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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-10-03; Traffic Safety Commission; MinutesMINUTES MEETING OF: TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION DATE OF MEETING: TIME OF MEETING: 3:OO p.m. PLACE OF MEETING: October 3,2005 (Regular Meeting) City Council Chambers CALL TO ORDER Chair Dorsey called the Meeting to order at 3:OO p.m. ROLL CALL: Present: Absent: Chair Steve Dorsey Vice-Chair Susan Gardner Commissioner Guy Roney Commissioner Bonnie Bradshaw Commissioner Gordon Cress Staff Members Present: Robert Johnson, Deputy City Engineer, Transportation Lt. Don Rawson, Carlsbad Police Department Jape Strommer, Environmental Programs Manager APPROVAL OF MINUTES: There was no September meeting held and, therefore, no minutes to be approved. Commissioner Bradshaw asked for verification of Item 6A, page 3, from the minutes of the regular meeting of August 1,2005, where it stated that Commissioner Cress said that “in Zooking at the speed survey, the maximum speed recorded was 34 miles per hour indicating that drivers are traveling below 34 miles per hour. He asked if the 30-mile per hour speed limit was worthwhize spending the money to put up stop signs if drivers are already driving that speed ’’ Mr. Johnson stated that to his recollection, this is what was stated and he would try to verify that at the next meeting when Commissioner Cress is present. October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 2 August 1,2005 ACTION: Motion by, Commissioner Roney, and duly seconded by . Commissioner Bradshaw, to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of August 1,2005 as presented. VOTE: 4-0-0 AYES: Dorsey, Gardner, Roney, Bradshaw NOES: None ABSTAIN: I None ITEM 4 - ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None. ITEM 5 - PREVIOUS BUSINESS: Robert Johnson, Deputy City Engineer, stated that upon the recommendation of the Traffic Safety Commission, the City Council adopted an ordinance to establish a prima facie speed limit of 30 miles per hour on Paseo Avellano between Calle Barcelona and Segovia Way. In addition, upon the recommendation of the Traffic Safety Commission, the City Council also adopted an ordinance to establish a prima facie speed limit of 45 miles per hour on Poinsettia Lane from Black Rail Road to Cassia Road. ITEM 6 - NEW BUSINESS: ITEM 6A: Remove the existing signs located on Marina Drive that prohibits on-street parking during street sweeping hours. Mr. Johnson stated that this item was initiated by Brian Biernacki, a resident of 47 19 Marina Drive, Apt. D, Carlsbad. Mr. Biernacki submitted a letter and petition, both of which are included in the staffreport. The request is to have the existing signs removed fiom Marina Drive that indicates the prohibition of parking during street sweeping hours. Currently, Marina Drive is signed to indicate no parking between 8:OO a.m. and 12:OO noon on the second and the fourth Tuesday of each month when street sweeping occurs. Mr. Johnson stated that there was a long history regarding the signs on Marina Drive. The original request for signs was initiated in 1991 by the Board of Directors for Bristol Cove Property Owners’ Association. A letter was sent in 1991 , which is also included in the staff report. The purpose of the no parking signs is simply to remove vehicles from the street during the street sweeping hours. One of the important reasons that the streets need to be swept, particularly around Cove Drive, Park Drive, and Marina Drive, is because of very high density housing, and the number of vehicles that October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 3 park on the street, including boats with trailers or other vehicles. If the streets cannot be swept, then the debris that might be in the gutters on the street is washed into the storm drain system, which drains into the nearby lagoon and then into the ocean. The City of Carlsbad has an Environmental Programs Division that rigorously monitors these types of violations and issues. It is something that is addressed with a great deal of concern to try to minimize what flows into the lagoons via the storm drain system. Carlsbad is under the requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, a mandated program to try and keep the waters as clean as possible. Mr. Johnson said the signs are needed because of the number of homes and the resulting number of vehicles that are parking on the street. Without the signs, the streets would not be able to be swept. Having the no parking restriction during street sweeping hours is a way for the street to be property swept. The Carlsbad Police Department coordinates with the street sweeper. There is a program in place that Lt. Rawson can fully elaborate on if there are questions. The Community Service Officer (CSO) coordinates with the street sweeper by following the street sweeper around or being in advance of the street sweeper so that appropriate citations can be issued, if necessary, if there is a violation of a no parking signs that are in place. In some cases, the vehicles could be towed. Mr. Johnson stated that in other parts of the city there are similar signs to those on Marina Drive. Signs are also located in areas where there is si&icant on-street parking. Generally these signs are in the northwest quadrant, where there are a number of condominium or apartment