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CC Resolution No. 1210 2329 RESOLUTION NO. 1210 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS, ESTABLISHING CRITERIA FOR THE PLACEMENT OF TRAFFIC HUMPS; AND PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE THEREOF. ***************************************************************** WHEREAS, residential neighborhoods are adversely impacted by prevalent occurrences of excessive speed; and WHEREAS, traffic humps are an effective and appropriate device for safely reducing vehicle speeds on certain types of streets; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS: Section 1: That the attached Exhibit "A" is hereby adopted as the criteria for placement of traffic humps in the City of Baytown. Section 2 : This resolution shall take effect immediately from and after its passage by the City of Baytown. INTRODUCED, READ, and PASSED by the affirmative vote of the City Council of the City of Baytown this the 28th day of April, 1994 . PETE C. AL FARO, Mayor ATTEST: EILEEN P. HALL, City Clerk yYa Z'�Z' (IGNACIO RAMIREZ, S . City Attorney legal/comcil/4-28-94mHUMPS 2330 CITY OF BAYTOWN ROAD HUMP POLICY D(HIB{T A Revised/Submitted: April 26 , 1994 Adopted: 2331 ROAD HUMP INSTALLATION POLICY AND GUIDELINES A. FINDING OF PURPOSE Residential neighborhoods are adversely impacted by prevalent occurrences of excessive speed. Road humps are an effective and appropriate device for safely reducing vehicle speeds on certain types of streets when installed in accordance with the provisions of this policy. B. GENERAL In order for road hump installations to be effective, they should be located selectively in accordance with defined transportation engineering criteria for the purpose of ameliorating documented speeding problems. Proper installation will also minimize driver frustration and encourage safe driving practices. This policy promotes reasonable opportunities for residents and property owners most affected by a proposed road hump to participate in the process that leads to its installation. It also provides for a sharing of the road hump installation cost between the City and neighborhood under certain conditions. C. DEFINITIONS AND RULES OF INTERPRETATION The term "APPLICANT" refers to the designated representative for the residents petitioning for installation of the road hump. The term "APPLICATION" for road humps includes the petition. "COMMISSION" unless otherwise specifically noted, refers to the Growth Management and Development Advisory Commission. "DIRECTOR" refers to the Director of Planning and Community Development and such other persons authorized by the Director to act in the same capacity for the purposes of this policy. "INITIAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECT" is a project specifically approved by the City Council for the purposes of testing the effectiveness of road humps as a deterrent to speeding during calendar year 1994 . "LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL DWELLINGS" includes dwellings in single-family houses, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes structures. "NEIGHBORHOOD" is that area adjoining the street which either fronts on the street or has direct driveway access off the street. 2332 "PRIMARY ROUTE FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES" refers to a route that is heavily used by police, fire, emergency services, and other emergency response vehicles due to the proximity of the emergency vehicle facility. "ROAD HUMP" is a geometric design feature of a roadway, consisting of a raised area in the roadway pavement surface extending transversely across the pavement surface, the primary purpose of which is to reduce the speed of vehicles traveling along that roadway. - "SPEEDS" are 85th percentile speeds as determined by a City- conducted or supervised speed study according to accepted traffic engineering practices. "STREET" refers to the street length that must be petitioned. It is a 1, 000 foot segment generally centered on the proposed location of the humps, or the length of the block, whichever is greater. If the 1, 000 foot segment extends into any part of an adjacent block, it includes the entire length of the adjacent block, unless separated by an intervening thoroughfare, traffic signal, or offset intersection. All other terms are as defined in the City Code of ordinances. D. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS All of the following criteria must be satisfied for a street to be considered eligible for road hump installation: 1. Petition: A petition that documents that a minimum of two-thirds of the households in low-density residential dwellings in the neighborhood support its installation. a. Signature of only one adult member of each household will be counted on the petition. b. The petition must include the address of each person signing the petition. 2 . PropertV Usage: The properties located within the neighborhood where the road hump is proposed must be primarily developed for, and used as, low density residential dwellings. 3 . Operational Characteristics of the Street: a. The street must be used to provide access to abutting low density residential properties (local residential street) and/or to collect traffic for such streets (residential collector) . 