COM 0649.004 2002-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EVALUATION OF A FOUR WAY STOP AT THE NANI KAILUA DRIVE/KAKALINA STREET INTERSECTION M&E Pacific, Inc., was retained to evaluate the effectiveness of a four way stop control at the intersection of Nani Kailua Drive and Kakalina Street, and recommend whether or not the four way stop should remain. Project Background. A four way stop was installed at the intersection of Nani Kailua Drive and Kakalina Drive on July 24, 2003, in compliance with County of Hawaii Ordinance Number 03 37. The ordinance also required a licensed engineer to evaluate and make a report to determine if the improvement should remain. The evaluation included consultation with the Kona Traffic Safety Committee and the Hawaii County Department of Public Works. Environment. Nani Kailua Drive is a two lane collector road running mauka- makai through the Kailua View Estates and Kona Heights subdivision. It is on an 8% slope in the vicinity of Kakalina Street and has wide pavements with only striping delineating the roadway from the shoulder. Discussion of Four Way Stops. Four way stops are generally implemented at intersections where traffic volumes have increased to the level where the minor street experiences excessive delay and are generally used as an interim measure until traffic signals can be installed. The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) has several guidelines and warrants for the implementation of four way stops. The four way stop was implemented at the subject intersection as a traffic calming device to control speeding in a residential neighborhood. Four way stops are not generally used as a traffic calming device for three major reasons: o Four way stops can increase delay on the major street to unacceptable levels; o Four way stops can increase the accident potential; and o Four way stops can cause drivers to speed on other portions of the road to make up for lost time. Evaluation Methodologv. Three different sets of criteria were evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the four way stop: the evaluation criteria set forth in the MUTCD, its effectiveness as a traffic calming device, and public opinion as expressed by the Kona Traffic Safety Committee. The results of the evaluation are discussed in the next section.