2021-01-11-minutes-public-works-study-session

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KITTITAS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS PUBLIC WORKS — BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORT STUDY SESSION DATE: January 11, 2021 TOPIC: Upper County Truck Traffic Restrictions ACTION REQUESTED: Direct Staff LEAD STAFF: Mark R. Cook RECOMMENDATION: Do not extend the period of truck traffic restrictions defined in Resolution 2018-076 at this time. BRIEFING SUMMARY: • Resolution 2018-076 establishes a restriction on truck traffic (FHWA Group 9 and bigger) annually from May 15th to September 15'h. • The Upper County Traffic Committee desires extending the prohibition to a complete year. • Public Works (PW) does not support the request owing to a lack of a commercial vehicle officer being able to support the prohibition through sustainable enforcement activities. BACKGROUND: Responding to resident concerns of increasing heavy truck traffic adding to congestion on certain Upper County roads (Nelson Siding, Westside, Mohar, Upper Peoh Point and Thorp Prairie); the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) enacted Resolution 2018- 076 (EXHIBIT 1). Recently, the Upper County Traffic Committee requested PW solicit the BoCC for support of extending the period of prohibition to year-round. DISCUSSION: In the absence of sustained commercial vehicle enforcement along the identified road network, extending the prohibited period of operation is expected to exacerbate an already stressed enforcement condition. The action is akin to reducing the posted speed limit when the science suggests the action as unwarranted. Driver behavior will not change sufficiently in the absence of enforcement. Once the BoCC directs sufficient resource allocation supporting a full-time commercial vehicle officer, the request should be revisited. Page 1 of 3 Public Works "Work Session Staff Report", 2021