Fairview to get to Walmart. For the most part there are sidewalks but Flyer rec’d in mail ref: Fairview 27-Apr Mary-Lynn Hager there is a major portion of Fairview that does not. Riding along side in the curb with the cars flying by is scary and dangerous. Are 1 Walking there any plans to provide sidewalks in this area? Thank you. To Whom It May Concern: A lot is happening on Fairview! Changes should be made! I am a disabled veteran who walks, rides the bus, drives, and bicycles on that street. I have had “several” near collisions with motorists on my bike. Drivers on that street are “always” texting, on cell phones, weaving in and out of traffic, etc. As far as the buses are concerned, well the service from Cole to Five Mile does not exist at all! Fairview is an east/west street with a multitude of businesses that people need to reach via Valley Ride. There is absolutely what’s happening on fairview 27-Apr Stephen C. Borden 0 no service from Cole to Five Mile! Ask them why there isn’t any service. You won’t get a suitable answer and a lot of “dancing around the issue!” As far as pedestrian traffic is concerned, from Cole to Five Mile there are no cross streets to to get from one side to the other. NO LIGHTS OR CROSSWALKS! People have to break the law by jaywalking, and run the possible risk of being hit by a vehicle! In short, Fairview is one hell of a messed up street!! Unhappily yours, Other Stephen C. Borden
I don’t see any problems on Fairview from Orchard to Linder and I drive on it often, although not that far out…but between Orchard to Milwaukee often. Fairview Avenue 27-Apr Ann 3 Someone recently said that with the recent changes at Maple Grove, that change was then reversed…which is then a waste of valuable resources. So, I would hope that much thought goes into what needs to happen before doing it to have it later reversed. Driving To me, it seems that the money could better be spent on other things…as I see no problem with Fairview at all. I find myself sitting on Fairview behind a long line of cars just to get into the right turn lane onto Curtis. The southern‐most lane of Sitting in Traffic to Make a Righ 27-Apr MJ 1 Driving Eastbound Fairview is constantly backed up from the 184/City Center on‐ramp. Mitchel and Fairview. Depending on the time of day, a blinking yellow light here would make sense. During heavy traffic times, it Blinking Yellow Needed 27-Apr Brandon 0 Driving could be disabled but it would allow more flow on fairview during non peak hours.
Daily, I see several drivers driving in the painted median to bypass those legally using turn lanes. After living in Boise since 1976, I Median 27-Apr David shipman have never seen anyone stopped by police, but I have seen several near‐misses in those medians. 0 A safer solution would be raised medians, which would offer a safe haven to pedestrians and bike riders, while better controlling Driving traffic flow.
The new median between Records and Eagle Road is very inconvenient. When traveling west on Fairview, and with no left turns allowed between Records and Fairview Avenue, I find it difficult to gain access to Syringa Bank, Panda Express, Shopko, Petsmart, Bed, Bath & Beyond, etc. If I turn at the Records light, I must drive through the parking lots to reach these stores. Previously, the Median is Inconvenient 26-Apr Admin 8 short median did allow access to the west end of the shopping center from Fairview. Once past the light, you must either make a U‐turn on Eagle (okay if your vehicle can make the turn) or turn onto Eagle Road try to turn left across Eagle to reach those businesses. I’m not sure why this median was installed. I had not noticed any traffic problems there in the past. It seems that it negatively Driving impacts the existing Crossroads shopping center, and benefits the newer development across Eagle to the north. We find that shopping is plentiful and close on Fairview Avenue, but can’t get there safely unless we drive to it. It would be awesome if we could walk or cycle down Fairview to the new park or to one of the many shopping centers. Right now, it is just too dangerous. Make it Safe to Walk or Bike 26-Apr Ina Jaszkowiak PLEASE PUT IN A WALKING PATH OR BIKE PATH ALONG FAIRVIEW. Ideally this would run the entire length on both sides of the 3 street, but I know I’d be happy with even just one side! The important thing is to help keep non‐motorized travelers safe from vehicle traffic. I have seen bikes under the tires of cars just too often on Fairview. I have even seen a gentleman in a power wheelchair riding on Biking the street because he has no access to a safe pathway between Maple Grove and Five Mile. Why can’t this be accomplished?
Stoplight needed at N. Shamro 26-Apr Marilyn Rogers I live on North Bryson Road. The only way out of this street is at Fairview Ave. A stop light was installed at North Steelwood Ave 1 Driving for a short while which really helped. Because traffic had to stop at that light it changed the flow of heavy traffic on Fairview..
We have only one way “out” of our neighborhood, and that is to turn onto Fairview from Bryson. (Our neighborhood was built in 1958.) Development of commercial businesses along Fairview near Bryson and Shamrock have increased traffic and created a situation where cars are turning on/off Fairview from multiple intersections, a center turn lane, and from parking lots. Many wrecks have occurred in this location. N. Bryson Road @ Fairview Ave 26-Apr Admin 0 In prior years, ACHD told us that Shamrock would have a light. Then the Steelwood light was installed and removed. What is the new plan? Yes, a center median could be constructed, and a light at Shamrock might be helpful. The problem with this is that vehicles would have to make U‐turns at Cloverdale and Fairview. My minivan barely makes a U‐turn there, let alone a semi truck and trailer, or Driving even a pickup and trailer. The next intersection is Eagle and Cloverdale. Yikes! We avoid that intersection as much as possible.
Medians are not necessary on Fairview. They will destroy businesses and cause more congestion. I hate the ones on Eagle road and will avoid that section at all costs. The U‐turn lanes are not convenient or any safer than the center turn lane. The businesses Not on Fairview 26-Apr Admin 22 have to be suffering. I am a business owner on Fairview and I know that our business will suffer if access is reduced by medians. The comments you Driving received last time were across the board against medians. Please listen to our comments. Don’t do this. NO….NO….NO… No additional medium is necessary for Fairview Ave. Please stop the insanity of all the road work, that is not No Medium needed 26-Apr Admin 49 Driving necessary!! I live on Etheridge Ln. and at some times of the day I can’t even get out onto Fairview without someone letting me out. There is no chance of making a left turn to go west. If Cole had right turn lanes all around it would take some of the congestion away. It’s very annoying being forced to go east on Fairview when I want to go west and then have to sit through 4 long lights at Cole in order to Cole & Fairview 26-Apr Helen 0 get past the intersection to find a spot where I can turn around and then have to sit through several lights again at Cole before I can even start my journey. Unless I absolutely have to go out I wait until “peak” time is over and then it is still very hard to make a Driving left turn onto Fairview. What the Hell are you doing? Two years ago your own survey results said over 80% were opposed to the idea of a median on Fairview. People do not want another median like the inconveniencing and livelihood destroying one on Eagle Road and it certainly does not reduce congestion as you claim. A U‐turn every so often just does not work, not to mention it is nearly impossible in a long wheel base pickup, delivery truck or whatever. Heaven forbid you might be pulling a job trailer. We already said no!! 26-Apr Anthony Miller 92 As well as being inconvenient and business destroying eye sores, medians are dangerous and cause a lot of damage. Just take a look at the existing ones. They are covered with marks and gouges from people running into them with what has to be great damage to their vehicle and some injury to themselves. I know you folks have to do something to justify your jobs and bring home some income but I make my living from my real estate. Don’t do something to encumber the good people who make their living along the Fairview corridor. The center turn lane is fine. Driving Leave us alone. Bike lanes 26-Apr Admin 3 Biking I feel it is extremely unsafe to ride bikes on this read without bike lanes. The traffic is too heavy and fast for bicycling safety There is a car sales lot with a concrete berm area that pushes pedestrians and bicycles almost out into traffic. I walk and bike to Winco from Maple Grove quite a bit and this spot is always spooky if there is much traffic. Also I believe that adding medians will worsen the conditions on Fairview forcing more traffic into parking lots endangering pedestrians there. Traffic on Fairview flows Unsafe Missing Sidewalk – Less 26-Apr Brett Nelson 2 fairly well in spite of the amount of traffic. To reduce traffic develop bicycle corridors paralleling Fairview. Do not put them on Fairview as there is too much smog from traffic and since riding is often an aerobic activity the amount of soot from car exhaust is Walking unhealthy.
The traffic congestion in this area has become extremely difficult when leaving my development in the mornings to make a left Cormorant left on Fairview 26-Apr Eric V onto Fairview. Most times I have to wait up to 7min some mornings before I am able to make it out. Most times (hate doing) I 0 have to pull out to the center lane and wait for traffic to clear before I can merge. Understanding that is a highly used route, a Driving drive from Fairview, to Eagle road, State should not take as long as a drive from the town of Eagle to Middleton!
There are some improvements that could be made along Fairview, including sidewalks, street lights, bike paths, and turn lanes. I do not think adding medians between Linder and Orchard is the best way to resolve traffic issues. I am unsure if this plan is moving forward, but I urge you to reconsider if it is. I feel that medians restrict access to and from businesses and cause more Traffic Improvements 26-Apr rj 0 congestion than they relieve. Further, area road design from many years ago is affecting travel today; it seems that making other roadways, like Ustick, Franklin, and McMillan, able to handle higher volumes of traffic may be a better alternative, long‐term. I think the Treasure Valley will continue to grow and so considering a broader picture of traffic flow is important. I understand this Other is a difficult task and I appreciate the opportunity to comment. I hope that you will consider the future in your decisions. Too many people running red 26-Apr Admin Driving People run red lights like it’s nothing constantly. 4
I originally thought that the median that ACHD installed down eagle road was a good idea. However, after driving down eagle road for commuting and trying to access businesses, I dislike them. I have not noticed any improved commute times and if I am heading north on eagle and try to take a left at Ustick now I have to sometimes wait 3 or more lights in order to turn left due to slow U Fairview Ave. Medians 26-Apr Josh Jensen turns. I have also noticed more cars driving through the parking lots in front of stores located along eagle road in order to avoid 44 medians. I don’t think that this improvement safety for the shopper entering or leaving stores. I also now try to avoid going to businesses located along eagle road and so I am sure the business owners aren’t happy losing the revenue from me and probably many others that dislike the medians. Please do not put medians down fairview avenue because I do not want to see the same Driving issues there. I have had many near head on collisions in the center turn lane trying to make a left turn onto my street located between Five Mile and Cloverdale. It is usually someone trying to make a left turn into a business on the north side of Fairview and not paying attention to me already in the turn lane waiting. They either swerve back into traffic or slam on their brakes. I have also witnessed Dangerous Left Turns 26-Apr Admin 2 many accidents in my two years here. I would not be opposed to raised medians on this stretch of road, similar to Eagle Rd. with U‐turns at major intersections. It may Driving be a little inconvenient but I would feel safer on the road this way.
