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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-02-05; Traffic Safety Commission; MinutesMINUTES MEETING OF: TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION DATE OF MEETING: February 5,2001 (Regular Meeting) TIME OF MEETING: 3:OO p.m. PLACE OF MEETING: City Council Chambers CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Whitton called the Meeting to order at 3:OO p.m. ROLL CALL: Present: Chairperson Frank Whitton, Commissioners Jim Courtney, Bob Mertz, Jerry Schall Absent: Commissioner Gillfillan Staff Members Present: Robert Johnson, Deputy City Engineer, Transportation Division Lt. Mike Shipley, Carlsbad Police Department, Traffic Division Dave Stillman, Associate Engineer, Transportation Division James Gale, Engineering Technician 11, Transportation Division APPROVAL OF MINUTES: ACTION: Motion by Commissioner Mertz, and duly seconded, to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of January 8,2001 VOTE: 3-0- 1 AYES: Whitton, Mertz, Schall NOES: None ABSTAIN: Courtney ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: Mrs. Thelma Hayes, 580 Laguna Drive, Carlsbad, California, said she is attending the Traffic Safety Commission meeting this month, as she does each February, to request that there be an agenda item in March in regards to the 13* anniversary of the Pedestrian Action Plan. Some of the items she would like to see covered are as follows: 1. Progress report as to which sidewalks still need to be built including maps which show a half-mile and mile radius around each school. 2. Comment on the effect of the Street Committee report. 3. Comment on the interim provision for pedestrian safety on Carlsbad BoulevardKoast Highway across Buena Vista Lagoon that she submitted to Bob Johnson previously. February 5,2001 TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION Page 2 4. Progress on the planning of the replacement bridge for Carlsbad Boulevard over the railroad tracks. 5. Considerations being made for safe pedestrian access to the new bus benches that have been purchased by the City and are being installed by the City. 6. An annual report of pedestrian accidents within Carlsbad. Chairperson Whitton thanked Mrs. Hayes for her comments and asked Bob Johnson if he would be able to report on her concerns at next month’s meeting. Bob said he would schedule the item on the March agenda of the Traffic Safety Commission. PREVIOUS BUSINESS: Bob Johnson stated that City Council has introduced the ordinance for two ALL-WAY STOP installations on Plum Tree Road and will adopt the ordinance on February 13,2001. The ordinance would then go into effect 30 days later. NEW BUSINESS: 6A. Submit projects for consideration of receiving funding from the Transportation Development Act/TransNet Fundinp Propram. Bob Johnson introduced Dave Stillman, Associate Engineer, who presented the staff report. Dave explained that this item is an annual program that the Transportation Division takes the lead on to secure TDA and TransNet finding for new bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Dave explained that projects submitted by the City for TDMTransNet fhds must encourage pedestrian activity or bicycle use and, typically, construction must begin within one year of the date the finds are applied for. Dave said the process includes obtaining a recommendation from the TSC and then going to City Council for adoption of a resolution. If the City Council adopts the resolution authorizing that a request for funding be submitted, then a finding request is submitted to SANDAG by staff. Dave explained that the two projects being considered for finding this year are: Jefferson Street - Construction of sidewalk on the west side of the roadway from Tamarack Avenue about halfway to Chinquapin Avenue. The cost of the sidewalk construction is estimated at $4,438. Rancho Santa Fe Road - A funding request of $257,940 for bicycle lanes and sidewalks along portions of the roadway that have no other funding source when the roadway is realigned and improved to a 6-lane divided roadway. Dave Stillman concluded by stating the Trafic Safety Coordinating Committee recommends submitting a finding request for the two designated projects. February 5,2001 TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION Page 3 Commissioner Courtney inquired as to why staff is only seeking funds for portions of Rancho Santa Fe Road and not the entire roadway. Mr. Stillman explained that all other portions of the roadway not highlighted on the exhibit provided to each Commissioner in the staff report are being built and paid for by developers. Commissioner Courtney also asked if San Elijo Road will be realigned where it intersects Rancho Santa Fe Road. Bob Johnson said the intersection will be moved to the south. Commissioner Courtney asked why no sidewalk is being constructed along the east side of Jefferson Street between Tamarack Avenue and Chinquapin Avenue. Bob Johnson said the project was partially designed, however, several residents opposed the construction of any sidewalk along the east side. Bob said working through the issues would only delay the project so it was decided to only construct sidewalk on the west side. Commissioner Mertz inquired as to whether a time frame exists for when the construction on these projects must begin if the funds are approved. Dave said the construction should begin within one year of the date of funding approval and, if it doesn't, the City must return to SANDAG with an updated schedule and explain the reason for the delay. SANDAG will then decide whether to rescind the funding or continue it for the next year. Bob Johnson explained to the Commission that submitting an application for the funds does not guarantee the City will receive the funds and asked Mr. Stillman to explain the process on how the committee allocates the funds. Dave Stillman said each jurisdiction submits their requests for funding. Once all of the requests are made, each jurisdiction makes a presentation to the SANDAG Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee showing the merits of their project(s) and then the committee members vote on which projects they would like to see funded. Once that decision has been made, the top projects are funded until the funds are all accounted for. Bob Johnson said the City has been fairly successful each year having been given roughly $250,000 over the past eight to ten years for various projects from the TDNTransNet funds available. Chairperson Whitton asked if sidewalks are still missing around any schools within Carlsbad and whether these funds could, instead, be used to build some of them. Bob Johnson said a significant number of sidewalks have already been built adjacent to schools and explained that part of the strategy for successfully receiving fimds is choosing