SILVERTON HIGH SCHOOL AREA TRAFFIC SAFETY REVIEW

October 2009

Prepared by Bill Brownlee and Cindy Schmitt Marion County Public Works Salem, Oregon

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Public Works has reviewed several traffic safety concerns in the vicinity of the Silverton High School at the previous site on James Street (called the Schlador Street Campus), as well as at the newer Pine Street Campus since it opened in 1997. With the Pine Street Campus opening at full capacity in September 2009, a number of issues have arisen relating to traffic congestion, traffic control devices, and general safety in the area. This study summarizes the issues, data collection and field observations, and engineering findings and recommendations. This study was completed during good weather conditions, strategic peak hours, and after the school was open and functioning at full capacity in order to capture the busiest weekday conditions as they relate to school activity and congestion. To provide background information and build on our findings, the individual issues are presented in a specific order. Following is a summary of our basic findings and conclusions. For more discussion on justifications, details, and photos, please refer to the attached review sheet for each item, presented in the same order as listed here. This review process was beneficial to undertake for a number of reasons. It provided: a chance to review an existing situation that has undergone some fairly substantial growth recently, the opportunity to review and upgrade existing traffic control devices for both the City of Silverton and Marion County, the opportunity to identify some new installations that will improve safety and address community concerns, the opportunity to work directly with the new City Public Works Director, and a chance to arrive at an understanding with Silverton regarding which sections of road are under County jurisdiction, and what each jurisdiction can and cannot do within the others right-of-way. The Pine Street Campus is located on the northwest corner of the City of Silverton. Most of the flow of vehicles, and virtually all of the bicycle and pedestrian traffic, therefore moves to and from the school from the east and the south. Certain after-school sports still use the athletic facilities and some overflow parking for students occur at the old Schlador Street Campus, located to the east. The Pine Street Campus has three distinct access points which serve very specific users, one for student and visitors vehicles, one for buses and staff vehicles, and one for pick-up and drop-off of students by other vehicles. The latter also serves as the primary access for pedestrians and bicycles. All these factors determine where the primary walk routes are, where the most congestion occurs, and where the greatest safety risks are for both school-related users and the general traveling public. Crosswalk Request on Pine Street at Grant Street Both the City and school district have requested a crosswalk at this location, shown on the map following this summary. We determined that a crosswalk is warranted based on general pedestrian activity, combined with school-related use. We are proposing to install a standard pedestrian crosswalk subject to the City providing ADA-compliant ramps, adequate street lighting, and their portion of the signing. This request is in progress, with the City reviewing the costs of installing ramps and PGE evaluating the street lighting adequacy. Crosswalk Request on Grant Street at Florida Drive An existing, improperly signed and deficient crosswalk was found to have been installed at this location (see map), presumably by
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City crews, some time since the high school originally opened, without Marion County knowledge or permission. We determined that a crosswalk is warranted at this location, based on the large number of walking students, students being dropped off, and the proximity to the school itself. We are proposing to install a designated school crosswalk, subject to the City providing adequate street lighting, and very minor signing. This request is also in progress at this time with both the City and PGE. School Speed 20 Request on Grant Street A citizens petition was submitted specifically requesting a school zone on Grant Street, along with a request from the City and the School District. A significant amount of activity does occur in the section of Grant Street between Florida Street and the southerly access to the school. Given the focused area of heavy use, the fact that a school crosswalk is warranted at Florida Street, and the activity levels in this area are spread over several hours of the school day, staff is recommending a SCHOOL SPEED 20 7AM to 5PM be installed on the middle portion of Grant Street as marked on the map and described in detail in the review sheet. A FLASHING LIGHT installation is not required or recommended on this street. Most of the responsibility for installation will fall to the County; the City will need to do a small portion of the signing and legend work in their jurisdiction. School Speed 20 Request on Pine Street The review conducted revealed very little pedestrian or bicycle traffic related to the school or otherwise, and a high level of service and no congestion related to vehicular movements in or out of the Kromminga Drive access into the school. The existing roadway and features are highly developed and no safety issues were identified based on the level of use, actual driver behaviors, traffic volumes, or conflicts. A reduced-speed school zone is not warranted based on engineering and roadway safety criteria, and staff actually recommends against installing any form of SCHOOL SPEED 20 zone on Pine Street for the reasons listed in the attached review sheet. If staff is directed to install a reduced school zone posting, the review sheet discusses our recommendation for the conditions under which it should be installed. James Street School-Related Safety Issues The crosswalks and general signing in place on James Street is appropriate and City and County staff have agreed to maintain the status quo at this time. We recommended the City upgrade the size and location of their signing to meet MUTCD requirements and this is currently being pursued. Western Avenue and Grant Street STOP Sign Control Some time after the school opened, a STOP sign was installed on Western Avenue at Grant Street, presumably by the City without permission from or discussion with the County. Our warrant review determined that the STOP sign is warranted, and County crews will install the appropriate sign and pavement markings, and ask the City to remove their materials. Other Issues Noted in the Field and Being Addressed Further A number of vision obstructions were noted at intersections, particularly on Grant Street. County staff will review those in more detail, and contact property owners for removal of offending vegetation and landscaping. This may require coordination with City staff to accomplish. We have also requested the City remove a City-installed NO Parking sign on Pine Street which is completely faded and not needed. We have provided the City Public Works Office with maps that show which streets in Silverton our records show as being County jurisdiction, and we will periodically update them and make them available so we can avoid some of the problems we have each encountered in years past.