As I driver, I am generally opposed to medians. I also do not like red only left light in most cases. Adding a yellow left light at Hickory and Fairview has been wonderful and should be a standard. My real concern though is the lack of sidewalks on most of Fairview, west of Eagle road. I like to walk if I can. There are no side Sidewalks are needed for pede 26-Apr Admin 2 walks on the north side of Fairview between Eagle road and Locust Grove, with few exceptions. When there aren’t sidewalks, pedestrians take risky illegal crossings. There are no side walks on either side of Fairview between Hickory and Locust Grove. We drive more than we would because there isn’t a safe walkway. Any solution should involve a walkway for pedestrians. With the Walking new park and shopping plaza NE eagle/Fairview some raised led only crossings would be nice too. I disagree with plans to but medians on fairview avenue. Shortening lanes is not a good idea, as I have seen more traffic backups when this is done. I would like to see more right turn lanes, it would reduce traffic backups. When people turn right they need to no raised barriers 25-Apr Jason Phelps 9 slow down causing traffic behind to slow, and not as many cars make it through the light. This c,auses more frustration, more Driving people running lights, more frustrted drivers doing stupid things. I appreciate and understand the reasons behind adding a blinking yellow left‐turn light at many of the intersections in the area, but more often than not, people abuse the light and are stuck in the intersection when it turns red. Last month I witnessed an Yellow turn lights at intersectio 25-Apr C. Murphy eastbound truck slam into a vehicle that was turning south onto Cloverdale. WHAM. It was awful. Either the police need to patrol 2 the intersections until drivers get the message, or no more blinking lights. I’d like to know how many accidents have occured since Driving the change was made across the city. My wife and I are retired. We live very close to Linder and Cherry Lane. Almost all of our daily driving is down Cherry Lane/Fairview in order to Grocery shop, Doctors, Dentists, Eye Docters Restaurants, specialty shops……etc… Fairview/Cherry Lane traffic m 25-Apr Allan Walthers 2 My main concern is to keep as efficient left turn system as possible, to include middle lanes. In addition, access to Eagle road is Driving important to us also. Thanks for asking. I concur with the comments of the Tanners about this location. Shamrock is a death trap with drivers attempting to turn off and dangerous left turns between 25-Apr C. Murphy 2 Driving on to Fairview from both the north and south sides. Very inconsistent bike lanes on this street. Disappointing for such a busy street and it makes biking more dangerous. I try to avoid Bike Lanes 25-Apr Lisa 3 Biking this road because it is busy and lacks bike lanes in some parts. I’ve jogged along Fairview from Cloverdale to Maple Grove and it sucks as a runner/pedestrian. You will have periods of sidewalk and periods without it. Some of the spots without sidewalk are frighteningly close to traffic with trashy ground and rough surface. Sidewalks 25-Apr Lis 5 Some of the businesses don’t even have sidewalk and I’ve had to do things like weave through a car parking lot. Very Walking disappointing. I would like to see sidewalks on both sides of the road. I live in Meridian and there are many sections from Meridian to Orchard that need sidewalks. I don’t like to walk with my daughter Sidewalks on both sides of the 25-Apr Admin on the side of the road with all the traffic going by. Most of the drivers push the speed limit by 5 mph or more so that mean they 3 are going by about 40 to 45. One little second of looking away or swervering just a little could kill someone that is walking on the Walking side of the road because of no side walk. We have the connector for high flow traffic, Fairview doesn’t need access management. One of the reasons so many people visit No Median Needed 25-Apr Zach Fairview Avenue is the access to so many businesses. Medians in this area will only frustrate drivers and force people to shop 32 Driving elsewhere where access is easier. When this is complete, will efforts be made to synchronize the lights on Fairview/Meridian Road and Fairview/Main Street? In the Light Synchronizing 25-Apr Admin 0 past, the light on Main would change to allow east/west bound traffic to travel, then cars would be stopped at Meridian Road. Driving Only a small number of cars were able to get through both lights. There was no flow through on the busier east/west route.
One of the greatest safety hazards that I have witnessed on Fairview Avenue is the union picketing out in front of Les Schwab Tire Safety issue 25-Apr Mike Westover Center west of the Curtis Road interchange. Accidents occured weekly while the union reps picketed. 1 The wide center turn lane minimizes turning traffic tieups and I would hate to see center barriers since they are a real killer to the Driving small business traffic volumes for businesses that front Fairview.
First: As a business owner off Fairview I think you will lose alot of good small businesses that will not get to have two way access to there business because alot of peoplle do not like to have to go to the corner to do a u turn Second: As a comutter on Fairview I think you will make traffic worse with all the intersection traffic because the u turns really slow down the turn lane which in turn Fairview bad idea 25-Apr Russ Littlefield backs most of the traffic up. The majority of the wrecks that I have seen in the 21 years of using Fairview to commute is rear end 0 accidents which I don’t think you can do anything about. Third: As a Resident off Fairview I think this is going to get someone hurt. By blocking most of the side streets from cross traffic turning will turn the couple off street that they can turn down into race tracks which is going to get someone ran over, most likly the kids using the back street to go and come from school. Alot of those back streets don’t have side walks. I really think that you should be looking at more traffic light management to control traffic. And Other sorry to some but I believe that the bike lanes should be put on more of the side streets and stay off the major road ways
City of Meridian needs to put up a sign to point out businesses that are difficult to access a the intersection of Fairview and Signs identifying businesses im 25-Apr Mark Nielebeck Meridian Rd. (Southeast endcap) because we’re losing business and they’ve gone out of their way to put this up for Businesses on 0 Meridian (signs on Main) but not on Fairview. We’ve already run the tobacco shop out of business, I might be next! Driving www.BoiseInsure.net
I am a co‐owner of Sneke River Yamaha in Meridian and have been greatly affected by the concrete medians put in front of our store at 2957 E. Fairview Ave. Our parking lot is now a frontage road of Fairview Ave. We had to put speed bumps in our parking lot (at our expense) in an effort to slow traffic and hopefully prevent injury to our customers and our employees by speeding cars; there have been several close calls. Those drivers think they have the right of way as they are using it as a cily street; it is a parking Medians 25-Apr Curtis Moore 24 lot and not a thoroughfare. Backing out of parking spaces is often like backing out into a major city street. The reason I was given for installing the medians was “safety”, while the medians may have helped safety on Fairview; which I doubt as the illegal and unexpected U‐turns taking place, it has created a very unsafe situation for the businesses, their customers and employees along Fairview. Please help eliminate this issue for us and other businesses dealing with the same issues. Come see for yourselves what Driving is taking place here. Thank you for your time.
Hello & Thank you for your recent mailing regarding this project. We live just north of Fairview between 5 Mile and Cloverdale Rds, and it can be quite treacherous turning left onto Fairview from N. Shamrock during periods of heavy traffic, which is much of the time. At times there are 4 simultaneous left turns being negotiated from this intersection, and the combination of speeding Stoplight needed 25-Apr Steven & Judy Tan traffic, backups waiting to turn, and occasional blind spots to oncoming traffic makes for a dangerous situation. We would very 2 much support having a traffic signal installed at this intersection, which is a midway point between 5 Mile and Cloverdale. A location at N. Shamrock would me more functional and would promote safer driving conditions than if it was to be re‐established at Steelwood, where there is limited traffic volume and minimal business access. We are also in favor of the proposed bike path Driving route along Shamrock. Thank you for the opportunity to comment! Steve & Judy Tanner I am an avid cyclist, but do not cycle along Fairview. I would like to see bike lanes that are separated from the car lanes by concrete curbing or at least wide like on Eagle Rd. I would also like to see lanes at major intersections that are well marked and are Bike Lanes 25-Apr Wil Barrow 2 to the left of right turn lanes. It is really scary and dangerous to go straight through an intersection while being on the right side of Biking cars that are turning right. They often can’t see the bike. Carpool Lane? 25-Apr Greg T. Driving Perhaps add a capool lane during the busiest stretches of Fairview with peak‐hour implementation? 0 In after work commute: the right lane headed East on Fairview at the Curtis traffic light is typically backed up, you sit through multiple light cycles waiting to get through. To avoid this, cars who intend to use the connector ramp are moving in to the left Unsafe going east between Cu 25-Apr Admin 5 lane. This means those cars after moving through the Curtis light want to get back over immediately to use the connector and do Driving so very agressively. Considering the amount of traffic on Fairview, traffic flow is paramount. Shortening the left turn lanes by adding medians is (frankly) just plain dumb. Milwaukee and Fairview is a prime example of a bad Traffic flow barriers 25-Apr Admin design. You took away the right turn lane into Winco, and shortened up the left turn lane (going south) onto Milwaukee – creating 5 serious traffic backups. Driving Please do NOT design Fairview the same way that you have Eagle Road
I love to walk and I was walking from 8th St on Cherry Ln to Eagle to go shopping and walking around the new park. The section from just a ways past Locust Grove toward Eagle Rd there are no sidewalks on the North side. I popped the air cushioned pocked Insufficient sidewalks 25-Apr Amy in my shoes with goat heads! from walking on the side/ in the field. Who would have thought that would happen! Anyway, I made 3 it over to the South side to cross the Eagle/Fairview intersection and I couldn’t get the crosswalk to turn. I waited 3 cycles and ended up giving up and walking back home. It was a new kind of device to push? and I didn’t understand how to activate it. I tried Walking pushing it, touching it, speaking to it. It wouldn’t work.. For all of the business in this corridor it is esential that all of their customers have easy left or right turn access. Removing the left turn lane is not the answer. If you research the accident records I am confident you will find very few accidents in the turn lane. Most accidents are caused by inatentive drivers.. A better sync. of existing stop lights would assist in moving traffic. Many left turn No median strips. 25-Apr Lew Stiner 51 lights turn time seems to be shortened during rush hour, WHY? Aii of the merchants require delivery trucks for supplies the are unable to make a u turn at intersections. Our customers are towing boats in and out and are not able to make a u turn with a 20 Driving foot boat in toe. The majority of accidents that we witness at Boise Muffler, are rear enders in front of Les Schwab. How does a medium, or a third lane change the fact that if people aren’t paying attention there going to hit someone. At the interestion of Fairview and Curtis, ACCIDENTS 19-Apr Sean Page 32 traffic headong east around 5 o’clock pm, is not commen to see it backes up to Liberty. Would that problem better be solved by Driving the timing of the lights. To get traffic to move or consistently.
TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM #1 720 SW Washington St. Suite 500 Portland, OR 97205
503.243.3500 www.dksassociates.com DATE: April 9, 2013
TO: Project Team
FROM: John Bosket Sai Sirandas
SUBJECT: Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management P13018‐001 Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
This memorandum documents the results of the existing and future baseline transportation conditions analysis for the Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management project. The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the safety and operational efficiency of the corridor, and to support a clearly defined need for transportation improvements. The existing conditions section of this memorandum describes the existing roadway network, existing traffic volumes, safety analysis of recent crash data, and intersection traffic operations. The future baseline conditions section describes the projected future traffic volumes and intersection traffic operations. Included in this memorandum is a summary list of high priority transportation issues affecting the corridor. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The following key findings for Fairview Avenue between Linder Road and Orchard Street are separated into categories for safety, mobility, and multimodal accommodation. These findings include the highest priority issues affecting corridor operations and will be the focus of strategies developed to improve travel along Fairview Avenue.
Safety Characteristics of crashes Fairview Avenue has the second most “high‐crash” intersections in Ada County. Only Eagle Road has more. Approximately 40% of the crashes that occur in the study corridor happen at the signalized intersections, while the remaining 60% happen in the segments of roadway in between them. The most common crash types in the study corridor are rear‐end and turning crashes (54% and 28%, respectively). On average, crashes in the study corridor are of low severity, with 85% resulting in only minor injury or property damage. There were four fatal crashes in five years, but no apparent trend in location or cause.
Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
There are far more crashes on weekdays than on weekends, which is generally consistent with the changes in traffic volumes. Fridays typically experience more crashes than any other day of the week. However, these crashes tend to be of lower severity. The frequency of crashes generally increases steadily after noon and peaks between 5 PM and 6 PM before dropping off considerably.
Locations and Types of High‐Priority Crashes
The intersections on Fairview Avenue with Eagle Road, Cole Road, Curtis Road, and Orchard Street experience more crashes than would be expected given the level of traffic being served. It is recommended that these intersections be considered for safety improvements. Key observations include: o Eagle Road: Recent improvements that removed right turn slip lanes may have addressed many of the past crash problems. o Cole Road: Red light running and conflicts between vehicles passing through the intersection and vehicles slowing to enter nearby driveways were observed. o Orchard Street: Northbound and eastbound left turning crashes were prevalent, which often result in higher severity injuries. Further investigation should be conducted to determine if the protected/permissive left turn phasing is a contributing factor. o While the rate of crashes that occurred was lower, the intersection at Locust Grove Road experienced a high number of nighttime crashes, which often resulted in higher severity injuries. Lighting analysis should be conducted to determine if adequate light levels are being provided. o Signal timing in the corridor should be reviewed and updated as needed to improve progression of east‐west traffic and reduce long queues. Long queues of cars extending well in advance of traffic signals could cause slowing/stopping of traffic at locations along Fairview Avenue that drivers do not expect. The segment of Fairview Avenue from Five Mile Road to Orchard Street experiences the highest rate of crashes in the corridor. It is recommended that this area be considered for safety improvements. Key observations include: o Approximately 35% of crashes in this segment are related to driveways. o The Hampton Road intersection experienced more crashes than any other unsignalized intersection in the corridor. The intersections at Fairmeadow Drive, Allumbaugh Street, and Eldorado Street also experienced high numbers of crashes. o The severity of crashes was relatively low, which may be an indication that crashes are congestion‐related. o The segment between Cole Road and Orchard Street experienced the highest rate of crashes and more high‐severity crashes than any other area in the corridor.
April 9, 2013 Page 2 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
The segment of Fairview Avenue between Meridian Road and Locust Grove Road also experienced a relatively high rate of crashes and had the second‐most high‐severity crashes in the corridor. There were a significant number of crashes involving bicycles, which often result in moderate to high severity injuries. These crashes are most commonly related with right turning movements and bicycles crossing in crosswalks. There is a high density of access points along the Fairview Avenue corridor, creating frequent opportunities for conflicts. Crashes related to driveways and unsignalized intersections account for approximately 26% of all crashes in the corridor.
Mobility Characteristics of Common Congestion Issues
In some locations the use of the travel lanes provided can be very unbalanced, leaving a significant amount of the provided capacity unused. This was noted to occur in areas where short segments of added lanes were provided through intersections and leading up to common destinations (e.g., traffic heading for freeway on‐ramps near Curtis Road). Conflicts with traffic entering driveways in close proximity to intersections was observed to reduce the potential traffic flow through intersections. Long queues of cars at many signalized intersections were seen blocking access to driveways and turn lanes and spilling back to other intersections, which reduces the effective capacity of the system.
Key Congestion Locations
Under existing conditions, drivers experience the longest delays at the intersections on Fairview Avenue with Eagle Road and Cole Road. However, congestion at the intersections with Meridian Road, Five Mile Road, and Curtis Road can also be substantial. Note: the intersection at Meridian Road is currently being improved and other improvements are planned for the Cole Road and Curtis Road intersections. Projected traffic growth through 2035 is substantial – as high as 4% per year on average. At that time, even with several planned capacity improvements, most signalized intersections will be congested and the five intersections at Eagle Road, Cloverdale Road, Five Mile Road, Curtis Road, and Orchard Street will fail to comply with ACHD mobility policy.
Providing Facilities for all Modes of Travel Characteristics of Non‐auto Facilities
There are many gaps in the sidewalk system along Fairview Avenue and bike lanes/shoulders are inconsistent. Opportunities to cross Fairview Avenue for pedestrians and bicyclists are very far apart (only available at signalized intersections).
April 9, 2013 Page 3 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Transit service is only available on Fairview Avenue from Five Mile Road to Orchard Street, although a future route is planned between Eagle Road and Milwaukee Street.
Locations and High‐Priority Improvements
Consideration should be given to completing sidewalks and bike lanes in the segment of Fairview Avenue between Eagle Road and Orchard Street to provide better access to existing and planned transit. Improvements to enhance bicycle safety through intersections should be considered. Key conflicts for mitigation include collisions with right turning vehicles and bicycle crossings in crosswalks. Work with Valley Regional Transit to accommodate future service expansions along Fairview Avenue. STUDY AREA
The project study area includes the approximately 8.5‐mile Fairview Avenue/Cherry Lane corridor extending from Linder Road on the west to Orchard Street on the east, connecting the cities of Meridian and Boise. The roadway is designated as Cherry Lane to the west of Meridian Road and Fairview Avenue to the east. For the purposes of this study, the entire corridor is referred to as Fairview Avenue. 18 intersections in the study corridor have been identified as “study” intersections. The unsignalized intersection at Steelwood Avenue, which is intended to be signalized in the future as part of the neighboring site development, is also identified as a study intersection. The nineteen study intersections are listed below: Signalized Intersections: Fairview Avenue / Linder Road Fairview Avenue / Cloverdale Road Fairview Avenue / 8th Street Fairview Avenue / Five Mile Road Fairview Avenue / Meridian Road Fairview Avenue / Mitchell Street Fairview Avenue / Main Street Fairview Avenue / Maple Grove Road Fairview Avenue / Lakes Place Fairview Avenue / Milwaukee Street Fairview Avenue / Locust Grove Road Fairview Avenue / Cole Road Fairview Avenue / Hickory Avenue Fairview Avenue / Liberty Street Fairview Avenue / Eagle Road Fairview Avenue / Curtis Road Fairview Avenue / Records Way Fairview Avenue / Orchard Street Unsignalized Intersections:
Fairview Avenue / Steelwood Avenue
The study area and the study intersections are shown in Figure 1.
April 9, 2013 Page 4 of 38 UV44 UV55 HILL ROAD
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EAGLE GARY UV44
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CHINDEN GARDEN CITY ¤£20
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MCMILLAN GLENWOOD
GODDARD 36TH
BOGUS BASIN
MERIDIAN USTICK UV55 VETERANS MEMORIAL
HARRISON
HICKORY
RECORDS 27TH
MILWAUKEE LIBERTY MAIN STATE CHERRY FAIRVIEW FAIRVIEW 15TH
IDAHO 8TH
LAKES ¤£26 ¤£26 MITCHELL
STEELWOOD 184 9TH MAIN PINE MERIDIAN ¨¦§
EXECUTIVE EMERALD ¤£20 FIVE MILE FIVE £20 BOISE ¤ FRANKLIN GROVE LOCUST CAPITOL CLOVERDALE
FEDERAL MAIN ROSE HILL CURTIS LATAH BOISE
LINDER 84
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Study Corridor Railroad GROVEMAPLE
Study Intersections Streams VISTA
BROADWAY Signalized o Airport Stop Controlled COLE Parks VICTORY Roadways LINDER 69 Local UV Fairview Avenue Collector Corridor Access Management Minor Arterial Figure 1 Principal Arterial STUDY FIVE MILE AREA ExpresswayAMITY Miles Interstate ± 00.5 1 2 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Land Use and Zoning Land use designations along Fairview Avenue range from low to medium‐density residential, limited office, general commercial, service commercial, and light‐industrial uses. In general, the land use along the corridor is characterized by commercial and industrial uses immediately adjacent to Fairview Avenue which are flanked by residential uses to the north and south. This mix of commercial and residential uses creates a demand for travel along Fairview Avenue by a diverse range of users. There are several parcels of land along Fairview Avenue that are undeveloped and designated as residential or commercial uses, providing support for future growth associated with the respective land use types. These pockets of potential growth are generally present between Five Mile Road and Linder Road, with the largest pockets between Locust Grove Road and Cloverdale Road.
Figure 2: Developments along Fairview Avenue
With heavy commercial development in the corridor, there is high demand for property access. This development pattern across varying lot sizes has resulted many closely spaced driveways on Fairview Avenue, with an average of more than 50 driveways per mile between Linder Road and Orchard Street. The Ada County Highway District (ACHD) has adopted policies1 regarding the design and location of access points to principal arterials such as Fairview Avenue. Key policies related to driveway spacing include:
Direct lot or parcel access to a principal arterial is typically prohibited For property with frontage on more than one street, access shall be provided from the street having the lower current and projected average daily traffic volume, and/or the lesser functionally classified street.
1 Ada County Highway District Policy Manual, Section 7200, Revised by Ordinance No. 211, December 15, 2010, pp. 7200‐ 14, 15.
April 9, 2013 Page 6 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
When it is necessary to take access to the higher classified street the minimum allowable spacing of driveways shall be 355 feet on roads posted at 35 mph, and 400 feet on roads posted at 40 mph (measured from existing or approved driveways or streets on either side of the street). Driveways, when approved on a principal arterial shall operate as right‐in/right‐out only. The District will require the construction of a raised median in the principal arterial to restrict the left turning movements. The District will require raised medians for a seven‐lane roadway and/or where the roadway volumes exceed 24,000 average daily vehicles.
Access conditions in the Fairview Avenue corridor do not typically reflect the current policies described above. While some developments have established access to lower classified streets (most commonly newer developments) and some raised medians have been installed to restrict turning movements to right‐in/right‐out, many properties maintain full and direct access to Fairview Avenue. Furthermore, the current frequency of driveways at more than 50 per mile is far greater than the desired frequency suggested by the spacing standards, which would result in less than 15 driveways per mile.
