The Village of Forest Hills Request to Experiment: Installation and Use of Pedestrian Advisory Shoulders on Village roads June 2019

Introduction/Background

The Village of Forest Hills, North Carolina, with assistance from J.M. Teague Engineering and Planning (JMTE), is requesting permission from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to experiment with the installation of a pedestrian advisory shoulder on sections of Village-owned and maintained roadway.

This variation of pavement markings and accompanying street signage in the Village intends to address residential concerns related to vehicular speeding and unsafe pedestrian conditions throughout the Village’s road network.

This submittal format complies with Section 1A.10 of the MUTCD. The specific items included in the request are:

1. Pedestrian advisory shoulder 2. Pedestrian advisory should street signage

Advisory shoulders are an emerging treatment in the United States and prioritize shared space for bicyclist and pedestrian travel by creating usable shoulders on a roadway that is otherwise too narrow to accommodate one.

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A. A statement indicating the nature of the problem:

Village residents and officials have expressed concern over vehicular speeding and illegal roadwayparking on Forest Hills’ roads. The roadway network is unique in that it has only one through-route for vehicular traffic – the loop formed by North and South Country Club Drives. Althoughthese roads are designated for two-way travel, they are quite narrow and range from 12 to 18feet in width at various points due to inconsistent topography, low traffic volume, and theresidential character of the Village. Roads are paved but contain no lane or edge line markings.

Forest Hills is a small community (pop. 365 at 2010 Census) and is zoned almost exclusivelyresidential. Its roads lack sidewalks, and the roadway serves as a popular route for pedestrians. Not enough space exists for pedestrians and passing motorists to move comfortably when usingthe roadway. The Village seeks to explore strategies not only for traffic calming but also to createa more pedestrian-friendly community.

The Village of Forest Hills is requesting permission to experiment with a traffic calming treatmentthat will allow installation of an advisory shoulder through the addition of pavement markings on two roadway segments that have traditionally been considered too narrow to fully accommodatecompeting users. This treatment will be referred to in this document as a pedestrian advisory shoulder.

The Village of Forest Hills is requesting permission to experiment with advisory shoulder motoristand pedestrian street signage along the entirety of North and South Country Club Drives. Considering the application of the advisory shoulder, new street signage would be required inorder to notify motorists and pedestrians of the unfamiliar road design and expected travelpatterns and behavior.

The following sections describe three typical problems experienced along North and SouthCountry Club Drives.

Problem 1: Motor Vehicle Speeding and Need for Creative Traffic CalmingThe posted speed limit along this entire section is 15 mph; however, a speed study conducted inlate 2018 revealed through two-day data collection that the 85th percentile speed was 28.2 mphon day one and 28.4 mph on day two. Residents and elected officials have expressed concern over vehicle speeding and have explored several traffic calming options in addition to the proposedpedestrian advisory shoulder.

Traffic calming measures such as speed humps can be effective. However, speed humpinstallation comes with a host of additional challenges such as snowplow operations, emergencyvehicle response time, roadway drainage, and speed hump maintenance issues. Due to thephysical constraints and design criteria necessary for proper speed hump installation, limitedareas exist along North Country Club Drive for speed hump installation due to the continuousgrade and curves. Two locations were identified along North Country Club Drive where speedhumps could be appropriately and effectively installed with respect to roadway alignment and

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geometrics. Although South Country Club Drive has many of the same limitations as North Country Club Drive, a few locations were identified where speed humps could be appropriately and effectively be installed with respect to roadway alignment and geometrics. The strategic placement of rumble stripes could also be effective in reducing speeds, especially in curves. The challenge with rumble stripes is entirely maintenance. Over time the ridges will flatten out due to vehicle traffic, snowplowing activities, and simple gravity. Due to the lack of an established centerline and the roadway width, rumble stripes are not recommended as a traffic calming device for North and South Country Club Drives. Problem 2: Illegal Parking Creating Safety Issues for Motorists and Pedestrians Village Council has expressed concern over motorists parking along Village roads and on road shoulders, which violates the Village’s Zoning Ordinance. The Village utilizes County Sherriff personnel to provide police services on a part-time basis, making consistent enforcement challenging. Parking illegally on North and South Country Club Drives creates a safety issue for motorists and pedestrians by creating visibility barriers and reducing the road width through which two-way motor traffic can navigate. Problem 3: Unsafe Pedestrian Conditions on Village Roads Speeding and illegal parking contribute to unsafe pedestrian conditions on North and South Country Club Drives. These unsafe conditions are exacerbated by a lack of paved, marked shoulder for pedestrians to use since no sidewalks exist due to topographical constraints. The Village and JMTE has preliminarily identified two sections of Village-owned roadway on which the proposed experimental treatment will occur:

1) Just west of 689 N Country Club Dr to just east of the Saxony Trail spur 2) South Country Club Dr east of the sharp switchback to where it intersects with Cave

Springs Rd

The Village and JMTE believe strategic implementation of a pedestrian advisory shoulder will accomplish several things:

• It will enhance pedestrian safety by creating a dedicated pedestrian space. • It will create a dedicated vehicle space and eliminate the meandering and guesswork type

driving while navigating the winding roads. • It will reduce the chance of vehicle to vehicle crashes. • It will reduce the current speed differential thereby creating a safer environment for all

road users. • It will eliminate the need for raised traffic calming measures (e.g. speed bumps) – thus

allowing snowplowing activities to remain in the current operation. • It may also alleviate issues with roadway parking.

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B. A description of the proposed change to the traffic control device or application of the traffic control device, how it was developed, the manner in which it deviates from the standard, and how it is expected to be an improvement over existing standards:

1) Pedestrian advisory shoulder

The road sections containing pedestrian advisory shoulders would be striped with a consistent 11-foot vehicular travel lane along with a marked pedestrian pathway that would vary in width from approximately four to six feet. Sections of these roads are narrow streets that currently function as a shared roadway environment without any pavement markings. A clearer delineation of user lanes and more conspicuous signing can create an environment where the roadway is treated and respected as a shared space. Additionally, this treatment will contain the following FHWA advisory shoulder design elements:

• A broken lane line that delineates the lane from the two-way travel lane. A broken line indicates that motor vehicles may encroach on the lane when necessary but must yield to any users in the lane.

• A two-way travel lane where motor vehicles operate in the absence of other vehicles approaching in the opposite direction. The two-way travel lane width is narrower than two conventional travel lanes and does not contain a striped center line. In the context of Forest Hills, the width of the two-way travel lane would be striped to a consistent 11-foot vehicular travel lane.

• Regulatory/warning signage is currently optional but something JMTE recommends. Advisory shoulders are a new and uncommon facility type, and signage can clarify conditions and which users have priority.

Traffic will continue to operate in both directions but with a clear direction to yield to pedestrians in the advisory shoulder. Should a meeting between two vehicles traveling in opposite directions occur, motor traffic can encroach in the advisory shoulder. The sharp switchback from North to South Country Club Drive is too narrow for a dedicated pathway, so it would remain a shared use space with no pavement markings.

Advisory shoulders are becoming an increasingly common traffic control device, and this proposed treatment is simply a variation of existing implementations to better fit the specific needs of the Forest Hills community. Having a narrow and shared roadway, low traffic volumes, and low traffic speeds allows more flexibility in terms of this experimental traffic control device. Due to the volume of traffic that is exceeding speed limits, few options exist that can address this specific set of problems. The Village believes that a pedestrian advisory shoulder is an appropriate option because:

• Temporarily narrowing an already narrow road when pedestrians are present provides traffic calming measures.

• This route is primarily shared between motorists and pedestrians; not necessarily motorists and cyclists.

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• Steep topography and winding roads eliminate the option of having a pedestrian lane on both sides due to visibility; limiting lane to one side provides additional pedestrian safety and a more understandable traffic transition for locals.

• 2) Advisory shoulder signage

Since this treatment is the first of its kind, it is important that all stakeholders become informed of the planned changes. Currently, no road signs exist that would comprehensively illustrate and direct traffic in this situation. After reviewing other RTEs around the country, the main issue that arises is a lack of understanding by the public which results in project rejection from the locals and an increased frustration toward the problem as a whole. The proposed sign is clear and concise in explaining how the pedestrian advisory shoulder should work. See Figure 4 for a rendering of the sign.