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CROSSWALK REVIEW Pine Street at Grant Street October 16, 2009

Background: Staff has reviewed a request by the City of Silverton to install a crosswalk at the intersection of Pine Street NE and Grant Street NE. The roadway jurisdiction is split at this location. The west leg of the intersection (on Pine Street) is under Marion County jurisdiction. The other three legs are under City of Silverton jurisdiction. A crosswalk had been painted on the west leg of this intersection sometime prior to 2001. It was subsequently covered over by a surface treatment in 2007 and not reinstalled. The crosswalk was presumably installed by the City of Silverton originally, and without Mario County knowledge, consultation, or approval. The crosswalk appears to never have been signed, as is required by the MUTCD. The City of Silverton, on September 10, 2009, requested that Marion County evaluate the feasibility of installing a crosswalk on Pine Street at this intersection. They cited the high number of students they anticipated would use the crosswalk to access the high school campus. The Pine Street and Grant Street intersection is a cross configuration with Pine Street trending east and west. Grant Street trends north and south. The two roads intersect at right angles. Pine Street carries an arterial functional classification and has a 2009 estimated traffic volume of 4,050. Grant Street is classified as a local street and has a daily traffic volume of 780 vehicles per day on On Grant Street at Pine Street, looking south. a typical school day. The culture of the surrounding area is urban residential. An active church is located on the northwest corner. It was noted during field observations that this church also generates a certain number of crossings related to worship services and other church related activities. Pine Street Pedestrian Facilities: Facilities are a mix of property line sidewalks, paved shoulders, and grass/gravel areas. Some sidewalks have curbed sections and some are adjacent to turnpike sections. Roadway sections without sidewalk have a mix of paved and gravel/grass shoulders. On Pine Street east of Grant Street, the sidewalks are property line with curbed sections and are continuous. The sidewalk west of Grant Street on the north side between Grant Street and Kromminga Drive (high school Pine Street access) is a continuous property line sidewalk, alternating between a curbed section and a turnpike section. On the south side of Pine Street, the sidewalk is a property line sidewalk with a curbed section. The sidewalk terminates approximately 200 feet west of Grant Street.
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Grant Street Pedestrian Facilities: North of Pine Street, Grant Street has a continuous curb line sidewalk on the west side from Pine Street to the high school campus. The east side has intermittent curbed sections, but no sidewalks. South of Pine Street, Grant Street is curbed, but has no sidewalks. Investigation: Pedestrian crossing activity was monitored and recorded. Five one-hour periods were sampled. The weekday periods monitored were morning, midday, and afternoon times, during school operation. The conditions were daylight, dry, and sunny. 57 pedestrians were observed crossing within 100 feet of the intersection over the five hours studied. Approximately 48% of those crossing appear to be school aged pedestrians associated with the high school. The remainder are adults and do not appear to be associated with school activity. Visibility: Visibility for pedestrians and drivers is good at this location. Street Lighting: A street light is located on the southeast corner. Posted Speed: 25 mph. The posted speed on Pine Street changes from 25 mph to 35 mph approximately 350 feet west of Grant Street. Pavement Width: Pine Street is 20 feet wide, curb to curb, on-street parking is not allowed. Existing Infrastructure Condition: The sidewalks adjacent to the proposed crosswalk location are generally in good condition. There are no ADA ramps present for this installation. Crosswalk Placement: If installed, the crosswalk should be installed on the west leg of the intersection. This lines up with the sidewalk installed on the west side of Grant Street between Pine Street and the High School. Recommendation: Based on our review, a warrant analysis produces 16 points. With a score of 16 points, Marion County would have no objection to the installation and approval would be at the Engineers discretion. It is recommended that a general pedestrian crosswalk (as opposed to just a school crosswalk) be installed on the west leg of Pine Street NE at Grant Street NE. The installation is subject to the following conditions: 1. The City of Silverton installing ADA-compliant ramps on the southwest and northwest corners. 2. The City bring the street lighting up to recommended standards for this application. The street lighting has been evaluated by PGE. The existing light on the southeast corner is a 200 watt light. PGE said that to meet current lighting standards for an arterial facility, a second 200 watt light needs to be installed on the north side of Pine Street. There is a pole in place that would support the equipment. Since the City is responsible for paying the bill on the street lights, they will have to agree to pay any additional costs. There are two options to get the light installed. Under Option A, PGE installs the equipment and retains ownership and maintenance responsibilities. The City would be billed $13.31 per month. Under the second option, PGE would install the equipment and the City would own it. The City would pay a monthly operational charge of $10.37 per month. A rough estimate of the installed cost is $600.00 to $700.00. 3. Marion County crews will install the crosswalk legend and crosswalk signing at the crosswalk and the advance signing for eastbound traffic after items 1 and 2 have been accomplished. The City of Silverton would install the advance signing for westbound traffic. 4. The City of Silverton should mark crosswalks across each Grant Street leg where Grant Street intersects Pine Street (stopped legs). This would better define the intended crossing locations and would serve to de-emphasize the east leg as a crossing point.
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CROSSWALK REVIEW Grant Street at Florida Drive October 16, 2009

