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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-10-01; Traffic Safety Commission; MinutesMEETING OF: DATE OF MEETING: TIME OF MEETING: PLACE OF MEETING: CALL TO ORDER MINUTES TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION October 1, 2012 S:OOp.m. City Council Chambers Chair Jairo Valderrama called the Meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Absent: Chair Jairo Valderrama Vice-Chair Hope Wrisley Commissioner Kathryn Fox Commissioner Fred Muir Commissioner Chris Chauncey None Staff Members Present: John Kim, Associate Engineer, Transportation Department Jim Murray, Associate Engineer, Transportation Department Bryan Jones, Deputy Director, City Traffic Engineer Commissioner Valderrama asked Commissioner Chauncey to briefly introduce himself since it was his first Traffic Safety Commission meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES September 10, 2012 ACTION: VOTE: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: Motion by Vice-Chair Wrisley, and duly seconded by Chair Valderrama, to approve the minutes of the special meeting held on September 10, 2012, as presented. 4-0-1 Valderrama, Wrisley, Fox, Muir None Chauncey October 1, 2012 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 2 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None PREVIOUS BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: Bryan Jones presented an overview of the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program (CRTMP). Staff has been working with the residents on traffic calming measures in the nine neighborhoods qualified for Phase II consideration. The first three neighborhoods are being presented for consideration at this meeting. Mr. Jones added thatthe goal of the CRTMP is to break up uncontrolled neighborhood streets into shorter block lengths. These proposed plans are more community-driven than staff-driven, meaning the residents in the neighborhoods have requested that the city address certain issues and is not the city pushing any decisions on the neighborhoods. ITEM6A: Magnolia Avenue Traffic Calming Plan Magnolia Avenue Traffic Calming Plan was presented by Jim Murray. Staff has received concerns regarding speeding on Magnolia Avenue over the past 10 years. Based on Phase II of the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program, staff drafted a proposed plan to add two ALL-WAY STOP locations on Magnolia Avenue at Adams Street and at Grecourt Way. A public neighborhood meeting was held on May 16, 2012 with the residents of this neighborhood to present the proposed plan and address any questions from residents. After the public meeting, a survey was mailed out to residents and non-resident owners on Magnolia Avenue. There was a 70% return on the mailed surveys and a 91% support rate of the proposed plan. Based on the results of the survey and the requirements of Phase II of the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program, staff recommended approval of the Magnolia Avenue Traffic Calming Plan to install ALL-WAY STOP control on Magnolia Avenue at Adams Street and at Grecourt Way. ACTION: VOTE: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: Motion by Commissioner Fox, and duly seconded by Vice-Chair Wrisley, to approve the Magnolia Avenue Traffic Calming Plan. 5-0-0 Valderrama, Wrisley, Fox, Muir, Chauncey None None October 1, 2012 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 3 ITEM 68: Esfera Street Traffic Calming Plan Esfera Avenue Traffic Calming Plan was presented by John Kim. Mr. Kim reiterated that the goal of the CRTMP was to reduce the uncontrolled lengths of neighborhood streets to shorter, "residential scale" block lengths of 500 to 1,000feet in length. Based on Phase II of the CRTMP, staff drafted a proposed plan to add two ALL-WAY STOP locations on Esfera Street at Fosca Street and at Piragua Street. A public neighborhood meeting was held on May 9, 2012 with the residents of this neighborhood to present the proposed plan and address any questions from residents. After the public meeting, a survey was mailed out to the residents and non-resident owners on Esfera Street. There was a 61% return on the mailed surveys and a 77% support rate for the proposed plan. Based on the results of the survey and the requirements of Phase II of the CRTMP, staff recommended approval ofthe Esfera Street Traffic Calming Plan to install ALL-WAY STOP control on Esfera Street at Fosca Street and at Piragua Street. Sandra Gravitt, 7410 Esfera Street, Carlsbad, resident of 22 years, spoke to show appreciation for staff's efforts and thank Mr. Murray for all of his help and attention to the residents in the Esfera neighborhood. Ms. Gravitt stated that since the opening of La Costa Oaks, the Cadencia Stree~ traffic has been terrible with cars racing up and speeding down the street. There have been two accidents since the opening of La Costa Oaks. Commissioner Fox asked if staff considered an ALL-WAY STOP at the intersection of Esfera Street and Cadencia Street. Mr. Kim answered that this question was indeed brought up at the public meeting held on May 9, 2012. By design, the project scope was limited to traffic control on Esfera Street only. Considering a STOP sign on Cadencia Street would be beyond the scope of the Esfera Street Traffic Calming Plan. However, Cadencia Street is on the list of streets to be considered for Phase II implementation and a future STOP sign on Cadencia Street at Esfera Street would likely be