April 9, 2013 Page 7 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
EXISTING CONDITIONS Existing Street Network Fairview Avenue is classified as a principal arterial2 and is under the jurisdiction of ACHD. Within the study area, Fairview Avenue is generally a five‐lane roadway, consisting of two travel lanes in each direction and a center two‐way left turn lane, with the exception of the segment between Eagle Road and Records Way that has three travel lanes in each direction. The posted speeds on the corridor range from 35 miles per hour (mph) to 40 mph. The corridor is posted at 35 mph to the west of Locust Grove Road, 40 mph between Locust Grove Road and Five Mile Road, and 35 mph east of Five Mile Road. Figure 3 shows the number of travel lanes and the posted speed limits on Fairview Avenue.
Figure 3: Travel Lanes and Posted Speeds along Fairview Avenue
Table 1 summarizes the roadway characteristics of major facilities that run parallel to Fairview Avenue and provide east‐west connectivity, as well as important north‐south routes intersecting Fairview Avenue within the study area. Each of these roadways can be found on Figure 1.
2 2035 Functional Classification Map for Ada County and Canyon County, COMPASS, accessed online at http://tinyurl.com/CompassMap
April 9, 2013 Page 8 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Table 1: Roadway Characteristics of other Facilities in the Vicinity of the Fairview Avenue Study Corridor Roadway Functional Travel Lanes Posted Speeds Classification East‐West Facilities Parallel to Fairview Avenue Chinden Expressway west One or two travel lanes per direction with center 45 mph – 55 mph Boulevard of Eagle Rd. left‐turn lanes Principal Arterial east of Eagle Rd. Ustick Road Principal Arterial One or two travel lanes per direction with center 35 mph – 40 mph west of Eagle Rd. left‐turn lanes in some sections Minor Arterial east of Eagle Rd. Franklin Road Principal Arterial Two travel lanes per direction with center left 30 mph – 35 mph west of Cole Rd. turn lanes Minor Arterial east of Cole Rd. Interstate 84 Interstate Four Travel Lanes 65 mph Overland Road Principal Arterial Two travel lanes per direction with center left 35 mph – 40 mph west of Cole Rd. turn lanes Minor Arterial east of Cole Rd. North‐South Facilities Intersecting Fairview Avenue Linder Road Principal Arterial One travel lane per direction 35 mph Meridian Road Principal Arterial One travel lane per direction south of Fairview. 25 mph south of south of Fairview One travel lane with center left turn lanes north Fairview Minor Arterial of Fairview 35 mph north of north of Fairview Fairview Main Street Minor Arterial One travel lane with center left turn lanes 25 mph Locust Grove Road Minor Arterial One or two travel lanes with center left turn 35 mph – 40 mph lanes in some sections Eagle Road State Highway, Two travel lanes per direction with center left 55 mph north of Principal Arterial turn lanes. Three travel lanes in the northbound Fairview, 50 mph direction between Presidential Dr. and East south of Fairview. River Valley St. (includes Fairview Avenue intersection) Cloverdale Road Minor Arterial One or two travel lanes with center left turn 35 mph – 40 mph Five Mile Road lanes in some sections Maple Grove Road Milwaukee Street Cole Road Principal Arterial Two travel lanes per direction 35 mph Curtis Road Minor Arterial Two travel lanes with center left turn lanes 35 mph north of Fairview and 30 mph south of Fairview Orchard Street Principal Arterial Two travel lanes per direction with center left 30 mph turn lanes
April 9, 2013 Page 9 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Existing Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Fairview Avenue generally has sidewalks on both sides of the street. There are several segments adjacent to undeveloped and open sites that are missing sidewalks. Crosswalks are provided on all four legs of the 18 signalized intersections along the corridor. These 18 locations provide the only crossing opportunities for pedestrians and bicyclists on Fairview Avenue. On an average, the signalized intersections are spaced about half a mile apart, making for infrequent crossing opportunities. The recently improved segment of Fairview Avenue between Hickory Avenue and Records Way (which includes the Eagle Road intersection) is the only stretch of Fairview Avenue that has bike lanes. There are many sections of the corridor that have paved shoulders wide enough to accommodate bicycles. However, there are locations where there are gaps in shoulders or the paved shoulder is not clearly defined.
Figure 4: Gaps in Sidewalks along Fairview Avenue The gaps in sidewalks and shoulders, long crossing distances across multi‐lane roads, infrequent crossing opportunities, absence of bike lanes, and heavy traffic volumes create significant barriers to walking and bicycling along Fairview Avenue. Figure 4 shows the gaps in sidewalks along the study corridor and Figure 5 shows the location of bike lanes along the study corridor.
April 9, 2013 Page 10 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Figure 5: Bike Lanes along Fairview Avenue Transit Valley Regional Transit (VRT) serves Ada County and Canyon County through the ValleyRide service. Route 7 runs from Downtown Boise to Towne Square Mall and travels along Fairview Avenue from Orchard Street to Cole Road. There are nine stops along Fairview Avenue in each direction for this route. This route runs with 40‐ minute headways from 6 AM to 6 PM during weekdays and with 60‐minute headways from 8 AM to 6 PM on Saturday. In addition to Route 7 that runs along Fairview Avenue, the following routes run along north‐south streets and serve stops at Fairview Avenue:
Route 8 and Route 8x (Downtown Boise –Towne Square Center – Hewlett Packard) run along Five Mile Road. Route 8 runs with 20 to 60‐minute headways from 7 AM to 5 PM on weekdays. Route 8x provides two morning runs between 6 AM and 7 AM, and two evening runs between 5 PM and 6 PM on weekdays. Route 10 (Downtown Boise – Capital High School – Towne Square Center) runs along Maple Grove Road with 60‐minute headways from 6 AM to 7 PM on weekdays. There are no transit stops along Fairview Avenue to the west of Five Mile Road. However, a future Secondary Service route (“neighborhood service” with 30 to 60‐minute headways and frequent stops) is planned along Fairview Avenue between Eagle Road and Milwaukee Street. Figure 6 shows the existing transit routes and locations of the stops in the study corridor.
April 9, 2013 Page 11 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
` Figure 6: Transit Routes and Stops in the Study Corridor
April 9, 2013 Page 12 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Safety Analysis The evaluation of safety conditions in the study corridor was primarily based on analysis of recent crash records spanning the years 2007 through 2011. These records were examined for trends indicating where crashes most commonly occur and the types and severities of those crashes. The findings of this evaluation will help identify priority locations for improvements and the types of treatments that may be most effective for enhancing safety in the corridor. Corridor Overview Signalized intersections and the segments of roadway between them represent two very different environments for travelers. There are typically more conflicting movements at signalized intersections, but for most movements, drivers are told when to proceed by the signal. In the roadway segments, drivers must determine when it is safe to proceed on their own. Therefore, much of the crash analysis conducted considers these environments separately. Figure 7 summarizes the crash characteristics of Fairview Avenue as a whole, showing that:
Approximately 40% of the crashes within the 8.5‐mile study corridor between Linder Road and Orchard Street occur among the 18 signalized intersections.3 Rear‐end crashes are the most common crash type (54%), but turning crashes are also prevalent (28%). Most (85%) crashes are of low severity, resulting in only minor injuries or only property damage.
Other Other Injury B 5% 10% 18% Turning Signalized Roadway 28% Segments Intersections PDO Injury C 60% 40% Rear End 56% 29% 54% Crash Location Crash Type Crash Severity
Injury severity descriptions: Fatality: an injury that results in death Injury A: incapacitating injury preventing the person from continuing normal activities Injury B: non‐capacitating injury that is evident at the scene Injury C: possible injury that is reported or claimed, but not evident at the scene PDO: property damage only – no injuries Data from 2007 through 2011
Figure 7: Fairview Avenue Crash Characteristics
3 For the purpose of this analysis, all rear‐end crashes within 200 feet of a signalized intersection were categorized as “intersection” crashes.
April 9, 2013 Page 13 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Figures 8 and 9 provide more insight into where crashes are most frequently occurring. These graphics show relative crash rates for signalized intersections and the roadway segments between them, with segments refined into smaller 0.10‐mile sections for further detail. Figure 8 accounts for all crashes, while Figure 9 shows only the most severe crashes (fatalities and Injury A crashes).
Crash rates4 differ from the frequency of crashes by accounting for the level of exposure to traffic. More crashes would be expected at a location with higher traffic volumes. Therefore, one location with the same amount of crashes as another location would have a higher crash rate if it served fewer cars during the day.
The relative scale used facilitates the identification of recurring crash locations and those that typically experience the most severe injuries. Tables with numerical crash rates for each intersection and larger segments are included in the appendix. Key findings from this analysis include:
There are four intersections with crash rates exceeding the calculated critical crash rates5, indicating that further investigation is warranted. These include: o Eagle Road o Cole Road o Curtis Road o Orchard Street Mitchell Road and Milwaukee Street also have higher crash rates than most other intersections, but are within the “normal” range. Segments along Fairview Avenue that experience the highest rates of crashes include: o Meridian Road through Main Street o Five Mile Road to Mitchell Road o Cole Road to Curtis Road Four crashes resulted in fatalities during the five‐year period analyzed. There was no trend related to the location of these crashes. The rate of severe crashes is sporadically spread out along the corridor. However, there is a small cluster around the Locust Grove Road intersection where the rate of severe crashes appears to be more common.
4 Crash rates are reported as crashes per million entering vehicles (MEV) for intersections and crashes per million vehicle miles traveled (MVM) for roadway segments. 5 Critical crash rates are used to identify locations where the rate of crashes is higher than would be expected given the type of facility and volume of traffic served. Critical crash rates were calculated according to the Highway Safety Manual methodology.
April 9, 2013 Page 14 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Figure 8: Rate of Crashes on Fairview Avenue (2007‐2011)
Figure 9: Rate of Severe Crashes on Fairview Avenue (2007‐2011)
April 9, 2013 Page 15 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
As might be expected, crash rates also vary by time of year, day of There were only two‐thirds as many crashes on Saturdays as week, and time of day. However, many crash trends follow similar on an average weekday. On Sundays, there were only one‐ trends in traffic volume changes. Figure 10 illustrates these trends in a third as many. “crash calendar” that summarizes the temporal patterns of crashes Fridays experience more crashes than any other day of the that occurred in the study corridor from 2007 through 2011. Key week. However, the proportion of higher severity crashes on findings include: Fridays appears to be lower. More crashes occurred in the month of June than in any other Most crashes occur between noon and 8 PM. The frequency of month. However, crashes were evenly distributed between the crashes gradually increases from noon, peaks between 5 PM seasons of the year. and 6 PM, and then drops off considerably. Crashes are far more common on weekdays than on weekends.