Ultimately, the FHWA welcomes variety, as this allows the agency to gather more comprehensive information on what works well and what doesn’t. By going through a formal, federally-backed experimentation process, the Village would benefit from stronger liability protections, FHWA technical support, and the opportunity to contribute meaningful data towards future implementation practices of advisory shoulders.

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C. Any illustration that would be helpful to understand the traffic control device or use of the traffic control device:

Figure 1: This layout shows where the proposed experimental treatment will be implemented on North and South Country Club Drives.

Figure 2: A point-of-view rendering of the proposed experimental treatment.

Figure 3: An example of the proposed pavement markings and vehicular position when no pedestrian is present.

Figure 4: An illustration of the proposed traffic signage.

Figure 5: An example of successful advisory shoulder implementation in another community. This figure shows advisory shoulders on both sides of the road, whereas this request to experiment proposes an advisory shoulder on one side of the road.

Figure 6: Appropriate ranges for motor vehicle volume and operating speed with regards to the application of an advisory shoulder treatment, according to the “Small Town and Rural Design Guide.”

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Figure 7: 2018 Official Village of Forest Hills Zoning Map

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D. Any supporting data explaining how the traffic control device was developed, if it has been tried, in what ways it was found to be adequate or inadequate, and how this choice of device or application was derived: The Village of Forest Hills and JMTE are aware of several ongoing studies across the U.S. involving advisory shoulders. Jurisdictions throughout the country have installed the facility type, but only five FHWA-approved advisory shoulder experiments currently exist in the country. If the Village were to pursue and be approved to implement advisory shoulders as an experimental roadway treatment, it would be the first municipality in North Carolina to do so. By undertaking this application process, the Village of Forest Hills and JMTE have the opportunity to design and implement a unique street facility that addresses traffic issues in an innovative way. Guiding Documents for Design and Implementation In December 2016, the FHWA published the Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks document as a resource for transportation practitioners in these communities. It applies existing national design guidelines in the rural context, addresses challenges specific to rural areas, and provides information on maintaining accessibility and compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), while at the same �me encouraging innovation. Advisory shoulders are one of the innovative facility types highlighted in the Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks document. Advisory shoulders prioritize shared space for bicyclist and pedestrian travel by creating usable shoulders on a roadway that is otherwise too narrow to accommodate one. The shoulder is delineated by dashed rather than solid pavement marking and optional pavement color. Motorists traveling in both directions share a single lane and will need to encroach into the advisory shoulder during meeting events; however, they may only enter the shoulder when no prioritized users are present and must overtake these users with caution due to potential oncoming traffic. While the FHWA uses the terms “Advisory Shoulder” and “Dashed Bicycle Lane” to refer to this facility type, JMTE proposes submitting an application for installation of a “Pedestrian Advisory Shoulder” which would function as an advisory shoulder exclusively for pedestrians. Many illustrations and renderings show the installation of advisory shoulders on both sides of the road; however, Forest Hills’ pavement width limits installation to just one side of the road. The intended result will be to convey additional pertinent information to roadway users by using a standard device (dotted line) in a non-standard application (to define a pedestrian rather than a bicycle lane). The test location is low volume and low speed but lacks the width required for the standard lane markings on both sides of the road.

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Design Elements The FHWA indicates that advisory shoulders either must or should contain the following design elements:

• A broken lane line that delineates the lane from the two-way travel lane. A broken line indicates that motor vehicles may encroach on the lane when necessary but must yield to any users in the lane.

• A two-way travel lane where motor vehicles operate in the absence of other vehicles approaching in the opposite direction. The two-way travel lane width is narrower than two conventional travel lanes and does not contain a striped center line. In the context of Forest Hills, the width of the two-way travel lane would be striped to a consistent 11-foot vehicular travel lane.

• Regulatory/warning signage is currently optional but something JMTE recommends. Advisory shoulders are a new and uncommon facility type, and signage can clarify conditions and which users have priority.

• The FHWA Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks document encourages the use of contrasting pavement materials to differentiate the Advisory Shoulder from the two-way travel lane in order to minimize unnecessary encroachment, but this is not mandatory.