units that are close together. This results in significant on-street parking. Signs are usually installed on a complaint basis if residents complain that the streets are not being swept. Residents believe that since their taxes go to pay for street sweeping, they would like their streets swept. Debris in streets becomes a nuisance and there is a desire to have the streets swept to keep Carlsbad a beautiful place. Mr. Johnson stated that the Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee, which is a staff committee, reviewed this item. In order to minimize the impact to Marina Drive, the recommendation was to not remove the signs, but to minimize the impact of having to remove vehicles a great distance by making changes to the signs on Park Drive. Referring to Exhibit 3, Mr. Johnson showedwhere other no parking signs were located along Park Drive, Cove Drive and Bayshore Drive. There are a number of signs to indicate that parking is not allowed within these portions of the streets during street sweeping hours. It can be a problem for the vehicles to have to be moved off Marina Drive and park easterly of Neblina Drive or westerly of Cove Drive in order to be out of the restricted area. Mr. Johnson said that the Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee recommended that there be alternating street sweeping days on Park Drive such that parking would be allowed on one side of the street while the street is swept on the other side. This would allow vehicles on the various side streets, including Marina Drive, to park on Park Drive near their customary parking place. When parking is not allowed due to street sweeping on the alternate day on Park Drive, parking would be allowed on the other side of the street. This would result in a competition for parking spaces on Park Drive if one side of the street were available for parking during street sweeping hours that occur on Marina Drive and on the others streets. As it is now, vehicles must move easterly of Neblina Drive and westerly of Cove Drive. There currently is competition for vehicles to park in those areas that allows parking during the street sweeping hours. October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 4 Mr. Johnson introduced Jayne Strommer, Environmental Programs Mimager for the City of Carlsbad to mer any questions about why the program is structured the way it is by having no parking signs. Lt. Rawson is also available to answer questions about enforcement aspects of the no parking signs. In conclusion, the Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee recommends that the option to alter the street sweeping schedule on Park Drive be explored Mer to allow parking on one side of Park Drive at the same time that Marina Drive is being swept. It is further recommended that the existing signs that designate the parking prohibition on Marina Drive during street sweeping not be removed. DISCUSSION: Commissioner Roney asked if anyone contacted the Management Group that sent the letter in 1991. Mr. Johnson stated that staff sent a number of letters to the nearby residents, including their HOA, regarding the item that was being heard by the TrafTic Safety Commission today. Letters were also sent to individuals that signed the petition. A number of letters were returned by the Post Office. Vice-Chair Gardner asked how a street sweeper works? She assumed its not a vacuum so it couldn’t actually pull up the debris, but how does it keep fiom putting the debris into the lagoon? Mr. Johnson stated that the sweeper has a brush and a vacuum system so that it is pulled up into the bin that is located on the vehicle. There is a slight amount of water that helps with dust control and helps pick up the debris. Anything that is overly large or heavy will not be able to be picked up, but the general type of debris in the street gutter - paper cups, leaves, accumulation of dirt and mud, and washings that come off of somebody’s lawn - those are usually picked up in a very efficient manner and the streets are left in good shape. PUBLIC TESTIMONY: Hearing no other questions from the Commission, Chair Dorsey opened Public Testimony. Scott Chasen, 4705 Marina Drive, Carlsbad, stated that he was Treasurer of Bristol Cove Property Owners’ Association and Vice-president of Bristol Regency Management Corporation. Mr. Chasen informed the Commission that he was on the Board when the 199 1 letter was written fourteen years ago. At that time, street sweeping was performed once per month, and now it is the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. He stated that the neighborhood was dense and tightly populated with October 3,2005 Tr&c Safety Commission Meeting Page 5 one hundred buildings in the private community of Bristol Cove. In terms of the street sweeping, he stated that he had not realized that the reason for street sweeping was to keep debris out of the lagoon. He said that they work to ensure, that the lagoon does not get debris from construction and erosion because the Bristol Cove Property Owners’ Association is responsible for maintaining their channel and they have to pay $300,000 to $600,000 every twenty years to do it. Mr. Chasen stated that there was an exodus of vehicles on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month about 300 yards either north or south in areas which are also swept on the same day. So the vehicles that would be on