TO: Mayor Thomas J. Weisner
FROM: Eric J. Gallt, City Traffic Engineer
DATE: April 28, 2014
SUBJECT:title
A Traffic Study for the 1100 Block of Jericho Road and related traffic concerns Ward 4, Alderman Donnell
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PURPOSE:
To determine the necessity of traffic mitigation to address high volume and turning movements associated with the weekly food pick up at Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry at 1110 Jericho Road.
BACKGROUND:
A resident contacted the City to request a traffic study for issues associated with the weekly food pick at the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry. The pantry has limited onsite capacity and during the early parts of the weekly pickup lines form on Jericho Road. These lines particularly in the winter cause unsafe behaviors by the thru traffic to avoid the back up. Initially traffic was allowed to enter from both the east and the west. The Pantry has been working on not allowing the eastbound traffic to take a left into the site. This restriction has worked well to address the eastbound traffic concern but is labor intensive for the volunteers. In addition the pantry utilizes the parking available two blocks west to stage overflow demand until the pantry site can allow more entering vehicles.
DISCUSSION:
While the pantry lot may not be adequate for the rush of patrons, the issue is only a concern for three days a week, on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. The Pantry opens at 10:00am and is almost immediately filled with clients. The issue on adjacent the roadway is limited to the first 45 minutes the pantry is open each day. Pantry safety personnel solved this problem with signs saying LOT FULL, and waving cars on to the overflow staging area. An additional issue arises when patrons try to exit the parking lot by turning left onto Jericho Road. Pantry security personnel recommend making the exit onto Jericho a RIGHT TURN ONLY option, which would speed traffic out of the Pantry lot, and eliminate th...
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