HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-01-09; Traffic Safety Commission; ; Approve the priority ranking list for residential streets qualifying for Phase II of the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management ProgramCITY OF CARLSBAD
TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
COMMISSION MEETING OF: January 9, 2012 ITEM NO. 6A
LOCATION: Citywide
INITIATED BY: Bryan Jones, Deputy Transportation Director
John Kim, Associate Engineer PREPAREDY BY:
Jim Murray, Associate Engineer
REQUESTED ACTION: Approve the priority ranking list for residential streets qualifying for
Phase II of the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program.
BACKGROUND:
DATA:
At their meeting of May 2, 2011, the Traffic Safety Commission received a staff report regarding
final revisions to the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program (CRTMP). The
proposed revisions included cost effective traffic management features such as residential STOP
signs, speed cushions, speed tables and striping, as well as evaluation threshold criteria for each
of the three phases of the program. Staff also explained that the long revision process that was
required to approve the new CRTMP had resulted in a wait list of over twenty residential streets
awaiting traffic calming. Staff proposed that the points scoring system found in the new program
be used to establish a priority ranking order of the residential streets that met the threshold criteria
for Phase II implementation. After consideration of the staff report and public testimony, the
Traffic Safety Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the proposed revisions
to the CRTMP and supported staff's recommendations regarding the waiting list.
Safety and speeding in residential areas is a concern for many residents in Carlsbad. These
concerns can be personal and of an emotional nature as the streets are environments where these
individuals live and play. It can be difficult for some residents to consider their street in the
context of other residential streets throughout the City of Carlsbad. It is staff's responsibility take
each of these concerns seriously and to evaluate each residential street objectively and without
prejudice. In many cases, staff has determined that many of the speeding concerns on residential
streets are a result of speeding neighbors that don't realize the impact of driving faster than 25
MPH on a residential street. Speeding is often the result of an individual or a few residents and
not the majority of the residential street users. In many cases, the enforcement efforts by the
Police Department find very few, if any, motorists traveling at speeds high enough to issue a
citation. The Transportation and Police Departments work closely together through a
collaborative engineering and enforcement process during the CRTMP process.
As the CRTMP states, "The City Council established the Carlsbad Residential Traffic
Management Program as a countermeasure to intrusion by excessive traffic and/or higher than
normal vehicle speeds in the neighborhood and thus, to help improve the quality of life. With a
defined traffic management process and established procedures contained in the CRTMP,
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CITY OF CARLSBAD
TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
COMMISSION MEETING OF:
( continued)
January 9, 2012 ITEM NO. 6A
Carlsbad residents will have the measures and techniques ("tools'') at their disposal to avert
many negative impacts associated with vehicular traffic on residential streets".
The goals of our traffic management program include:
• Improving the quality of life in the neighborhood
• Creating safe streets by reducing the collision frequency and severity
• Reducing negative effects of motorized vehicles
• Design of features that encourage self-enforcement
The CRTMP established three phases to address traffic volumes and speeding concerns on
residential streets. The purpose of these three phases is to provide a best value, cost effective
approach by incrementally increasing the magnitude of the applied solutions in a logical manner.
When a resident calls the Transportation Department to express a concern for traffic volumes
and/or speeding on their residential street, staff works with the Carlsbad Police Department to
utilize evaluation, engineering, education, and enforcement efforts to address those concerns.
Emails and calls are regularly shared between the Transportation and Police Departments to
identify the severity of any speeding issue and to work collaboratively toward a solution. This
initiates Phase I as described below.
Phase I focuses on the human element of driver behavior and includes such applications as
education, police presence and enforcement, evaluations, installing speed limit signs, utilization
of temporary speed feedback signs (mobile trailer or fixed on street light pole), speed limit
pavement legends on the roadway, warning signs, and a neighborhood speed monitoring program.
The speed monitoring program utilizes residents who are encouraged to write down the license
plate number of vehicles observed to be speeding. This information is reported to the Traffic
Division of the Carlsbad Police Department, who then makes contact with the vehicle's registered
owner and a warning is issued with information regarding the 25 MPH residential speed limit and
to pass along the concerns that residents have about speeding.