considered at a later date. ACTION: VOTE: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: Motion by Commissioner Fox, and duly seconded by Chair Valderrama, to approve the Esfera Street Traffic Calming Plan. 5-0-0 Valderrama, Wrisley, Fox, Muir, Chauncey None None October 1, 2012 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 4 ITEM 6C: Levante Street Traffic Calming Plan Levante Street Traffic Calming Plan was presented by Mr. Murray. Mr. Murray stated that Levante Street is the longest street currently being considered for traffic calming, at 7,715 feet in length between Escenico Terrace and La Costa Avenue. Currently, there are five existing ALL-WAY STOP locations on Levante Street. Based on Phase II of the CRTMP, staff proposed a draft plan to install seven additional ALL-WAY STOP locations on Levante Street. This would reduce the uncontrolled segments of Levante Street from approximately 1,200 to 1,900 feet to approximately 500 to 900 feet. A public meeting was held on April 25, 2012 with the residents of this neighborhood to present the proposed plan and to answer any questions from residents. After the public meeting, a survey was mailed out to the residents and non-resident owners on Levante Street. There was a 68% return on the mailed surveys and a 68% support rate for the proposed plan. Due to the number of proposed STOP locations, Mr. Murray reported that staff drove the length of Levante Street, stopping at the proposed STOP locations and is confident that the proposed plan will be effective. Based on the results of the survey and the requirements of Phase II of the CRTMP, staff recommended approval of the Levante Street Traffic Calming Plan to install ALL-WAY STOP control on Levante Street at Torrejon Place (west), Oviedo Place, Madrilena Way, Galicia Way (east), Primavera Way, Galleon Way and Estancia Street. Commissioner Muir asked if there was a difference in elapsed time making the stops at the proposed STOP locations as opposed to stopping only at the existing STOP locations. Mr. Murray answered that the drive was not timed. Commissioner Muir asked if there was a magic distance between STOP signs that people cease to speed. Mr. Kim stated that there is no magic number. The distance range of 500 to 1,000 feet found in the CRTMP is based on the results of the pilot projects on Sierra Morena Avenue and Donna Drive. Commissioner Chauncey asked when this many STOP signs are "overkill" and asked if maybe there was a possibility for a few less stop signs. Mr. Kim explained that the five existing stop signs were installed over the years in response to speed complaints. The speeding issue has not been resolved by this approach which did not consider the spacing between features. The number of STOP locations for this proposed plan was necessary on Levante Street due to the length of the street in question. Commissioner Muir inquired if the residents in the neighborhoods surrounding Levante Street were included in the vote conducted. October 1, 2012 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 5 Mr. Jones said that no they were not included but they were notified regarding the TSC meeting tonight. Mr. Murray stated that he had received 5 emails and several phone calls regarding this item. All of the emails and phone calls were in opposition to the proposed plan and suggested reducing the number of proposed STOP locations. Commissioner Fox made the statement that there are two alternate streets (La Costa Avenue and Calle Barcelona) that could be used if travel on Levante Street became inconvenient due to the proposed STOP locations. Jenny Racine, 2217 Levante Street. Ms. Racine sated that she has to drive to the school on Levante multiple times per day and the additional STOP signs would increase her travel time to and from the school significantly. Ms. Racine also stated that the noise from the STOP to be placed in front of her house on the corner of Levante and Torrejon would affect her home as well as her autistic child. She also said that this STOP would devalue her property. Ms. Racine proposed that the new ALL-WAY STOP be located at Reposado Drive instead ofTorrejon Place. Ms., Racine concluded that her neighbors are also opposed to the proposed plan and gave the Commissioners a copy of her letter and attached photos. Ray Peterson, 2433 Sacada Circle. Mr. Peterson stated that he was opposed to the particular plan presented. While he supported the idea of reducing speed on Levante Street, he would have liked for the surrounding neighborhoods to have been included in the voting process. Steven Booljonoc, 2425A Sacada Circle, resident since 1977. Mr. Booljonoc is opposed to the Levante traffic calming plan and would like to see speed bumps instead of more signs because of the fact that he travels on Levante Street on a daily basis and it would not be fair that he would have to stop at each sign. He also said that the traffic that would back up in the morning and afternoon by the school from the additional STOP signs would cause an unreasonable amount of delay. Perry Kagan, 2436B Sacada Circle. Mr. Kagan stated that he understands that need for traffic calming on Levante Street but thinks that this is going to be overkill and cause gridlock. He does agree with adding the STOP signs near the school. He says that these STOP signs would give people no choice but to use La Costa Avenue or be stuck in traffic. Mr. Kagan also said police should be used to enforce the speed limit and the STOP signs would devalue the resident's properties