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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1986-03-06; Traffic Safety Commission; MinutesP 1 -- MINUTES Y Meeting of: TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION Time of Meeting: 6:OO p.m. Date of Meeting: March 6, 1986 Place of Meeting: La Costa Hotel Theater COMMISSIONERS \1 CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Fuller called the Meeting to order at 6:06 p.m. ROLL CALL: Present - Chairman Fuller, Commissioners Erwin, Melideo, O'Day and Wood. Absent - None. Staff Members Present: Kent Sears, Traffic Engineer Officer Shipley Police Chief 3imno Chairman Fuller introduced Police Chief Vincent 3imno, who explained the reason for this Meeting being held at La Costa, at this time of day instead of the regular afternoon Meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission. Council regarding the designating of truck routes in South Carlsbad. This matter was referred to the Traffic Safety Commission for hearing and their consideration. use the theater this evening. However, there is an 8:OO p.m. time limit. Hopefully the people speaking will keep this in mind to give everyone a chance to give their input. He stated a number of people spoke before The La Costa Hotel allowed the City to APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The Minutes of the Meeting held February 3, 1986, were approved as presented. REPORT ON ACTION FROM PREVIOUS MEETING: There was no report at this time. ACTION ITEMS: 1. Ocean Manor Motel Parking Chairman Fuller stated, for the record, the Commission and staff toured the motel site on February 20, 1986. Arnie Dumbrow addressed the Commission stating he hoped Mr. Sear's recommendation would be followed to make the street a one-way street and approve diagonal parking. Commissioner Erwin stated he preferred Alternative 1: Remove existing perpendicular spaces and place parallel spaces between obstructions. Commissioner Melideo requested all the signs indicating private parking be removed. Mr. Dumbrow stated the signs had been removed. Commissioner Melideo stated there was still one sign there as of yesterday. Mr. Dumbrow assured her this sign had just been overlooked and would be removed. Fuller Erwin Melideo 0 'Day Wood X X X X MINUTES 4 March 6, 1986 ACTION ITEMS: (continued) Charles Garner, 2968 Garfield, addressed the Commission asking whether the public would be able to park there free. Staff indicated this was a public right-of-way and the public had every right to park there. Mr. Garner stated none of the alternatives actually served the public, with the exception of Alternative 6 which would leave the parking as it is. He added the tree should be removed. Staff indicated the tree is on City property and has nothing to do with Ocean Manor. is the City's responsibility and the City would benefit more from the diagonal parking rather than parallel parking. Staff agreed the tree Commissioner Melideo stated she was concerned about the parking. remain angle parking. Staff indicated Elm Avenue parking would Mr. Sears stated if Ocean Manor did any improvements on their property, they would be required to widen Elm Avenue at that time. Mr. Sears again indicated only half-street improvements had been required on Elm Avenue at this time. Commissioner O'Day stated anytime Ocean Manor would come in for a project they would be required to provide underground parking. would probably be a requirement. Kent Sears agreed this Traffic Safety Commission determined to leave the parking as currently exists in the Ocean Manor Motel area, with the exception of removing the palm tree at the north end of Garfield Street. Also, the trash bin should be removed and put on the site of the Ocean Manor Motel, Commissioner Melideo stated she wants this item to come back again for further study and Garfield between Elm and Grand to be studied as to whether there will be a parking district, public way or just what it will be. 2. City Truck Route - Proposed Additions to the Amroved Truck Routes. Chairman Fuller stated for the record, correspondence had been received from several agencies. of San Diego says County procedure neither designates nor restricts truck traffic on County roads. The County The City of San Marcos concurred with the designation of Rancho Santa Fe Road as a truck route. The City of Vista stated they were in favor of truck traffic on Rancho Santa Fe Road. Debbie Davis, La Costa, opposed trucks on La Costa Avenue as a hazardous use. Fuller Erwin Melideo O'Day Wood X X X X P MINUTES March 6, 