If the Phase I solutions do not adequately address the issues, residents can request moving to
Phase II of the CRTMP. However, the threshold for Phase II eligibility is a minimum critical
speed of 32 MPH. This threshold was set so that city resources could be most effectively
allocated for the highest priority needs. Residential streets with critical speeds of 31 MPH or
lower were not considered by the Traffic Safety Commission or by staff to have a "higher than
normal" vehicle speed. The critical speed, otherwise known as the 85th percentile speed is the
speed at which 85% of the drivers drive at or below. The critical speed is NOT the average
speed, which by definition, is much lower than the critical speed.
Phase II utilizes cost-effective physical traffic management devices such as residential STOP
signs, speed tables, speed cushions, high visibility crosswalks, narrowing travel lanes with
striping, and neighborhood signs. It should be noted that consensus support of the residents that
live on the street would be required before these measures could be implemented. Many residents
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TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
COMMISSION MEETING OF:
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January 9, 2012 ITEM NO. 6A
may want traffic calming on their street, but some do not want it in front of their house. The
expressed concern for speeding on any residential street may only be a single individual and the
public meeting process and surveys described in Phase II of the approved program are designed
to determine if consensus support for traffic calming exists.
If the Phase II solutions do not adequately address the issues on the residential street then
residents can request moving to Phase III of the CRTMP.
Phase III utilizes more expensive physical traffic calming devices that change the character or
nature of an intersection or roadway and includes "traditional traffic calming" features such as
limiting access or turn restriction to a residential street reducing cut-through traffic, textured
pavement, entry pavement, center island narrowing, curb radius reductions, traffic circles, raised
intersections, mid-block choker, lateral shift in lanes, chicanes, intersection bulb-out, realigned
intersections, forced turn channelization, median barriers, semi-diverter, partial diverter, and
diagonal diverter.
Eligibility for Phase III consideration is determined using a Phase III Qualification Criteria. The
criteria considers factors such as travel speeds, traffic volumes, collision history, absence of
sidewalks, proximity to schools and presence of marked crosswalks and utilizes a points
assignment system. A minimum criteria score of 51 points is required for candidate streets to be
considered for Phase Ill.
With the newly approved three-phase CRTMP, the city now has a comprehensive and efficient
method to address speeding issues on residential streets.
Staff has worked on the revisions to the CRTMP over the past two years to incorporate the cost-
effective traffic calming measures such residential STOP signs, speed cushions, and speed tables
as part of the new CRTMP. The proposed revisions were field tested (in collaboration with the
Fire and Police Departments) via pilot projects on Donna Drive and Sierra Morena Avenue and
found to be effective measures when used with proper engineering judgment. On May 24, 2011,
City Council approved the revised CRTMP which allows the use of residential STOP signs, speed
cushions, and speed tables on residential streets that meet the eligibility criteria of Phase II.
During the CRTMP revision process, requests for traffic calming on residential streets were put
on temporary hold. It was critically important for staff to finalize a program whereby the highest
priority needs of the entire community could be considered and the most effective utilization of
available funds and resources ensured. During the revision process, staff in both Transportation
and the Police Departments continued to utilize solutions from Phase I on streets that were
experiencing speeding concerns.
The temporary hold resulted in a waiting list of twenty-four residential streets requesting Phase II
consideration. As stated in the CRTMP, not all residential streets will qualify to participate in
Phase II of the program based on the established eligibility criteria (streets should have an 85th
percentile critical speed of 32 MPH or greater). Streets not eligible for Phase II would still have
access to Phase I.
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CITY OF CARLSBAD
TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
COMMISSION MEETING OF:
( continued)
January 9, 2012 ITEM NO. 6A
Staff has determined and is recommending to the Traffic Safety Commission that nine residential
streets out of the twenty-four streets under request for traffic calming have met the minimum
eligibility criteria for Phase II. The remaining fifteen streets have not met the minimum
eligibility criteria for Phase and will not be considered for Phase II improvements at this time.
Please refer to Table I for eligible streets and Table 2 for non-eligible streets. Please note that
staff will continue to utilize Phase I solutions on the fifteen streets that are not eligible.
