Subject:
Title
Consider authorizing City staff to install and enforce “No Thru Traffic” signs in the Portland East Neighborhood due to the Traffic Calming Program study
Body
Presented By: Thomas Hartman, PE, PMP, LEED AP, Director of Public Works
Recommendation and Review
The Portland East neighborhood was formally enrolled in the City’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (NTCP) in June 2018, after completing a number of perquisite steps for enrollment. A Traffic Calming Plan was then created to identify measures to be implemented in response to citizen concerns in the Portland East neighborhood about the high volume of cut-through traffic using neighborhood streets between Port Republic Road and Reservoir Street. City Council adopted the Traffic Calming Plan for the neighborhood in November 2018, and it is provided as an attachment.
Harrisonburg Public Works staff, in coordination with the Harrisonburg Police Department and neighborhood residents have installed all the measures included in the Portland East Neighborhood Traffic Calming Plan. Traffic data was collected before and after implementation of the measures, and it is provided as an attachment. The data shows that the measures led to reduced speed of vehicles driving through the neighborhood. However, traffic volumes were shown to be increasing, likely due to construction of nearby developments. In particular, the amount of traffic at late-night hours has been a concern to residents and was observed in the traffic data.