Better Roads for Less Money with Asset Management

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Freshcorn Road
Municipal managers are under pressure every day to deliver more services in spite of shrinking budgets. With only so much money available, they must make tough choices about what investments to make in their community. Though they’ve heard the benefits of asset management many times in recent years, they still don’t feel they have the money to invest in such programs – not when that money could be spent on the construction or repair of badly needed roadways, bridges, and pipes.

Many communities see asset management programs as an additional expense, but the truth is: asset management saves you more money than it costs.

See also: Position Yourself for Funding With Asset Management & Capital Improvement Planning

Imagine a tale of two cities: both celebrating the ribbon-cutting on a brand new roadway and each taking a very different approach to caring for it.

City #1 has no asset management or capital improvement planning program. It does not assess the condition of its roadways and plan long-term investments in their upkeep. It makes repairs when the need becomes obvious.

City #1 will make moderate investments in maintenance over the next 20 years, but the condition of the roadway will steadily decline. Ten years after the ribbon-cutting celebration, the roadway condition will be fair at best. Fifteen years after, the residents who heralded its construction will be grumbling about its potholes and cracks. Twenty years after, the condition of the road will be so poor that City #1 will need to completely replace the roadway at a cost of $1.2 million per lane mile.

City #2, on the other hand, has a robust asset management and capital improvement planning program. It routinely inspects the condition of its roadways and takes proactive action to keep those roadways in top form. With investments every five years of approximately $100,000 to resurface the pavement, City #2 maintains its roadway in good condition throughout the next two decades, keeping traffic flowing smoothly, encouraging growth and development, and making residents and local businesses happy. The condition of the roadway never declines to a state where travelers complain.

Roadway Conditions Over Time Graph

Over the same 20-year-period, the residents of City #2 will ultimately have paid less money ($400,000) than City #1 ($1.2 million) but will have enjoyed better roadway conditions over the long-term.

Still think you can’t afford to invest in asset management and capital improvement planning? As these two cities show, you can’t afford not to.

Stop Speeding in Your Neighborhood

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A version of this article was printed in the September 2017 issue of Pennsylvania Borough News magazine.

stop speeding

A comprehensive traffic calming program that includes community education and involvement, enhanced enforcement, and engineering control is the most effective way to stop speeders and make your neighborhood safe for pedestrians.

Municipal officials frequently get calls from their residents about speeding on local streets.  People are worried that they or their children might get hit by a car, or a dangerous vehicle collision could occur.  These are valid concerns that need to be addressed.  Unfortunately, many residents think stop signs are the way to fix the problem, and they pressure their officials to post them on their street.

But stop signs do not reduce vehicle speeds.  They are meant to indicate who has the right-of-way when traffic is coming from different directions, and state DOTs require municipalities to conduct a stop sign warrant analysis to make sure the intersection meets the conditions necessary to require a complete stop. If a municipality installs a stop sign where it is not warranted, it can present liability concerns, and studies indicate that stop signs are not effective for reducing speed anyway.

Drivers respond more to roadway conditions than signage – especially if they feel that signage is in conflict with those conditions.  In study after study, drivers who come to a stop-controlled intersection with no other traffic in the area frequently roll through the sign, slowing down for a few seconds rather than coming to a complete stop.  Then they often speed up more aggressively after moving through the intersection to make up for lost time.

A study conducted in Michigan by Richard Beaubien and published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers showed that placing stop signs along a roadway increased driver speeds, rather than decreasing them, and studies in Boulder, Colorado, and California have had similar results.

Lowering the speed limit below typical roadway safety standards is also ineffective because most drivers travel at a speed they deem typical for the roadway conditions, rather than constantly checking their speedometer against speed limit signs.

So what can you do to stop speeding on your local roads?

Institute a neighborhood traffic calming program that emphasizes community involvement and combines education and enforcement with engineering techniques such as speed humps.

Educate your residents with a community awareness campaign
Studies and enforcement data history indicate that the majority of speeding on local roads is done by drivers who live in those neighborhoods, so a community education campaign that includes articles in the municipal newsletter or posters at community gathering places (such as schools, libraries, and recreation centers) can be very effective at increasing awareness and reducing speeds.  Articles in the local newspaper or community magazine can also be helpful if the problem is significant enough to warrant it, and yard signs reminding people to slow down reinforce the point.

Back it up with enhanced enforcement
When educating the public about a speeding problem in your neighborhood, it’s important to tell them why you want to reduce speeds (including information on any crashes that may have occurred or the compromised safety of pedestrians).  It’s also important to connect your education effort with enhanced enforcement by police and let people know that tickets will be issued.  Education by itself will not deter speeders for long; the threat of fines is necessary to reduce speeding over the long haul.