Park Drive just move to Neblina Drive, or move up the street to Park Drive. The street sweeper has to go around them, just in different locations. He felt this was counter- productive. Mr. Chasen brought his daughter, Haley, with him to the meeting and stated that at 759 a.m. on street sweeping days, there are as many as five policemen on motorcycles on Marina Drive or Cove Drive, depending where there are more cats parked, and at 8:Ol am. they start giving out parking tickets. In addition, the Community Services Officer is there, too. Yet, down by the school, there are vehicles traveling by at 40-50-60 miles per hour He had on occasion questioned a police officer asking if rather than giving parking tickets at 8:01, maybe they could go down to Kelly Drive where they could hopefully prevent a traffic accident instead of just giving a parking ticket. He said in the last ten years, the City Council changed the ruling, or made it more user-fiiendly, by saying they wouldn’t give tickets after the street sweeper had come. It used to be 8:OO a.m. to 12:OO pm, and now they changed it that once the street sweeping is over, the police don’t give tickets anymore. It seems to be during this last year that the policy of the police has been that rain or shine, they’ll give tickets. The street sweeper doesn’t come on rainy days, but tickets are given on rainy days. In the rainy season last year, he asked a policeman who was giving a ticket in the middle of a “100-year storm” why he was giving tickets when the street sweeper wasn’t going to come. The officer said he was not aware that there was any policy that said they didn’t have to give tickets when it was raining and he gave Mr. Chasen the phone number of the lady who was in charge of overseeing that. However, she was on maternity leave. Mr. Chasen said they didn‘t have anyone to tell the Police Department. Mr. Chasen mentioned that the Police Department will give an average of 1-25 tickets on street cleaning days between Park Drive, Marine Drive and Cove Drive. Once a month was fine. Now residents move their cars the 2”’ and 4* Tuesdays and just move the problem somewhere else. Chair Dorsey asked if the HOA had taken an official position on this? Mr. Chasen stated that at the annual meeting last year, there had been quite a change of ownership at Bristol Cove and they had addressed the issue, and it was at a point where they are going to take a position on it. October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 6 Vice-Chair Gardner asked if the HOA had been advised of the Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee’s recommendation that Park Drive be allowed to park on one side of the street when street sweeping was being conducted on the other side of the street? Mr. Chasen stated that they had received the notice in the mail, but had not had a meeting since then. He said he would relay the information from today’s meeting at their next meeting. He stated that if you were to go to Park Drive and see it logistically, you’d see it wouldn’t work because on the right side of Park Drive, it is vacant land, undeveloped. On the left side are houses and apartments. There may be only 15 on-street parking spaces on the west side of Park Drive. On the east side, there are probably 150 spaces. By alternating, you’re really taking away - if you go there on any Tuesday, you see the 25 - 30 cars just move up the street and the street sweeper has to go around them, too. Then the street sweeper doesn’t come back. Brian Biernacki, 471 9 Marina Drive, #D, Carlsbad thanked Mr. Johnson for his help in answering questions and helping them to understand the issue. Approximately six months ago he got his first parking ticket. He had been living on Marina Drive for three years and maintaining the property for ten years. He has neighbors who have gotten tickets, averaging about one per year, going on for about ten years. This led him to wonder why they had to have street sweeping signs up, and he started asking questions. He asked Bob Johnsonwhy there were street sweeping signs posted, and he said it was done on a complaint-basis. The complaint is not derived from the City, but rather the residents living in the area. Mr. Johnson suggested he obtain a consensus to find how what residents think about the street sweeping signs. Mr. Biernacki stated that he obtained a consensus, starting on Marina Drive. It was hit and miss. He went to Park Drive, where he began to get some resistance. Park Drive has its own problems. Cove Drive has its problems, and part of that is they have a city owned block that got badly eroded this past year. There is a constant flow of mud and silt that collects on the street. Cove Drive also has a large section that is undeveloped and you get vegetative debris that collects in the street. Park Drive and Cove Drive get a lot of debris that the street sweeper can remove. In 1991 that was also true of Marina Drive. However, now Marina Drive is built up. There is no longer an open field with debris collecting in the street. There is a new development on Bayshore Drive, a professionally landscaped, enclosed community. Tu Casa on Marina Drive has a professional landscape company who maintains their property. Mr. Biernacki stated that he maintains their property well. Scott Chasen’s property is also well maintained. They do not get a collection of debris. The original reason for