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GROUP 1 WIKISPACE

INFORMATION:
 * //Members://
 * Kristin Lovelace
 * Maggie Ward
 * Wesley Major
 * Conrad Rusnak


 * //Topics://
 * Pedestrians seem to cross Main Street wherever they can - don't use provided crosswalks all the time, add more crosswalks?
 * Bicyclists - discuss safety of those riding bicycles down Main Street
 * Academy - redirecting traffic out of this street, possible plan the University has as student population increases
 * What happens when UD becomes bigger and bigger?
 * Local business - helps or hurts? Traffic good to a certain extent but at some point people will get tired of going down Main Street
 * Raised crosswalks? If you put in more crosswalks it may cause more traffic so crosswalks that don't force vehicles to stop could be a solution
 * Sample size - I put in a 30,000 population and the calculator spit out that we needed 380 people. Not sure of the exact amount because we need to determine exactly who our sample population is. I'm pretty sure it has to be the WHOLE community (students AND residents of Newark) as traffic on Main Street affects all. Also, since the city of Newark is asking us to do this research, we should include the whole community

PROPOSAL: (What We Need)


 * Front Matter:** For your purposes in this assignment, you will only need a cover letter.


 * Introduction (or proposal):** State your main objective here—give an overview of the problem at hand and your goal.


 * Background of the problem:** This section states the problem you’re going to investigate. The more complex the problem, the more detailed this section will be. You may refer to published material here to help give context to the overall problem if such material is relevant. You want to convey to your reader that you see the “big picture.”


 * Objectives:** It specifically outlines the objectives of your project. Often objective sections include measurable goals (for example, to reduce costs to your company by 15%). If relevant use these kinds of quantifiable specifics here. This serves as a transition between the statement of the problem and the procedure section.


 * Procedure:** Very specifically give your reader a step-by-step account of how you will do what you are proposing. Describe the kind of research you’ll be doing. For example, if you will conduct surveys, don’t simply say “we’ll conduct a survey.” Instead, say; how the survey will be constructed, what its scope will be, etc.


 * Record of Service (or Justification):** Establish your credentials here. Convince the reader that your group has the necessary experience and qualifications to carry out the proposed project. **This section is the only part you can fictionalize for this assignment since you aren’t really experts.**


 * Budget:** This section helps to establish your credibility. Does the budget realistically reflect the costs of doing the proposed work? An unrealistically low budget can send the message that you are not really prepared to do the job. Obviously, an inflated budget can result in your proposal’s being rejected.


 * Schedule:** This should correspond to the steps you’ve outlined in the procedure section. Like the budget, it should be a realistic estimate of how long the task will take you. Like the budget, it is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your professionalism and ability to the reader. **For this assignment, the schedule must conform to the real time constraints of this semester**

 Traffic Solutions Inc.

 City of Newark: Final Proposal

//**Front Matter**//

107 Creekview Rd. Newark, DE 19711

April 17, 2011

Mr. Andrew Johnson, Director, Department of Transportation City of Newark Newark Municipal Building 220 Elkton Road Newark, DE 19711

Dear Mr. Johnson:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your recent inquiry concerning the city of Newark’s current traffic problems. As you already know, our company, Traffic Solutions Inc., is dedicated to providing the highest quality results to our clients, whether it be by reducing traffic congestion or increasing transportation safety. With that being said, after thorough assessment, we are eager to produce and implement a solution that will alleviate your city’s transportation predicament.

