8/22/1989 - Laserfiche WebLink

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_I AUG 2 2 JG89 BOOK 7 d FA"I 6S 3. protection of cars parked "head in" toward each other; 4. more efficient use of spaces; prohibits cars from pulling too far into a -stall and "double parking" or not pulling in far enough and encroaching into driving aisles; 5. more safety by channelling traffic along driveways; prohibits "cut -through" traffic. Negatively, wheelstops can: 6. function as impediments to good drainage system mainte- nance (such as sweeping) and as sediment traps which can adversely affect drainage system maintenance; 7. cause foot injuries to pedestrians crossing over spaces; 8. diminish the aesthetics of a parking area, especially in larger parking lots. In staff's opinion, protection of pedestrians and landscape areas are positive factors that should not be "traded -off" or "bal- anced -out" against any negative effects of wheelstops. Pedestri- ans and landscape areas need to be protected by a physical barrier such as a wheelstop, curbing or other equivalent. Thus, in staff's opinion, the County should not consider deleting or waiving the wheelstop requirement for parking spaces that "head into" either pedestrian or landscape areas. In staff's opinion, the positive factors listed as #3-5 could, in some cases, be offset by the negative factors listed as #6-8. In such cases the benefits of wheelstops might not exceed the costs, and waivers may be warranted. Factors #3-5 relate to traffic control ("channelling" flow) and aesthetics which could be ad- dressed with various design solutions that do not require wheel stops. -Comparison of Requirements Other jurisdictions were contacted to provide a comparison of wheel stop requirements. All jurisdictions contacted, with the exception of St. Lucie County, require wheel stops (or equivalent) where spaces abut landscape or pedestrian areas. Some of the jurisdictions require wheelstops (or equivalent) for all spaces, as does Indian River County currently. However., some juris- dictions allow certain types of "waivers" for certain interior parking spaces. There seemed to be agreement on factors, pro and con, relating to wheelstop requirements (see attachment #4). These factors were previously outlined by staff. In general, where wheelstop requirements are allowed to be waived in other jurisdictions, interior landscaping with increased width dimensions (to accommodate tree plantings rather than ground cover only) is encouraged as a design solution to provide aesthetic quality. Such larger landscape areas also provide "visual cues" that break-up parking areas and help keep drivers from cutting through parking spaces where wheelstops are not provided. Based upon responses from planners in other jurisdictions and informa- tion provided by the applicant's traffic and parking experts, it appears that driver behavior can be influenced by "visual cues, and that there may be design solutions other than the use of wheelstops to address positive factors #3-5. 24 M M M