2333 b. There must be no more than one moving lane of traffic in each direction. C. Traffic volumes must be more than 500 vehicles per day but less than 8, 000 vehicles per day. d. Vehicle speeds must equal or exceed the Speed Criteria of 35 miles per hour (mph) . e. The street must not be an identified primary route for emergency vehicles. These routes are subject to change. f. The street must have a posted speed limit of 30 mph as determined in accordance with State law. i. At the present time, this provision would exclude the Texas Avenue between Commerce and Pruett Streets. 4. Geometric Characteristics of the Street: a. The street must have adequate sight distances to safely accommodate the hump as determined by the Director. i. All road humps are to be marked as provided for in the Texas Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices supplemented with signage and markings as the Director of Public Works deems necessary and appropriate. b. The street must not have curves or grades that prevent safe placement of the humps. Humps may be located on streets that contain curves and/or grades, but the hump itself must not be located within a horizontal curve, on a vertical grade greater than 8% or on their immediate approaches. C. The street must be paved. If there are no curbs, a special design must be used to prevent vehicles run-arounds. E. GENERAL PROCEDURES The following procedures are to be followed in determining whether or not a road hump is to be installed and having the installation approved or denied. 1. A written request for such installation must be submitted from one or more residents. This request must be submitted in writing to the Director. 2334 2 . Upon receipt of the request, the Director will make a preliminary determination as to whether the street is eligible for consideration using available transportation data. a. If the street is determined not to be eligible, the person making such request will be notified in writing. i. The requestor may appeal the denial to the Commission by filing a letter requesting an appeal with the Director within 30 days of being notified that the request was denied. All Commission actions are appealable in accordance with the Commission's adopted appeal procedures. ii. If the Commission determines the requested street is eligible, the process will resume with step E. 2 . b. b. If the street is determined eligible for consideration, the person making the request will arrange a meeting with the Director and affected residents to define the petition area, the approximate road hump location range, and whether the area would be CDBG eligible. At this meeting, the Director and the applicant will review the petition and cost sharing requirements. The Director will also provide at least one copy of the petition form which must be used. 3 . The applicant must submit a petition on forms provided by the Director. This petition must provide documentation that the requirement set forth in item D. 1. above have been met. a. Upon receipt of the petition, the Director will verify that the petition is adequate. i. If the Director determines that the petition is not adequate, a written notification of that determination will be provided to the applicant. This determination may be appealed in the same manner as the initial determination of eligibility for consideration. 4 . After verification of the petition, the Director will have conducted the necessary transportation engineering studies and solicit comments and recommendations of other agencies which may be impacted by the proposed installation. 2335 a. Such agencies may include, but are not limited to, the Goose Creek CISD, Lee College, Baytown Police Department, Baytown Fire Department, Baytown EMS, Sterling Library, etc. ) . 5. The Director will submit the comments, recommendations, and results of the studies to the Commission for their determination as to whether the street is determined eligible for road hump installation. a. If the street is determined not to be eligible for road hump installation, the applicant will be notified in writing of the decision: i. This decision may be appealed to the City Council in accordance with the Commission's adopted appeal procedures. b. If the street is determined to be eligible, the street will be placed on a list of streets eligible for road hump installation. 6. The City Engineer will prepare an installation cost estimate. This estimate will then be provided to the applicant. 7. After the proposed road hump has been determined to be eligible, but prior to installation of the road hump, the Director shall undertake the following: a. Send to each registered property owner residing within the impacted area: i. ) A notice of the proposed installation including a map depicting the proposed placement location. ii. ) A prepaid return postcard asking for the owner's approval/disapproval of the proposed installation. This postcard must be returned with the owner's signature to be considered valid. b. If 20% or more of the property owners respond with a disapproval noted, the proposed installation will be resubmitted to the Commission for a public hearing and reconsideration. i. ) If the Commission determines, based upon comments and evidence submitted at the public hearing, that the proposed installation should proceed based upon need, error in the responses, or such other factors as the Commission determines to be appropriate, the 2336 Director shall authorize installation of the road hump. a. ) Any person objecting to the