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Home My WebLink About2023-08-07; Traffic and Mobility Commission; ; Revise Speed Limit on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between 1,400 feet south of Manzano Drive and Island WayMeeting Date: Aug. 7, 2023 To: Traffic and Mobility Commission Staff Contact: Miriam Jim, Senior Engineer Miriam.Jim@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-5796 John Kim, City Traffic Engineer John.Kim@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2757 Subject: Revise Speed Limit on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between 1,400 feet south of Manzano Drive and Island Way Recommended Action Support staff’s recommendation to the City Council to revise speed limit on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between 1,400 feet south of Manzano Drive and Island Way from 50 mph to 45 mph. Background Staff are recommending revising the speed limit on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard from just south of Manzano Drive to Island Way from 50 mph to 45 mph. This recommendation is based on an analysis of current speeds on the roadway after the roadway was restriped from two vehicle lanes to one vehicle lane and is in keeping with state law and guidelines. It intended to enhance safety for all road users while maintaining traffic flow. How speed limits are set The State of California has established a uniform procedure for public agencies to establish speed limits throughout the state. The procedure is detailed in the California Department of Transportation’s California Manual for Setting Speed Limits. This manual provides guidance on how legally defensible speed limits may be established in compliance with the vehicle code and how appropriate signage may be installed in accordance with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Speed limit determinations rely on the premise that a reasonable speed limit is one that conforms to the actual behavior of the majority of drivers. Speed limits are normally set near the 85th percentile speed. The 85th percentile speed, also known as the “critical speed,” is the speed at or below which 85% of the traffic is moving. According to the Manual for Setting Speed Limits, Federal Highway Administration studies have demonstrated that the most effective attribute in establishing the speed limit is to determine the 85th percentile speed and set the posted speed limit close to that value. The empirical data in these studies demonstrates that setting the speed limit too high or too low can increase collisions. Aug. 07, 2023 Item # 4 Page 1 of 7 In addition, setting the speed limit arbitrarily low often results in making a disproportionate number of drivers violators of the speed limit. This doesn’t encourage the orderly movement of traffic and requires constant enforcement to maintain compliance. With this in mind, speed limits that are set near the 85th percentile are safer and produce less variance in vehicle speeds and are considered reasonable and prudent. Six types of locations are assigned specific speed limits of by Vehicle Code: 15 mph: • Uncontrolled railroad crossings • Blind, uncontrolled intersections • Alleyways 25 mph: • Locations that meet business and residential district requirements • School zones • Areas immediately around senior centers Local jurisdictions may establish speed limits on roadways for all other or locations, based on the findings of an engineering and traffic survey. This survey consists of engineering measurements of the 85th percentile speed, a review of the collision history and a review of roadway conditions. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices provides detailed guidelines and procedures on conducting an engineering and traffic survey in compliance with Vehicle Code Section 627. A comprehensive review of the collision history of the roadway is an important element in the process to establish a speed limit on that roadway. A collision review reveals whether there is a high incidence of speed-related collisions on the roadway at specific locations. If no significant collision history exists, public agencies may conclude that most drivers are operating their vehicles in a prudent manner, which supports using the 85th percentile speed to establish the speed limit. CVC Section 22358.5 specifically prohibits lowering the speed limit for conditions that are readily apparent to drivers, such as roadway width, curve, grade and surface conditions. Conditions that are not readily apparent to drivers may be used as justification for lowering the speed limit up to an additional 5 mph in certain cases, but those speed limits are sometimes challenged and overturned in court. For unusual conditions, or conditions not readily apparent to drivers, appropriate warning devices should be considered in lieu of lowering the speed limit. Since roadway conditions are integral to the appropriate setting of speed limits, changes