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BACKGROUND In the summer of 2012, the Black Avenue residents contacted City Council to raise their concerns regarding speeding, pedestrian safety, and traffic congestion on Black Avenue between Hopyard Road and Santa Rita Road. DISCUSSION On September 5, 2012, staff conducted a neighborhood traffic calming program kickoff meeting that was attended by more than 50 residents. City staff introduced the traffic calming program, identified eligible traffic calming tools and their advantages and disadvantages, solicited feedback and identified neighborhood residents willing to help develop a neighborhood traffic calming plan. There was sufficient neighborhood interest to pursue traffic mitigation measures for Black Avenue, and a steering committee was formed from the residents at this kickoff meeting. The steering committee held several meetings to develop and finalize a traffic calming plan for Black Avenue. Since the length of Black Avenue between Hopyard and Santa Rita is approximately one mile, the steering committee raised several traffic concerns and recommended various traffic calming measures and solutions to reduce vehicle speed and improve pedestrian safety. City staff and the steering committee collaborated on a traffic calming plan (see Attachment 1) that includes the following traffic calming elements: 1. Installation of curb bulb outs, curb ramps, crosswalk and crosswalk signs at Black Avenue/Tanglewood Court and Black Avenue/Greenwood Road to improve pedestrian visibility and safety at these intersections. 2. Installation of a crosswalk, crosswalk signs, pedestrian ramps and neckdown in front of the Aquatic Center to channel pedestrians to a single crossing that will provide better pedestrian visibility and safety. 3. Installation of 25 MPH pavement legend adjacent to existing speed limit signs to reinforce the speed limit. 4. Installation of a trial speed lump at one location to reduce vehicle speed. 5. Lowering of one radar speed sign to increase the visibility of the sign. 6. Modification of striping at the west end of Black Avenue near Hopyard Road to improve safety and reduce vehicle speed. 7. Development of a parking policy for regional events at the Aquatic Center to reduce traffic congestion around the neighborhood. 8. Submission of a Reduction of Traffic Volume Request Letter to the United States Postal Service to reduce the use of Black Avenue. The estimated construction cost for this project is $405,000. The most significant cost is the construction of the curb bulb outs, which is estimated at $100,000 for each intersection. At the intersections of Black/Tanglewood and Black/Greenwood, the residents were concerned about pedestrian safety since they observed drivers that did not yield to pedestrians, drivers that drove around stopped vehicles, and/or made right turns at a high rate of speed. The bulb outs will address the resident's safety concerns by reducing the pedestrian crossing distance, increasing pedestrian visibility, and Page 2 of 4