Military Road Safety Improvements

26th Road North to 31st Street North

SUMMARY OF DATA REVIEW AND PRELIMINARYRECOMMENDATIONS

Prepared for:

Department of Environmental ServicesTraffic Engineering and Operations Bureau

2100 Clarendon BoulevardArlington, Virginia 22201

Prepared by:

13221 Woodland Park Road, Suite 400Herndon, Virginia 20171

July 2007

Military Road Safety Improvements - 26th Street N to 31st Street N

July 2007 2

INTRODUCTION

The Traffic Engineering & Operations Bureau (TE&O) of the Arlington County Department ofEnvironmental Services has received significant input from citizens about traffic and safetyconcerns in the Military Road area. TE&O wishes to quickly implement low-costimprovements for the Military Road corridor to respond to the citizen requests.

The County’s Arterial Transportation Management (ATM) Study identifies a number ofpotential modifications to manage vehicle speed and improve pedestrian safety on MilitaryRoad. Since that study was completed several modifications have been implemented andinclude street restriping to accommodate bicycle lanes. The County desires to furtherimprove safety and will implement additional ATM measures on Military Road.

This memorandum summarizes citizen comments received, data collection, and traffic signalwarrants completed, and provides preliminary recommendations for safety improvements atthe Military Road and 26th Road North intersection, the Military Road and 30th Street N.intersection, and the Military Road and 31st Street North intersection. Theserecommendations will be provided to the citizens for review and comment prior torecommendations being finalized.

Crossing Guard at the unsignalized pedestrian crossing at the Military RoadIntersections with 26h Street N and 26th Road N

Military Road Safety Improvements - 26th Street N to 31st Street N

July 2007 3

CITIZEN COMMENTS

The Donaldson Run and the Bellevue Forest Civic Associations have expressed concern forpedestrian and vehicular safety in general, and at several locations on Military Road. Thefollowing summary of concerns and suggestions are based on information provided byArlington staff and from the public meeting on January 31, 2007.

Safety Concerns: Limited sight distance at the Military Road and 26th Street N intersection Pedestrian safety in the crosswalk on Military Road at 26th Road N Excessive vehicle speed along Military Road, especially near 30th Street N Pedestrian crossing safety at the Military Road and 31st Street N intersection Limited sight distance at the Military Road and 31st Street N intersection due to

parked cars along Military Road Lack of sidewalks and ADA ramps

Suggested Improvements: Traffic signal or a four-way stop at 31st Street Pedestrian crossing improvements at 31st Street and 26th Street Sight distance improvements at 26th Street and Marcey Road High-visibility crosswalks at key locations Traffic signal at the Military Road/Nellie Custis Drive Pedestrian signals at key locations (unspecific) Sidewalks and ADA ramps where none exist Speed humps on Military Road Relocation of pedestrian crossing flashers (further in-advance of crossing) at 26th

Road North Pedestrian actuated crossing flashing signage Speed actuated traffic signals

These concerns and suggestions were used as the basis for reviewing data collected andthe preliminary safety improvement recommendations.

DATA COLLECTION

Several data collection efforts have been performed along Military Road. Data includesintersection turning movement traffic and pedestrian counts, speed data, and crash data.This data was used to evaluate citizen comments and suggestions as well as to developpreliminary recommendations.

Intersection Turning Movement CountsIntersection turning movement counts were performed at the Military Road and 26th RoadNorth intersection and the Military Road and 31st Street intersection on October 21, 2004and April 18, 2006, respectively. A summary of the traffic counts are provided in Tables 1and 2 for the Military Road and 26th Road North intersection and the Military Road and 31st

Street intersection, respectively. Copies of the counts are included in the Appendix.

Military Road Safety Improvements - 26th Street N to 31st Street N

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Table 1Summary of Approach Volumes

Military Road and 26th Road North(Vehicles or Pedestrian per Hour)

HourMajor Street*(Military Road)

Maximum ofMinor Street**(26th Road N)

Pedestrian (total crossing Military Road)

6:30 AM to 7:30 AM 570 16 47:30 AM to 8:30 AM 1,146 15 28:30 AM to 9:30 AM 1,002 15 0

11:00 AM to 12:00 PM 438 12 012:00 PM to 1:00 PM 501 7 13:30 PM to 4:30 PM 832 13 04:30 PM to 5:30 PM 902 16 05:30 PM to 6:30 PM 1,049 16 3*Total of both approaches** 26th Street was not counted

Table 2Summary of Approach Volumes

Military Road and 31st Street North(Vehicles or Pedestrian per Hour)

HourMajor Street*(Military Road)

Maximum ofMinor Street

(31st Street N.)