Figure 10: Fairview Avenue Crash Calendar (2007‐2011)
April 9, 2013 Page 16 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
#1#Eagle#Rd/#Fairview#Ave Intersection Crashes #3#Cole#Rd/#Fairview#Ave ACHD tracks crash activity at intersections in the county on an #7#Cur7s#Rd/#Fairview#Ave annual basis and ranks intersections according to characteristics such as crash frequency and severity. Referencing this ranking #13#Milwaukee#St/#Fairview#Ave system for the years 2008 through 2011, the study corridor of #18#Locust#Grove#Rd/#Fairview#Ave Fairview Avenue between Linder Road and Orchard Street has 13 #21#Five#Mile#Rd/#Fairview#Ave intersections rated in the top 100 for most crashes experienced in the entire county. Only Eagle Road has more intersections (15) #29#Maple#Grove#Rd/#Fairview#Ave within the top 100. This demonstrates that Fairview Avenue has proven to be one of Ada County’s worst corridors for crashes in recent history. While Figure 8 illustrated relative differences in crash rates #46#Orchard#St/#Fairview#Ave between corridor intersections, a more detailed representation of intersection crash rates is provided in Figure 12. As previously noted, the intersections on Fairview Avenue with Eagle Road, Cole #55#Cloverdale#Rd/#Fairview#Ave Road, Curtis Road, and Orchard Street all have crash rates exceeding the critical crash rate, which indicates that further #62#Mitchell#St/#Fairview#Ave #63#Meridian#Rd/#Fairview#Ave investigation is warranted. Each of these intersections is discussed in more detail below. #71#Linder#Rd/#Fairview#Ave
#96#Main#St/#Fairview#Ave
Figure 11: Fairview Avenue Intersections Ranked Among Ada County’s Top 100 Most Common Crash Locations
April 9, 2013 Page 17 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Rate of Crashes per Critical Rate Average Crash Rate Million Entering Vehicles 1.20 1.01 0.97 1.00 0.96 0.82 0.80
0.66 0.61 0.60 0.55 0.52 0.46 0.47 0.47 0.42 0.42 0.40 0.35 0.30 0.34 0.27 0.25 0.20
0.00 Pl St St St St St
Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd Rd
Way Way
8th Cole Mile Main Lakes
Eagle Curtis Grove Grove Liberty Linder
Orchard Mitchell Five Meridian Hickory Records Milwaukee Cloverdale Maple Locust
Figure 12: Study Intersection Crash Rate Comparison
Eagle Road Intersection
Injury A Other Injury B 4% 7% 6%
Rear‐ PDO Ends Injury C 56% 93% 34%
Crash Severity Crash Type
Ima gery Date 10/5/2012, Google Inc.
A very high percentage of the crashes recorded at this intersection from 2007 to 2011 involved a rear‐end collision. This included many rear‐end collisions related to merging movements, accounting for approximately 35% of all crashes.
April 9, 2013 Page 18 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
The Eagle Road intersection was recently improved in 2012, just after the end of the period when the crash data was recorded. Prior to that time, this intersection included right turn slip lanes that bypassed the intersection and used yield control to have drivers merge into traffic. This configuration appears to have been the cause for a significant number of the crashes that occurred. Therefore, the recent improvements may have mitigated this problem and the crash rate may drop in the future. However, a significant number of rear‐end crashes may continue to occur due to corridor travel speeds (40 mph posted speed) and the recurring congestion at this intersection. Therefore, coordinated signal timing should be maintained along Fairview Avenue to provide good progression of traffic and reduce the need to stop at signals.
Cole Road Intersection
Injury A Bicycle 4% Injury B Other 4% 11% 12% PDO 50% Rear‐ Ends 84% Injury C 35% Crash Severity Crash Type
Imagery Date 10/5/2012, Google Inc.
Similar to the Eagle Road intersection, the intersection on Fairview Avenue at Cole Road experienced a higher than typical percentage of rear‐end crashes from 2007 to 2011. During field observation of this intersection, significant congestion was noted with very long queues on all approaches. The long delays appeared to encourage aggressive driving, with red light running being a common occurrence. There were also several instances where through traffic stopped suddenly in the intersection, which was caused by vehicles slowing to turn right into driveways that were just beyond the intersection. Any of these characteristics could be contributing to the high crash rate at this intersection.
April 9, 2013 Page 19 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Curtis Road Intersection
Injury A Other Injury B 1% 8% Bicycle 8% 4%
Turning 19% Rear‐ Ends 69% Injury C 29% PDO 62% Crash Severity Crash Type
Imagery Date 10/5/2012, Google Inc.
This intersection has one of the highest crash rates in the corridor, but it is still much lower than those experienced at the Eagle Road, Cole Road, and Orchard Street intersections. No significant trends were noted in the analysis of crashes from 2007 to 2011.
Orchard Street Intersection
Injury A Other 8% Bicycle 4% 6% Injury B 19% Angle 17%
PDO Injury C Turning 48% 25% 73% Crash Severity Crash Type
Imagery Date 10/5/2012, Google Inc.
The percentage of high severity of crashes at the Orchard Street intersection from 2007 to 2011 was twice as high as the average rate for other intersections in the corridor. In addition, the prevalent crash types were unusual, with very high percentages of turning and angle crashes. Most of the turning crashes were related to the northbound and eastbound left turn movements. The causes of these crashes should be explored further to see if they are related to the current protected/permissive left turn phasing or some other factors.
In addition to the intersections with high crash rates described above, the intersection on Fairview Avenue at Locust Grove Road was noted as having a high percentage of crashes occurring at nighttime
April 9, 2013 Page 20 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
(47% compared to the corridor average of 21%). The nighttime crashes were often more severe, involving turning and angle collisions. Lighting analysis of this area should be conducted to determine if adequate light levels are being provided.
Roadway Segment Crashes For this analysis, the 8.5‐mile Fairview Avenue corridor was broken up into seven segments, with crash rates per million vehicle‐miles traveled calculated for each. Much like the intersection crash rate analysis, critical crash rates for each segment were calculated using the Highway Safety Manual methodology to determine if crash rates experienced were higher than would be expected. The results are shown in Figure 13. Similar to what is shown in Figure 8, the segments of Fairview Avenue from Five Mile Road to Orchard Street experience the highest rate of crashes. The segment from Meridian Road to Locust Grove Road also has a relatively high rate of crashes, but it is still within the range that would be expected for this facility (i.e., it is lower than the critical crash rate). The three segments of Five Mile Road to Maple Grove Road, Maple Grove Road to Cole Road, and Cole Road to Orchard Street that have crash rates exceeding the critical crash rate are discussed in more detail below.
Critical Rate Average Crash Rate
3.69 3.73 3.35
2.66 2.36
1.69 1.71
Linder ‐ Meridian ‐ Locust Grove Cloverdale ‐ Five Mile ‐ Maple Grove Cole ‐ Meridian Locust Grove ‐ Cloverdale Five Mile Maple Grove ‐ Cole Orchard
Figure 13: Fairview Avenue Segment Crashes per Million Vehicle‐Miles Traveled
April 9, 2013 Page 21 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Five Mile Road to Maple Grove Road Injury This segment of Fairview Avenue is densely developed and has Injury A Fatal nearly 50 access points per mile serving surrounding land uses. B 4% 1% 7% Approximately 35% of the crashes in this segment occurred at
Injury C driveways. 18% The unsignalized intersection at Hampton Road accounted for
PDO 19 crashes, which is more than any other unsignalized intersection in 70% the corridor. Crash Severity There were more rear‐end crashes (51%) than any other crash type. These may have been congestion‐related, since very long queues Other were observed around the Five Mile Road intersection. 13% Rear‐ The severity of crashes was typically low, with 88% of all crashes Ends resulting in only minor injury or property damage. The percentage of 51% property damage only crashes was much higher than the corridor Turning average. 36% One of the four fatalities in the Fairview Avenue corridor Crash Type occurred in this segment. It happened on a Monday afternoon around 1 PM and involved a rear‐end collision. Inattention was listed as the only contributing cause. Maple Grove Road to Cole Road
Injury This segment of Fairview Avenue is densely developed and has A Fatal approximately 55 access points per mile serving surrounding land uses. 1% Injury B 2% 11% Approximately 30% of the crashes in this segment occurred at driveways.
Injury C PDO The largest concentration of crashes outside of signalized 27% 59% intersections occurred at the unsignalized intersection with Fairmeadow Drive, where nine crashes were experienced.
Crash Severity There were more rear‐end crashes (50%) than any other crash type. These may have been congestion‐related, since very long queues were observed in the area.
The severity of crashes was typically low and aligned very well with the corridor average, with 86% of all crashes resulting in only minor injury or property damage.
April 9, 2013 Page 22 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Other One of the four fatalities in the Fairview Avenue corridor 21% occurred in this segment. It happened on a Thursday between 6 PM and Rear‐ Ends 7 PM at a driveway just east of Maple Grove Road. The car overturned 50% attempting an avoidance maneuver. The crash occurred in a construction zone. Turning 29%
Crash Type
Cole Road to Orchard Street This segment has the highest crash rate in the corridor. Injury A Fatal This segment of Fairview Avenue is densely developed and has Injury B 6% 1% 7% approximately 90 access points per mile serving surrounding land uses. This is by far the greatest access density in the corridor. Injury C PDO 26% 60% Approximately 35% of the crashes in this segment occurred at driveways.
The largest concentration of crashes outside of signalized Crash Severity intersections occurred at the unsignalized intersections with Allumbaugh Street and Eldorado Street, which each had 10 crashes. Other 20% Rear‐ There were more rear‐end crashes (44%) than any other crash Ends 44% type, but the percentage of rear‐end crashes was lower than most other areas in the corridor. Turning 36% While the overall severity of crashes experienced was low, the segment from Cole Road to Orchard Street experienced more high Crash Type severity (Injury A) crashes than any other area along Fairview Avenue.
One of the four fatalities in the Fairview Avenue corridor occurred in this segment. It happened on a Saturday around 10 PM just west of Laurel Street. A car struck and killed a pedestrian at night. There are no streetlights along the roadway in this area.
In addition to the segments with high crash rates described above, the segment on Fairview Avenue between Meridian Road and Locust Grove Road experienced a relatively high crash rate and had the second greatest number of high severity (Injury A) crashes in the corridor.
April 9, 2013 Page 23 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Pedestrian and Bicycle Crashes The number of recorded crashes in the Fairview Avenue corridor involving pedestrians was relatively low, with only 14 occurring in five years. The highest concentration of pedestrian crashes was from Linder Road to Meridian Road, where one crash occurred at the Linder Road intersection, three crashes occurred between Linder Road and Meridian Road, and two crashes occurred at the Meridian Road intersection.