To begin, Traffic Solutions Inc. has assigned our most qualified transportation experts to address your project. These experts, Conrad Rusnak, Wesley Major, Maggie Ward, and Kristin Lovelace, have developed a strategy that we believe will reduce your traffic congestion while increasing the safety of both your pedestrians and motorists. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; line-height: 19pt;">In the enclosed proposal you will find an outline of the project’s logistics, including our planned procedures, budget, and tentative schedule. It is our hope that you will take this proposal into consideration, as we are very interested in undertaking the challenge.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; line-height: 19pt;">Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns about our proposal. Ms. Kristin Lovelace, the assigned point of contact for your project, can be contacted at __klovelac@udel.edu__. She can also be reached at her office at 302-768-9634. Thank you for your time and consideration.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; line-height: 19pt;">Sincerely,

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Enclosure: Proposal

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;">//**Introduction**//

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; line-height: 19pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">After being contacted by the city of Newark, Delaware, Traffic Solutions Inc. has developed a strategy to solve Main Street's traffic complication by alleviating vehicular traffic flow and increasing pedestrian and vehicular safety. Our objective is to implement such a solution in a timely and cost effective manner. THIS SOUNDS AS IF YOU'VE ALREADY DONE THE RESEARCH. SO DO PARTS OF YOUR COVER LETTER ABOVE. REMEMBER YOU ARE PROPOSING TO GO OUT AND DO THE RESEARCH AND TO FIND A SOLUTION. YOU HAVE NOT DONE THE RESEARCH YET, SO YOU DON'T KNOW THE SOLUTION. YOU ALSO ARE NOT PROPOSING TO IMPLEMENT THE SOLUTION.

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">//**Objective**//

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> By first understanding the variables that affect vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Main Street, we can develop a viable solution for traffic minimization that will be most beneficial for the City of Newark. We will search for this strategy at the least possible cost. In addition, we aim to improve the safety of all pedestrians, vehicles, and bicyclists accessing Main Street. By realizing that the students of the University of Delaware and the patrons of local businesses add to an ever growing population, we can employ several steps that will decrease overall traffic.

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">//**Procedure <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">THE PROCEDURE COMES AFTER THE STATEMENT OF PROBLEM AND OBJECTIVES. SEE THE HANDOUT **// YOU NEED SPECIFICS HERE. WHAT WILL YOU ACTUALLY DO TO EXAMINE THE SITUATION? WHAT OTHER COMMUNITIES AND CAMPUSES WILL YOU EXAMINE? SPECIFICS HERE: HOW MANY SURVEYS, HOW WILL YOU SELECT RESPONDENTS, ETC.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">We will examine existing traffic situations affecting Main Street to:
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Understand variables contributing to overall traffic
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Compare to other relevant communities and campuses
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Conduct surveys utilizing students, residents of the City of Newark, and local business owners
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Analyze the information we gathered through our initial evaluations and surveys
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Produce practicable solutions based on our research
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">We will present to you:
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Analysis of our research
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Our suggestion of the least expensive strategy to minimize traffic

//<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Statement of the Problem** //

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> As the University of Delaware’s student population increases year to year, we see more and more issues arising involving automobile traffic, pedestrian traffic, and the overall safety of the community. The main areas of congestion that are seen daily include all crosswalks along Main Street and the newly renovated larger crosswalk on West Delaware Avenue. Peak congestion hours include the fifteen-minute time periods between classes and during commuter hours of noon and 5 o’clock pm.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Many people choose to avoid Main Street at all costs during the aforementioned peak congestion hours, as it can take you almost 20 minutes to travel from North Chapel Street to West Main Street. What is this doing to our local Newark businesses? Certain “traffic” helps generate store sales; however the type of “traffic” we are discussing may potentially be affecting businesses.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> What happens as the university becomes larger and larger? Certain problems must be evaluated and solutions must be sought. Pedestrians, including students and community members, are seen crossing Main Street wherever possible and are not using the crosswalks that are provided. Cyclists do not follow traffic safety laws while riding down Main Street; this is extremely unsafe as pedestrians are crossing and drivers are parallel parking.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Currently there is talk about a potential solution to the traffic problems being faced on West Delaware Avenue between Academy Street and South College Avenue. The university has a potential plan to close down Academy Street, redirecting traffic out of this area (Shannon, UDReview).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The University of Delaware must take action to solve the problem of traffic congestion that is affecting the city of Newark. We are going to investigate what currently is not working and what can be done to solve this problem. Through our research and team surveys, we will find a traffic solution.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Dont think we need the middle paragraphs, that will be in our actual paper**