Pedestrian (total crossing Military Road)

7:00 AM to 8:00 AM 519 55 78:00 AM to 9:00 AM 598 56 10

11:00 AM to 12:00 PM 595 73 612:00 PM to 1:00 PM 641 90 114:00 PM to 5:00 PM 736 97 15:00 PM to 6:00 PM 845 107 96:00 PM to 7:00 PM 837 100 7*Total of both approaches

Speed DataSpeed data was collected to quantify vehicle speeds at several locations on Military Road.This data included 85th percentile and average speed. 85th percentile speed is defined asthe speed at, or below which 85 percent of the surveyed motor vehicles traveled. The useof 85th percentile speed as a measure is a traffic engineering industry standard for studyingspeed along streets. It has been shown that when posted speed limits are within 5 mph ofthe 85th percentile speed the crash risk is the lowest. Speed data was collected at thefollowing locations:

Military Road between Marcey Road and 26th Street North Military Road between Marcey Road North and 30th Street North Military Road between 30th Street North and 31st Street North Military Road north of 38th Street North

Military Road Safety Improvements - 26th Street N to 31st Street N

July 2007 5

A summary of the speed data collected is shown in Table 3.

Table 3Military Road Speed Data Summary

85th Percentile Speed (Average Speed) in Miles per Hour*

Location Tues Weds. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun.

Military Road between 26th Street North and Marcey RoadNorthbound 39 (32) 34 (28) 31 (27) 31 (26) 31 (27) 32 (27)Southbound 31 (28) 31 (28) 31 (28) 31 (28) 32 (29) 32 (29)Military Road between Marcey Road and 30th Street NorthNorthbound - - - - - -Southbound 36 (32) 35 (31) 36 (32) 36 (32) 37 (33) 36 (33)Military Road between 30th Street North and 31st Street NorthNorthbound 47 (41) 45 (40) 46 (40) 45 (40) 46 (40) 46 (40)Southbound - - - - - -Military Road North of 38th Street NorthNorthbound 41 (36) - 42 (37) - 42 (37) -

Southbound 35 (31) - 35 (31) - 35 (32) -*Posted speed limit of 30mph

The speed data summary shows that 85th percentile speeds in the area near 26th StreetNorth are generally less than 5 mph above the posted speed limit. The one exception to thiswas in the northbound direction on the Tuesday measured, the 85th percentile speed was39 mph.

Between Marcey Road and 30th Street, the speed data shows that the 85th percentile is 6-7mph above the posted speed limit. Between 30th Street and 31st Street, the 85th percentilespeed is more than 15 mph above the posted speed limit. It is assumed that this high speedis due to the vertical curve in the roadway which vehicles accelerate down the hill towardsthe Military Road and 30th Street intersection. North of 38th Street, the northbound 85th

percentile speed is more than 10 mph above the posted speed limit while the southbounddirection 85th percentile speed is only 5 mph above the posted speed limit.

Based on the speed data shown, the citizens concern that there is excessive speeding nearthe Military Road and 30th Street intersection is validated.

Military Road Safety Improvements - 26th Street N to 31st Street N

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Crash DataCollision diagrams were provided by Arlington County records and are included in theAppendix. Tables 4 and 5 summarize the crash history at the Military Road and 26th StreetNorth the intersection and the Military Road and 31st Street North intersection, respectively.

Table 4Military Road and 26th Street North

Crash Data Summary

YearCrash Type

2004 2005 2006 Total

Right-angle 0 0 0 0Right-turn 0 0 0 0Left-turn 0 0 0 0Rear-end 0 1 0 1Side-swipe 0 0 0 0Head-on 0 0 0 0Total 0 1 0 0

Table 5Military Road and 31st Street North

Crash Data Summary

YearCrash Type

2004 2005 2006 Total

Right-angle 1 0 0 1Right-turn 0 0 0 0Left-turn 0 0 0 0Rear-end 1 0 0 1Side-swipe 0 0 0 0Head-on 0 0 0 0Total 2 0 0 2

Tables 4 and 5 show that the number of crashes reported at the two intersections isminimal. One crash was reported at the Military Street and 26th Street North intersectionand two crashes were reported at the Military Road and 31st Street North intersection. Thereported data does not support the citizen concerns about safety along the corridor. What isnot captured in the reported data are near misses and “perceived” safety, especially for

Military Road Safety Improvements - 26th Street N to 31st Street N

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pedestrians. These concerns are difficult to quantify, however measures can be taken toaddress the citizen concerns. These measures can include reducing the pedestriancrossing distance and minimizing exposure to vehicular traffic as well as enhanced signageand pavement markings.

SUMMARY OF PREVIOUSLY PERFORMED TRAFFIC SIGNAL WARRANT ANALYSES

Prior to this study, several traffic signal warrant analyses were performed for intersectionsalong Military Road. Traffic signal warrant analyses were performed in May 2005 at theMilitary Road and 26th Road North intersection and the Military Road and 30th Streetintersection. These were performed as a part of the citizen initiated traffic signal projectdeveloped by Paul Ferguson, the former Arlington Board chairman. These two locationswere selected by the Donaldson Run and the Bellevue Forest civic associations for trafficsignalization consideration. The Military Road and 31st Street intersection was analyzed inSeptember 2006 in response to citizen requests.