During this same time period, there were 72 crashes involving bicycles. The intersection at Meridian Road experienced eight bicycle crashes, which is twice as many as any other intersection. The intersections at Linder Road, Cole Road, and Curtis Road each experienced four bicycle crashes.
There were many different actions associated with the pedestrian and bicycle crashes in the corridor, but collisions with right turning vehicles was by far the most prevalent. Collisions between cars and bicycles while bicyclists attempted to cross intersections in crosswalks were also very common.
While crashes involving pedestrians and bicycles make up a relatively small percentage of the overall number of crashes that occur in the corridor (about 4%), these crashes tend to result in more severe injuries. As shown in Figure 14, a traveler along Fairview Avenue is far more likely to be injured if involved in a crash while walking or biking compared to driving.
Crash Severity Bicycle Fatal Pedestrian Overall
Bicycle Injury A Pedestrian Overall
Bicycle Injury B Pedestrian Overall
Bicycle Injury C Pedestrian Overall
Bicycle PDO Pedestrian Overall
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Figure 14: Comparison of Crash Severity by Mode of Travel
April 9, 2013 Page 24 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Crashes Related to Access Points Every access point (driveways and intersections) along Fairview Avenue presents the potential for conflicts between motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. With more than 450 access points in the study corridor from Linder Road to Orchard Street and posted speeds ranging from 35 to 40 mph, drivers on average will pass by an access point approximately every two seconds while traveling on Fairview Avenue. Unsignalized While maintaining adequate access is important for Intersections business vitality and overall street network connectivity, 7% Signalized the current access condition has been a significant factor Driveways Intersections in the crashes that have occurred in the corridor. The 19% 40% crash data from 2007 to 2011 shows that approximately 31% of all crashes that occurred in the roadway segments between the signalized intersections were Non‐access Related related to movements into or out of driveways. An 34% additional 12% were related to movements to and from Influence of Access on unsignalized side streets. This equates to 43% of all Fairview Avenue Crashes roadway segment crashes and 26% of the total number of crashes in the corridor.
The locations of access‐related crashes often align with the locations in the corridor with the highest overall rates of crashes. This finding is consistent with national research showing that as access density increases, crash rates also increase.6 Figure 15 overlays crashes related to access points (driveways and unsignalized intersections) with the graphic previously shown in Figure 10 that indicates where the highest rates of crashes occur along Fairview Avenue. Notice that the gaps between clusters of access‐related crashes generally align with segments of Fairview Avenue with low overall rates of crashes (colored green), while the segments with the highest rates of crashes (colored red) always align with clusters of access‐related crashes.
The typical severity of access‐related crashes is fairly consistent with the corridor average shown in Figure 7.
6 Access Management Manual, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2003, p. 16.
April 9, 2013 Page 25 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Figure 15: Rate of Crashes on Fairview Avenue Compared to Driveway Locations (2007‐2011)
April 9, 2013 Page 26 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Existing Traffic Volumes Average Daily Traffic Historical counts along Fairview Avenue indicate average daily traffic volumes ranging from a high of 35,650 vehicles west of Maple Grove Road to a low of 13,280 vehicles west of Orchard Street (typical five‐lane arterials can effectively serve 40,000 to 45,000 vehicles per day before congestion becomes severe). In general, volumes are lower at the east and west ends of the corridor and higher in between. Table 2 lists a summary of historical tube count data at different locations on Fairview Avenue. Table 2: Summary of Historical Count Data at Locations along Fairview Avenue Location Date Daily Traffic Volumes Eastbound Westbound Combined East of Linder Road November 2009 8,950 9,780 18,730 West of Meridian Road June 2011 11,170 11,710 22,880 East of Meridian Road December 2009 13,330 12,920 26,250 West of Locust Grove Road November 2009 13,360 12,650 26,010 East of Locust Grove Road November 2009 13,680 14,100 27,780 West of Eagle Road November 2009 14,560 14,390 28,950 West of Eagle Road March 2013 12,640 12,900 25,540 East of Eagle Road April 2011 15,250 16,300 31,550 East of Eagle Road March 2013 13,440 14,610 28,050 West of Cloverdale Road December 2009 14,910 14,740 29,650 East of Cloverdale Road June 2011 15,020 15,400 30,420 West of Five Mile Road June 2011 15,990 16,090 32,080 East of Five Mile Road November 2009 14,960 14,420 29,380 West of Mitchell Street April 2008 16,350 16,280 32,630 East of Mitchell Street April 2008 16,750 16,200 32,950 West of Maple Grove Road July 2010 15,160 11,440 26,600 East of Maple Grove Road July 2008 18,260 17,390 35,650 West of Milwaukee Street July 2010 15,380 15,730 31,110 East of Milwaukee Street August 2009 16,770 16,890 33,660 West of Cole Road June 2011 14,940 15,010 29,950 East of Cole Road December 2009 15,830 14,200 30,030 West of Curtis Road December 2009 15,810 14,580 30,390 West of Curtis Road March 2013 14,110 15,630 29,740 East of Curtis Road November 2012 11,720 9,030 20,750 West of Orchard Street December 2012 5,150 8,130 13,280
April 9, 2013 Page 27 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Figure 16 shows the daily traffic profiles at three different locations in the study corridor. The profiles generally show an AM peak period, followed by a gradual increase in traffic through the afternoon with local midday and PM peaks. This is representative of a combination of commuter and commercial travel patterns. The directional AM peak is typically in the eastbound direction and the PM peak in the westbound direction. The midday peak may be attributed to trips made for dining, shopping, and business within the commercial land uses along the corridor. The PM Peak period generally has the highest volume of the day and lasts for approximately two hours (4 PM to 6 PM) Other notable observations about the traffic patterns on Fairview Avenue include:
To the east and west of Eagle Road, the traffic profiles for Saturday indicate a midday peak slightly higher than the weekday PM peak levels. The duration of this peak period is from approximately 12 PM to 3 PM. Further, the total daily traffic on Saturday is about 5% higher than the weekday average to the west of Eagle Road, and about 12% higher than the weekday average to the east of Eagle Road. It is likely that the high amount of traffic on Saturdays at these locations is because of the trips associated with the nearby retail centers.
On Sunday, the total daily traffic to the west of Eagle Road is about 26% lower than the weekday average. The Sunday total daily traffic is about 21% lower than the weekday average to the east of Eagle Road.
West of Curtis Road, there is a spike in the eastbound traffic during the PM peak hour. This is likely because of the traffic headed towards the I‐184 freeway. At this location, the total daily traffic is 12% lower than the weekday average on Saturday 34% lower than the weekday average on Sunday. Turn Movement Counts Turn‐movement counts were recorded at all study intersections during the weekday PM peak period (4 PM to 6 PM), and are illustrated in Figure 17. These counts are used to determine the operational performance at the study intersections, which is discussed later in this memorandum.
April 9, 2013 Page 28 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Figure 16: Average Daily Traffic at Three Locations on Fairview Avenue (Data Recorded in June 2011)
April 9, 2013 Page 29 of 38 LINDER RD 8TH ST MERIDIAN LOCUST EAGLE RD RECORDS MAPLE FIVE MILE MITCHELL RD LAKES PL GROVE RD AV GROVE RD MILWAUKEE COLE RD CLOVERDALE RD ST LIBERTY ST CURTIS RD STEELWOOD ST RDRD AV AV 1 2 3 4 ORCHARD 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 ST Fairview Avenue Study Corridor
MAIN ST HICKORY AV 1 Linder Road 2 8th Street 3 Meridian Road 4 Main Street
RT 510 RT 525 105 780 280 65 60 135 RT 60 255 540 290 60 55 80 RT 110 TH 1610 TH 1685 RT TH LT RT TH LT TH 2030 RT TH LT RT TH LT TH 2140 LT 260 LT 265 LT 60 LT 335 LT LT 125 LT 20 160 30 LT 985 TH LT TH RT 1270 TH LT TH RT 1190 TH LT TH RT 1525 TH LT TH RT 45 RT 210 RT 210 RT 225 RT 40 50 90 455 190 365 190 405 125 320 1035 1005
5 Lakes Place 6 Locust Grove Road 7 Hickory Avenue 8 Eagle Road
RT 405 RT 175 RT 405
180 5 135 RT 130 290 670 260 TH 1890 50 35 120 TH 2380 365 850 355 TH 1625 RT TH LT TH 2680 RT TH LT LT 390 RT TH LT LT 80 RT TH LT LT 430 LT 15 UT 10 UT 15 UT 10 5 UT 125 LT 305 LT 380 LT 50 LT 1945 TH LT TH RT LT TH RT LT TH RT 1505 TH UT LT TH RT 1430 TH 1895 TH 20 RT 30 10 50 85 95 RT 10 340 875 320 315 320 305 RT 80 RT 555 425 1305
9 Records Avenue 10 Cloverdale Road 11 Steelwood Avenue 12 Five Mile Road
RT 405 RT 245 70 305 RT 290 775 305 205 0 130 RT 265 765 310 420 245 TH 1915 115 RT TH LT RT TH LT RT TH LT RT TH LT TH 2000 TH 1975 LT 270 TH 2500 LT 165 LT 65 LT 255 30 UT 180 LT 340 LT 315 LT 160 LT 1995 TH LT TH RT 1665 TH LT TH RT LT TH RT 1575 TH LT TH RT 1880 TH 100 RT 0 45 95 60 295 RT 115
290 295 RT 275 945 365 465 840 295 95 RT
13 Mitchell Street 14 Maple Grove Road 15 Milwaukee Street 16 Cole Road
RT 715 RT 115 RT 170 TH 2080 TH 2215 RT 195 55 80 95 165 650 340 100 280 120 165 520 250 TH 1970 RT TH LT TH 2340 RT TH LT LT 275 RT TH LT LT 330 RT TH LT LT 35 UT 5 UT 5 LT 165
115 LT 5 UT 235 LT 1850 TH LT TH RT 255 LT LT TH RT 110 LT LT TH RT LT TH RT TH 80 RT 1665 TH 1725 TH 1660 75 115 100 540 735 265 710 290 285 RT 415 840 185 280 RT 325 RT 185
17 Liberty Street 18 Curtis Road 19 Orchard Street
RT 150 RT 45 220 715 5 85 20 110 RT 180 165 1125 165 TH 1535 RT TH LT TH 2385 RT TH LT LT 310 RT TH LT TH 1265 LT 120 UT 15 LT 250
165 LT 5 UT 175 LT 1735 TH LT TH RT 225 LT UT LT TH RT 10 TH LT TH RT 5 45 RT 5 570 RT 90 30 80 1160 TH 460 900 120
435 RT 1070 1355
LEGEND Figure 18 1 - Lane Configuration - Study Intersection - Lane Added in the future FUTURE (2035) BASELINE PM - Traffic Signal 000 - PM Peak Hour Traffic Volumes PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC VOLUMES UT LT TH RT - Volume Turn Movement U-Turn RightThruLeft No Scale Fairview Avenue Corridor Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Existing Traffic Operations Field Observations Preliminary field observations were conducted during the weekday PM peak period at different locations along the corridor to help validate the operations and safety analysis. Summarized below are some of the key observations from the field visit:
Cycle lengths for a majority of the 18 signalized intersections in the corridor range from 140 seconds to 200 seconds.