//<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Record of Service** //

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Founded in 1992, Traffic Solutions Inc.’s main goal is pleasing every customer while keeping safety a top priority. We have a proven track record of consistently delivery high-performance road safety programs and business solutions to our customers on time. Our Management Team offers breadth and depth with direct, relevant experience in its industries.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">//Conrad Rusnak, President / CEO// <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Conrad Rusnak has been focused on traffic solutions and the safety of pedestrians for more than 19 years. In 1990, he pioneered a road safety program in the United States, implementing the first Speedy Safety Cameras in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Today his focus, along with his company’s, is geared more toward pedestrian traffic and safety. This includes ideas of crosswalks and safety signs and signals. Mr. Rusnak leads the company with worldwide business activity and more than 400 employees located at TSI facilities across the continent. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College, New York.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">//Kristin Lovelace, Executive Vice President / COO / President-Public Safety// <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Kristin Lovelace has worked in the road safety industry since 1995. Her successful track record has included the implementation of programs in 14 states and several foreign countries. Ms. Lovelace is responsible for all Software Development, Research and Development, Program Delivery, Manufacturing, Field Services, Construction, Client Services, and Back-Office Operations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">//Wesley Major, Executive Vice President, Field Operations// <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Wesley Major is responsible for Construction and Field Operations throughout North America. Mr. Major has been actively involved with the Intersection Safety Camera and Pedestrian Crosswalk businesses for more than 10 years. He received a Masters degree in Business Administration from Drexel University.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">//Maggie Ward, Executive Vice President, Field Operations// <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Maggie Ward has served as Chief Financial Office of public and private companies since 1997, having previously been an investment banker for seven years. Ms. Ward is responsible for all finance, accounting and investor relations functions at TSI. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Ph. D. in Business Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.


 * Dont think we need the individual details, opening paragraph is good**

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">//**Cost to City of Newark**//

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">We are not seeking any payment or compensation for conducting this research. Our intentions are simply to inform the city of safer alternatives to the current traffic pattern.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**$1000 consulting fee, costs associated with construction costs and/or safety procedures**

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">//**Schedule**//

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Week 1: April 18th - 24th <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> - Analyze current traffic and pedestrian patterns <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> - Examine precautions of similar campuses and communities <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> - Brainstorm <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> - Assemble survey/questionnaire to gauge needs of stakeholder

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Week 2: April 25th - May 2nd <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> - Survey students, store owners, commuters, locals, UD <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> - Begin to determine best solution

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Week 3: May 3rd - 8th <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> - Critically evaluate data from surveys <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> - Determine long and short term needs of the city <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> - Construct feasible solution based of results of data

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Week 4: May 9th - 16th <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> - Final contributions and thoughts <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> - Revision

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">May 17th: Present to the City of Newark

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**I will take a look at this and add some formatting features within Word.** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

Hi Everyone,

Just got back for the weekend also. I just saw Dr. Penna's announcement and it looks like the rough draft is to be completed by May 6th, so that gives us two weeks. I think the most important thing right now is to do the surveys/research. We need to decide specific questions to ask. I think we should create two surveys: one to ask students/residents of Newark and the other to ask the businesses of Newark.

Some questions for students and residents can include things like:

Level of safety on Main Street? How many times do you travel down Main Street? Walking? Driving? Do you avoid Main Street because of the traffic?

Some questions for business owners:

When are your most busy times of the day? Do you believe that traffic helps or hurts your particular business? This will depend on what type of business it is. For example, Chipotle is ONLY on Main Street so patrons cant go anywhere else whereas a pharmacy like Happy Harrys has many substitutes.