to roadway conditions can create opportunities to re-evaluate existing speed limits and recommend changes, if appropriate. Discussion Carlsbad Boulevard between 1,400 south of Manzano Drive and Island Way: • Is classified as a Coastal Street in the Mobility Element of the General Plan, which calls for: o Managing vehicle speeds o Enhancing mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists Aug. 07, 2023 Item # 4 Page 2 of 7 • Has one travel lane and a bike lane • Has no sidewalks • Varies in width from 22 to 45 feet • Has roadway grades that vary from approximately 1% to 3.5%. Adjacent land uses include beaches, campgrounds, parking lot, resort, hotel and mobile home community living. The speed limit on Carlsbad Boulevard is currently posted as 50 mph based on a July 2018 engineering and traffic survey that showed the 85th percentile speed to be 51 mph. In March 2023, the south Carlsbad Boulevard restriping project resurfaced and restriped southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between Manzano Drive and Island Way with improvements that included: • A shoulder on the west side of Carlsbad Boulevard that can be used by pedestrians. • One 11-foot vehicle lane and a buffered bike lane on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between Solamar Drive and Island Way. • Green paint to highlight areas of conflict with vehicles. • Space for bicycle parking and up to 13 parallel parking spots for cars next to the existing North Ponto Beach parking lot, with a buffer between the bike lane and parking lane. (The existing angled on-street parking south of Solamar Drive is maintained.) The lane reduction and striping changes gives staff an opportunity to re-evaluate existing speed limit on the roadway. Staff reviewed the Police Department’s traffic collision summary report for this segment of southbound Carlsbad Boulevard for a two-year period from May 2021 through April 2023. There were five reported collisions, among which two were vehicle involved and three were bike and pedestrian-related collisions. Three of the collisions were speed related. Staff conducted a speed survey on this stretch of roadway on April 18, 2023. The 85th percentile speed of 46 mph was calculated based on a sample of 100 vehicles. The 85th percentile speeds from previous speed surveys and this recent survey are summarized in the table below. Based on the results of the recent survey, and in accordance with the California Vehicle Code, staff recommend posting a speed limit of 45 mph for southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between 1,400 feet south of Manzano Drive and Island Way. Speed survey Survey date 85th percentile speed Posted speed limit 6/19/2018 51 mph 50 mph 4/18/2023 46 mph 45 mph* *Proposed speed limit Aug. 07, 2023 Item # 4 Page 3 of 7 Necessary City Council Action The City Council must adopt an ordinance to establish the new speed limit on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between 1,400 feet south of Manzano Drive and Island Way. Next Steps Upon receiving support from the Traffic and Mobility Commission, staff will introduce an ordinance for City Council adoption. Once the ordinance is adopted, appropriate regulatory speed limit signs will be posted in compliance with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Once the signs are installed, the Police Department can enforce the new speed limit of 45 mph on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between 1,400 feet south of Manzano Drive and Island Way. Exhibits 1. Location map 2. Engineering and Traffic Survey Aug. 07, 2023 Item # 4 Page 4 of 7 1 LOCATION MAP Aug. 07, 2023 Item # 4 Page 5 of 7 Exhibit 2 Aug. 07, 2023 Item # 4 Page 6 of 7 Aug. 07, 2023 Item # 4 Page 7 of 7 To: Traffic and Mobility Commission From: Steve Linke Date: August 7, 2023 Subject: Public comment on August 7, 2023 Item #4: Carlsbad Boulevard speed limit reduction Dear Commissioners: The staff report for this item states: A comprehensive review of the collision history of the roadway is an important element in the process to establish a speed limit on that roadway. A collision review reveals whether there is a high incidence of speed-related collisions on the roadway at specific locations. If no significant collision history exists, public agencies may conclude that most drivers are operating their vehicles in a prudent manner, which supports using the 85th percentile speed to establish the speed limit. The staff report goes on to state: Staff reviewed the Police Department’s traffic collision summary report for this segment of southbound Carlsbad Boulevard for a two-year period from May 2021 through April 2023. There were five reported collisions, among which two were vehicle involved and three were bike and pedestrian-related collisions. Three of the collisions were speed related. Looking at the raw data from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), I identified a somewhat similar number of