installing signs on Marina Drive no longer holds true. They don’t get the debris that they once got in 1991. Mr. Biernacki stated that he petitioned 80-85% of the residents. His original complaint was that whenever he had a new tenant, they almost always got a ticket. It was the heavy-handed enforcement of this area that was the initial incentive to get this involved. He felt the people getting the tickets were paying high rents and were hard-working people, and were getting $SO-$lOO tickets. He said he October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 7 found out that in 95% of the city, residents didn’t have to move their cars; street sweeping just goes around their cars. They want to be treated like everybody else now. Their streets are well maintained. Mr. Biernacki stated he was a little disappointed because he thought he had Bob Johnson’s support on this issue. When he saw his recommendation to the Committee, he was really surprised because it didn’t address the concern they had. Parking during street sweeping hours is not an issue for them. They have plenty of places tg move their cars between 8:OO a.m. and 12:OO p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays. By 8:OO a.m., most people have already gone to work. People just forget to move their cars, or it’s a guest, or a new resident or repairman. By 8:OO a.m., probably 50% of the vehicles have already left. By 9:OO am., there’s only about 25% left on the street, which is probably no worse than anywhere else in the city. With respect to the people on Park Drive who want their street swept, with the bluff issues, and he wasn’t blaming the City entirely, because it’s not just the erosion but on Park Drive, he is not making a recommendation for Park Drive - they have their own issues that they should address to the City separately. It is not the Bristol Cove Association who dictates who get their streets swept or who has signs up. On his petition, the president of Tu Casa, Linda ScMkr, signed the petition. The president of the Bristol Regency, Ruth Hinkley, and Vice-president, Scott Chasen, signed his petition. He has spoken to the president of the Bristol Cove Association, Marilyn Stimmm and she doesn’t care one way or the other. That’s also true of Bob Richards who is in charge of the management company - they don’t have a position on it. Mr. Biernacki stated that one of his concerns is that people on Park Drive will now park on Marina Drive if the signs are removed. But he feels they can deal with it. They still want their streets swept. They are all concerned about what goes down their storm drain. Chair Dorsey asked if their position was that the signs should be removed completely? Mr. Biernacki stated absolutely. He personally felt that Park Drive should be left alone. If the city did alternate days of Park Drive, it would be doing them a favor because then they would be disinclined to park on Marina Drive. Bristol Regency is right on the corner and takes up a substantial corner there; it is not a big concern of theirs. It doesn’t take much to take the signs down; it doesn’t take much to put the signs back up if a year from now, they don’t like it; it’s just not a big deal. It was unanimous that they take the sweep signs down, not a single objection on Marina Drive. Closing Public Testimony, Chair Dorsey asked Jape Strommer, Carlsbad’s Environmental Programs Manager, to explain the purpose of street sweeping. Jape Strommer stated that if the sweeper cannot get to the curb and gutter, it’s almost completely ineffective to catch the sediment and debris, because that’s where most of that accumulates and then October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 8 is washed into the curb inlets and so on. They’re finding this problem across the city where right now they are reviewing their street sweeper contract and looking at it under the permit and requirements. Because street sweeping is one of their “best management practices” they are required to implement this under the NPDES permit. An annual report is made to the Regional Board, and last year, under the Street Sweeping Program, Carlsbad removed almost 2,000 tons of sediment and debris. That’s what they kept from going into the lagoons and ocean. Ms. Strommer said this issue is becoming more and more important for all coastal cities. Last year, Carlsbad was compared with other coastal cities in the American Sweeper Magazine as using street sweeping as an important “best management practice” for removing these pollutants. It is especially important around the lagoons because that is where most of the discharge goes. There are very few outlets that go right to the beach; most of them go right into the lagoons. Agua Hedionda Lagoon is one that the Regional Board has listed on the Federal 303D list as being impaired for sediment. According to the Regional Board, this lagoon does not meet the state water quality standards. So this is going to actually put more and more pressure and restrictions on Carlsbad in the very near future through a different regulatory process called the Total Maximum Daily Load (”MDL) in the 303D process. The requirement is more stringent in areas that are around water bodies that are impacted or impaired. This should become more and more of an issue, and Ms. Strommer felt that the Public Works Department and especially Streets and Maintenance is looking at how to make this