Background: As part of the operational review related to the expansion and full occupation of the Silverton High School Pine Street campus, staff has reviewed a crosswalk installation that may have been installed by the City of Silverton as far back as 1997. The crosswalk is located on Grant Street at Florida Drive on the south leg of the intersection and may have been installed to facilitate pedestrian circulation between the Schlador Street campus and the Pine Street campus. The crosswalk was installed without Marion County knowledge, consultation, or approval. The crosswalk signing in place is incomplete and undersized. The crosswalk legend is very faded. The roadway jurisdiction is split at this location. The east leg of the intersection is under City of Silverton jurisdiction. The Grant Street legs are under Marion County jurisdiction to a point 115 feet south of Florida Drive. The Grant Street and Florida Drive intersection is a tee configuration with Grant Street trending north and south. Florida Drive runs east and west. The two roads intersect at a right angle and both are local streets. Grant Street has a daily traffic volume of 780 vehicles per day on a typical school day. The culture of the surrounding area is urban residential. The high school, a church, and approximately 10 homes are located along the west side of Grant Street. The culture east and south of Florida Drive is urban residential.

On Grant Street at Florida Drive, looking north toward Silverton High School. The high school drop-off and pedestrian access is on the left.

Grant Street Pedestrian Facilities: North of Pine Street, Grant Street has a continuous curb line sidewalk on the west side from Pine Street to the high school campus. The east side has intermittent curbed sections, but no sidewalks. An ADA ramp is in place on the west side of Grant Street across from the southeast corner of Florida Drive. There is not a ramp that lines up with the northeast corner. The southeast corner at Florida Drive has an ADA ramp and sidewalk. The northeast corner is curbed, but has no ADA ramps or sidewalk. Florida Drive Pedestrian Facilities: Florida Drive has a curb line sidewalk on the south side that runs continuous between Grant Street and James Street. This sidewalk connects into a crosswalk that crosses James Street to the old high school campus. The north side of Florida Drive is a turnpike section with no sidewalks.
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Investigation: Pedestrian crossing activity was monitored and recorded. Six one-hour periods were sampled. The weekday periods monitored were morning, midday, and afternoon times, during school operation. 382 pedestrians were observed crossing within 100 feet of the intersection over the six hours studied. Crossings occurred in three peak periods that coincide with students coming to school in the morning, lunchtime activities (an early and a late lunch), and school dismissal. The morning peak appears to be from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., the midday peak is centered around the split lunch schedule, and the afternoon activity picks up at 2:00 and peaks between 3:00 and 4:00. Approximately 98% of those crossing appear to be school aged pedestrians associated with the high school. A crosswalk on the north side of the intersection would provide the most logical and direct crossing route to access the sidewalk installed on the south side of Florida Drive. A certain number of pedestrians will follow this route, seeing it as more direct than using the south leg. Approximately 20% of the pedestrians we observed crossed on the north side of Florida Drive, either at the intersection or thereabouts. It should be noted though that one large group in this population was a group of 44 who appeared to be physical education students. The street light is also located on this side of the intersection. Even with a bulb of adequate wattage, the street light may provide better illumination for a crosswalk located on the north leg as opposed to a crosswalk located on the south leg. Visibility: Visibility for pedestrians and drivers is good at this location. Street Lighting. A street light is located on the northeast corner. Posted Speed : 25 mph. Pavement Width: Grant Street is approximately 30 feet wide, curb to curb. Existing Infrastructure Condition: The sidewalks adjacent to the proposed crosswalk location are in good condition. There are ADA ramps present on the south side of the intersection, there are none on the north side. There is no sidewalk on the north side of Florida Drive. Recommendation: Based on our review, a warrant analysis produces 64 points. With a score of 64 points, Marion County would mark the crosswalk. It is recommended that a school crosswalk be installed on Grant Street NE at Florida Drive NE. Even though the north leg may provide the most appropriate location based on pedestrian flow, because the sidewalk and ADA ramp infrastructure has been installed and configured to favor installing the crosswalk on the south leg, it is recommended that a school crosswalk be installed on the south leg. The installation is subject to the following conditions: 1. The street light wattage being evaluated and upgraded to an adequate level if it is found to be deficient for the proposed crosswalk. Since the City is responsible for paying the bill on the street lights, they will have to agree to pay any additional costs (Marion County has requested a review by PGE and is awaiting the results.) 2. Marion County crews will install the crosswalk legend and crosswalk signing at the crosswalk and the advance signing for southbound traffic. The City of Silverton would install the advance signing for northbound traffic. Justification: 1. The crossing volumes clearly warrant a crosswalk installation. 2. Sidewalks and ADA ramps are in place for a crosswalk placed on the south leg of the intersection. Placing the crosswalk on the north leg would require a financial investment to install ADA ramps and additional sidewalk.
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3. The street light is located on the north side of the intersection on the northeast corner. This light should be close enough to a crosswalk placed on the south leg if the wattage of the bulb is adequate. 4. Because the intersection is a tee configuration with Florida being the stem, a crosswalk placed on the south leg requires pedestrians to cross only one street. Placing a crosswalk on the north leg would require pedestrians to cross Grant Street and Florida Drive to access the sidewalk on the south side of Florida Drive.

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SCHOOL SPEED ZONE REVIEW Grant Street October 19, 2009