collisions. However, it is interesting to point out that at least two speed- related collisions in this area were due to excessive speed and fault of bicyclists, and the pedestrian- related collision was the fault of the pedestrian. You should certainly support the vehicle speed limit reduction proposed by staff for this agenda item, and it was encouraging to see that the maximum vehicle speed in the survey was only 50 mph. However, you should also insist that all future “comprehensive reviews of collision histories” include more granular detail, including the mode(s) of transportation and who was actually at fault, as well as those two data points within the subset of collisions that were speed-related. Frankly, a significant proportion of bicycle incidents are due to excessive speed of the bicyclists (e.g., out of control and hitting fixed or moving objects, or just wiping out). It is certainly important to ensure that vehicles are not going faster than conditions warrant, and this speed limit reduction may provide some help on that front. However, the same is true for bicyclists, so it may be time to explore methods to help ensure that bicyclists are limited to prudent speeds to reduce (or eliminate under Vision Zero) those types of injuries. Revise Speed Limit on Southbound Carlsbad Blvd between Manzano Dr and Island Way Miriam Jim, Senior Engineer John Kim, City Traffic Engineer Aug. 7, 2023 RECOMMENDED ACTION •Support staff’s recommendation to City Council to revise speed limit on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between 1,400 feet south of Manzano Drive and Island Way from 50 mph to 45 mph ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT CALIFORNIA VEHICLE CODE •Establishes laws governing speed limits ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT CA MANUAL ON UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES •Provides guidance on speed limit setting in compliance with CVC and standard on traffic control devices (signage) ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT CA MANUAL FOR SETTING SPEED LIMITS •Guides standard procedure for setting legally defensible speed limits ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT ESTABLISHING SPEED LIMITS •Should be defensible and follow uniform procedure •Reasonable speed limit is one that conforms to the actual behavior of the majority of drivers •Speed limit is normally set near the 85th percentile speed, speed at which 85% of vehicles are traveling at or below •Studies show that setting speed limits too low or too high can result in increased collision rates ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT ESTABLISHING SPEED LIMITS •CVC Section 22358 directs local agency to establish speed limits on roadways based on the findings of an Engineering and Traffic Survey (E&TS) •An E&TS consists: •Engineering measurement of 85th percentile speed •Review of collision history •Review of roadway conditions ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT Palomar Airport Road Project Location ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT CARLSBAD BLVD RESTRIPING PROJECT ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT •A shoulder on the west side of Carlsbad Boulevard that can be used by pedestrians. •One vehicle lane and a buffered bike lane on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between Solamar Drive and Island Way. •Space for bicycle parking and up to 13 parallel parking spots for cars next to the existing North Ponto Beach parking lot •Buffer between the bike lane and parking lane. ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC SURVEY •Speed survey conducted on April 18 with a measured 85th percentile speed = 46 mph •5 reported collisions between May 2021 and April 2023 •Two vehicle-involved •Three bike and pedestrian-involved •Three speed related •Proposed speed limit: 45 mph ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT SOUTHBOUND CARLSBAD BLVD 85th percentile speed Speed limit Before project 51 mph 50 mph After project 46 mph 45 mph ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT Next steps City Council New ordinance for revising speed zone New signage New speed limit in effect ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT RECOMMENDED ACTION •Support staff’s recommendation to City Council to revise speed limit on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard between 1,400 feet south of Manzano Drive and Island Way from 50 mph to 45 mph ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT Questions PRIMA FACIE SPEED LIMITS •CVC Section 22352 sets two prima facie speed limits, 15 mph and 25 mph, in California for six specific classes of locations •Uncontrolled railroad crossings (15 mph) •Blind, uncontrolled intersections (15 mph) •Alleyways (15 mph) •Locations that meet business and residential district requirements (25 mph) •School zones (25 mph) •Areas immediately around senior centers (25 mph) ITEM 4: REVISE SPEED LIMIT