TABLE 1:
Streets Eligible for Phase II Traffic Calming
I. Magnolia Avenue (Highland Drive to Pio Pico Drive)
2. Esfera Street (Cadencia Street to Piragua Street)
3. Levante Street (Escenico Terrace to La Costa Avenue)
4. Chestnut Avenue (Pontiac Drive and Sierra Morena Avenue)
5. Corintia Street (Alga Road to El Fuerte Street)
6. Daisy Avenue (Rose Drive to Batiquitos Drive)
7. Pontiac Drive (Victoria Avenue to Spokane Way)
8. Trieste Drive (Chestnut Avenue to Milano Drive)
9. Estrella de Mar Road (Alga Road to Arena! Road)
TABLE 2:
Streets Not Eligible for Phase II Traffic Calming
I. Garfield Street (Pine Avenue to Tamarack Avenue)
2. Town Garden Road (Alicante Road to Village Green Drive)
3. Xana Way (Alga Road to Corintia Street)
4. Unicomio Street (Corintia Street to El Fuerte Street)
5. El Arbo! Drive (Cannon Road to Manzano Drive)
6. Knowles Avenue (Jefferson Street to 1-5)
7. Camino Coronado (Calle Jallisco to Calle Cozumel)
8. Los Robels Drive (Cannon Road to Manzano Drive)
9. Forest Avenue (Highland Drive to Crest Drive)
10. Edinburgh Drive (Tamarack Avenue to east terminus)
11. Glasgow Drive (Edinburgh Drive to south terminus)
12. Galena Avenue (Alicante Road to Goldstone Road)
13. Camino de! Parque (Paseo del Norte to Paseo del Norte)
14. Towhee Lane (Nightshade Road to Aviara Parkway)
15. Mariposa Rd (Torreyanna Circle to Mariposa Road)
The order in which staff is recommending addressing the nine eligible streets for Phase II was
previously discussed by the Traffic Safety Commission at its May 201 I meeting. The Traffic
Safety Commission supported staffs recommendation to utilize a ranking order based on severity
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TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
COMMISSION MEETING OF:
( continued)
January 9, 2012 ITEMNO.6A
of the issues. These were quantified using the Phase III Qualification Criteria of the approved
CRTMP. The priority ranking and points assignment (based on the Phase III Qualification
Criteria) of the nine eligible streets are shown on Table 3.
TABLE 3:
Priority Ranking of Streets Eligible for Phase II Traffic Calming
Critical Qualification
Street Speed Points
(MPH)
I Ma<rno\ia Avenue (Highland Drive to Pio Pico Drive) 37 63
2 Esfera Street (Cadencia Street to Piragua Street) 39 56
3 Levante Street (Escenico Terrace to La Costa Avenue) 35 53
4 Chestnut Avenue (Pontiac Drive and Sierra Morena 38 51
Avenue)
5 Corintia Street (Alga Road to El Fuerte Street) 35 43
6 Daisv Avenue (Rose Drive to Batiauitos Drive) 34 36
7 Pontiac Drive (Victoria Avenue to Spokane Way) 33 36
8 Trieste Drive (Chestnut Avenue to Milano Drive) 35 21
9 Estrella de Mar Road (Alga Road to Arena! Road) 32 13
A more detailed spreadsheet of all 24 streets on the waiting list, showing their 85 th percentile
(critical) speeds in relationship to the 32 MPH criteria is shown on Table 4. Only three streets that
did not meet the eligibility requirement of 32 MPH scored more than IO points using the same
point system used to prioritize the nine streets eligible for Phase II traffic calming. These three
streets were: Garfield Street (Pine Avenue to Tamarack Avenue), Town Garden Road (Alicante
Road to Village Green Drive), and Xana Way (Alga Road to Corintia Street).
All three of these streets' scores were primarily based on traffic volumes not vehicle speeds. We
will continue to monitor these three streets and as resources are available may consider as
exceptions into Phase II as allowed by the approved program. However, we will have to be
cognizant of where the traffic volumes may divert to if traffic calming is installed. It is staffs
opinion that the data presented in this memo supports the findings of staff and of the Traffic
Safety Commission and that 32 MPH is a valid and justifiable criteria for utilizing Phase II
solutions.
