2010-06-21Regular City Council Agenda

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By ordinance, parking on the north side of the street is prohibited. However, cars have been parallel parking on both sides of the street for almost 10 years. To date, parking on both sides of the street does not appear to create any unduly hazardous conditions. Nature of this Request There is a section in the one-way portion of Loop South that is 29 feet wide and can accommodate parallel on-street parking on both sides of the street. The ordinance would remove the no parking restriction only from that area. The Fire Department has indicated, where on-street parking is allowed, a minimum adjacent travel lane width of 11 feet is required to safely drive through the area. The parking restriction on Loop South would remain from Kingsland to a point 250 feet east where the roadway is only 26 feet wide. Installing on-street parking on both sides of the street along this area would interfere with emergency equipment since the adjacent travel lane would only be 10 feet wide. Allowing parking on one side of the street allows for an 18 feet wide adjacent aisle which meets the Fire Department's requirements. The parking restriction on Loop South on the north side of the street would also remain from Leland to a point 330 feetwest, since the roadway is two-way in this area and parking is allowed on the south side of the street. For the portion of Loop South that is 29 feet wide, the parallel parking lanes on each side of the street would each be 8-feet wide, for a total of 16 feet, leaving an adjacent aisle width of 13 feet which exceeds the requirements of the Fire Department. It also exceeds the dimensional requirements from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices ~MUTCD}. In order to accommodate on-street parking and to minimize potential accidents and conflicts between moving and parking vehicles, the MUTCD's minimum dimensional requirements also require a minimum 8 feet wide parking lane width and an 11 feet wide adjacent aisle. Finally, the City follows the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department's Guidebook for Local Agencies when addressing traffic control issues. The recommended curb parking restrictions below are based on the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Gfficials' ~AASHTG} Geometric Design of Highways and Streets: Street Width Two-Vllay Street Designation One-way Street Designation Greater than 34 feet Parking Allowed -Both Sides Parking Allowed -Both Sides 28 ft to 34 ft Restrict Parking -Gne Side Parking Allowed -Both Sides 22 ft to 28 ft Restrict Parking -Both Sides Restrict Parking -Gne Side Less than 22 ft Restrict Parkin -Both Sides Restrict Parkin -Both Sides The City is meeting the above referenced AASHTG street design guidelines on Loop South as follows: For the portion of Loop South 26 ft wide, the street is one-way and parking is restricted to one side of the street. For the portion of Loop South 29 ft wide, the street is one-way and parking can be allowed on both sides. For the portion of Loop South 32 ft wide, the street is two- wayand parking is restricted to one side of the street. June 21, 2010 L-1-3