Background: The Silverton High School Pine Street campus was opened for limited operation in 1997. Through a bond measure, the school district, in 2009, was able to complete the construction of the campus and expand the use of the facility to encompass the entire high school student body. Prior to the expansion, the campus had been used only for grades 9 and 10. Classes for grades 11 and 12 were held at the Schlador Street campus on James Street. In 1997 the City of Silverton and the Silver Falls School District requested that a SCHOOL SPEED 20 (SS20) zone be installed on Pine Street along the high school frontage. That request was denied based on a number of factors. At a meeting in March of 2009, the City of Silverton and the Silver Falls School District again discussed the desire to have a SS20 zone installed on Pine Street along the high school frontage in anticipation of safety problems. They also expressed interest in installing a SS20 zone on Grant Street adjacent to the high school. Staff again informed them that would not be approved based on the same rational used in 1997, combined with several years of school operation with no problematic safety issues. Subsequent to this discussion, the City of Silverton submitted a resolution, supported by the school district and a number of local citizens, to the Marion County Board of Commissioners requesting that the staff decision be overridden and that the school zones be installed as requested. As a result of the resolution, staff presented the resolutions to the Board at a Management Update Meeting on October 5th, and indicated a more thorough review would be undertaken to review the school speed zones, along with a number of other school safety issues. The recommendations on the school zone requests would be brought back to the Board at a later Update meeting. The Board made it very clear at the meeting on October 5th that they felt the requested school speed zones were very appropriate. Grant Street Investigation: The Pine Street campus is accessed at three points. The Kromminga Drive access off of Pine Street provides access to student and visitor parking via a 1,400-foot long access road. There are two accesses onto Grant Street. The northerly access is the school bus and staff-only access. It is located at the north perimeter of the school grounds and serves predominantly bus and vehicular access, as opposed to pedestrians. The southerly access is a student pick-up and drop-off access intended for private vehicles. This access is also the primary entry and exit point for pedestrian traffic related to the school. It is also the point where the school facilities are most visible and recognizable from the roadway. The street network around the school is within the city limits of Silverton. On Grant Street, Marion County has roadway jurisdiction from the north end of Grant Street (at the dead end) to a point 115 feet south of Florida Drive. The City of Silverton takes over jurisdiction from this point south. Grant Street is a two-lane roadway with a mix of pedestrian improvements. North of Pine Street, Grant Street has a continuous curb line sidewalk on the west side from Pine Street to the high school campus which serves a significant amount of the southbound pedestrian movement to and from the school. The east side of Grant Street has intermittent curbed sections, but no sidewalks. The culture of the surrounding area is urban residential. The high school, a church, and approximately 10 homes are located along the west side of Grant Street. The east side of the street is residential. The posted speed on Grant Street is 25 mph. It is functionally classed as a local street and carries a daily traffic volume of 780 vehicles per day on a typical school day.
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On Grant Street looking south from north of the student drop-off and pick-up access. Adjacent frontage is residential.

On Grant Street looking north toward Florida Drive. Note sidewalk on west side of Grant Street and faded crosswalk on south side of Florida Street.

Activity in the vicinity of the campus along Grant Street was observed over six, onehour periods during school operating times in September and October of 2009. Almost 400 students were observed crossing Grant Street over those six onehour periods. Pedestrian movements were heaviest from the school pick-up entrance and along Florida Drive. A high number of students walk to and from the campus and their homes along this route. Pedestrians involved with physical education and sports activities were also present along this route in substantial numbers. Movement along Grant Street south of the campus was not as heavy, but was the other predominant pedestrian movement observed. These two walking routes serve virtually all of the pedestrians and cyclists for the campus as they provide the most direct route between the school and Silvertons residential and commercial areas. Relatively few students make use of Western Avenue, which is too far north to serve the general student driving, biking, or walking population.

