CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Provide direction regarding the use of wheel stops (parking bumpers) in private parking lots within the City of Naperville
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: William J. Novack, Director of TED/City Engineer
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
NA
BACKGROUND:
At the October 1, 2019 City Council meeting two members of the Senior Task Force provided the attached brochure to the Mayor and City Council regarding wheel stops (parking bumpers). A member of the task force tripped and fell on one earlier that year and suffered serious injuries. The two members looked at many parking lots in Naperville and have suggested that the City pass an ordinance prohibiting the installation of wheel stops in all new construction in the City. City Council directed staff to research the issue and bring back a recommendation.
DISCUSSION:
The main purpose of a wheel stop is to serve as a physical signal to the driver that no additional forward movement is advised. They are usually installed at locations with sidewalk adjacent to the parking lot, so that cars do not pull too far forward and block the sidewalk. Some people have mistakenly thought that wheel stops provide protection to buildings or people behind the stop, but numerous accidents every year prove that wrong. Annually there are as many as 500 deaths and over 3,600 accidents in the United States because of vehicles crashing into outdoor dining, pedestrian areas and the interior of retail stores and other facilities. While wheel stops stop many vehicles, they do not stop all of them, especially with more and more SUV's on the road today.
While the City of Naperville does not prohibit the use of wheel stops, Section 1.7 of the City's Design Manual for Public Improvements discourages the use of wheel stops in accessible parking space loading areas due to the obstruction of the accessible route. Conducting a quick Google map survey of site...
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