• The FHWA Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks document recommends an Advisory Bike Lane width of six feet, and a minimum width of four feet when no curb and gutter is present.

Experimental Aspects The Village believes the volume of its streets, its street network, and the existing land use can appropriately support the proposed treatment. Proposed implementation would occur on low-volume, low-speed residential roads. The posted speed limit along the proposed sections of N Country Club Dr and S Country Club Dr is 15 mph which falls within the FHWA’s preferred motor vehicle operating speed for this treatment (see Figure 6). The Village experiences low traffic volume that is well below the threshold established by the FHWA for implementation of advisory shoulders. Additionally, advisory shoulder designs work best on road segments without frequent stops or signal-controlled intersections that require vehicles to stop within the roadway. The Village contains few intersections, and none are signal-controlled.

E. A legally binding statement certifying that the traffic control device is not protected by a patent or copywrite: To the best of the Village of Forest Hills’ knowledge, the concept of using pavement markings to indicate a pedestrian advisory shoulder that supplements standard traffic control devices is not protected by a patent or copyright.

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F. The time period and location(s) of the experiment: Construction of the proposed experimental traffic control devices is scheduled for the Fall of 2019. Evaluation will continue through Summer of 2021. This schedule assumes FHWA approval by August 2019. We can begin the experiment once the RTE is approved, provided no weather-related implementation issues alter the proposed experiment schedule.

G. A detailed research or evaluation plan that must provide for close monitoring of the experimentation, especially in the early stages of its field implementation. The evaluation plan should include before and after studies as well as quantitative data describing the performance of the experimental device: Although the Village will officially need to be the municipality on record, JMTE will conduct the necessary research, data collection, and monitoring. JMTE will work with the Village to manage the application process, including fulfillment of all evaluation and reporting requirements and facilitating implementation such as pavement marking and sign installation to be funded by the Village. Each location will need a separate request to the FHWA. Once the pedestrian advisory shoulder and signage is in place, JMTE will use traffic cameras and public survey data to observe and interpret its significance as a traffic calming implementation through the following:

• Over speeding traffic frequencies via camera surveillance • Pedestrian/Motorist confusion via survey • Pedestrian safety via survey and camera surveillance • Overall impression of the project via survey and camera surveillance

H. An agreement to restore the site of the experiment to a condition that complies with the provision of the Manual within 3 months following the end of the time period of this experiment. This agreement must also provide that the agency sponsoring the experimentation

TaskSummer

2019Fall

2019Winter2020

Spring 2020

Summer 2020

Fall 2020

Winter2021

Spring2021

Summer2021

Submit RTE to FHWA

Finalize Specific Data Collection Point Locations

Install Pedestrian Advisory Shoulder Treatments Including Lane Markings and Signage

Collect Pedestrian Advisory Shoulder Data

Synthesize and Analyze Data

Prepare Report Summarizing Data Analysis Results and Conclusions

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at any time will terminate the experimentation at any time that it determines significant safety concerns are directly or indirectly attributable to the experimentation. The FHWA’s Office of Transportation Operations has the right to terminate approval of the experimentation at any time if there is an indication of safety concerns. If, as a result of the experimentation, a request is made that this Manual be changed to include the device or application being experimented with, the device or application will be permitted to remain in place until an official rulemaking action has occurred. The Village of Forest Hills agrees to the above conditions. The Village will be utilizing MUTCD approved movement markings in ways that establish different operational meaning of the pavement markings and agrees to remove the pedestrian advisory shoulder markings within three months of completion of the study if necessary, based on the ultimate decision by the FHWA. In the event the FHWA reaches a decision that changes to the MUTCD are warranted to include the pedestrian advisory shoulder pavement markings, the experiment will be permanent. In the event the experiment creates significant safety concerns that warrant removal prior to the planned end of the experiment, the Village of Forest Hills will discontinue the experiment and remove the markings.

I. An agreement to provide semiannual progress reports for the duration of the experimentation, and an agreement to provide a copy of the final results of the experimentation to the FHWA’s Office of Transportation Operations within 3 months following completion of the experimentation. The FHWA’s Office of Transportation Operation has the right to terminate approval of the experimentation if reports are not provided in accordance with the schedule. The Village of Forest Hills agrees to the above conditions.

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