The corridor widens to three through lanes from Hickory Avenue, through Eagle Road, to Records Way. It was observed at these locations that fewer vehicles tend to use the outside lane compared to the two middle lanes. In particular, at the Fairview Avenue/Eagle Road intersection, very few vehicles used the outside lane on the westbound and the northbound approaches.
There is significant eastbound lane imbalance on Fairview Avenue at Curtis Road during the PM peak period, with heavy right lane overloading due to trips destined for the I‐184 on‐ramps.
It was observed at some locations that the close proximity of driveways to intersections limits the saturation flow rate of certain traffic movements. In particular, the driveways on Cole Road north of the Fairview Avenue/Cole Road intersection (Papa Murphy’s, Axiom Fitness) affect the northbound traffic that was in the outside lane, reducing the capacity of that movement.
There were a significant number of instances of red‐light running at the Fairview Avenue/Cole Road intersection during the weekday PM peak period.
During the weekday PM peak hour, as reflected by the turn movement counts, the westbound direction experiences the higher directional volume. Significant queuing was observed in the westbound direction at several locations. The westbound queuing at the Fairview Avenue/Five Mile Road intersection appeared the most severe, with queues extending past Hampton Road (1300 feet) on two occasions and up to Mitchell Street (2600 feet) on one occasion. The westbound queue at the Mitchell Street intersection extended up to Linda Vista Lane (700 feet) on one occasion and up to Kimball Street (1300 feet) on one occasion.
There were several instances when the left turn queues extended past the available storage bays. Such queues can block through movements and through movements can block upstream intersections. The result is an increased potential for rear‐end collisions and a significant loss in system capacity. Intersection Performance Measures and Mobility Standards Mobility is an important consideration because it measures how freely vehicle traffic can move to its intended destination. In general, roadway systems have their highest degree of conflicts and associated congestion at intersections. Therefore, the performance of a system is often defined by how well the intersections perform.
April 9, 2013 Page 31 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
In this study, three performance measures are used to assess the operations of study intersections: volume‐to‐ capacity (v/c) ratios, Level of Service (LOS), and control delay. These measures are determined based on the methodologies outlined in the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) versions 2000 and 2010.7
Volume‐to‐capacity (v/c) ratio is a decimal representation (between 0.00 and 1.00) of the proportion of capacity that is being used at a turn movement, approach leg, or an intersection. It is determined by dividing the peak hour traffic volume by the hourly capacity. A lower ratio indicates smooth operations and minimal delays. As the ratio approaches 1.00, congestion increases.
Control delay (measured in seconds) includes delay associated with vehicles slowing in advance of an intersection, the time spent stopped on an intersection approach, the time spent as vehicles move up in the queue, and the time needed for vehicles to accelerate to their desired speed.
LOS is a simple “report‐card” (A through F) representation of travelers’ perceptions of the quality of service provided by a facility, measured by the delay experienced. LOS A represents the best operating conditions from the traveler’s perspective and LOS F the worst. ACHD policy identifies a LOS D as the maximum level of desired congestion for intersections on a principal arterial, while segments between intersections can operate at a LOS E.8 For Fairview Avenue, a principal arterial with a continuous center left turn lane and two travel lanes per direction, this equates to a maximum peak hour volume of 1,780 vehicles per direction. Currently, the maximum hourly volume is approximately 1,500 vehicles and is experienced just west of Five Mile Road in the westbound direction during the weekday afternoon.
7 HCM 2000 methodology was used for v/c ratios, and HCM 2010 methodology was used for LOS and control delay. 2000 Highway Capacity Manual, Transportation Research Board, Washington DC, 2000. 2010 Highway Capacity Manual, Transportation Research Board, Washington DC, 2010. 8 ACHD 2012 Capital Improvements Plan, Exhibit C, p. C‐8.
April 9, 2013 Page 32 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Intersection Operations The existing year (2013) weekday PM peak hour intersection operations are summarized in Table 3. The operations were evaluated using Synchro 8 software, which employs methodologies from HCM 2000 and HCM 2010. The traffic volumes, traffic control, and lane configurations shown in Figure 8 were used in the analysis.
Table 3: Existing Year (2013) Weekday PM Peak Hour Intersection Operations Intersection LOS Control Delay Intersection Worst Lane Group v/c (seconds) v/c Ratio Ratio (Corresponding Lane Group) Fairview Avenue /Linder Road D 47 0.88 1.00A (WBT) Fairview Avenue /8th Street A 10 0.57 0.59 (WBT) Fairview Avenue /Meridian Road D 46 0.95 1.00A (NBT) Fairview Avenue /Main Street C 29 0.67 0.75 (WBL) Fairview Avenue /Lakes Place B 12 0.62 0.66 (WBT) Fairview Avenue /Locust Grove Road D 46 0.78 0.94 (NBT) Fairview Avenue /Hickory Avenue C 26 0.72 0.76 (WBT,NBL) Fairview Avenue /Eagle Road E 68 0.79 1.00A (EBL) Fairview Avenue /Records Way C 25 0.46 0.78 (NBL) Fairview Avenue /Cloverdale Road D 35 0.72 0.80 (NBT) Fairview Avenue /Steelwood Avenue B/F 116 ‐ 0.64 (WB) Fairview Avenue /Five Mile Road D 54 0.92 0.90 (WBT,NBT) Fairview Avenue /Mitchell Street C 22 0.63 0.70 (NBT) Fairview Avenue /Maple Grove Road D 47 0.88 0.96 (EBL) Fairview Avenue /Milwaukee Street D 43 0.89 0.93 (NBL) Fairview Avenue /Cole Road E 64 0.97 0.98 (EBL,WBT) Fairview Avenue /Liberty Street B 18 0.56 0.60 (WBT) Fairview Avenue /Curtis Road D 48 0.91 0.91 (NBT) Fairview Avenue /Orchard Street C 23 0.75 0.76 (WBT) *Note: For TWSC intersection, delay corresponds to the worst minor street movement; LOS = major street left turn/minor street. *Bold and shaded values exceed the mobility standard. A The calculated v/c ratio slightly exceeds 1.0 for these movements.
Using ACHD’s policy requiring a maximum of LOS D for intersections on principal arterials, the analysis results in Table 3 show that nearly all study intersections currently provide the desired level of service. However, the intersections at Eagle Road and Cole Road are operating at LOS E and fail to meet ACHD’s policy. In addition, the minor street approach (southbound) on the Fairview Avenue/Steelwood Avenue intersection operates at LOS F, indicating that long delays are experienced. There is very little traffic using this approach today and the intersection is expected to be signalized in the future when the adjacent land develops.
April 9, 2013 Page 33 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
FUTURE CONDITIONS Roadway Network Assumptions Future year 2035 volumes on the Fairview Avenue Corridor were projected based on the regional travel demand model provided by ACHD. This model is generally consistent with the ACHD 2012 Capital Improvements Plan ( CIP) and accounts for the planned transportation improvements in the surrounding area that are reasonably expected to be funded and constructed by the year 2035. Table 4 lists the planned transportation improvements along the Fairview Avenue Corridor that are assumed to be in place for the 2035 baseline scenario. Traffic Forecasting Methodology Year 2035 traffic forecasts were developed by post‐processing model outputs10 provided by ACHD. This methodology involves adding the growth increment between the existing year (2012) and future year (2035) models to existing year traffic counts.11
Future Traffic Volumes Future year traffic projections indicate that overall, the combined eastbound and westbound traffic on Fairview Avenue would increase in the PM peak hour by values ranging from 1500 to 2600 vehicles at different locations. These increases correspond to average annual growth rates ranging from 3% to 4%. Figure 18 summarizes the future year 2035 lane configurations and forecasted weekday PM peak hour traffic volumes. In addition to growth during the peak hour, future traffic demand is likely to spread to adjacent time periods and create a longer “peak” demand. Existing peak hour factors (PHF) in the study area range between 0.88 and 0.97 and are assumed to slightly increase as the peak demand spreads in the future.12
10 For base year, “Peak Hour (5pm to 6pm) 2012 Build: 2012 Demographics with 2012 CIM Update Funded” model scenario was used. For future year, “Peak Hour (5pm to 6pm) 2035 Build: 2035 Demographics with 2031 CIP Update Funded” model scenario was used. 11 This approach is consistent with methodologies outlined in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 255, Highway Traffic Data for Urbanized Area Project Planning and Design 12 Existing PHF less than 0.92 are assumed to increase to 0.92, existing PHF from 0.92‐0.94 are assumed to increase to 0.95, existing PHF of 0.96 and higher are assumed to increase to 0.98.