In terms of the research to be done, we need to go on Main Street and take down some information. For example, I think it would be a good idea to post up by a crosswalk and take down the number of students who use that crosswalk or cross Main Street somewhere else for a set period of time. Also, count the number of vehicles that DO NOT stop for pedestrians crossing. Other relevant information could include finding out the traffic light patterns for the three lights on Main Street (Chapel, Academy, and down by Trabant). How does parking on Main Street affect traffic? I was thinking that what if our strategy was to tell the City of Newark to eliminate parking on Main Street. Therefore, we could add an extra lane, make wider sidewalks, and make bicycle paths on either side of the street. Just a suggestion.

We also need to compare to other communities/campuses. Investigate the Academy street problem.

I am good with going onto Main Street and doing the research I mentioned above. Please let me know if there is anything else you want me to take a look at.

Conrad

I agree we need some concrete evidence to go off. I know it's not hard to conduct this research but if you want company/help my schedule is free more the most part. Some other questions/concerns to look into while examining main street are:

Bikers? should they have their own lane? I see a lot of cross traffic manuvers happening Deliveries: should they have time slots where it can only occure. like during down traffic times. if shipment happens not in allotted time the business runs the risk of a fine.

Instead of what deters them from main street maybe throw a question like what brings you to main street just to get both sides of the spectrum.

Wes

Wes,

I agree with the bikers. I was thinking today about solutions for the issue and as I mentioned above, we can look into the possibility of eliminating parking on Main Street (whether it be on both sides or on just one side). This way, we can create a Bike Lane on one of the sides of Main Street. This will most certainly increase the safety of bicyclists and vehicles. On the other hand, parking then becomes an issue. How can we take care of both? Create a parking lot close to Main Street? Encourage vehicles to use the Newark Shopping Center lot? These questions need to be answered.

I also like the delivery idea (these big trucks clearly block the lanes once they stop for a delivery) but I think that it might be too difficult to incorporate in the report. We would then get into a lot of issues concerning these companies and legal issues etc.

Conrad

Hi Everyone,

I have been looking around the City of Newark website and some other sources online to find any information that might be relevant. I found some things regarding previous traffic plans. Newark has a 'traffic committee' that meets on the third Tuesday of each month. Unfortunately, that date has passed but I will be sending out an e-mail to a staff member to see if that person can be of any assistance. I have also found some Congestion and Crashes maps online. I think these will be helpful in evaluating our topic and help in finding any solutions.

As I have been thinking about solutions, traffic on North Chapel came to mind. I know that traffic on this road is not directly on Main Street but it adds to the overall congestion problem on Main Street. When I do go out and research some of the traffic signals and things like that, I will be sure to take a look at the traffic signal at the Cleveland/North Chapel Intersection. Perhaps making that signal longer to increase the flow of traffic away from Main Street will help.

In looking over some information, I also came across a few statistics. One that stood out is that only 18% of residents walk to work. Yes, I know that for some residents walking may not be an option because of proximity of their job but a solution could possibly utilize public transportation.

Just a few thoughts as I am looking over some things online. I have yet to find information regarding comparable communities and universities.

If someone can look into the survey portion of the project that would be great. We need to construct the survey correctly and distribute it fairly quickly in order to allow enough time to gather results.

Conrad

hello team,

Previous traffic plans are a nice base to go off of, see what they focused (and didn't focus on) when implementing changes. Especially with the growing popularity of UD, did they take that into account "x" years ago. Conrad if you could post the link for that info as well as the congestion map link, that would be butter.

I like the idea of making parking on only one side of main to incorporate a delivery/bike lane. We can throw questions into the survey like, "would a parking garage deter you from shopping if you had to walk farther to your destination" or "what do you prefer, meters or parking garages".

i don't have facebook any more but i believe that would be the best way to issue a survey, at least to the student population. surveymonkey.com allows you to create a survey and post on FB and get your friends to help out. Should we make questionnaires for patrons and business owners?

Here are a few questions we could ask:

How many times do you travel down Main Street? Walking? Driving? Are there times you avoid Main Street. If so, why? Do you feel nervous using the cross walks b/c of oncoming traffic? What's your level of safety on Main Street? Can you parallel park comfortably? Would being forced to use a parking garage deter you from shopping on Main St?

