Description
The neighborhood should lobby for a decreased speed limit on Wasatch from the new traffic light north to the light at Bengal Blvd. A 30 mph limit is more suitable for the neighborhood and might encourage the through traffic to seek other routes north and south.
37 Comments
JFred (Registered User)
Also, all the writing on the street is distracting. Speed is too high and has been for too long. Time to make sensible changes people! Come on!!
JFred (Registered User)
I said:
Merging onto northbound unimpeded traffic is dangerous. Making the merging lane longer will not fix problem Plus an added expense. Just make the light turn red.This is such an easy fix so why the resistance? Come on.
Speed is too high and has been for too long. The writing on the roadway is very distracting also.
Please revisit and review this intersection. Thank you
Daniel Lowe (Registered User)
Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
M Jones (Registered User)
Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
ADIは、 UDOT Region 2 (Verified Official)
Alicia - UDOT Region 2 Traffic Operations (Verified Official)
Alicia - UDOT Region 2 Traffic Operations (Verified Official)
クローズド Kelly Jones (Registered User)
If you believe people are speeding, I recommend calling the Police to monitor the area.
Reopened Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
EKraan (Registered User)
MIsrael (Registered User)
Based on the criteria established by UDOT on your website, “Consideration may be given for a speed limit below the 85th percentile speed when the 85th percentile speed appears inappropriate based on the following six factors:
1. Road surface characteristics, shoulder condition, grade, alignment, and sight distance.
2. Roadside development, culture, and roadside friction.
3. Safe speeds for curves or hazardous locations within the zone.
4. Pedestrian activity, parking practices, and other traffic.
5. Reported crash experience for the most recent three-year period.
6. Statutory speed limits.”
I believe a 50mph speed limit on this section of road is inappropriate based on the above. Specifically:
1. In the winter the road surface is often covered by snow/ice. Due to weather, grades, and curves the sight distance is shortened. There is also frequently wildlife on this section of road.
2. Regarding roadside development, this arterial road passes through a large residential community that only has ingress/egress via Wasatch Blvd. All schools, parks, libraries, businesses and services are located west of Wasatch. Without over/underpasses to bypass Wasatch Blvd., the residents of the communities east of Wasatch rely on safe access in order to reach essential services
3. The turn lane onto Golden Hills aligns directly with oncoming traffic, which represents a hazardous location.
4. There is little pedestrian activity due to a lack of continuous pedestrian way. However this section of road is heavily used by cyclists and the city has determined that it is unsafe with the current 50mph speed limit. As the city has made it a priority to encourage pedestrian and bicycle friendly communities, the speed limit should be lowered to reflect this shared use.
The Cottonwood Heights Bicycle and Trails Master Plan specifically calls attention to this issue:
“The existing Category 2 bicycle lane on Wasatch Boulevard should be upgraded to better accommodate for bicyclist safety. Category 2 bicycle lanes are adequate on roads with speed limits of 25-40 miles per hour. The speed limit on Wasatch Boulevard is currently 50 miles per hour. With only a narrow striped bicycle lane located directly adjacent to the travel lanes, this creates an uninviting and potentially unsafe conditions.”
5. With the recent changes to the High T intersection at Wasatch and LCC data from the prior 3 years may not be a reliable indicator of present conditions and dangers. However, according to data from UDOT (http://crashmapping.utah.gov), in the 3 year period between 1/01/15 - 1/01/18 there were 79 accidents on the approx. 2.4 mile section of Wasatch Blvd. between BCC and LCC, 22 of which resulted in injuries. With the new free flow traffic exiting the canyon at higher average speeds, in conjunction with the new merge pattern, I would expect that the total number of accidents on this section will increase and that higher average speeds could result in a greater number of injuries.
I do not believe that the residents living in the communities east of Wasatch are trying to be unreasonable, difficult, or obstructionist. We rely heavily on this stretch or road to access local services, to commute to work and school, and to access the canyons for recreation. As heavy daily users of this route we too share a desire for quick and efficient travel, however many of us have safety concerns with respect to the new intersection and resulting travel speeds on this section of road. As a concerned resident, I am interested in participating in the process and working with UDOT to address these concerns.
M Jones (Registered User)
M Jones (Registered User)
M Jones (Registered User)
Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
M Jones (Registered User)
Marge - UDOT Region 2 Traffic Engineer (Registered User)
MIsreal's past comment outlining the steps regarding speed limits was very good. By law UDOT must follow these guidelines and have a full engineering study prior to changing speed limits. The last speed study at this location was done in 2010, and it shows that the 85th percentile speeds are at or above the posted speeds, and that the crash rate is considered low in comparison to the average crash rates for other Urban Principal Arterials. Therefore the speed limits were not modified (raised) at that time.
Looking at the current situation, there have been some modifications to the corridor, and as well there is an environmental document currently being worked on that will present some alternatives for how the road will look and function in the future and as well another project is in scoping for adding a northbound travel lane in the section from Bengal Boulevard to SR-209. With all this occurring it could change driver behavior along the corridor. It would be good to wait for these improvements to be completed prior to modifying the speed limit so that we can account for any roadway modifications.
These projects will take some time, (possibly a couple of years) and I know there are concerns now. However, It would be wise to wait for the improvements because a study now will likely not show a speed reduction is required, and an additional study will likely have to be done after all of the improvements anyway. As our traffic volumes increase, drivers will need to be more attentive, and our state routes will become even more important to get people around efficiently. We will ask the City for increased enforcement now and work diligently to make the corridor as safe as possible. We will plan to do a speed study in the future after our projects are complete and this corridor is in a more finalized state. We appreciate your interest and take your comments seriously. Thank you.
Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
クローズド Marge - UDOT Region 2 Traffic Engineer (Registered User)
Reopened mkhn (Registered User)
mkhn (Registered User)
Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
Marge - UDOT Region 2 Traffic Engineer (Registered User)
クローズド M Jones (Registered User)
Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
mkhn (Registered User)
mkhn (Registered User)
Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
Marge - UDOT Region 2 Traffic Engineer (Registered User)
Hello All,
Below is the language from the UDOT Government code as found on the State of Utah website indicating how speed limits shall be determined:
41-6a-602. Speed limits established on state highways.
(1)
(a) The Department of Transportation shall determine the reasonable and safe speed limit for each highway or section of highway under its jurisdiction.
(b) For each highway or section of highway, each speed limit shall be based on a traffic engineering and safety study consistent with the requirements and recommendations in the most current version of the "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices."
(c) The traffic engineering and safety studies shall include:
(i) the design speed;
(ii) prevailing vehicle speeds;
(iii) accident history;
(iv) highway, traffic, and roadside conditions; and
(v) other highway safety factors.
Then, looking at the FHWA website recommendations and the Utah Manual of Traffic Control Devices, UDOT sets the speed limits based on the 85th percentile. See language from FHWA below:
Used extensively in the traffic engineering field, the 85th
percentile speed is based on the premise that the majority of
drivers choose reasonable speeds for given road conditions
and should be accommodated.
UDOT understands your concerns, but given the law, accident history, roadside conditions, etc. of this corridor we cannot change the speed limit at this time. Evaluations can be done in the future if significant changes to the roadway are made. We have looked at accident history and do not see that we are having more crashes than previously. I hope this provides you some additional information as to why we cannot, by law, modify the speed limit. We are required to meet the 85th percentile speed. Thank you for your inquiries.
Nikki Cavin-Grace (Registered User)
Reopened mkhn (Registered User)
クローズド M Jones (Registered User)