sweeping program more effective throughout the city. Signs are one of the ways and with cars being parked at the curb line, sweepers are almost ineffective. When sweepers go around the car, all that debris stays right there. It’s a difficult thing because when you deal with signage you deal with enforcement, and people need to park on the street or park somewhere or move the vehicle. That’s something staff is looking at. It is something that staff wants to optimize and they don’t quite have the answer for on how to do it throughout the whole city. She feels it is especially important around the lagoon areas, because most of the street areas have inlets and outfdls that go directly into the lagoon. That is one of the last places to catch debris before it goes out in the waters. Commissioner Bradshaw asked if the City has ever paid out NPDES fines. Ms. Strommer stated that they have not received fines, but have received notices of violation. The frne fiom the Regional Board is $10,000 per day per violation. The EPA has at least a $25,000 per day per violation fine. Carlsbad pays that much annually for their fee, and Carlsbad has a $1.3 million program that’s in place now annually for implementing the permit. It’s expensive. All the jurisdictions are in the process of getting a new permit and they expect the Regional Board to try to push for more stringent requirements. It is not just the cities - Caltrans is one of the agencies that is going to be covered under the TMDL and these permitting processes. It afTkcts anyone that has storm water run-off discharged to surface water bodies. October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 9 Commissioner Roney asked Lt. Rawson ifthe policing effort was any different in that &a compared to other areas of the city when they are enforcing the laws? Lt. Rawson stated that this area and downtown are a few of the places that the no parking on street sweeping day signs are posted. It appears that it is more concentrated there because the signs are in place and they are not in an area where the sweeper is sweeping on all days. There are only certain areas that have signs posted; therefore, there are only violations within those posted areas. Vice-Chair Gardner stated that she used to live off of Park Drive and she observed boats parked there quite often. It was her concern that when you have a vehicle sitting for a long period of time, it actually collects more dirt and debris than the vehicles that come and go. She asked if there still are several boats involved with sitting there for periods of time. Lt. Rawson stated that he had no direct information about how long the boats remained there. He stated that they give a number of citations each month for unattached trailers. If you leave your boat on the trailer, it is a ticket to leave it there. If the trailerhat combination is there for more than 72 hours, it is enforced by being towed out of the area. The citations for the trailer comes with a higher fine than just the street sweeping citations and having them towed every three days has discouraged a number of the historical references to the boats and trailers being left in that area. Mr. Biernacki asked if he could respond to some of the cornmerits being made. Chair Dorsey stated that technically he should not, but he would allow Mr. Biemacki to make a brief comment. Mr. Biernacki stated that he was concerned about the lagoon. He knew that you could only park on the street for 72 hours before you had to move your vehicle, so nobody could store their vehicles in the street. Regarding the condition of the street, he stated that he brought to the attention of an enforcement office to look at the street - it hadn’t been cleaned for two weeks, and it was spotless. They do not get sediment on Marina Drive like you do elsewhere such as Park Drive and Cove Drive which are separate issues. Their streets are clean. Commissioner Bradshaw asked if they removed the signs on Marina Drive would the impact be nothing, and would the street sweepers be able to go in there and do their job? October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 10 Mr. Biernacki said that they could do the same job as they do in most of the city, that if there are a few cars there, they have to go around them. But if you’re doing it twice a month, he’s most likely to , get the whole street. Nobody parks on Bayshore Drive.. Very few cars during the course of the week park there. Chair Dorsey asked Lt. Rawson how many motorcycle officers they had? Lt. Rawson said there were six. Chair Dorsey stated that his first inclination was to acquiesce to Mr. Biernacki’s request, but he suspects that if that happened, everybody &om Park Drive would drive around the corner to avoid having to go wherever they have to go, and you would be right back where you started. At the same time, if there isn’t that much parking on the street at that time in the first place, how difficult is it to sweep adequately around the cars that are there? Only the street sweeping operators or parking enforcement officer knows. MI. Johnson stated that prior to staffs recommendation, they met with CSO Field who has been the parking enforcement police officer for ten years. Her issue to that question is that the schedule is very tight each day because the sweeper has to do the entire forty miles of the city every week. Each part of the city gets swept