1986 COMMISSIONERS Page 3 ACTION ITEMS: ( con t inued) 3eff and 3udi Fronick opposed the use of La Costa Avenue and Rancho Santa Fe Road as truck routes. Chairman Fuller read the background on this item and the recommendation, Ben Smith, 3017 Azahar Court, stated he understood the recommendations made by staff. to Rancho Santa Fe Road with regard to residences on that road would then have entrances onto that road. He felt action on Rancho Santa Fe Road should be deferred until something has been done to improve the road. road is not completed as yet. Santa Fe Road is not a road -- it is a cowpath. He asked what happens The park has been voted to be completed and the He added that Rancho Matt Schaker, 3109 La Costa Avenue, stated his objection to trucks on Rancho Santa Fe Road and the Daon Development. He stated when the developers come into an area, they do not take into consideration the long-term effect of their development. He added Rancho Santa Fe Road is not maintained and is in deplorable condition. All trucks, equipment trucks and trucks delivering dirt and rocks travel Rancho Santa Fe Road at speeds of 60 mph scattering dirt and rocks over the roadway, He felt something should be done to enforce the scattering of debris on the road. He felt there should be consideration given to eliminating trucks on La Costa Avenue and Alga Road in the residential areas. Leanna Gibson, 7426 Trigo Lane, stated her backyard is approximately 30 feet away from Rancho Santa Fe Road. She does not allow her children to play near the road for fear a truck or car may come through the fence. She stated the sound of the cars and trucks wakes them up early in the morning and goes on all day. road should not be a truck route. Her two reasons for asking Rancho Santa Fe Road to be eliminated as a truck route are safety and the noise. This 3im Popovich, 7436 Trigo Lane, stated his property also backs up to Rancho Santa Fe Road, and he agreed with the previous speaker. The road is dangerous and the 16-wheelers pass the garbage trucks with the garbage trucks going maybe 5 to 10 mph. there will be a headon someday that will be a grinding crash. Mr. Popovich stated he understood why San Marcos and Vista does not mind if this is a truck route, as they do not smell the exhaust and hear the noise. The trash to energy plant is in San Marcos. They voted for it and they will make the money from it. lane freeway for the garbage trucks in San Marcos. He stated Why should the La Costa area be divided by a six- Mr. Popovich stated Palomar Airport Road is a viable alternative to using Rancho Santa Fe Road. Airport Road is commercial, industry and agriculture, with no houses along the road. traffic should be on Palomar Airport Road. Palomar He stated all truck MINUTES March 6, 1986 COMMISSIONERS Page 4 ACTION ITEMS: (continued) Morey Rabin, 7717 Morada Street, addressed the Commission asking whether there was a City Ordinance, State Law or County Regulation stating that open trucks must have a covering on them. trucks carrying stones, sand and dirt have open tops and he has replaced the windshields in his cars several times. He felt there should be enforcement to make them abide by regulations and provide the residents with a safe way of traveling. He said the Ed Marbrey, 3325 Piragua, stated there was not only a danger to the children but also to the adults on Rancho Santa Fe Road and La Costa Avenue. These streets are raceways and he recommended they not be designated truck routes. Bud Porter, 5394 Linda Vista Road, San Diego, representing the disposal association, stated he understood the problem and sympathized with the residents. He stated in North County there is one land fill to handle all of the waste in northern San Diego City to the County border. Over one million tons of waste a year go to the San Marcos plant and they must have access to that plant. He commended staff working out the options. He said the additional mileage and costs would be a factor. In driving Rancho Santa Fe Road he stated that was a dangerous road and more dangerous than La Costa Avenue. improvements to Rancho Santa Fe Road must be made and then La Costa Avenue could be closed to truck traffic. His recommendation was that La Costa Avenue remain open until necessary improvements on Rancho Santa Fe Road are made. The 3eff Conne, 7601 Nueva Casadilla, stated he was a new resident was not cognizant that La Costa Avenue was so dangerous. for the speed due to the topography and the blind curves. limit and the noise pollution and trucks are a nuisance. without impeding