Vehicle traffic was busiest around the student drop-off and pick-up access. This use tended to peak before school started in the morning and when school was dismissed in the afternoon. Peaks were relatively short, lasting about 15 minutes. Observed activity north of the student drop-off and pick-up access was minimal. Pedestrian activity is sparse, and the staff vehicle and school bus activity appeared to be fairly nonimpactive and did not pose any particular safety concerns.
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As detailed in the Grant Street at Florida Drive crosswalk review component of this report, it is recommended that a school crosswalk be installed at the Grant Street and Florida Drive intersection on the south leg. City staff concurs with this recommendation and the joint installation will be pursued. The high activity and potential conflict area on Grant Street is focused between Florida Drive and the student drop-off access area. Since a crosswalk is justified, and there is a very focused area of activity, a SCHOOL SPEED 20 zone to cover this area can be justified. Because most of the activity is related to the school, and the existing speed limit is only 25mph presently, as reduced school zone would likely receive fairly good compliance. Recommendation: It is the recommendation of staff that a SCHOOL SPEED 20 zone be installed on Grant Street from 100 feet south of Florida Drive to a point 270 feet south of Western Avenue (at the north property line of the parcel located at 458 Grant Street). The limits of this zone would be set to focus attention on the area where safety is compromised the most based on lots of crossing and potentially conflicting movements. We do not recommend the zone extend any further south or north to avoid losing the highest level of impact on the motorists who need to heed it. This signing and the accompanying pavement legend would be incorporated with the school crosswalk installation at Florida Drive. Installation: Per current Oregon Revised Statutes, we have the option of installing this school zone to be in effect between 7 AM to 5 PM on school days, or to be in effect WHEN LIGHTS FLASH, which would require a more expensive flashing light installation be installed. Because Grant Street is a local street with a posted speed limit of 25 mph, and school related activity is obvious and expected during extended morning, lunch and afternoon periods, posting for 7 AM to 5 PM would be our recommendation. The added expense of school flashing lights is not justified or particularly beneficial at this location. The estimated cost to install the school speed zone with 7 AM to 5 PM signing is approximately $1,200.00. The cost to install a flasher installation would be in the $20,000 range, depending on power source issues. With a 7 AM to 5PM installation, Marion County would install and maintain at Marion County cost, all of the signing and pavement legends except for the school advance warning sign and school crossing legend placed on the south leg of Grant Street for northbound traffic. The City of Silverton would be responsible for this. If the flashing light installation was pursued, Marion County would facilitate the installation, provide the required installation parameters and maintain the completed installation, however the City or the Silver Falls School District would be responsible for paying for all installation costs.

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SCHOOL SPEED ZONE REVIEW Pine Street at Kromminga Drive October 19, 2009
Background: The Silverton High School Pine Street campus was opened for limited operation in 1997. Through a bond measure, the school district, in 2009, was able to complete the construction of the campus and expand the use of the facility to encompass the entire high school student body. Prior to the expansion, the campus had been used only for grades 9 and 10. Classes for grades 11 and 12 were held at the Schlador Street campus on James Street. In 1997 the City of Silverton and the Silver Falls School District requested that a SCHOOL SPEED 20 (SS20) zone be installed on Pine Street along the new high school frontage. That request was denied given the configuration of the campus, the length of the Kromminga Drive access, the distance of the school from Pine Street, and