along Levante Street. In conclusion he stated that this idea is overkill, inconvenient, and the City needs to revise the plan for Levante Street. Chris Bara, 2441 Levante Street, Carlsbad, resident of 26 years. Mr. Bara stated that this plan is overkill. Maybe speed bumps could be used as a solution, thinks the plan needs to be revised. October 1, 2012 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 6 Nancy Starling, 2304 Levante Street, resident of 7 ½ years. Ms. Starling is shocked at the number of STOP signs in the plan and she is opposed. She said that Levante Street would become similar to Rancho Santa Fe Road in Encinitas. She would like to propose speed bumps to slow down traffic and put police out to enforce the speed limit. Vice Chair Wrisley stated that she has a STOP sign in front of her home and has observed that 1/3 of the people stop, 1/3 of the people roll through the stop, 1/3 don't pay attention at all. She also said that the speed tables installed on Donna Drive are easy to avoid and maybe they are not so effective. Commissioner Muir asked why staff has not expanded the survey to include surrounding streets. Mr. Kim stated that there are costs to every potential solution. In order to achieve safety, factors such as convenience must sometimes be sacrificed. The CRTMP was designed to prioritize safety, therefore the scope of the program was limited to the residents of the streets. Vice-Chair Wrisley said that the residents directly affected should be included in the vote. Mr. Jones stated that police do patrol streets on a rotation. He also said that 35 MPH does not give a motorist enough time to see and stop for a pedestrian that may step into the street. Residential streets are more oriented to pedestrians and children playing in front yards, especially if there is a school nearby, as is the case on Levante Street. That is the reason why the California Vehicle Code specifies 25 MPH for residential streets. Commissioner Fox wanted to confirm that this plan was created by a combination of citizen requests and a proposal by staff. Mr. Jones confirmed Commissioner Fox's statement. Commissioner Chauncey asked if the residents were given an all or nothing choice to vote on. Mr. Jones stated that the residents had a desired speed for their neighborhood of 25 MPH and this plan will achieve that speed as the distance between stop signs decreases. The residents helped develop this plan that went out for a vote of the residents. This was not forced on them but finalized after much discussion at the public neighborhood meeting. Vice-Chair Wrisley said that the light-up signs that show speed are effective. Commissioner Chauncey asked about alternatives such as dips in the road. October 1, 2012 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 7 Mr. Jones answered that dips are the reverse of speed bumps and the residents expressed a strong aversion to speed bumps. Staff could revisit this at the Commission's request but it seemed clear to staff that residents did not want speed bumps. Chair Valderrama stated that police enforcement for speeding on streets cannot work all the time since there is not enough manpower. The police need to focus on the safety of everyone in the city. We need some kind of happy medium for everybody. Mr. Jones stated that staff would like direction from the commissioners if they were not in support of the plan. Vice-Chair Wrisley expressed that Levante residents might wonder why they were asked for their vote if the final action differed from what was originally proposed. Mr. Kim stated that the efforts to address the issue would not necessarily stop if this plan is not approved. Additional public meetings could be held to evaluate support for a plan with a reduced number of STOP sign locations. ACTION: VOTE: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: Motion by Commissioner Fox, and duly seconded by Chair Valderrama, to approve the Levante Street Traffic Calming Plan. 4-1-0 Valderrama, Wrisley, Fox, Muir Chauncey None ITEM 6D: Review and approve TSC rules and adopt TSC Resolution No. 2012-3 Mr. Kim stated that a proposed time change for the Traffic Safety Commission meetings was discussed at the previous meeting. In order to officially move the meeting time from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., the Commissioners needed to revise the procedural rules that outline the conduct of the TSC meetings. ACTION: VOTE: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: Motion by Vice-Chair Wrisley, and duly seconded by Commissioner Fox, to approve the TSC procedural rules and adopt TSC resolution No. 2012-3, which revises the regular meeting time of the TSC from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 5-0-0 Valderrama, Wrisley, Fox, Muir, Chauncey None None October 1, 2012 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 8 ITEM7: REPORT FROM TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSIONERS None. ITEMS: REPORT FROM TRAFFIC ENGINEER Mr. Jones announced that the City received $1.25 million in grants for the Carlsbad Livable Streets Program. Mr. Jones also announced that there is a "Village Voices" meeting on the third Thursday of every month that the commissioners may be interested in attending. Mr. Jones also reminded the commissioners of the Commissions & Committees Dinner on Thursday night. ADJOURNMENT: By proper motion, Chair Valderrama adjourned the Meeting of October 1, 2012 at 6:37 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Rose Williams Secretary