the traffic flow in order to help the residents of the community. He said he had considered speed bumps, but he knew that was not practical. He did suggest La Costa Avenue speed limit be reduced to 40 mph. In certain areas with the blind corners and hills he would suggest 35 mph. be a limit on the late-hour trucks and better patrolling by the Police Department. could keep the big trucks off of La Costa Avenue by building a height barrier and limiting the height to 10 or 11 feet. If the truck is too high, it cannot make it through the barrier. He felt that modern technology could be used to check whether the trucks were using the roads and to alert the Police Department. He felt the revenue from tickets and fines would cover the costs of the use of the technology. He stated the roadway was just not built He stated drivers exceed the 55 mph speed There are some things that can be done, He stated there should He felt they MINUTES March 6, 1986 ACTION ITEMS: (continued) Chairman Fuller stated trucks have a right to use the streets. He said the Commission has concerns about the roads and consideration of traffic circulation. He suggested anyone having a problem with City enforcement staff write a letter. That agency would take care of those items. He stated this Commission, the item under discussion tonight was limited to truck routes and did not envolve enforcement. Barbara Donovan, 2630 Abedul Street, spoke regarding trucks on Alga Road. a truck route. She recommended Alga Road not be Chairman Fuller stated the recommendation was not to include Alga Road as a truck route. Mrs. Donovan added this was an access route for many people living on the north side of La Costa, is a school bus route and should not be a truck route. Bob Accetta, 7319 Muslo Lane, stated he agreed with everyone, including the representative from the trash hauling company, that Rancho Santa Fe is not a safe road. He felt the trucks should be taken off of it right now. The trucks could De diverted to alternate routes, where it is safe, until something could be done about improving Rancho Santa Fe Road. Citizens should have input on planning in that area as far as the road location and what is going through there. Chairman Fuller reiterated all trucks cannot be kept off of the streets. They have a right to make local deliveries, but it is possible to keep the through traffic off of certain streets. Lois Humphreys, 7647 Primavera Way, stated she had several recommendations to make. She agreed with the recommendations to keep the trucks off of La Costa Avenue and Alga Road, but she also recommended the Traffic Commission ask the City Council for better police monitoring to keep the trucks off. children ride the school buses on La Costa Avenue. If a truck ran into a school bus, this could be a very tragic affair. She stated Rancho Santa Fe Road as a truck route is an inappropriate use. Mrs. Humphreys stated there are some sections of pavement in La Costa Avenue that are failing. Until improvements are made to Rancho Santa Fe Road, making it more than one-way lane each direction, truck traffic should not be allowed on that road. Also there are no sound walls or any mitigation for the residents living along that road. She asked the Commission to recommend, when there are three lanes each way, guardrails, bushes and sound walls be put in before any more houses are built along Rancho Santa Fe Road. The Mrs. Humphreys stated the children in that area are on a year-round school schedule and must cross this "freeway" where they are driving 55 mph. to be a truck route, there should be better pedestrian crossings, and, perhaps, overhead crossings. If this is MINUTES March 6, 1986 \\\\\ \% ' Page 6 COMMISSIONERS Y ACTION ITEMS: ( continued) Mrs. Humphreys commented separation of the La Costa area makes it difficult to create a community. There are three different school districts and the residents feel they should not be divided by a giant freeway. Chairman Fuller stated any change of road classification is the job of the Planning Department and not the function of this Commission. Neil Turner, 7329 Calle Alma, stated the proposed truck routes are currently not truck route roads. recommended that until Rancho Santa Fe Road is improved, it should not be a truck route. He Debbie Davis, 7525 La Quienta Place, stated she would like to answer the man from the trash company as far as the cost factor. She spent several months calling trash companies when she found their trucks speeding on La Costa Avenue. She also called the City Managers of Oceanside and