CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FIFTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-22-13 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Tammy Fiebelkorn
RESOLUTION
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Directing The Administration To Install Three-Way Stop Signs At The Intersection Of Cutler Avenue NE And Morningside Drive NE (Fiebelkorn)
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WHEREAS, the businesses along Cutler Avenue NE between Carlisle Boulevard NE and Washington Street NE include a diverse range of retail, service, recreational, hospitality, and community-oriented uses; and
WHEREAS, the businesses along Cutler Avenue and in the immediate area are emerging as a recreational destination in Albuquerque; and
WHEREAS, recommendations identified with the community are contained within the Cutler Avenue Report, aiming to improve pedestrian and bicycling amenities in the area, address parking and safety, and to support placemaking and the redevelopment and investment in the Cutler Avenue area; and
WHEREAS, R-18-51, Enactment No. R-2018-058, adopted the Cutler Avenue Report as the policy document for the continued development, maintenance, and upgrading of transportation and lighting facilities in the public right-of-way along Cutler Avenue NE between Carlisle Boulevard NE and Washington Street NE, and the report recommendations suggested that a three-way stop and striped crosswalks could be installed at Cutler Avenue and Morningside Drive to provide a protected crossing; and
WHEREAS, the City presented conceptual plans for improvements along Cutler Avenue based on recommendations of the Cutler Avenue Report to businesses and stakeholders along Cutler Avenue, including a proposed pedestrian crossing with a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) approximately 100 feet west of the intersection of Cutler Avenue and Morningside Drive; and
WHEREAS, stakeholders along Cutler Avenue expressed concern about the location of the crossing as it relates to business access and pedestrian convenience and safety, suggesting that crosswalks on both sides of the intersection of Cutler Avenue and Morningside Drive would be more heavily utilized and therefore provide safer crossings for patrons of businesses and students at the 21st Century Public Academy charter school at 4300 Cutler Avenue NE, which serves students in grades 1 through 8; and
WHEREAS, a warrant analysis was conducted for a three-way stop at the intersection of Cutler Avenue and Morningside Drive with data collected on November 15, 2021 between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM; and
WHEREAS, the 21st Century Public Academy was operating on a hybrid schedule in November 2021, with approximately 60% in-person attendance, reducing the pedestrian volume at and around the school when data was collected; and
WHEREAS, the 21st Century Public Academy is expanding in the next year, increasing the number of students they will serve and therefore families visiting the school; and
WHEREAS, a significant number of of pedestrians in the area are children and young adults due to the presence of both the charter school and the Keshet Dance Company at the intersection of Cutler Avenue and Morningside Drive; and
WHEREAS, data collected does not account for high pedestrian activity at the Stone Age gym, where parking is located across Cutler Avenue from the gym, after work hours and after sunset until closing at 10:00 PM or on weekends, nor does it reflect high pedestrian and bicycle activity in the evening related to other businesses along the corridor; and
WHEREAS, Albuquerque ranks one of the highest in the nation for pedestrian deaths; and
WHEREAS, the City has adopted the Complete Streets Ordinance and in 2019 committed to Vision Zero to work toward the goal of zero traffic fatalities; and
WHEREAS, the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan states that some land uses, like schools, parks, community facilities, and commercial and activity centers, are more conducive to people walking and riding bicycles; and
WHEREAS, the Citiy’s Vision Zero Action Plan states that more frequent intersections and crossings, particularly those with pavement markings, signage, and signals, allow people to cross the street when they need to, while
also indicating to drivers that they should drive slowly and watch for others, and stop when people need to cross the street; Morningside Drive is the only intersection between Washington Street NE and Carlisle Boulevard NE and no crossings exist; and
WHEREAS, Section 2B.07 of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) provides that “the need to control vehicle/pedestrian conflicts near locations that generate high pedestrian volumes” may be considered in an engineering study for multi-way stop sign installation, and this optional factor is not referenced in the warrant analysis conducted for an all-way stop at the intersection of Cutler Avenue and Morningside Drive.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
Section 1. The City Council directs the Administration to convert the intersection of Cutler Avenue NE and Morningside Drive NE from a one-way stop to an all-way stop and to install crosswalks on all three legs of the intersection as part of or within 90 days after the completion of construction the Cutler Avenue Pedestrian Improvements project.