Some questions for business owners:

When are your most busy times of the day? Do you believe that traffic helps or hurts your particular business? This will depend on what type of business it is. For example, Chipotle is ONLY on Main Street so patrons cant go anywhere else whereas a pharmacy like Happy Harrys has many substitutes. Do patrons complain about parking to you? Customer turnover rate? Validate parking?

These are from Conrad's previous post and a few new ones. if anybody can think of more just throw 'em out there and get a list going and we can weed out the off-topic questions from there.

Wes

Hey Guys, Sorry I just got back from the holiday weekend. Just read everything and it sounds great. I'll make the survey for Facebook for the students and send it out to everyone on my friend list from UD. Also, I will start researching about traffic problems/solutions at other campuses similiar in size to UD. I'll have the survey out by tonight and will include the link on here once I make it. What else can I do??

Someone is going to have to actually go to the stores on Main Street to ask business owners the questions that Wes has previously listed. Please let me know by like 5 or 6 pm if there are ANY more questions you want to add to the list about for the students! Thanks guys! -Maggie

Just signed up on survey monkey... looks easy but instead of having the questions all be open ended (people probably won't do the survey) I'm going to come up with multiple choice answers and scales! -Maggie

Great, I spoke to Conrad today and I will be asking business owners/employees on Main St the following questions this week and will get back to you with the results...

When are your most busy times of the day? Do you believe that traffic helps or hurts your particular business? This will depend on what type of business it is. For example, Chipotle is ONLY on Main Street so patrons cant go anywhere else whereas a pharmacy like Happy Harrys has many substitutes. Do patrons complain about parking to you? Customer turnover rate? Validate parking?

-Kristin

Hey guys, Just made the student survey and posted it on facebook, invited about 220 people and if any of you want to be an admin to the event to invite more people just friend me on facebook! Here's the link if you want to check it out: http://www.surveymonkey.co m/s/8WGW832

I made it end May 5th, once we get enough responses, I'll look at the data and condense it and stuff. -Maggie

Hey everyone!

Two things, I was planning on surveying Main St. tomorrow morning but due to the severe weather warning I am planning on surveying the business owners on Friday Morning. I will compile the data and share but either way we can put it in the memo that we have surveyed Facebook and Main St. business owners this week. I was thinking of going relatively early in the morning and stopping at between 5-10 locations.

I was thinking the following... 1. One local coffee shop 2. One chain coffee shop 3. One local restaurant/bar 4. One chain restaurant 5. One clothing shop 6. One or two chain location (Happy Harry's/ Starbucks)

Thoughts?

Also, I thought we could have these discussions under the discussion tab for our Wiki. It is a more formal way to have the discussions and know when we have a message. I will post this message there as well.

Thanks! - Kristin

Hi Everyone,

Here are the results from what I did on Main Street. I looked at 4 traffic lights (3 on Main Street and 1 at the intersection of Chapel and Cleveland). This was done on Thursday of last week at approximately 12:15PM.

__Traffic Signal closest to Trabant__ To make a left turn onto South College Avenue - 21.5 seconds To continue down Main Street toward Deer Park - 57 seconds

__Traffic Signal at Academy__ To make a left turn onto Academy - 18 seconds Continue down Main Street - 1 minute and 13 seconds

__Traffic Signal at Main Street and Chapel__ To continue down Main Street - 42.5 seconds

__Traffic Signal at the intersection of Chapel and Cleveland__ To make a left turn onto Cleveland - 11 seconds To continue straight through the light - 26 seconds

__Crosswalk by Grotto's__ In a five minute span, vehicles were forced to stop 22 times Cars that did not stop (this is considered as not stopping when a person is waiting at the crosswalk or when the person is actually walking) - 9 vehicles In a five minute span, cars were stopped for a total of 2 minutes and 32 seconds