Carlsbad. Ms. Davis complained about the trips of all the different trash companies and their picking up early in the morning making a great deal of noise. With the school children and the new school to be built in the area, there would be danger to the children crossing the street. She stated the trash trucks travel at 65 mph and are not aware of the blind corners on the streets. She asked the trash companies to please allow the citizens to live their lives. She felt the trash trucks from other cities should take other routes, and the cities they are servicing should also help Carlsbad to keep those trucks from the Carlsbad streets. Marlene Palish, 7035 Alacante Road, agreed with the other residents and stated the truck people are using Alacante Road as a truck route. She stated there are trucks on that street carrying dirt and rocks and making U-turns in front of the homes. This use of Alacante is causing the street to become cracked and causing a great deal of discomfort to the residents. A gentleman spoke about Rancho Santa Fe Road stating the houses sit very close to the road. trucks on that road and the speed on the downgrade, there could be a disaster. With the Karen Sims, 7562 Trigo Lane, stated it is difficult to enforce the speed limit on Rancho Santa Fe Road because there is no safe place for the police to sit in order to be there to enforce the speed limit. 3ohn Waterstradt, 7312 Muslo Lane, stressed the unsafe condition of the roads due to heavy traffic and needed maintenance. Council Member Kulchin spoke, thanking the audience for coming to the Meeting. Mrs. Kulchin asked the Traffic Safety Commission to listen to the residents and consider their requests for no truck routes on Rancho Santa Fe Road, Alga Road or La Costa Avenue. MINUTES March 6, 1986 ACTION ITEMS: (continued) Marylyn Bellman-Brown, 2638 Luciernega, spoke stating they realize there must be some truck routes in the area, but they asked the Commission recommend to the Planning Commission and City Council plans for sound attenuation on those streets so the residents suffering from the noise and the safety issues can be safeguarded in the future. When the truck routes are designated, funds should be made available to construct sound attenuation walls concurrently with the designation of those routes. Alan Recce, 7442 Trigo Lane, presented a petition with over 400 residents names on the petition. original petition had been sent to City Hall. The Chairman Fuller stated for the record that he had a copy of the petition. Mr. Recce used the land use map to show the areas of Rancho Santa Fe Road where there are blind spots. He stated the sound walls are too low and must be higher in order to mitigate the noise from the trucks. In some places on Rancho Santa Fe Road the houses and yards are four or five feet below the roadbed. The trucks would come right through a four foot wall or fence. He had tested the sound on the road, and it was 80 decibals. Mr. Recce stated the City has a problem in that area and are responsible and liable for the trucks going through the fences. health of the citizens must outweigh the costs and slight inconvenience to the trucks. Safety and Dennis Price, 7515 Cadencia Street, addressed the Commission stating the Commissioners should travel Rancho Santa Fe Road with the slow traffic and the passing on the hills and blind curves. Costa Avenue there are 75 driveways entering the street along with all of the street intersections on the roadway. He added on La Commission discussion followed, with the determination the impacts being described by the people here tonight do exist and Rancho Santa Fe Road is not in good condition. However, that road is a multi- jurisdictional road, with Carlsbad not having a legal right to close it at the present time. Any closures, without the concurrence of the County, City of San Marcos and others involved, would have to be decided by the Department of Transportation. Police Chief Vincent 3imno stated they could not enforce any decision by the City of Carlsbad to eliminate Rancho Santa Fe Road as a truck route without petitioning the Department of Transportation, State of California, to have the matter decided. The City could be involved in a law suit if they cited a trucking company for a Municipal Ordinance in conflict with the State Law. All that could be done at that point would be to have the State make the decision. MINUTES March 6, 1986 ACTION ITEMS: (continued) Commissioner O'Day stated anyone finding debris that has fallen off of trucks should notify the City Engineering