the lack of school activity adjacent to Pine Street, and because engineering standards strongly recommend against the installation of school speed zones for high schools. This approach was consistent with state and national guidance on the application of school speed zones. Even if it were a grade or middle school, these conditions would not warrant a school speed zone. At a meeting in March of 2009, the City of Silverton and the Silver Falls School District again discussed the desire to have a SS20 zone installed on Pine Street along the high school frontage in anticipation of safety problems related to the completion of the high school expansion. Staff again informed them that would not be approved based on the same rationale used in 1997, combined with several years of school operation with no problematic safety issues. Subsequent to this discussion, the City of Silverton submitted a resolution, supported by the school district and a number of local citizens, to the Marion County Board of Commissioners requesting that the staff decision be overridden and that a school zone be installed as requested. As a result of this submittal, staff presented the resolutions to the Board at a Management Update meeting on October 5th, and indicated a more thorough review would be undertaken to review the school speed zones, along with a number of other school safety issues. The recommendations on the school zone requests would be brought back to the Board at a later Update meeting. The Board made it very clear at the meeting on October 5th that they felt the requested school speed zones were very appropriate. Investigation: The Pine Street campus is accessed at three points. The Kromminga Drive access off of Pine Street provides access to student and visitor parking via a 1,400 foot long access road. There are two accesses onto Grant Street. One is the school bus and staff-only access. And the other is a student pick-up and drop-off and pedestrian access. These areas are within the city limits of Silverton, however, Marion County has roadway jurisdiction. The culture of the surrounding area is urban residential. The posted speed on Pine Street is 35 mph. It is functionally classified as an arterial and has a 2009 estimated traffic volume of 4,050 vehicles per day. Pine Street is a two-lane roadway with 3-4 foot wide paved shoulders. The school frontage on Pine Street is only 250 feet long, and consists of the access road connection, landscaping, and a Silverton High School monument sign. The high school facilities are not in view from Pine Street for vehicles traveling in either direction. There is a left turn refuge and a right turn deceleration lane located on Pine Street at Kromminga Drive, which were installed in 1997. There is a street light located on a pole on the south side of Pine Street opposite Kromminga Drive. As part of the 2009 campus expansion, missing sections of a walkway were
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added along the north side of Pine Street to complete the link between Grant Street and Kromminga Drive. The area otherwise lacks curb and sidewalk improvements. Pedestrian and vehicular activity was monitored and recorded along the Pine Street frontage. Four onehour periods were sampled. The periods monitored were morning and afternoon times, during school operation. A total of only five students were observed crossing Pine Street over the four hours studied. All five of these students were observed in a 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. time period. Only two other school-related pedestrians were even observed walking along Pine Street in this area. On Pine Street looking west towards Kromminga Drive. Note the right turn deceleration lane and sidewalks. Vehicular activity peaked at school dismissal times, but moved easily into traffic with little delay or backup in the access. Adequate gaps in traffic were available at all observed times to facilitate safe and orderly movements on and off the roadway. The most critical period of potential vehicle conflict would be the afternoon peak traffic period, however, the peak school traffic time does not coincide with the peak traffic time on Pine Street, which is later. Virtually all other traffic conflicts have been minimized by the existence of the turn refuges.