__Crosswalk by Dunkin Donuts__ In a five minute span, vehicles were forced to stop 13 times Cars that did not stop - 6 vehicles In a five minute span, cars were stopped for a total of 1 minute and 25 seconds

__Crosswalk by Happy Harry's__ In a five minute span, vehicles were forced to stop 6 times Each car stopped In a five minute span, cars were stopped for a total of 37 seconds

__Crosswalk by Kates__ In a five minute span, vehicles were forced to stop 3 times Each car stopped In a five minute span, cars were stopped for 19 seconds

In looking at all of these numbers, it is safe to say that the traffic is heaviest towards the end of Main Street approaching Trabant. One thing I noticed when I was looking at the crosswalk near Grotto's is the pathway leading from the green and also from the Bob, add much of the pedestrian traffic which forces vehicles to stop. Since the light that allows vehicles to continue down Main Street is only 57 seconds, vehicles tend to rush through this crosswalk which supports the number of cars that DID NOT stop.

I think pedestrians are somewhat at fault also. I observed many pedestrians that failed to actually stop at the crosswalk but instead just continued to walk without even looking to see if there was any oncoming traffic approaching the crosswalk. I also believe that the crosswalks need to be somehow made more noticeable. I believe that some of the drivers just don't realize there is a crosswalk (I saw many cars stop abruptly when they realized there was a crosswalk). This obviously adds to the danger.

I also think that the traffic signal at the intersection of Chapel and Cleveland needs to be altered. The green light allowing traffic to move out of Newark should be made longer than just 26 seconds.

In looking at some other things, I also found that lane widths contributed to speed of vehicles. The wider the lane, the faster drivers will go. I think this is something we can explore also when we actually put together a solution.

Here are some other thoughts: Wes, any luck finding out about why Newark PD has been cracking down on jaywalking? I believe that compliance with DO NOT WALK signals needs to be enforced in order to increase the safety of pedestrians

Here is a statistic: in 2009, 18% of residents said they walk to work. Might be an opportunity to propose to increase public transportation

Expand parking facilities into structures that have second level parking. This would be helpful if we do indeed propose getting rid of one side of parking on Main Street to include more vehicle lanes.

Sorry for the long message

INTRO

According to the United States 2010 census results, the sate of Delaware has increased its’ population 14.6% since 2000 (citation 1). To narrow things down, the city of Newark has approximately 31,454 people residing in it to date, a 10.2% rise in occupancy from 2000 (citation 4). On top of the thirty thousand (should that be in number form or spelled out like so?) locals, the University of Delaware is positioned in the heart of Newark and educates close to 17,000 undergraduates each semester; this number doesn’t account for faculty and staff, or students enrolled in the gradate program the university offers. It’s apparent that this is a densely populated area and the daily commute poses a true problem. (I went for shock value here to open it up…do you think too many numbers?) Traffic Solutions Incorporated will offer options that reduce traffic and congestion at specific points along Main Street, which in turn, will help the overall flow of traffic and increase the safety for all involved. Patrons, locals, college students, and commuters flood Main Street on a daily basis. Throughout the day, areas along Main Street experience a heavy increase of traffic, which raise the risk of a safe commute. During these times people avoid Main Street at all costs. A result being, business and other attractions located along Main Street suffer from potential revenues being directed elsewhere. Traffic Solutions Inc. took a vast number of variables into consideration while examining Main Street. Crosswalks, lights, meter and lot parking, bike paths, as well as, pedestrian and traffic patterns were all investigated when trying to find the culprit for excess congestion. Finally, with the steadily growing population in the city of Newark, and the University of Delaware building new resident hall on the East Campus in 2013 (citation 5), it’s obvious future plans for traffic and pedestrian patterns needs to be examined. Through the information received from surveys, storeowner inquiries, and first-person observations of the traffic and pedestrian patterns along Main Street, Traffic Solutions Inc. is capable to offer the most cost effective changes to promote safety and a time efficiently commute.