projects that are close to starting up such as the ones being asked for consideration at this time. Bob stated that there are no sidewalk projects adjacent to schools at this time that are close to starting, other than the Jefferson Street project, and added that making a submittal on such a project would not receive a very high priority ranking by the committee. Bob said there are a few projects though in the works to construct sidewalk adjacent to some schools but they are not ready to be considered for TDA funding at this time. Chairperson Whitton asked whether those same projects would normally qualify for TDA funding. Bob said there will probably be a few projects that can be submitted for next year. Bob also mentioned that sidewalk projects are eligible for consideration of receiving funding, as are bike lanes, with the bulk of the funds received by Carlsbad in the past going towards construction of sidewalks. February 5,2001 TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION Page 4 Chairperson Whitton inquired as the whether the sidewalks in front of schools are less important than the sidewalks on Jefferson Street. Bob explained that the reason we’ve been so successful in receiving TDA funds in the past is because the projects were adjacent to schools. Commissioner Courtney made a comment that the Traffic Safety Commission has had input regarding projects submitted in the past for consideration of TDA funding including sidewalks adjacent to schools such as Jefferson Street which is adjacent to Jefferson Elementary School. ACTION: Motion by Commissioner Courtney, and duly seconded, to accept the recommendation of the Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee to submit to SANDAG a funding request for FY2001/02 TDA/TransNet funds in the amount of $262,378 for the two projects mentioned above. VOTE: 4-0-0 AYES: Mertz, Schall, Whitton, Courtney NOES: None ABSTAIN: None 6B: Review, comment upon, and approve the TSC Rules and Procedures, and adopt TSC Resolution No. 2001-1. Bob Johnson explained that this item is brought to the Traffic Safety Commission on an annual basis in order to receive their input and make changes, if necessary. If changes are required, the item will be brought back to the next meeting with those changes incorporated into it. If no changes are recommended by the Commission, TSC Resolution No. 2001-1 can be adopted by the Traffic Safety Commission. Chairperson Whitton asked the two newest members of the Commission if they had any comments. Commissioner Mertz inquired about the use of the word “he” throughout the procedures instead of the document being gender-neutral in its wording. He gave an example mentioning that in paragraph 1 on page 2, one of the lines reads “. . ..or if he should fail to act.. ...”. Commissioner Mertz suggested it read, “he/she” instead. Bob Johnson explained that, in the past, about five years ago, an attempt was made to make the document gender-neutral. The result was a close vote by the Commission to leave it as is. If the Commission decides at this time to make the entire document gender-neutral, all references to “he” will be replaced and the item will be brought back at the next meeting. Commissioner Mertz said, in his understanding, that this will be a continuing process if any changes are recommended and asked if that was correct, in other words, we cannot resolve this item today if any changes are made. Bob Johnson said, procedurally, if changes are recommended by the Commission today, the document would be revised and the new, revised document would be brought back to the next meeting for adoption. February 5,2001 TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION Page 5 Commissioner Mertz also pointed out the title of Section 36 on page 9 which reads as follows: REQUEST TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION ON AGENDA ITEMS OTHER THAN LISTED. Commissioner Mertz said he did not understand the title and asked for clarification. Bob Johnson said it means those items not listed on the agenda. Commissioner Mertz then asked that it be changed to read REQUEST TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION ON ITEMS OTHER THAN LISTED ON THE AGENDA. Chairperson Whitton asked the other commissioners what they thought about changing the procedures to being gender-neutral. Commissioners Schall and Courtney concurred with Commissioner Mertz. ACTION: Motion by Commissioner Mertz, and duly seconded, to modi@ the entire document so that it is gender-neutral and also modify the title to Section 36 so that it reads REQUEST TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION ON ITEMS OTHER THAN LISTED ON THE AGENDA. VOTE: 4-0-0 AYES: Mertz, Schall, Whitton, Courtney NOES: None ABSTAIN: None Bob Johnson said it would be appropriate that a motion be made that this item be continued and brought back to next month's meeting. ACTION: Motion by Commissioner Schall, and duly seconded, that the request changes be made and the item be brought back to next month's meeting. VOTE: 4-0-0 AYES: Mertz, Schall, Whitton, Courtney NOES: None ABSTAIN: None 6C: Consider adoption of a Traffic Safety Commission Resolution of Commendation for Keith Gillfillan. Bob Johnson said this is a procedural item whenever the Chairperson changes and explained that Mr. Gillfillan served as Chairperson of the Traffic Safety Commission from June, 1999 until January 8,2001. ACTION: Motion by Commissioner Schall, and duly seconded, to adopt a Resolution of Commendation for Keith Gillfillan. VOTE: 4-0-0 AYES: Mertz, Schall, Whitton, Courtney NOES: None ABSTAIN: None February 5,2001 TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION Page 6 REPORT FROM TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSIONERS: None REPORT FROM TRAFFIC ENGINEER: Mr. Johnson said the California Border Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), previously in 1994 and 1997, has held a one-day seminar in San Diego for Traffic Safety Commissioner training. Bob said ITE is currently planning another seminar to be held on a Saturday in May or June and he will pass the information along as it becomes available. Bob told the Commissioners the City of Carlsbad will pay for the training registration fee. Bob explained that it will be all day on a Saturday, will include lunch, and mentioned that most of the TraEc Safety Commissioners attended in 1994 and 1997. Bob concluded by saying that if anyone is interested in attending upon receiving the information, contact him and their registration will be made. Commissioner Courtney said he has attended twice and plans to go again. He recommended that the other Commissioners attend if they’re able to. ADJOURNMENT: By proper motion, the Regular Meeting of February 5,2001, adjourned at 3:33 p.m. pw- Respecthlly submitted, JAMES W. GALE Engineering Technician I1 Transportation Division