Department. There are Ordinances that the trucks must have an approved haul route and that is in writing. There is a cash bond placed, and this could be used for cleaning up the material that falls onto the road. need to be repaired, that recomendation should he included in a letter to the City. Mr. O'Day agreed that sound walls work in conjunction with berms to mitigate noise. Each wall would have to be analyzed in relation to the adjacent homes by a sound expert. If there are places on La Costa Avenue that Commissioner Erwin stated everyone was interested in safety and it was the desire to make the area into a finer neighborhood. He stated he did not believe that Rancho Santa Fe Road, as it stands now, is safe for truck traffic. La Costa Avenue is not safe for trucks, and most of the residential streets are not made for trucks. Commissioner Erwin made the following motion: Traffic Safety Commission recommend to the City Council that all commercial vehicles in excess of 5,000 lbs, except commercial vehicles servicing those specific areas, be prohibited from using the following roads : 1. Olivenhain Road - western City limit to Rancho Santa Fe Road. 2. Rancho Santa Fe Road - Olivenhain Road to eastern City limits. 3. La Costa Avenue - El Camino Real to Rancho Santa Fe Road. 4. Alga Road - El Camino Real to Melrose. 5. Melrose - Alga Road to Rancho Santa Fe Road. Secondly, La Costa Avenue from El Camino Real westerly to the westerly City limits should be designated as a truck route. Finally, all the roads listed in this motion should be posted with the appropriate signs immediately after Council approval. Commission discussion first centered on the 5,000 lbs. limitation, with Police Chief Vince 3imno stating the State Law is 14,000 lbs. and the Commission would have no authority to regulate the weight other than what is in the State Vehicle Code. In answer to Commission query regarding the designation of Rancho Santa Fe Road from Melrose to Olivenhain, Kent Sears stated they could only change this by a General Plan Amendment. Chairman Fuller stated when a road is a prime arterial, it should be designed and anticipated to carry trucks. He stated he was not in favor of designating a truck route unless the road was constructed to prime arterial standards. At this time it is premature to designate Rancho Santa Fe Road as a truck route. He stated when and if it is built, and it retains the prime arterial status, he believed that would be proper. 4 MINUTES March 6, 1986 COMMISSIONERS Page 9 ACTION ITEMS: (continued) Commissioner Erwin agreed to restate his motion to state: in excess of 14,000 lbs. Commissioner Erwin asked whether the designated routes would be properly signed, and was told by staff they would be. Trucks using routes not signed are subject to ticketing unless they can prove they have business in the area. Commissioner Erwin made the following motion, with changes to read: Traffic Safety Commission recommend to the City Council that all commercial vehicles in excess of 14,000 lbs, except commercial vehicles servicing those specific areas, be prohibited from using the following roads: 1. Olivenhain Road - western City limit to Rancho Santa Fe Road. 2. Rancho Santa Fe Road - Olivenhain Road to eastern City limits. 3. La Costa Avenue - El Camino Real to Rancho Santa Fe Road. 4. Alga Road - El Camino Real to Melrose. 5. Melrose - Alga Road to Rancho Santa Fe Road. Secondly, La Costa Avenue from El Camino Real, westerly to the westerly City limits, should be designated as a truck route. listed in this motion should be posted with the appropriate signs immediately after Council approval. Finally all the roads Gross allowable weight maximum gross weight of 14,000 lbs. and "trucks prohibited" signs be placed on those streets. Also the streets being used now to be signed, Commissioner O'Day agreed that Rancho Santa Fe Road should not be used as a truck route at this time. He agreed when it is a six-lane highway, and sound attenuation walls have been installed, then it would be proper to be used as a truck route. He recommended the City of Carlsbad petition Cal-Trans to enforce that in the light of Rancho Santa Fe Road being a two- lane road. He would like to attach to that recommendation to the City staff, that sound attenuation walls be considered. Commissioner Wood stated he would like to vote on the motion before the Commission. motions and discussions, those could be voted upon separately. If there are subsequent c MINUTES March 6, 1986 ACTION ITEMS: (continued) Traffic Safety Commission adopted the following motion: The Commission recommended to the City Council that all commercial vehicles using the allowable weight for the California Vehicle Code, with a maximum gross weight of 14,000 lbs, except commercial vehicles servicing those specific areas, be prohibited from usin! the following roads: 1. Olivenhain Road - western City limit to Rancho Santa Fe Road. 2. Rancho Santa Fe Road - Olivenhain Road to eastern City limits. 