The results of the analysis showed that none of the three intersections warranted trafficsignals.

PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

As a result of a review of the data and the evaluation of the citizen concerns andsuggestions, preliminary recommendations have been developed. The preliminaryrecommendations are focused on low-cost, near term improvements that can beimplemented within existing right-of-way. Capital intensive improvements such as re-grading Military Road to improve sight distance was not included due to budgetarylimitations. Preliminary recommendations are:

1. Install intersection nubs on Military Road near 26th Street N and 26th Road N. Nubsshould be installed along Military Road and on both 26th Street North and 26th RoadNorth. The nubs will reduce pedestrian crossing distance and will also reducevehicle speed due to the “narrowing” effect.

Near-term improvement – Install low cost materials such as pavement markingwith reflectorized markers and/or rubber curbs.

A near-term alternative to nubs for existing intersections are providing raisedmaterial (concrete or rubber) that maintains drainage and pedestrian access. Anexample of this is shown below.

Long-term improvement – Install concrete curb nub with sidewalk and ADAramps

Military Road Safety Improvements - 26th Street N to 31st Street N

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2. Install dynamic signage that shows the speed limit and the vehicle speed (seepicture of an example) prior to the downhill segments of Military Road near 30th

Street N. The placement of these signs will need to be closely coordinated withproperty owners along Military Road in this area. Based on previous experience inArlington, there has been resistance from property owners for installing this type ofsignage in residential front yards.

3. Install sidewalks and ADA ramps where none exist today. This recommendationmay be cost prohibitive in the near-term if right-of-way needs to be acquired.

4. Convert existing crosswalk to ladder style at the Military Road and 31st Streetintersection.

5. Upgrade the existing flashing pedestrian crossing signage at the 26th Road Nintersection to be pedestrian actuated. Consideration should be given to signagefurther away from the intersection to allow vehicles more time to slow down at thecrosswalk.

Dynamic Speed Limit Signage

Intersection Nub Alternative

Military Road Safety Improvements - 26th Street N to 31st Street N

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6. Install medians along Military Road at the Military Road and 30th Street N.intersection and the Military Road and 31st Street N. intersection. The medians willreduce vehicle speed due to the “narrowing” effect. Installing medians will requirethe reducing the width of the travel lanes, bike lanes, and/or parking lanes to providearea for the median.

Near-term improvement – Install low cost materials such as pavement markingand/or rubber curbs.

Long-term improvement – Install raised concrete median

7. Install in-road yield to pedestrian signage at crosswalks on the centerline for bothtravel directions.

Pedestrian Actuation for Flashing Pedestrian Crossing Signage

In-road Yield to Pedestrian Signage

Military Road Safety Improvements - 26th Street N to 31st Street N

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8. Restrict on-street parking along Military Road near the 31st Street intersection toincrease sight distance for vehicles turning onto Military Road.

9. Create a Neighborhood Speed Watch Program

Figures 1 through 4 show the Military Road corridor and the preliminary recommendations,respectively.

RESPONSE TO OTHER CITIZEN SUGGESTIONS

In response to other citizen suggestions that were not included in the preliminaryrecommendations, the following is a summary of the remaining suggestions and a briefdiscussion of their applicability to Military Road.

Four-Way StopsFour-way stops are not recommended along Military Road. Four-way stops operate mostefficiently when the traffic volumes from all approach are relatively balanced; this is not thecase along the Military Road intersections. In practice, four-way stops have the potential toincrease mid-block vehice speeds when they are placed in inappropriate locations. Driverstend to increase speed between stops to make up for lost time. The Manual on UniformControl Devices (MUTCD), the national standard for signage and traffic control, states thatstop signs “should not be used as speed control.”

Speed HumpsSpeed humps are not recommended on Military Road. Speed humps are typically used onresidential and other local streets, but are not an appropriate measure on arterial streets.The installation of speed humps can lead to unintended new issues such as increases inmid-block vehicle speeds and additional traffic noise.

NEXT STEPS

The preliminary recommendations will be provided to the citizens for review and comment.A second citizen meeting will be held to compile the citizen feedback and develop finalrecommendations for implementation.

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RESTRICT ON-STREET PARKING

RESTRICT ON-STREETPARKING NEAR INTERSECTION

NEAR INTERSECTIONYIELD-TO-PEDESTRIANS SIGN (R1-6)TO LADDER STYLE AND INSTALLCONVERT EXISTING CROSSWALK

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*UPGRADE THE EXISTING FLASHINGPEDESTRIAN SIGNAGE FOR THESCHOOL ZONE TO BE PEDESTRIANACTUATED

PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS

PEDESTRIAN-ACTUATEDSIGNAL

APPENDIX

or

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Collision Diagram At: Military Rd And: 26th St N

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No. of Accidents: 1

Plotted Accidents:

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Rear-end

Side-swipe

Head-on

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Collision Diagram At: 31st St N And: Military Rd

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