April 9, 2013 Page 34 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Table 4: Planned Transportation Improvements in the Fairview Avenue (2012 ACHD CIP) CIP # Location Year Description Intersection Projects on Fairview Avenue IN2012‐17 Fairview Ave @ Linder Rd. 2017‐2021 Replace/modify signal. Reconstruct/widen approaches. IN2012‐24 Fairview Ave @ Cloverdale Rd. 2017‐2021 Replace/modify signal. Reconstruct/widen approaches. IN2012‐25 Fairview Ave @ Cole Rd. 2022‐2026 Replace/modify signal. Reconstruct/widen approaches. IN2012‐26 Fairview Ave @ Curtis Rd. 2027‐2031 Replace/modify signal. Reconstruct/widen approaches. IN2012‐27 Fairview Ave @ Eagle Rd. 2022‐2026 Replace/modify signal. Reconstruct/widen approaches. IN2012‐28 Fairview Ave @ Locust Grove Rd. 2017‐2021 Replace/modify signal. Reconstruct/widen approaches. Street Projects on Fairview Avenue RD2012‐46 Fairview Ave ‐ From Meridian Rd. to 2017‐2021 Reconstruct/widen from 5‐lanes to 7‐ Locust Grove Rd. lanes. RD2012‐47 Fairview Ave ‐ From Locust Grove 2017‐2021 Reconstruct/widen from 5‐lanes to 7‐ Rd. to Eagle Rd. lanes. RD2012‐48 Fairview Ave ‐ From Eagle Rd. to 2022‐2026 Reconstruct/widen from 5‐lanes to 7‐ Cloverdale Rd. lanes. RD2012‐49 Fairview Ave ‐ From Cloverdale Rd. 2027‐2031 Reconstruct/widen from 5‐lanes to 7‐ to Five Mile Rd. lanes. RD2012‐50 Fairview Ave ‐ From Five Mile Rd. to 2027‐2031 Reconstruct/widen from 5‐lanes to 7‐ Maple Grove Rd. lanes. RD2012‐51 Fairview Ave ‐ From Maple Grove 2022‐2026 Reconstruct/widen from 5‐lanes to 7‐ Rd. to Cole Rd. lanes. RD2012‐52 Fairview Ave ‐ From Cole Rd. to 2027‐2031 Reconstruct/widen from 5‐lanes to 7‐ Curtis Rd. lanes. Street Projects on North‐South Streets Intersecting Fairview Avenue RD2012‐81 & Linder Rd. – From Franklin Rd. to 2022‐2026 Reconstruct/widen from 2‐lanes to 5‐ RD2012‐82 Ustick Rd. lanes. RD2012‐104 Meridian Rd. – From Cherry Rd. to 2017‐2021 Reconstruct/widen from 3‐lanes to 5‐ Ustick Rd. lanes. RD2012‐90 Locust Grove Rd. – From Fairview 2017‐2021 Widen from 3‐lanes to 5‐lanes. Ave. to Ustick Rd. RD2012‐30 & Cloverdale Rd. – From Franklin Rd. 2016 Widen roadway from 2‐lanes to 5‐ RD2012‐31 to Ustick Rd. lanes. RD2012‐56 & Five Mile Rd. – From Franklin Rd. to 2013/ 2015 Widen roadway from 2‐lanes to 5‐ RD2012‐57 Ustick Rd. lanes. RD2012‐94 Maple Grove Rd. – From Fairview 2017‐2021 Reconstruct/widen from 3‐lanes to 5‐ Ave. to Ustick Rd. lanes. RD2012‐102 Meridian Rd Split Corridor ‐ 2013 Construct the northern portion (north Phase II – From Franklin Rd. to of Franklin) of the Split Corridor Fairview Ave. roadway project.
April 9, 2013 Page 35 of 38 LINDER RD 8TH ST MERIDIAN LOCUST EAGLE RD RECORDS MAPLE FIVE MILE MITCHELL RD LAKES PL GROVE RD AV GROVE RD MILWAUKEE COLE RD CLOVERDALE RD ST LIBERTY ST CURTIS RD STEELWOOD ST RDRD AV AV 1 2 3 4 ORCHARD 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 ST Fairview Avenue Study Corridor
MAIN ST HICKORY AV 1 Linder Road 2 8th Street 3 Meridian Road 4 Main Street
50 215 130 RT 275 20 15 50 RT 50 245 200 150 RT 245 50 50 65 RT 60 RT TH LT TH 1065 RT TH LT TH 1270 RT TH LT TH 1060 RT TH LT TH 960 LT 90 LT 50 LT 50 LT 175 50 LT 15 LT 150 LT 25 LT 455 TH LT TH RT 665 TH LT TH RT 595 TH LT TH RT 595 TH LT TH RT 60 RT 15 RT 75 RT 160 RT 75 20 40 50 45 115 185 360 205 430 400 230
5 Lakes Place 6 Locust Grove Road 7 Hickory Avenue 8 Eagle Road
RT 245 RT 150 RT 340
105 2 80 RT 70 145 445 135 TH 820 45 15 110 TH 1125 275 930 260 TH 705 RT TH LT TH 1290 RT TH LT LT 225 RT TH LT LT 15 RT TH LT LT 250 LT 10 UT <5 UT 10 UT 5 65 LT 205 LT <5 UT 245 LT RT 930 TH LT TH RT 585 TH LT TH RT 45 LT LT TH RT 625 TH UT LT TH RT TH 5 855 10 RT 155 RT TH 5 15 25 80 55 RT 180 670 175 195 180 LT 20 RT 315 235 1605 UT AA
9 Records Avenue 10 Cloverdale Road 11 Steelwood Avenue 12 Five Mile Road UT LT TH RT AA
50 25 60 RT 40 150 345 150 RT 205 10 0 10 RT 5 140 320 130 RT 180 RT TH LT TH 1000 RT TH LT TH 1030 RT TH LT TH 1495 RT TH LT TH 1100 LT 145 LT 125 LT 5 LT 110 15 UT LT 160 LT 5 155 LT 50 215 130 RT 275 50 215 130 RT 275 LT TH 15 LT TH RT 785 TH LT TH RT 1095 LT TH RT 780 TH LT TH RT RT TH LT TH 1065 RT TH LT TH 1065 870 TH 1 RT 1 0 1 20 125 RT 145 RT LT 90 LT 90 95 RT 290 100 145 475 185 300 420 150 50 LT 50 LT 455 TH UT LT TH RT 455 TH UT LT TH RT 60 RT 60 RT
Mitchell Street Maple Grove Road Milwaukee Street Cole Road 75 AA 13 14 15 16 XX 185 360
RT 350 RT 110 XXX
50 80 90 RT 165 80 385 150 TH 1140 85 395 105 TH 1085 115 470 170 RT 135 RT TH LT TH 1135 RT TH LT LT 185 RT TH LT LT 245 RT TH LT TH 960 LT 20 UT <5 UT <5 LT 100 90 LT 125 LT <5 UT 170 LT 815 TH LT TH RT 820 TH LT TH RT 95 LT LT TH RT 820 TH LT TH RT 35 RT 185 RT 795 TH 115 RT 45 35 105 370 445 160 275 865 120 215 RT 510 455 210
17 Liberty Street 18 Curtis Road 19 Orchard Street
RT 115 95 365 1 50 20 70 RT 70 110 820 150 TH 740 RT 10 RT TH LT TH 1225 RT TH LT LT 160 RT TH LT TH 455 LT 105 UT 10 LT 105
65 LT <5 UT 50 LT TH 940 TH LT TH RT 165 LT UT LT TH RT 10 LT TH RT
40 RT TH 300 RT 5 65 15 65 710 85 <5 410 500 565
215 RT 1160
LEGEND Figure 17 1 - Study Intersection - Lane Configuration EXISTING 2013 PM PEAK - Traffic Signal 000 - PM Peak Hour Traffic Volumes HOUR TRAFFIC VOLUMES UT LT TH RT - Volume Turn Movement - Stop Sign U-Turn RightThruLeft No Scale Fairview Avenue Corridor
LT TH RT RightThruLeft Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Future Traffic Operations ACHD’s policy requiring intersection operation at an LOS D or better and segment operation at LOS E or better still applies to conditions in 2035, but with the planned widening projects along Fairview Avenue, the allowable peak hour traffic volume per direction will increase to 2,720 vehicles. With the significant increases in area traffic volumes forecast by 2035, peak hour traffic volumes will be close to this threshold in many areas and will exceed it around Lakes Place and Maple Grove Road with a maximum volume over 3,000 vehicles in the westbound direction. The future year 2035 baseline forecasted weekday PM peak hour intersection operations are summarized in Table 5. The operations were evaluated using the same methodology as used for the evaluation of existing conditions. The traffic volumes, traffic control, and lane configurations shown in Figure 18 were used in the analysis. The cycle lengths for signalized intersections have been kept the same as the existing cycle lengths. Some of these cycle lengths may have to change in the future to accommodate longer pedestrian crossing distances and higher traffic volumes. As indicated in Table 5, the five intersections at Eagle Road, Cloverdale Road, Five Mile Road, Curtis Road, and Orchard Street will operate at an LOS F and seven other intersections will operate at an LOS E, failing to comply with ACHD’s mobility policy. Furthermore, ten intersections will operate with v/c ratios greater than 1.0 (i.e., more cars will want to drive through than can be served). This shows that the congestion in the corridor will be significantly worse than the existing conditions even with the planned improvements in place. It is worth nothing that the proposed widening of streets in the study area (including Fairview Avenue and the intersecting streets) may drive additional traffic to the study intersections, and degrade the intersection operations.
April 9, 2013 Page 37 of 38 Fairview Avenue Corridor Access Management Technical Memorandum #1: Existing and Future Baseline Transportation Conditions
Table 5: Existing 2013 and Future Year 2035 Baseline Weekday PM Peak Hour Intersection Operations Intersection LOS Control Intersection LOS Control Intersection Worst Lane Delay v/c Ratio Delay v/c Ratio Group v/c (seconds) (seconds) Ratio (Corresponding Lane Group) Existing Future Fairview Ave/Linder Rd D 47 0.88 E 79 1.08 1.10 (SBL) Fairview Ave/8th St A 10 0.57 C 32 0.91 0.93 (WBT) Fairview Ave/Meridian Rd D 46 0.95 E 76 1.10 1.10 (NBT) Fairview Ave/Main St C 29 0.67 E 69 1.04 1.25 (WBL) Fairview Ave/Lakes Pl B 12 0.62 C 32 0.90 0.91 (WBT,SBL) Fairview Ave /Locust Grove Rd D 46 0.78 E 69 0.97 0.99 (NBT) Fairview Ave/Hickory Ave C 26 0.72 D 45 1.05 1.32 (NBL)
Fairview Ave/Eagle Rd E 68 0.79 F 80 0.92 0.94 (EBT) Fairview Ave/Records Way C 25 0.46 E 58 0.86 0.94 (SBL) Fairview Ave/Cloverdale Rd D 35 0.72 F 103 1.17 1.23 (EBL) Fairview Ave/Steelwood Ave B/F 116 ‐ C 33 0.92 0.99 (NBT) Fairview Ave/Five Mile Rd D 54 0.92 F 86 1.12 1.16 (NBL) Fairview Ave/Mitchell St C 22 0.63 C 28 0.84 0.88 (WBT) Fairview Ave/Maple Grove Rd D 47 0.88 E 78 1.05 1.09 (NBL) Fairview Ave/Milwaukee St D 43 0.89 E 60 1.08 1.28 (NBL) Fairview Ave. /Cole Rd E 64 0.97 D 48 0.94 0.93 (EBL,NBT) Fairview Ave /Liberty St B 18 0.56 D 51 0.83 0.94 (WBT)
Fairview Ave /Curtis Rd D 48 0.91 F 91 1.18 1.32 (NBL)
Fairview Ave /Orchard St C 23 0.75 F 107 1.45 1.47 (EBL,NBL) *Note: For TWSC intersection, delay corresponds to the worst minor street movement; LOS = major street left turn/minor street. *Bold and shaded values exceed the mobility standard.
April 9, 2013 Page 38 of 38