3. La Costa Avenue - El Camino Real to Rancho Santa Fe Road. 4. Alga Road - El Camino Real to Melrose. 5. Melrose - Alga Road to Rancho Santa Fe Road. Secondly, La Costa Avenue from El Camino Real westerly to the westerly City limits should be designated as a truck route. Finally, all the roads listed in this motion should be posted with the appropriate signs and any streets that have been used as truck routes, which are now prohibited, should be signed with the proper signs immediately after Council approval. Kent Sears, Traffic Engineer, stated Palomar Airport Road is near its capacity at the present time. addition of all the trucks using Rancho Santa Fe Road, Alga Road and La Costa Avenue, would have a significant impact upon Palomar Airport Road. The The statement was made that with this action the trash company would be landlocked with no access to the landfill. The City cannot do that. The trash trucks do have a right to go in and out of the areas they are servicing . Commissioner Wood stated the City Council, on the advice of the City Attorney, will make its recommendation as to whether or not the recommendation of the Traffic Safety Commission is valid. Chairman Fuller stated there must be an alternative route for the trucks. Traffic Safety Commission recommended the City of Carlsbad, City Council and staff, petition the Department of Transportation, State of California, to resolve the problem created, which involves San Diego County roads and roads of the City of San Marcos. The City of Carlsbad has indicated posting Rancho Santa Fe Road as not suitable for trucks. San Marcos wants the use of Rancho Santa Fe Road for trucks and San Diego County has objected to designating Olivenhain as a non-truck route. to those entities to petition Cal-Trans. It is up Fuller Erwin Melideo 0 Day Wood Fuller Erwin Melideo O'Day Wood h \ 9 S - X X X X X X X X X X MINUTES March 6, 1986 ACTION ITEMS: (continued) Traffic Safety Commission recommended the City Engineer consider sound attenuation walls in the design of Rancho Santa Fe Road. In answer to a question from a member of the audience, Chairman Fuller stated they cannot enforce any action taken against trucks on Rancho Santa Fe Road unless all persons involved concur. Mrs. Humphreys stated the health and safety of the citizens should take precedence with the Department of Transportation. Without giving their names, two other men in the audience stated they had monitored the trips made by various delivery, garbage, etc. trucks, and they felt the Police should call these people in for private sessions and explain to them they will have to abide by the regulations. ITEMS FROM THE COMMISSION: Commissioner Wood stated he would suggest the Traffic Engineer look into the possibility of putting a left- hand turn pocket in the northbound lane on El Camino Real turning west into Arnel. He stated there is a southbound pocket, and with the development of Seaport, it would be wise to put in the left turn northbound pocket. Commissioner Melideo asked staff what was happening to the traffic circulation study in the beach area. Staff stated the contract had been awarded. 3im Popovich stated since the Traffic Engineer had said Palomar Airport Road was nearly up to its capacity, he wanted to comment that Rancho Santa Fe Road is 4,000 trips over its capacity. Mr. Laveck, 7722 Anillo, stated the City needed someone with the proper background, appearance and training to be a Traffic Commissioner to inform the truck companies that they must abide by the regulations and not use La Costa Avenue for through truck traffic. He stated someone with knowledge on how to deal with these companies should handle the spillage of dirt, rock, etc. on the pavement. At this point Chairman Fuller informed the audience the Meeting must close, inasmuch as the theater has a prior commitment. Fuller Erwin Melideo O'Day Wood X X X X X MINUTES \\\\\ March 6, 1986 COMMISSIONERS Page 12 ITEM FROM THE ENGINEER: Kent Sears stated there were no items at this time. AD30URNMENT: By proper motion, the Meeting of March 6, 1986, was adjourned at 7:45 p.m. 'tarriett Babbitt Minutes Clerk HB/tc