installation may appeal this decision in accordance with the Commission's appeal procedures. If such an appeal is made, the installation shall be delayed until City Council resolution of the appeal. ii. ) If the Commission determines, based upon comments and evidence submitted at the public hearing, that the proposed installation should not proceed based upon changes in impact, conditions, or such other factors as the Commission determines to be appropriate, the proposed road hump shall not be installed, unless the City Council so directs following appeal of the Commission's decision by the Applicant in accordance with the Commission's appeal process. F. COST RESPONSIBILITY It is intended that installation of road humps should be a shared responsibility. The cost for the road hump installation (including signs, pavement markings, and, if necessary, special design features such as curbing or guard rail) may be shared between the City and residents according to the following criteria: 1. If the 85th percentile speed exceeds 35 mph, the City will assume full responsibility for the installation costs subject to the availability of budgeted funds. 2 . If the 85th percentile speed does not exceed 35 mph, the City will not assume any financial responsibility for installation costs. Residents of the area may provide the financial resources and the City may install the road hump. The term "residents" or "resident", when used in this context, does not necessarily refer to the petitioners or affected property owners. It is used to define the share of the cost that is not the responsibility of the City and could be paid by one or more of the residents or from other private sources. 3 . If the subject street is in a CDBG-eligible service area, the City may assume full responsibility for the installation costs subject to the availability of budgeted funds. 4 . For the initial demonstration projects, the City will assume full responsibility for the installation costs subject to the availability of funds. 2337 5. Costs associated with the transportation engineering studies and maintenance of the road humps are the responsibility of the City. Notwithstanding the provisions of the foregoing costs sharing criteria, residents of a neighborhood may be able to expedite road hump installation by voluntarily paying the full installation cost. G. ROAD HUMP REMOVAL AND ALTERATION The City Council may authorize removal or alteration of road humps. With the exceptions stated herein, the process for road hump removal or alteration by residents is the same as the process for installation. 1. There is no City participation in cost sharing for removal or alteration when in response to a petition from neighborhood residents. 2. Removal or alteration of road humps may be initiated by the City of Baytown. Where removal or alteration is initiated by the City, the City Council may authorize such removal or alteration and the City will assume all financial responsibility of the removal. H. ROAD HUMP LOCATION 1. A road hump must not be located in front of property where any of the following conditions exists: a. The occupant of the property, at the time the road hump is installed, objects to such placement. i. Objection by future occupants of the property will not automatically be grounds for removal of the road hump. b. In the case of a property containing low density multiple dwellings, a majority of the households residing in dwelling units on the property objects to its placement. 2 . To preclude visual obstruction of the road hump and its associated markings, a road hump should not be located where any of the following conditions exists: a. On street parking is permitted and frequently occurs. b. Areas where dense and relatively tall vegetation and other structures are reasonably anticipated to 2338 cast shadow over the road hump and surrounding pavement areas. 3 . Road humps should not be placed less than 100 feet from any intersecting roadway. 4. Road humps should be placed adjacent to a location of an existing street light. I. DESIGN STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES- The Director shall prepare and maintain current design standards and installation procedures for road humps in accordance with this policy. J. REASSESSMENT The City staff, in consultation with the Growth Management and Development Advisory Commission, will reassess this Policy on an annual basis for three year from the effective date of adoption of this policy. The first reassessment is due one year after the installation of the first road hump under provisions of this Policy. 2339 PETITION FOR INSTALLATION OF TRAFFIC HUMPS AND ASSOCIATED MARKINGS s We, the undersigned, do hereby petition the City of Baytown to install traffic humps along the section(s) of street specified herein. By signing this petition, I certify that I am authorized to sign the petition on behalf of my household and agree to and understand the provisions of the Traffic Hump Policy. Street: From: To: OK to install in front Name (Print) & of my Signature Phone Number Address home? WHO IS THE CONTACT PERSON FOR THIS REQUEST? Name: Address: Telephone: Please record all unoccupied (vacant) dwellings in the petition area. Also, note if there are any schools, parks, churches, and institutions on the street. Thank you. Return the completed petition to Director of Planning and Community Development; P. O. Box 424; Baytown, Texas 77522