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Home My WebLink About2005-06-06; Traffic Safety Commission; ; Change the existing yield signs located on Walnut Avenue to stop signs.( CITY OF CARLSBAD TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION STAFF REPORT COMMISSION MEETING OF: June 6, 2005 LOCATION: Intersection of Madison Street/Walnut A venue ITEMNO. 6C INITIATED BY: Theresa Childs, 3331 Madison Street, Carlsbad, California 92008 REQUESTED ACTION: Change the existing yield signs located on Walnut Avenue to stop signs. BACKGROUND: The subject intersection (Exhibit 1) is located in a residential area of Carlsbad near businesses to the north, the Senior Center to the east, and an alley also to the east. Madison Street is uncontrolled at Walnut A venue. DATA: Madison Street has a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour. Results of an intersection approach traffic count obtained on May 18, 2005 are provided on Table 1. This is a low volume intersection where yield signs on Walnut A venue have been in place to assign right-of-way for a number of years. Yield signs are used to assign right-of-way. Drivers controlled by the yield sign only need to stop when necessary to avoid a conflict or interference from an approaching vehicle that is given the right-of-way. Unfortunately, yield signs are often ignored or misunderstood and/or drivers routinely treat them as stop signs depending upon their comfort level entering the intersection. Over the years, other yield signs in the near vicinity of the subject intersection have been converted to stop signs. A driver northbound on Madison Street would observe a wooden fence on the southwest comer of the intersection and vegetation on the southeast comer of the intersection. Unless a conflicting situation would arise at the intersection, the driver on Madison Street has the right-of-way and could proceed through the intersection unimpeded. Staff conducted an analysis to determine if sufficient sight distance existed for drivers on Walnut Avenue (minor street) to observe vehicles approaching on Madison Street (major street). A stop sign may be a more appropriate form of intersection control than a yield sign if stopping the minor street direction because of limited visibility to observed approaching vehicles on the major street is due to drivers on the minor street having to slow to a speed less than 10 miles per hour. ( CITY OF CARLSBAD TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION STAFF REPORT COMMISSION MEETING OF: June 6, 2005 ( continued) ITEMNO. 6C The side street at an intersection may warrant use of a stop sign when the safe approach speed to the intersection is less than 16 km/h (10 miles per hour). The decision point on the minor street must allow the driver to view to the right and to the left, an approaching vehicle on the major street. For local streets, the minor street (Walnut Street) decision point is assumed to be 50 feet from the conflict point in the intersection for an approach speed of 10 miles per hour. In general, a distance of 155 feet (stopping sight distance for 25 MPH) along the major street (Madison Street) needs to be provided to view vehicles approaching the intersection. Provided on Exhibit 2 are the measurements obtained at the intersection that verifies the sufficient sight distance available for eastbound Walnut Avenue drivers to observe approaching vehicles on Madison Street. However, for drivers westbound on Walnut A venue, there is a deficiency when looking in both directions to observe approaching vehicles (see Exhibit 3). From the results of the sight distance measurements, it can be concluded that a stop sign may be considered for installation on westbound Walnut A venue in lieu of the yield sign. However, the side streets of an intersection should have consistent traffic control devices in place. Consequently, a stop sign installed on the east leg of the intersection would necessitate that the west leg yield sign also be changed to a stop