Control speed with engineering devices (like speed humps), as needed
While education and enforcement can help reduce excessive speed in most situations, sometimes drivers need an extra nudge or reminder to slow down.  A traffic engineer can help you install measures that will encourage or even force drivers to slow down such as speed humps, rumble strips, traffic islands, road narrowing, and pavement markings.  (In another article in this series, we describe each of these measures, their cost, and their effectiveness.)

A comprehensive traffic calming program like this that combines education, enforcement, and engineering design can be very successful at eliminating speeding on local roads, but governing requires the consent of the governed.  Therefore, the effectiveness of a traffic calming program depends most of all on how invested the community is in making it work.  This makes community involvement from the earliest stages very important.

Many communities find it helpful to create a committee of residents to address traffic concerns in the neighborhood.  The committee can provide information on speeding and other traffic issues and work with the municipal officials, their retained engineer, and police to devise a strategy to address them.  All final decisions are made by municipal officials, but the committee plays a significant role in advising them and helping to determine a solution.

Working as a team, municipal officials, law enforcement, and residents can make roadways safer for the entire community.

 

For more information on traffic calming programs, read our other articles:

Traffic Calming - speed humpSpeed Humps and Other Traffic Control Techniques

There are many different traffic calming techniques, ranging from planting trees to constructing geometric roadway improvements.  Read a description of the most common techniques, their cost, and their effectiveness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Get Grant Money For Your Infrastructure with Asset Management & Capital Improvement Planning

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Benefits of Traffic Signal Retiming Outweigh Costs 40:1

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Traffic

This article was published in the June 2010 issue of Borough News magazine and is reprinted here with their permission.

If someone told you that you could spend as little as 1 percent of your transportation budget on an effort with up to a 40:1 return on that investment, would you believe him?  If he’s talking about traffic signal retiming, you should.

Often overlooked in favor of more high profile construction projects, traffic signal retiming is an inexpensive but hugely cost-effective effort that returns wide-ranging benefits, including reduced congestion and driver delay, reduced fuel consumption, and reduced air pollution, among others.  And the Institute of Transportation Engineers estimates these benefits could be gained for as little as 1% of public transportation funding but would return benefits outweighing the cost by 40:1. In this economic climate, that’s an investment that’s hard to beat.

Benefits of Traffic Signal Retiming
The goal of traffic signal retiming is to minimize the time vehicles moving in any direction have to wait at an intersection.  It involves prioritizing the signals in your community; determining which signals or groups of signals exhibit the most delay; collecting data on the current operations of the signal, including traffic counts and turning movements; modeling the traffic to determine a new timing plan; adding the revised timing plan to your Traffic Signal Permit Plan; and submitting it to PennDOT for review.

Once PennDOT approves the plan, it is implemented and monitored to determine if any further fine-tuning is necessary. The primary reason municipalities consider traffic signal retiming is to reduce congestion and driver delay, but this is just one of many benefits of properly timed traffic signals:

  • According to studies by the Institute of Transportation Engineers, traffic signal retiming reduces motorist delay at an intersection by 15-37 percent and reduces the motorist’s overall travel time by seven to 13 percent.
  • Reduced travel time and delay, in turn, decreases motorist frustration.
  • The Institute of Transportation Engineers also estimates that properly timed signals decrease fuel consumption by six to nine percent.
  • Properly timed signals reduce vehicle emissions, as well, thereby improving air quality.
  • In addition, properly timed signals reduce the number of collisions on municipal streets by producing smoother traffic flow and fewer stops. Smoother traffic flow also reduces driver aggression.
  • Improving traffic flow on signalized streets minimizes the number of drivers who take side streets in order to avoid congestion on the main corridors. This will then minimize the congestion and safety problems (as well as wear and tear) caused by use of these streets beyond what they were designed to handle.

Costs and Funding Options
So why don’t more communities retime their traffic signals?  Historically, traffic signal retiming has been seen as one more item in a long list of needs competing for limited public transportation funds.  Plowing, salting, and paving can exhaust a significant portion of Liquid Fuels monies.  If traffic signals are considered at all, it is to replace an extinguished signal lamp or to fix broken equipment.

But traffic signal retiming is an inexpensive effort that can reap huge rewards.  On average, a traffic signal retiming effort costs between $1,500 and $2,500 per signalized intersection. What’s more, a creative engineer with knowledge of the transportation funding process can help you find funding sources for a traffic signal retiming effort in order to reduce the burden on your borough budget.

