13 C20-2024-021 - Safety Bollards Staff Report — original pdf

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Case Number: C20-2024-021 ORDINANCE AMENDMENT REVIEW SHEET Amendment: C20-2024-021 Safety Bollards Description: Amend City Code Title 25 to require the installation of crash-rated bollards or other similar safety barriers to prevent vehicle-into-building crashes at the pedestrian entrances of medical facilities with nearby vehicular traffic. Background: Initiated by City Council Resolution No. 20240718-092. On July 18, 2024, City Council approved Resolution No. 20240718-092, to require the installation of crash-rated bollards or other similar safety barriers to prevent vehicle-into- building crashes at the pedestrian entrances of medical facilities with nearby vehicular traffic. The resolution directed staff to explore: the feasibility of requiring safety barriers in public right-of-way areas adjacent to medical facilities to enhance pedestrian safety and prevent vehicle crashes; whether permit applications to expand, remodel, or upgrade existing facilities can trigger this requirement; incentives for existing facilities to voluntarily comply; recommendations for the City's state and federal legislative agenda; and any other necessary changes that achieve the objectives of this resolution. Staff was also directed to engage with stakeholders, including medical facility operators, with the goal of bringing about compliance with any new requirements City Council adopts. Summary of Proposed Code Amendment: The proposed code amendment will: Amend City Code 25-6-1 (Definitions) to add new definitions for “medical facility” and “pedestrian entrance” and to renumber the remaining uses accordingly: 7) Medical Facility means a building or structure where the primary purpose is for: (a) hospital services (general); or (b) hospital services (limited); or (c) medical offices, if the building or structure is a walk-in clinic being used for the consultation, diagnosis, therapeutic, preventative, or medical care for minor illnesses and injuries; and (9) Pedestrian Entrance means a functional entrance or door that is publicly accessible and designed for pedestrian use. Create a new section of City Code (25-6-324 Pedestrian Safety Barrier for Medical Facilities) to describe requirements that apply to the new definitions, including that the code: • Applies to all new construction of pedestrian entrances on construction that meets the definition of a medical facility. 1  Case Number: C20-2024-021 • Refers applicants to technical guidance in Transportation Criteria Manual, to be posted in a subsequent rule. • Allows for alternative compliance if designed in a manner that mitigates the risk of vehicular crashes into the pedestrian entrance. Proposed Text Amendment(s): See attached draft ordinance. Staff Recommendation: Recommended Staff recommends the proposed Pedestrian Safety Barrier for Medical Facilities language for inclusion in the Transportation Chapter of the Land Development Code. This proposed requirement advances several of the safety goals and policies from Chapter 1 (Prioritizing Our Safety) of the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan (ASMP). Safety Culture Policy 1: Prioritize the protection of human life over all else in the planning, design, and operation of Austin’s transportation network. We consider traffic-related serious injuries and fatalities to be a preventable public health issue for which we have an obligation to proactively address and eventually eradicate. Safety Culture Policy 3: Manage public safety needs supported by the transportation network to minimize the risk of injury and death. We must do what we can to work wherever possible to improve safety and coordinate with partners to minimize the impacts of unforeseen hazards. Designing for Safety Policy 3: Integrate safe design principles into the built environment. Ensure that all new development or redevelopment contributes to a safe transportation network through site design and access management. Requiring bollard installation at the pedestrian entrances of medical facilities implements the City’s Vision Zero safety approach and achieves the Council resolution’s goal of ensuring the safety of patients, families, employees, and visitors at such facilities. No Affordability Impact Statement is required for this item. Board and Commission Action: December 12, 2024 – To be reviewed by the Planning Commission. Council Action: December 12, 2024 – To be considered by City Council Sponsor Department: Transportation and Public Works Department City Staff: Amber Hutchens, Capital Program Consultant, Transportation and Public Works Department Amber.Hutchens@austintexas.gov, 512-974-5646 2  Case Number: C20-2024-021 Danielle Morin, Capital Improvement Program Manager, Transportation and Public Works Department, Danielle.Morin@austintexas.gov, 512-974-6407 (Case Managers) 3