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TABLE 4:
Carlsbad Residential Traffic Mana2ement Pro2ram -Wait List
Qualification Factors
Critical Qualification Travel Traffic Collision Side-School Pedestrian
Speed Total Points Speed <1J Volumes<'l History<'l walks<•J Proximity<') Crossings<6>
Street (MPH)
Mae.nolia Avenue <Hi2hland Drive to Pio Pico Drive) 37 63 30 20 5 0 3 5
Esfera Street (Cadencia Street to Pirae:ua Street) 39 56 40 16 0 0 0 0
Levante Street (Escenico Terrace to La Costa Avenue) 35 53 18 25 0 0 5 5
Chestnut Avenue (Pontiac Drive and Sierra Morena Avenue) 38 51 36 15 0 0 0 0
Corintia Street (Al2a Road to El Fuerte Street) 35 43 18 15 0 0 5 5
Daisy Avenue (Rose Drive to Batiquitos Drive) 34 36 12 19 5 0 0 0
Pontiac Drive (Victoria Avenue to Sookane Wavl 33 36 6 30 0 0 0 0
Trieste Drive (Chestnut A venue to Milano Drive) 35 21 18 3 0 0 0 0
Estrella de Mar Road {Ale:a Road to Arenal Road) 32 13 0 8 0 5 0 0
A critical speed of 32 mph or greater is reJUired for Phase II consideration
Garfield Street (Pine Avenue to Tamarack Avenue) 30 53 0 43 10 0 0 0
Town Garden Road (Alicante Road to Vill~Pe Green Drive) 29 28 0 23 5 0 0 0
Xana Wav (Alea Road to Corintia Street) 30 21 0 21 0 0 0 0
Unicomio Street (Corintia Street to El Fuerte Street) 30 10 0 10 0 0 0 0
El Arbol Drive (Cannon Road to Manzano Drive) 29 8 0 3 0 5 0 0
Knowles Avenue (Jefferson Street to I-5) 28 8 0 3 0 5 0 0
Camino Coronado (Calle Jallisco to Calle Cozumel) 27 8 0 5 0 0 3 0
Los Robels Drive (Cannon Road to Manzano Drive) 26 8 0 3 0 5 0 0
Forest Avenue (Hi2:hland Drive to Crest Drive) 27 7 0 2 0 5 0 0
Edinbur.gh Drive (Tamarack Avenue to east terminus) 31 6 0 6 0 0 0 0
Glas!!ow Drive (Edinburn:h Drive to south terminus) 31 5 0 5 0 0 0 0
Galena Avenue (Alicante Road to Goldstone Road) 30 5 0 5 0 0 0 0
Camino del Paroue (Paseo del Norte to Paseo del Norte) 28 4 0 4 0 0 0 0
Towhee Lane (Nightshade Road to Aviara Parkwavl 30 3 0 3 0 0 0 0
Mariposa Rd (Torreyanna Circle to Mariposa Road) 26 3 0 3 0 0 0 0
(1) For each mile per hour that the 85th percentile (critical) speed is over 32 miles per hour, 6 points will be assigned (40 points max).
(2) Total weekday traffic volume divided by I 00 and rounded to the nearest whole number or weekday peak hour volume divided by l O and rounded to the nearest whole
number (30 points max).
(3) Five points for each correctable collision during the past five years (15 points max).
(4) Five points if sidewalk is missing on one side or both sides of the street (5 points max).
(5) Five points if street is directly adjacent to school; 3 points if street is within 500 feet of school; l point if street is within 1000 feet of school (5 points max).
(6) Five points if there is a marked crosswalk on the street (5 points max)
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CITY OF CARLSBAD
TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT
COMMISSION MEETING OF:
( continued)
January 9, 2012
RECOMMENDATION:
ITEM NO. 6A
It is staffs professional assessment that the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program
(CRTMP) as designed and adopted by City Council and the Traffic Safety Commission has
identified the highest priority streets to proceed to Phase II. The process used to evaluate the
streets provides a best value, cost effective approach to addressing resident concerns. Those
streets that do not have a minimum of 32 MPH in critical speed will continue to receive Phase I
support as necessary.
NECESSARY CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
None.
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