For example, the SAFETEA-LU federal transportation funding program included a program called Congestion Management/Air Quality (or CMAQ), which has two goals: to reduce congestion and improve air quality – two of the main benefits of traffic signal retiming.  This program has been used effectively across the nation to help local communities fund traffic signal retiming efforts.

In many cases, regional organizations (such as councils of government or regional metropolitan planning organizations) have banded together using CMAQ funds to assist their local municipalities with traffic signal retiming programs.  Here in Pennsylvania, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a metropolitan planning organization that covers 10 counties surrounding the City of Pittsburgh, engaged a consulting team of which Herbert Rowland and Grubic is a team member, embarked on such an effort in 2008 which is currently ongoing.

The federal SAFETEA-LU bill has expired and is operating under continuing resolution while a new bill is developed.  It is unknown what the final form or format of the types of funding programs will be in the next bill, however it has been reported that there will be an emphasis on the reduction of congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and improve air quality.

When should signal retiming be implemented in your community?
A municipality should develop a program for the routine traffic signal retiming of all of the signals within the community.  The program should place a priority for retiming on each signal in an effort to ensure that the signals with the most impact on the traveling public are retimed most often.

The Institute of Transportation Engineers recommends that all traffic signal timing plans be re-evaluated, at minimum, every three years to account for normal growth in traffic demand.  It is also important to retime signals any time new homes or businesses are constructed or a shift occurs in the location of employment centers within a community.  Such changes inevitably alter traffic patterns, necessitating revisions to the traffic signal timing plans.

Who should implement signal retiming in your community?
It is important to engage professionals to aid in the development and implementation of a traffic signal retiming program.  It is recommended that these professionals be individuals with specific training and experience in signal retiming and certification as a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE).  A PTOE is a person who applies a comprehensive knowledge of technology and scientific principles acquired through study and experience to the supervision of day-to-day operation of traffic systems.  To become certified as a PTOE one must have a valid license to practice engineering (P.E.), a minimum of four years of experience, and pass a written certification examination.

As stewards of the public dollar, borough officials are constantly seeking the most cost-effective ways to improve the quality of life for their community, and, with benefits that outweigh the costs by 40:1, traffic signal timing is perhaps one of the best ways they can accomplish this goal.

For as little as $1,500 per intersection, your borough can enjoy wide-ranging benefits such as reduced congestion and motorist delay, reduced fuel consumption, and improved air quality.  Moreover, funding is available to those who are creative in order to offset the cost of this inexpensive effort.

If your community has experienced residential or business construction or you simply have not examined your traffic signal timing in more than three years, now is the time to revisit your signal timing plans.

What You Need to Know Before Installing Roadway Signage and Traffic Control Devices

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Signage

This article was published in the July 2010 issue of Borough News magazine and is reprinted here with their permission.

Installing traffic control devices such as roadway signs, traffic signals and pavement markings might appear to be a simple task, but borough officials are frequently surprised to learn that they must follow certain guidelines from PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Code (Vehicle Code) before installing most types of signage in their community. Requirements differ significantly on Borough Roads and PennDOT Roads.

What follows are some basic guidelines on what borough officials can and cannot do regarding the installation of roadway signage, traffic signals, and pavement marking.

On Borough Roads

The Borough has sole discretion on the installation of the following traffic control devices, but they must conform to the Vehicle Code, and, in many cases, must be supported by an engineering study or justification.

Stopping, Standing and Parking Restriction Signs

Boroughs must show that one of nine conditions has been met.  These conditions include such considerations as roadway width, traffic flow, and sight distances, among others.

One-Way Street Signs

A one-way street can be established if several conditions are stratified such as traffic flow, geometric considerations and emergency vehicle access.

Stop or Yield Intersection Signs

Stop or yield intersection signs can be installed based on geometric conditions and traffic flow and traffic safety considerations.  For all-way or multi-way stop intersections specific traffic volume guideline criteria or safety criteria must be met.

Turn Restriction Signs

Turn lane restriction signs can be installed if the restrictions would benefit safety or capacity of the intersection.

Speed Limit Signs

Boroughs must complete engineering and traffic studies to show the need for a speed reduction.  In general the statutory guidance is that, in a residential district, the speed limit should be posted at 25 mph.  Within an urban district, which can be generally described as an area that is built up with business or industry, the speed limit should be posted at 35 mph.  All other limits should be 55 mph unless an engineering study determines that the posting should be different.  These studies include spot speed studies, sight distance, and geometric studies.