As discussed in the Grant Street School Zone Review, the majority On Pine Street looking east towards Kromminga Drive. of the activity related to the school Note the left turn pocket and the added green guide sign is occurring on Grant Street since to assist motorists in finding the school. it most directly serves the student walking and biking population, and also contains the most desirable and pedestrian- friendly access to the school facilities. By comparison, the Pine Street access is almost the back door to the campus on a daily functional level. Given the roadside culture described above, the extremely low level of pedestrian and bicycle activity measured, the lack of vehicular delay and conflict issues, and the higher level status and speed of the roadway, a reduced school speed zone is not warranted or advisable at this location.
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This conclusion would even apply if it were serving an elementary or middle school instead of a high school, given the findings of our field reviews. Though subtle, there are additional reasons that the installation of a school zone is not advisable at this location. These include the following: 1. Compliance with school speed zones is extremely difficult to obtain, even with regular enforcement and lots of roadside school activity. It is almost impossible to obtain when the average motorist cannot see and experience an activity level that supports the need to drive a reduced speed. For this reason, school speed zones should be applied judiciously and reserved for locations where the need is the greatest, where the driving public can relate their need to reduce speed to what is occurring near the roadway, and the installation is likely to improve safety on a regular basis. 2. The lack of activity relating to a school speed zone will assist in desensitizing the driving public to the value of school speed zones and will be perceived as a speed trap and revenue generating application, particularly if it is enforced with any regularity. Without regular enforcement, compliance is expected to be very low over time. 3. It may serve to compromise safety at the proposed new crosswalk on Pine Street roughly 1/3 of a mile to the east at Grant Street. Motorists who feel forced to comply with reduced speed zones, particularly school speed zones, tend to focus their attention on whether enforcement is present, and then speed up as soon as they leave the end of the zone. This takes their focus off of other roadway issues. The more active pedestrian crossing to be located at Grant Street is the more important traffic control device that we want the Pine Street motorists to see and heed. Recommendation: For the reasons discussed above, staff recommends against installing a school speed zone on Pine Street as requested by the City and the School District. It is staffs opinion that a school speed zone will not provide any real safety benefit, and may actually have a negative impact on overall school area safety and driver compliance. If the Board determines that it is appropriate to install a formal school speed zone along the Pine Street frontage, staff would highly recommend that it only be allowed if: 1. it is a flashing light installation that meets County equipment and installation specifications, and 2. the installation is funded by either the City of Silverton or the School District. Marion County, as the road jurisdiction, would own the equipment and be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the school speed zone installation in accordance with provisions of the Oregon Revised Statutes. It would only be operated at distinct school arrival and dismissal times and would only be effective and enforceable when the lights are actually flashing. The programming of the installation would occur remotely from the County offices via a wireless paging system. The actual installation costs would be in the $20,000 range depending upon the type of power source available and other construction issues, and would be in addition to any engineering and permit costs related to development of plans, etc.