Procedure //Examination of current traffic variables// Existing variables contributing to overall traffic congestion were observed. This included determining traffic signal patterns for three signals located on Main Street. Emphasis was placed on the time vehicles were allowed to continue down Main Street or to make a legal left turn onto local streets, specifically Academy Avenue and South College Avenue. Pedestrian traffic was also observed. Crosswalks were monitored to determine the number of times vehicles were forced to stop for crossing pedestrians. We also examined the total time vehicles were completely neutral during a five minute span. Data, in table format, is presented in our analysis section. //Utilization of surveys// In order to assess the City of Newark’s residents on issues concerning safety and congestion on Main Street, Traffic Solutions Inc. produced a survey of specific questions. This survey was distributed via Facebook, a social media outlet. Business owners of various stores located on Main Street were also questioned by one of our associates. These locations were selected based upon whether or not they were a single entity or chain in hopes to realize the effects of traffic on operations. We will need to put the survey questions at the end in some sort of Appendix section //Outside analysis// To supplement the research performed through initial evaluations and surveys, Traffic Solutions Inc. also inspected previous traffic mitigation efforts listed on various relevant websites. The websites also included useful statistics and maps that were analyzed when producing viable solutions. The applicable statistics and maps provided our team with necessary background information concerning traffic congestion issues plaguing the city of Newark. Specifically, these websites included DELDOT, the City of Newark, and WILMAPCO. The Traffic Division Commander, LT. George F. Stanko, was also contacted. Mr. Stanko was able to further assist us in researching past, present, and future plans. //Determination of practical solutions// In determining a future plan to alleviate traffic congestion, the main focus was safety for both motorists and pedestrians accessing Main Street. With the growing population of the city of Newark and the rise in attendance at the University of Delaware, the chosen solution needed to address the demand for a safer, more efficient flow of traffic. By utilizing previous traffic mitigation, altering current variables, and examining survey responses, Traffic Solutions Inc. was able to produce a cost effective solution that will tackle future concerns.

**CONCLUSIONS &** **RECOMMENDATIONS**

Through qualitative and quantitative research it’s evident that the City of Newark needs to be thinking about the future when it comes to traffic patterns on Main Street. Our data points out, that majority of people surveyed do not feel confident accessing Main Street at all times of the day, and it shouldn’t have to be like this.

Lieberman’s Bookstore makes a valid point, first thing freshman do is explore Main Street, but they may not know the proper laws in place to protect their safety and the safety of others. (Paragraph Needed?)

To solve this immediate problem we suggest adding police force to the crosswalk outside of Grotto’s Pizza during high traffic times to expedite the flow of traffic. Newark’s crash map illustrates this area is prone to pedestrian and vehicle accidents. This procedure is similar to the method Newark Police use at the Delaware Avenue crosswalk during the 15 minute intervals between classes. We also encourage officers to enforce common jay walking violations, as well as, other citations to make people aware these laws are set in place for the safety of every body.

Addressing the long-term need is also just as vital. The University of Delaware and the city of Newark are continuously growing, but Main Street is not. Our data shows that almost three quarters of the people surveyed wouldn’t mind using a parking lot, even if that had to walk a short distance to their destination. Traffic Solutions Inc, suggests that the city of Newark looks into an optimal location for another parking lot; similar to the one behind Grotto’s Pizza. Then, one side of Main Street’s meter parking can be removed to allow a lane, sharrow, designated for bikers and skate boarders. This will also allocate enough space for delivery trucks, so they don’t impede the flow of traffic.

Traffic Solutions Inc. believes that short and long term issues need to be addressed because a daily occurrence of congestion exists. Adding task force will solve the immediate problem, and create awareness of the traffic pattern situation. To tackle the overall issue of congestion we suggest opening Main Street up by eliminating one side of meter parking. This will allow for better vision at cross walks, give cyclists a sharrow (again, similar to Delaware Ave), and forces them to abide by traffic laws.