Truck or Weight Restriction Signs

Structural analysis, testing and engineering judgment of the roadway’s operating characteristics and setting must be considered before a truck or weight restriction sign can be installed.

Pedestrian Crossing Restriction Signs

Pedestrian crossing restriction signs can be installed provided a pedestrian needs study is completed and supports the restriction.

PennDOT approval is required for the following traffic control devices even along borough roads:

Traffic Signals and Their Associated Pavement Markings and Signage

A traffic signal installation must be supported by a traffic signal needs study, which evaluates safety, traffic volumes, and geometric considerations.

No Turn on Red Signs

In the event that a Borough should desire to restrict right turns at an existing signal considerations for sight distance, geometric and safety must be reviewed.

School Zone Speed Limits

A speed zone can be established during the hours of arrival or departure of school students walking along or across a roadway adjacent to the school. This can be accomplished through coordination with the school district and PennDOT.

Signage for Traffic Restrictions on Borough Roads Approaching an Intersection with a State Road, such as:

  • Stop or Yield Signs and pavement markings
  • Turn restriction signs
  • One-way signs and lane use control signs

On State Roads

Pennsylvania Code spells out when municipalities have the authority to install, revise or remove traffic control devices and when such devices are solely under the authority of the state (PennDOT).

Traffic control devices that boroughs can install, revise or remove without PennDOT approval:

  • Street name signs
  • Crosswalk markings (except those at the middle of a block)
  • Parking stall markings (except new angle parking)
  • Curb markings at intersections
  • Parking meters
  • Stopping, standing, or parking restriction signs

Traffic control devices that boroughs can install, revise or remove only with PennDOT approval

Even though borough officials are responsible for the installation, maintenance and operation of the following types of traffic control devices, they must obtain PennDOT approval before any new devices are added.  They must also obtain PennDOT approval before any existing signs or markings are changed:

  • Traffic signals and associated signs and markings
  • Speed limit signs of 35 mph or less (except those signs listed above as solely PennDOT’s responsibility)
  • Stop signs and yield signs at intersections
  • Pedestrian group signs
  • Street Closed signs
  • Entrance and crossing signs
  • Children Group signs
  • Parking Area signs
  • Bicycle Route signs
  • Traffic Signal Speed signs
  • Trail group signs
  • Pavement markings for Mid-block crosswalks
  • Pavement markings for bicycles
  • Signs and banners with the intent of advertising that are to be placed across or within PennDOT right-of-way

Traffic control devices that can only be installed, revised or removed by PennDOT

PennDOT has oversight responsibilities and authority over the following types of traffic control devices; they can only be installed, revised or removed by PennDOT:

  • Hazardous grade speed signs
  • Bridge speed limit signs
  • Speed limit signs at PennDOT rest areas, welcome centers and weigh stations
  • Deer crossing and elk crossing signs
  • Horse-drawn vehicle signs
  • Left turns and cross traffic signs
  • Left turns and watch for turn signs

Because of the complexity of the guidelines and the engineering studies that are required, boroughs are well-advised to enlist the support of a professional engineer when considering the installation, revision or removal of any traffic control devices in their community. A professional engineer with traffic and transportation expertise and ample experience working with state and local governments will be well-versed in the intricacies of traffic control requirements, saving borough staff the time needed to make sense of the web of policies, procedures and publications that govern traffic control in Pennsylvania.

It is further recommended that the professional engineer be certified as a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE).  A PTOE is a person who applies a comprehensive knowledge of technology and scientific principles acquired through study and experience to the supervision of day-to-day operation of traffic systems.  To become certified as a PTOE one must have a valid license to practice engineering (P.E.), a minimum of four years of experience, and pass a written certification examination.

Considering a Stormwater Authority? 12 Steps to Help Townships Make the Decision

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stormwater_author

This article was published in the Winter 2014 issue of the Township Engineer newsletter, as produced by the PA State Association of Township Supervisors.

Since the signing of Senate Bill 1261 (Act 68 of 2013) last September, many townships have been discussing the benefits and feasibility of using an authority to address stormwater issues versus continuing to use their established policies, practices, and funding sources. As you might imagine, there is no single, simple answer to this question. Like many other aspects of township administration, each community’s needs are unique, and any one-size-fits-all approach seldom does.

One reason for this is that stormwater management is a function of each township’s location in the watershed, its unique topography and land use, and its demographics. Often, the existing stormwater facilities are passive, sitting idle much of the time until a large rain event occurs. Unlike water or wastewater utilities, where most people can see a direct benefit, stormwater management is seldom seen as a service. Also, stormwater issues are often addressed through the land development process and are not perceived to have any ongoing maintenance costs, which can make separate billing for this service much more difficult.

