The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2018-05-07; Traffic Safety Commission; ; LA COSTA AVENUE RE-STRIPING PLANItem #1 Meeting Date: May 7, 2018 To: Traffic Safety Commission Staff Contact: Emad Elias, Assistant Engineer Emad.Elias@carlsbadca.gov or 760-602-7558 Subject: Support the implementation of striping modifications on La Costa Ave between El Camino Real and Rancho Santa Fe Road in conjunction with the construction of the 2018 Pavement Overlay project. Recommended Action Support the implementation of striping modifications on La Costa Ave between El Camino Real and Rancho Santa Fe Road in conjunction with the construction of the 2018 Pavement Overlay project. Executive Summary The 2018 Pavement Overlay project will repave La Costa Ave from El Camino Real to Camino De Las Coches. This provides a cost-effective opportunity to implement a road diet and stripe the roadway with buffered bicycle lanes in each direction. Background According to the City’s General Plan Mobility Element, La Costa Ave is classified as a Neighborhood Connector Street. Most of La Costa Ave between El Camino Real and Rancho Santa Fe Road has a roadway width of 64 feet. At the western end near El Camino Real, the existing roadway has four travel lanes separated by a striped median. Approximately 0.5 mile into the segment, the roadway becomes a three-lane roadway with two lanes in the eastbound direction, a two-way left-turn median, and one lane and a buffered bicycle lane in the westbound direction. Between Gibraltar Street and Romeria Street, the striping changes to one lane and a protected bicycle lane in the eastbound direction, a two-way left-turn median, and two lanes in the westbound direction, which continues until Rancho Santa Fe Road. Within the project limits, the road carries between 13,000 and 17,000 vehicles per day. Surrounding land use is primarily residential, except for the retail and restaurant shopping centers on the north- and southeast corners of El Camino Real/La Costa Ave. The posted speed limit on this portion of the roadway is 40 miles per hour. Discussion The Mobility Element of the Carlsbad General Plan directs staff to “evaluate methods and transportation facility improvements to promote biking, walking, safer street crossings, and attractive streetscapes. The City Council shall have the sole discretion to approve any such road diet or vehicle traffic calming improvements that would reduce vehicle capacity to or below a LOS D”. As a Neighborhood Connector Street, La Costa Ave is intended to “connect people to different neighborhoods and land uses of the city” and to be “designed to safely move all modes of travel while enhancing mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists.” Staff is proposing to utilize the construction of the 2018 Pavement Overlay project as an opportunity to enhance bicycle mobility by striping La Costa Ave with a buffered bicycle lane in each direction. This proposed striping would reduce the number of vehicular travel lanes from two to one in each direction to accommodate the proposed buffered bicycle lanes. Striping changes will not affect the existing number of vehicle travel lanes at the intersections with El Camino Real or Rancho Santa Fe Road. In support of this proposal, an operational analysis of the proposed striping changes was conducted to evaluate the projected vehicular levels of service. Four intersections and four representative roadway segments were analyzed, and are shown on the following tables. Intersection Level of Service Analysis In accordance with the Carlsbad Growth Management Plan and SANTEC/ITE guidelines, the intersections were analyzed using the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) methodology. Synchro 10.0 computer software was used with new traffic counts to calculate delay (in seconds) and the corresponding level of service as summarized in Table 1 below. TABLE 1: Intersection Level of Service Analysis Summary Mid-block Level of Service Analysis Traffic counts were collected for the mid-block analysis and utilized to calculate level of service as summarized in Table 2 below. TABLE 2: Mid-Block Level of Service Analysis Summary As noted above the implementation of the road diet will not reduce the vehicle capacity to or below LOS D. Necessary Council Action Approval of plans and specifications implementing the road diet striping changes on La Costa Ave as part of the 2018 Pavement Overlay project. Exhibits 1. La Costa Ave Level of Service Analysis by LSA 2. Proposed Signing and Striping Plans for La Costa Ave La Costa Ave. Re-Striping Traffic Safety Commission May 7, 2018 Emad Elias, Assistant Engineer Requested Action: •Support implementation of striping modifications on La Costa Ave. between El Camino Real and Rancho Santa Fe Rd. in conjunction with the 2018 Pavement Overlay project. Mobility Element 3-P.15: “Evaluate methods and transportation facility improvements to promote biking, walking, safer street crossings, and attractive streetscapes. The City Council shall have the sole discretion to approve any such road diet or vehicle traffic calming improvements that would reduce vehicle capacity to or below LOS D; this also applies to streets where the vehicle is not subject to the MMLOS standard as specified in Table 3-1.” La Costa Ave. •Classified as Neighborhood Connector Street in Mobility Element •Roadway width of 64 feet •Narrow or no bike lanes •Accommodates 13,000-17,000 vehicles per day •Alternates between one to two vehicle lanes in each direction Existing Cross Section 2018 Pavement Overlay Project •Scheduled for construction in summer/fall 2018 •Project will resurface the roadway •Opportunity to reconfigure striping •Neighborhood Connector Streets are intended to “connect people to different neighborhoods and land uses of the city” and “designed to safely move all modes of travel while enhancing mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists.” Level of Service Analysis Table 1: Intersection Level of Service Analysis Level of Service Analysis Table 2: Mid-Block Level of Service Analysis Recommendation •The implementation of the striping modifications on La Costa Ave will not reduce vehicle capacity to or below LOS D. •Staff recommends that the Traffic Safety Commission support the implementation of the striping modifications on La Costa Ave as part of the 2018 Pavement Overlay project.