twice per month. It is not as if the street sweeper can come back in an hour or six hours later and sweep it when everyone has left for the day. That appears to be consistent with what the Streets Department has told staff when preparing this report. Chair Dorsey asked what the general discussion was at the Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee on this issue? Mr. Johnson said that there were a number of options that were included in the staff report to the Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee. The Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee held the same sentiment as was being discussed here about concerns for the quality of the water, and the efficiency and effectiveness of the street sweeping if vehicles were parked in this location. This is one of the locations in the City where there are a numbers of vehicles that are parked in the area. It is adjacent to the lagoon and it was the Committee’s recommendation and decision that it should be approached this way by leaving the signs on Marina Drive, but trying to work with the residents by altering the schedule on Park Drive. Park Drive will still be swept but instead of being the second and fourth Tuesday, it might be on the following Wednesday. One-half of the street will be swept on Wednesday and the other half of the street on a different day. It will still have the same number of days of street sweeping, it would just be a different day of the week. It would be a little bit of an adjustment, but the Streets Department crew that handles the contract feels it could be worked out. October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 11 There would have to be some adjustments in the schedule to make it work since the sweeper is currently in the area on set days. As Lt. Rawson stated, the sweeper has to do the entire city, so the sweeper is moving around. Mr. Biemacki commented from the audience stating that they gave the city the power to put the signs up, but now they don’t have the power to take the signs down. Mr. Johnson stated that if the Commission would like Mr. Biernacki to be allowed to continue with comments, they would have to grant him permission to return to the podium so his comments could be recorded. Mr. Johnson stated that at these meetings it is not a debate. The public has their opportunity to present their information and the Commission asks questions of staff before they discuss it among themselves. Chair Dorsey stated that the time for Public Testimony was over, and it was now time for the Motion to be voted on. MOTION: ACTION: Motion by Commissioner Roney, and duly seconded by Commissioner Bradshaw, to recommend that the option to alter the street sweeping schedule on Park Drive be explored further to allow parking on one side of Park Drive at the same time that Marina Drive is being swept. It is further recommended that the existing signs that designate the parking prohibition on Marina Drive during street sweeping not be removed. VOTE: 4-0-0 AYES: Dorsey, Gardner, Roney, Bradshaw NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ITEM6B: Establish an all-way stop on Hosp Way at the intersection of Wintergreen Drive/Grove Avenue. Mr. Johnson stated that Item 6B was a request by Ms. Wood to establish an all-way stop on Hosp Way at the intersection of Wintergreen Drive/Grove Avenue. Ms. Wood was unable to make the meeting and requested a continuance until the December meeting. It is up to the Commission if they choose to honor the continuance request. Typically, the continuance request is honored by the Commission. October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 12 Vice-Chair Gardner stated that due to a potential conflict of interest she could not participate in the vote and had to recuse herself. MOTION: ACTION: VOTE: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: Motion by Commissioner Roney, and duly seconded by Commissioner Bradshaw, to recommend that the request to establish an all-way stop on Hosp Way at the intersection of Wintergreen Drive/Grove Avenue be tabled until the December 5,2005 meeting of the T&ic Safety Commission. Dorsey, Roney, Bradshaw None None 3-0-0 At 3:49 pm a brief recess was called by Chair Dorsey due to mechanical problems with the transcription machine. At 351 pm Chair Dorsey called the meeting back to order. ITEM6C: Establish a new Carlsbad municipal code section to allow the police Department’s special enforcement unit (SVP members) enforcement authority for municipal code parking violations. Mr. Johnson stated that Item 6C was initiated by Lt. Don Rawson, Carlsbad Police Department, who will provide the staff report on this item. Lt. Rawson explained that currently the California Vehicle Code allows for a provision for local agencies to establish a special parking division mainly for the enforcement of handicapped and disabled areas within their jurisdictions, specifically the California Vehicle Code Section 22507.8 and Section 225 1 1.7. The City of Carlsbad has two local ordinances allowing for the enforcement of parking violations - Municipal Code Sections 10.42.010 and 10.42.020. These two sections allow the Chief of Police to create a unit, which is our Senior Volunteer Patrol (SVP). Since its inception, our SVP members have enforced through parking citations violations of handicapped zones. There are twenty - thirty citations written per month of