There is no doubt that Act 68 was designed to expand the funding choices available to municipalities for stormwater management and better distribute the costs among those who are most responsible for creating issues. One challenge that townships will encounter is the amount of preplanning required to decide exactly what service the stormwater authority is to provide, who will benefit, the types of facilities that are needed, and how costs will be calculated and apportioned.

Determining benefits and costs can be especially tricky in townships that have multiple drainage basins, privately owned stormwater facilities or those located on private property, a large number of tax-exempt properties, or stormwater that originates in a neighboring municipality. Successful stormwater management will include a blend of fees, inspections, ordinance enforcement, and community education and support. The exact combination of measures that’s right for your township will require evaluation, analysis, and sorting through a lot of data.

Evaluating stormwater management need
As you consider your township’s stormwater management needs, the following 12 steps will guide you in asking the right questions, organize your thinking, and help you collect the necessary data to make an informed decision.

  1. Conduct, review, and update an inventory of township-owned stormwater facilities. Your township needs to know what it owns now and how much it is spending to maintain existing facilities.
  2. Identify facilities located on private property that are directly connected to township-owned facilities. While the township may not be spending money on privately owned facilities, it has a vested interest in their proper operation and maintenance. The township needs to determine whether it has sufficient power under existing ordinances to ensure that these facilities are being maintained properly and will operate effectively when needed.
  3. Identify facilities located on private property that are not directly connected to township-owned facilities and evaluate the ability of the owners to properly maintain them. Again, does the township have sufficient power under existing ordinances to make sure these facilities are being maintained properly and will operate effectively if needed?
  4. Review and revise existing policies and ordinances that require private owners of stormwater facilities to properly maintain them, and establish fines for noncompliance. For example, if facilities are owned by a private entity, such as a corporate landlord or a property owners’ association, and are not properly maintained, should the renters or residents be asked to pay a stormwater fee if the township does not assume ownership of these facilities? This may take the form of a separate charge to individual homeowners whose property is served by such facilities.
  5. Revise the inventory as needed to include any facilities for which the township has or will assume responsibility.
  6. Regularly review your inventory and assess the general condition of stormwater facilities to determine future projects. This will provide the basis for the township’s stormwater management capital plan.
  7. Estimate the timing and cost of future projects and identify the need for financing. If a substantial amount of debt must be incurred to finance additions or upgrades, does the township have sufficient borrowing capacity to incur that amount of debt?
  8. Identify the township’s current operating costs for existing stormwater management facilities, including labor, materials, and services.
  9. Estimate future annual operating costs and any annual debt service costs associated with existing or planned stormwater facilities.
  10. Discuss the public’s perception of stormwater management’s benefits and any negative impacts of using general tax revenue versus a dedicated user fee. One of the important elements here is the percentage of “uncollectable” fees versus the amount of revenue that may be lost due to tax-exempt properties.
  11. Determine the benefit of a separate stormwater authority and what form it will take — operating or leaseback. One factor to consider is the regulatory environment. The township will always remain responsible for the proper enactment and enforcement of state and federal regulations, so its relationship with an authority must be cooperative. It is also likely that, given the relatively short history of stormwater user fees in Pennsylvania, the township may be asked to guarantee the authority’s debt.
  12. Be prepared to advance funds to accomplish many of these steps before an authority can begin generating revenue. Act 68 of 2013 amended the Municipality Authorities Act to include under the purposes and powers of a municipal authority “stormwater management planning and projects.” No other sections of the act were amended. Consequently, stormwater authorities have the same powers and limitations placed on all authorities. Charges must be uniform and reasonable.  This means that before any billing can occur, the creating body must identify the scope of service and the facilities that are included; determine their costs of acquisition, operation, and maintenance; and adopt a basis for billing. Also, authorities may only bill for service they render; they have no power to “tax” for the general good. Therefore, the township may have to put up funds initially to get the ball rolling.

Tailor the steps to your township
The steps presented above are simply guidelines, and not all steps may be necessary for all townships. Some townships, for example, may find that a great deal of time will be necessary to complete some of the steps. In other cases, it may not be necessary to conduct the complete inventory if a township already has a stormwater facilities capital plan or if all such facilities are privately owned.

Townships should carefully consider the benefits and risks involved in establishing a stormwater authority, and these steps may help them to do so. Remember that the intent is not to expend more time and money on stormwater analysis, but simply to ask basic questions and decide what direction looks most beneficial in the long term.