CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Waive the first reading and pass the ordinance establishing a “School Parking Restriction” traffic schedule in the Naperville Municipal Code (requires six positive votes) (Item 1 of 2)
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: William J. Novack, P.E., Director of Transportation, Engineering and Development/City Engineer
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
On April 4, 2024, the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) approved a recommendation to establish a “School Parking Restriction” to the Municipal Code traffic schedule. Approved (8-0). TAB also approved a recommendation to add street restrictions to the “School Parking Restrictions” Municipal Code traffic schedule. This came with an amendment recommended by staff. Approved (8-0). Staff concurs.
BACKGROUND:
The Transportation, Engineering and Development Business Group (TED) develops traffic control and school walk route plans for elementary and junior high schools. These plans are posted on the City of Naperville website and also are distributed to schools and district officials.
Traffic control plans highlight parking regulations, bus loading zones and special parent pick-up and drop-off zones. Each plan strictly eliminates parent parking on the approaches to each crosswalk and school driveway entrances and exits to ensure that the crossing children may be clearly seen.
The school walk route maps are used to help identify routes for students to use on their way to and from school.
There are 35 elementary and junior high schools within the city limits. While each school has a unique traffic control and school walk route plan, the goal is to have terminology and restrictions standardized throughout the City.
DISCUSSION:
Over the past few years, TED staff has been updating the traffic control and school walk route plans on a request basis. This typically involved reviewing and observing current plans and making modifications if warranted. While this process was effective in improving outdated plans, some schools have had plans that have not been reviewed for over 20 years.
These outdated plans did not match what traffic patterns in the field or the Municipal Code parking regulations and zones.
In 2023, TED staff reached out to the safety directors at District 203 and District 204 to review each school’s traffic control and school walk route plans with the goal of making the arrival and dismissal procedures safer. The district safety directors met with TED staff at each school for observations. Letters of support from the districts are attached.
Over the last few months, TED staff has observed each school’s arrival and dismissal procedures and are in the process of making modifications to those procedures. Some of these modifications will have no impact on arrival and dismissal operations while others will have a larger impact.
The signage and striping modifications that are a byproduct of this project will be completed on a priority basis. The modifications that have a direct impact on school operations will be completed in the summer of 2024 before the 2024-2025 school year begins.
TED staff has sent letters to impacted residents explaining the alteration of operations or a modification that was not present before. Staff made 23 different parking modifications with 22 receiving positive support of the restriction. One restriction received below the minimum of 60% support needed for TAB consideration and has been removed from the recommendations.
During this process, staff found duplicate and redundant ordinances. 381 restrictions were removed from existing traffic schedules and 166 restrictions were added back to the school parking restrictions traffic schedule.
The current Municipal Code has parking restrictions related to schools in five different traffic schedules which can make it difficult to find specific parking restrictions for a school. Staff recommends consolidating the school-related parking restrictions from these five different traffic schedules into a new traffic schedule that will be specific to school-related parking restrictions. Upon approval, staff recommends passing an ordinance (File 24-0382B) to add street restrictions to the new school-related parking restrictions.
Related file: 24-0382B - Waive the first reading and pass the ordinance to add street restrictions to the “School Parking Restrictions” traffic schedule
FISCAL IMPACT:
Signage and pavement marking updates will $2,000 - $5,000 over the next three years.