this sort. Lt. Rawson said that referring to the first item of this Commission meeting, another issue within the Police Department is to have more enforcement of some of the similar codes throughout the entire city. The Police Department parking citations were low when CSO Jessica Field was on maternity October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 13 leave for a number of months. There was discussion with the City Attorney’s Office to see if there was a way for the SVP, under this legislative Special Enforcement Unit, to enforce sections of the Municipal Code which deals with standing, stoppiqg and parking. The opinion of the City Attorney’s Office in these discussions was that it defaults to the local governing party, the City Council, to put in this ordinance or not. The SVP members of the Carlsbad Police Department have requested the ability to issue parking citations per municipal code Chapter 10.40 Stopping, Standing and Parking. The purpose of the staff report today is to recommend the addition of section 10.42.030 to the municipal code allowing the Police Department’s Special Enforcement Unit enforcement authority for municipal code parking violations. An ordinance will be required to be adopted by the City Council to establish a new section of the municipal code as recommended. DISCUSSION: Vice-Chair Gardner stated that recently there were concerns about stoppinghtanding in front of schools. She understood that the Police Department was going to address that at some of the elementary schools. She asked if the Police Department intended to use the SVP in this matter, or will it be mostly with the parking violations cited, like the red curbs where the concern is mostly with the vehicle itself. Lt. Rawson stated that the big need is the school zones at every school every day throughout the whole year. Two things would prohibit that from happening. First, the SVP work hours are after the school drop-off time and they end their workday before the school pick up in the afternoon. So the SVP members don’t work the hours around the school zones. Another issue, which is very critical, is their personal safety. The SVP is being asked not to put themselves at risk or in jeopardy. Parking cites are very volatile and people get upset if you write a parking ticket on their car. So the SVP are trained to retreat from hostile or confrontational citizens. The intention is to be more benign in their enforcement with the cars that are at the red curbs. Another opportunity this afl‘ords the Police Department is revisiting the three-hour parking limits that are established throughout the ciq which have been in force for a number of years. MOTION: ACTION: VOTE: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: Motion by Vice-Chair Gardner and duly seconded by Commissioner Bradshaw, to recommend the addition of section 10.42.030 to the municipal code allowing the police department’s special enforcement unit enforcement authority for municipal code parking violations. Dorsey, Gardner, Roney, Bradshaw None None 4-0-0 October 3,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 14 ITEM 7: REPORT FROM TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSIONERS Vice-Chair Gardner stated that she attended the Traffic Safety Commissioners Workshop held in Poway on Saturday, October 1". She felt it was very informative and the food was very good. The workshop justified some of the recommendations from the City, i.e., no speed bumps. She felt they came away feeling that speed bumps were not in the best interest of Carlsbad either. ITEM 8: REPORT FROM TRAFFIC ENGINEER Mr. Johnson stated that in addition to Vice-Chair Gardner, both Commissioner Roney and Commissioner Bradshaw also attended the workshop sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Engineers. StaE and the Police Department are currently working on a truck route determination that is tentatively scheduled for the November meeting. The item has to go to the Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee for recommendations. Subject to the TSCC concurring with recommendations, the matter will then be brought to the Commission. There have been a number of individuals that have addressed the City Council on the item and sent letters in, so they will be notified of the meeting. There should be some interest and we should expect some members of the public that will attend will want to speak to the Commission. Some of the residents are the same ones that have addressed the Commission about a year ago on the issue of the speed limit on Melrose Drive. We'll hear from those individuals also. Because there could be a relatively large crowd at the next meeting this will be the only item on the agenda, as it could be a lengthy item. Commissioner Bradshaw asked if a member of the Planning Department could be present in case questions arise regarding the General Plan or school site locations, something of that nature? Mr. Johnson stated that he would inquire with the Planning Department if they could have a staff member attend the meeting. Chair Dorsey stated that the next regular meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission would be held on November 7,2005 at 3:OO p.m. in the City Council Chambers. ADJOURNMENT: By proper motion Chair Dorsey adjourned the Regular Meeting of October 3,2005 at 4:Ol p.m. Respectfully submitted, Ruth Steckdaub Minutes Clerk