Summary Sheet- WSS ISSUE REVIEW SUMMARY

MEMORANDUM – ISSUE REVIEW SESSION
TO:
Mayor and Council
THROUGH:
Keith Burke, Deputy City Manager, (480) 350-5819
Shelly Seyler, Interim Engineering and Transportation Director, (480) 350-8854
Isaac Chavira, Interim Deputy Engineering and Transportation Director, (480) 350-
8349
FROM:
Catherine Hollow, Principal Civil Engineer, (480) 350-8445
Ellie Volosin, Senior Civil Engineer, (480) 350-8629
DATE:
1/11/2024
SUBJECT:
All-Pedestrian Phase at Mill Avenue and 5th Street
AGENDA ITEM: 3A 
PURPOSE:
To provide the Council with an overview of the current operations of the pilot all-pedestrian phase 
currently operating at the intersection of Mill Avenue and 5th Street.
RECOMMENDATION OR GUIDANCE REQUESTED:
Staff is seeking Council feedback on the permanent configuration moving forward: Make the all-
pedestrian phase permanent or revert to the standard phasing.
CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PRIORITY AND RELATED PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
3.26 – 20 Minute City
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In February 2023, City of Tempe staff were asked to implement an all-pedestrian phase signal timing at 
the intersection of Mill Avenue and 5th Street, with the purpose of creating a unique pedestrian 
experience for those visiting the downtown area. While a standard phasing scheme allows pedestrians 
to cross at the same time as the green light for through traffic parallel to the desired pedestrian movement, 
the all-pedestrian phase scheme does not allow any pedestrian movement during vehicle green phases 
and allows all pedestrian movements (including diagonal movements) during a separate additional phase 
in the cycle. City staff collected some pre-launch data at that time, and then launched the all-pedestrian 
phase timing on March 8, 2023. Literature review of the research surrounding this phasing scheme 
provided some guidance, recommendations, cautions, and strategies for the most successful type of 
implementation.
City staff provided Council with an overview of the operations at this intersection in June 2023. That 
presentation provided a summary of data collected from various sources during the pilot test, including 
observed queue lengths, corridor travel times, observations of user compliance, stakeholder feedback, 
and the summarized results of the public survey conducted during the month of March 2023. At the 
conclusion of the June 2023 presentation, Council elected to extend the pilot test period for an additional 
6 months.
The attached presentation provides a summary of current operations at the intersection of Mill Avenue 
and 5th Street. Data summaries include observations of travel time, user compliance, observations from 
Tempe PD, and feedback from Mill Avenue businesses.

2
FISCAL IMPACT or IMPACT TO CURRENT RESOURCES:
If the City decides to revert the signal timing scheme at this location back to the standard phasing, there 
is not associated cost aside from staff hours. If the City decides to make the all-pedestrian phase 
permanent, structural changes to the intersection would be needed in order to ensure safe permanent 
operations. These changes include temporary paint and striping for the crosswalk updates, audible 
pedestrian push buttons on all corners, and larger permanent signage. The total cost of these changes 
is estimated to be $30,000. Permanent changes to the intersection pavement will be incorporated in the 
Mill Avenue Refresh project.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. ALL-PEDESTRIAN PHASE FOLLOW-UP POWERPOINT