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SCHOOL AREA REVIEW James Street at Old High School Campus October 19, 2009
Background: The roadway jurisdiction is split on James Street. James Street from Hobart Road to Florida Drive is under Marion County jurisdiction. James Street south of Florida Drive is under the jurisdiction of the City of Silverton. Florida Drive is also under the jurisdiction of the City of Silverton. James Street is classified as a neighborhood collector in the Silverton Transportation System Plan. James Street has a 2009 estimated traffic volume of 1,750 vehicles per day. The culture of the surrounding area is urban residential to the west and the south. The culture to the north is acreage residential and agriculture. The posted speed on James Street is 25 mph. A SCHOOL SPEED 20 (SS20) zone was previously in place on James Street in the vicinity of the old high school campus (Schlador Street campus). The limits of the zone extended from a short distance north of Florida Drive on the north end to near Pine Street on the south end with the majority of the reduced speed zone located within the city. Two crosswalks across James Street were contained within the SS20 zone limits. On the north end at Florida Drive, the southbound SS20 signing was positioned to cover the school crosswalk located just inside city limits at Florida Drive. In preparation to move all classroom activity to the new Pine Street campus in 2009, the City of Silverton removed the SS20 zone signing, thereby removing the speed limit 20 restrictions. The crosswalk installations were left in place. Investigation: The old high school campus is not being used for classroom activity. The school district is using building space for offices and the school staff has some athletic offices there also. Sports activities being conducted at this campus are after school sports only, including football, track, and varsity baseball. The Pine Street campus is at capacity for student parking. To accommodate the overflow, some student have been allowed to park vehicles along James Street On James Street looking south towards Florida Drive. adjacent to the sports fields (north of Florida Drive.) The students then walk to the Pine Street campus. We have seen only minimal use of this overflow parking during our field observations Pedestrian circulation between the two campuses is fairly active. The James Street crosswalk at Florida Drive lines up with the sidewalk installed on the south side of Florida Drive that runs continuously between Grant Street and James Street. Pedestrian crossing activity was monitored and recorded. The weekday periods monitored were morning and afternoon times, during school operation. The conditions were daylight, sunny, and dry. 252 pedestrians were observed crossing within 100 feet of the crosswalk over the four hours studied. Approximately 99% of
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those crossing appear to be school aged pedestrians associated with the high school. Larger groups of students related to sports activities were common. Recommendation: 1. Maintain the school zone and crosswalk signing in its current configuration. Marion County will maintain all signs and pavement legends located north of Florida Drive. The City of Silverton shall maintain the crosswalk markings at Florida Drive and all pavement legends and signs located south of Florida Drive. 2. Discuss with the City of Silverton issues related to the location and condition of their crosswalk signing. The City has requested that their crews upgrade the signs to conform with MUTCD standards.

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STOP SIGN REVIEW Grant Street at Western Avenue October 16, 2009
Background: As part of the operational review related to the expansion and full occupation of the Silverton High School Pine Street campus, staff has reviewed a STOP sign that appears to have been installed by the City of Silverton between 2003 and 2006. The STOP sign is located on Western Avenue at Grant Street on the east leg of the intersection. The crosswalk was installed without Marion County knowledge, consultation, or approval. The roadway jurisdiction at this location belongs to Marion County. Investigation: Staff ran STOP sign warrants and determined that with the additional traffic generated by the high school operation, this STOP sign on Western Avenue is warranted. Based on the warrant analysis, and which legs are considered to be the major street, two-way stop control could conceivably be installed on either street. From a neighborhood and driver perspective, Grant Street would be considered the major street, which supports stopping Western Avenue at Grant Street.

On Western Avenue at Grant Street looking west. (Note that Western Avenue is aligned with the high school bus/faculty access which also has a STOP sign.)

Recommendation: Allow the STOP sign installation to remain. The following maintenance items need to be performed: 1. Replace the round steel pipe installation with a wood post installation. Marion County crews can coordinate this work with the City crews so that the City crews are on site and when the wood post installation has been completed, they can remove the pipe installation. 2. Install a stop bar on Western Avenue at Grant Street. Justification: 1. The STOP sign has been in place for three to six years. Area drivers are used to it in its present location. 2. No operational or safety problems have been reported related to this installation. 3. The through nature of Grant Street (direct connection between the high school and Pine Street) support stopping Western Avenue as opposed to Grant Street.

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