sign. There have been no reported collisions at the subject intersection in the past 12 months. The last reported collision on record at the Madison Street/Walnut A venue intersection occmTed on May 23, 2001 and the primary collision factor was violation of right-of-way, inattention. If the yield signs are replaced with stop signs, the appropriate stop pavement legend and limit line would be installed in conjunction with the stop signs. RECOMMENDATION: The Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee recommends that both yield signs on Walnut A venue at the Madison Street intersection be replaced with stop signs. NECESSARY CITY COUNCIL ACTION: An ordinance will be required to be adopted by the City Council to establish the stops on Walnut A venue, as recommended. 03/31/2005 15:49 750720( 0 . Theresa J. Childs 3331 Madison Street Carlsbad, Ca 92008 (760) 720-1429 childst@hotmail.com March 31, 2005 Mr. Robert T. Johnson, Jr. Deputy City Engineer 1635 Faraday Avenue Carisbad, Ca. 92008 Dear Mr. Johnson. ( f1iMR '; .1 2fJU5 . ENGH\$uEFW\fG DEP..ARTMEI\JT I am writing this letter to request that the yield sign located on the comer of Madison • Street and Walnut Street be changed to a stop sign. I Jive on Madison between Walnut and Chestnut Qllcl have witnessed many people quickly proceeding thru this intersection • : ,111-1 . (,. '.,_; vice slowing down and carefully proceeding thru the in~ersection. With the new Pine Avenue Park under going construction, traffic in this area will surely increase. There will even be more traffic in this area and more of a need for a stop sign. I can be reached at the number or email address listed above. Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Sincerely, ~?!~ Theresa J. Childs . __ .... ( LOCATION EXISTING YIELD SIGN ... MADISON · NOT TO SCALE ROOSEVELT CARLSBAD SENIOR CENTER ( MAP STREET _._ EXISTING YIELD SIGN ALLEY STREET PROJECT NAME MADISON STREET /WALNUT AVENUE INTERSECTION REQUEST TO CONVERTYIELD SIGNS TO STOP SIGNS , DRAYtN BY: SCOTT EVANS, CARLSBAD ENGINEERING DEPT. 5 13 05 · C: TRAFFIC STOP SIGNS STOP SIGNS-MADISOf:1-WALNUT.DWG EXHIBIT 1 TITLE ( NOT TO SCALE 205' ACTUAL 155' REQUIRED --------7 REQUIRED LINE OF SIGHT I I I 50' I I ( (MAJOR STREET) MADISON STREET G ) DECISION POINT MINOR STREET . 325' ACTUAL (MAJOR STREET) MADISON STREET NOT TO SCALE 50' DECISION POINT MADISON STREET I WALNUT AVENUE INTERSECT/ON APPROACH SIGHT TRIANGLE FOR EASTBOUND WALNUT AVENUE DRAWN BY: SCOTT EVANS, CARLSBAD ENGINEERING DEPT. 5 16 05 C: mAFFJC STOP SIGNS STOP SIGN-MAO/SON-WALNUT~SIGHTDISTANCEI.DWG EXHIBIT 2 TITLE REQUIRED LINE OF SIGHT ( 155' REQUIRED I I,. 95' ACTUAL : -------7 I I I 50' I I ~ ~ ~ GM/NOR) I--STREET ::) <: -.I ~ (MAJOR STREET) MADISON STREET 50' ( (MAJOR STREET) MADISON STREET DECISION POINT 155' RE UIRED 130' ACTUAL ~ REQUIRED ~LINE OF SIGHT DECISION POINT MADISON STREET I WALNUT AVENUE INTERSECTION APPROACH SIGHT TRIANGLE FOR WESTBOUND WALNUTAVENUE DRAltN BY: SCOTT EVANS, CARLSBAD ENGINEERING DEPT. 5 16 05 C: TRAFFIC STOP SIGN STOP SIGN-MADISON-WALNUT-SIGH1DISTANCE2.DWG EXHIBIT 3 TIME 0000-0100 0100-0200 0200-0300 0300-0400 0400-0500 0500-0600 0600-0700 0700-0800 0800-0900 0900-1000 1000-1100 1100-1200 1200-1300 1300-1400 1400-1500 1500-1600 1600-1700 1700-1800 1800-1900 1900-2000 2000-2100 2100-2200 2200-2300 2300-2400 TOTALS ( \ ( TABLE 1 INTERSECTION APPROACH COUNTS MADISON STREET I WALNUT A VENUE MAY 18, 2005 MAJOR STREET VOLUME MINOR STREET VOLUME MADISON MADISON WALNUT WALNUT STREET STREET AVENUE A.VENUE NB SB SUBTOTAL EB WB SUBTOTAL 5 7 12 2 0 2 2 3 5 1 1 2 2 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 7 5 12 2 2 4 9 4 13 3 0 3 35 34 69 10 12 22 76 66 142 8 5 13 70 65 135 15 2 17 61 46 107 12 4 16 63 67 130 16 10 26 93 70 163 14 13 27 118 67 185 35 15 50 80 82 162 20 8 28 115 98 213 23 11 34 121 88 209 24 11 35 94 106 200 10 7 17 91 82 173 13 16 29 67 81 148 18 3 21 47 74 121 11 3 14 41 56 97 8 1 9 23 40 63 7 2 9 17 19 36 2 0 2 6 11 17 1 1 2 1,245 ·. 1,171 2,416 .. 255 128 383