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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-10-01; Traffic Safety Commission; ; Recommend approval of the Magnolia Avenue Traffic Calming Planr COMMISSION MEETING OF: CITY OF CARLSBAD TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION STAFF REPORT October 1, 2012 ITEM NO. 6A LOCATION: Magnolia Avenue (Highland Drive to Pio Pico Drive) INITIATED BY: Sam Scarpelli, 1149 Magnolia Avenue, Carlsbad CA 92008 Recommend approval of the Magnolia Avenue Traffic Calming Plan REQUESTED ACTION: BACKGROUND: DATA: Speeding vehicles on Magnolia Avenue has had a negative impact on the residential "feel" and "character" of the neighborhood. Over the past several years, staff has been working with the residents on Magnolia Avenue to address their concerns about speeding utilizing the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program (CRTMP), the city's traffic calming program. This segment of Magnolia Avenue has met the CRTMP Phase II eligibility criteria, making it possible to consider Phase II traffic calming measures when supported by the residents of the neighborhood and approved by the City Council. Staff invited residents to participate in a neighborhood meeting to provide input and suggestions to the proposed traffic calming plan. This process and plan was a community driven plan. After the neighborhood meeting, surveys were sent to the residents on Magnolia Avenue to determine if a majority of the residents supported the traffic calming plan they helped develop. Based on the results of the resident survey, staff is recommending that the Traffic Safety Commission recommend for approval of the Magnolia Avenue traffic calming plan by the City Council. Magnolia Avenue is a residential street in the northwest quadrant of the city. Magnolia Avenue is improved with curb and gutter, sidewalks, and street lighting. It has a curb to curb width of 40 feet with a single travel lane in each direction, and is not striped except for 120 feet of double yellow "lead-in" centerline on the east leg at Adams Street; with on-street parking allowed on both sides of the street. This segment of Magnolia Avenue is approximately 1,700 feet in length, with a straight alignment and westerly sloping down-hill grades varying to nearly 9%. Traffic control on Magnolia Avenue is provided by an All-Way STOP at the intersections of Pio Pico Drive on the west, and Highland Drive on the east. Before and after school, the roadway can become congested with students in the street crossing at various mid-block locations. The posted speed limit on Magnolia Avenue is 25 miles per hour. There are 46 single family residences on this portion of Magnolia Avenue. The CRTMP is a three-phase process. Phase I solutions include the installation of speed limit signs and pavement legends, deployment of temporary speed feedback signs, and police enforcement. As required by the CRTMP, Phase I was completed for Magnolia Avenue prior to consideration of Phase II. In order to qualify for Phase 11, streets are Page 1 COMMISSION MEETING OF: (continued) CITY OF CARLSBAD TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION STAFF REPORT October 1, 2012 ITEM NO. 6A required to have a critical speed (the speed at which 85% of the vehicles surveyed are driving at or below) of 32 miles per hour or greater. This segment of Magnolia Avenue was found to have a critical speed of 37 miles per hour. Phase II of the CRTMP utilizes cost effective traffic management features such as residential STOP signs or speed cushions to reduce the uncontrolled length of a street to a "residential neighborhood scale". This is typically accomplished by restricting the uncontrolled length of a street to approximately 500 -1,000 feet by installing residential STOP signs. Drivers tend to comply with speed limits in residential neighborhoods when uncontrolled street lengths are less than 1,000 feet. Magnolia Avenue from Pio Pico Drive to Highland Drive is approximately 1,700 feet in uncontrolled length. Three streets intersect this segment of Magnolia Avenue, Adams Street, Grecourt Way, and Yvette Way; all three are controlled by minor street approach STOP signs at Magnolia Avenue. The Magnolia Avenue traffic calming plan proposes installing residential STOP signs on Magnolia Avenue at Grecourt Way and Adams Street to reduce the uncontrolled lengths of the road segments to a "residential scale" and thereby reduce vehicle speeds. As part of the Phase II process, a neighborhood meeting was held on May 16, 2012, at the Carlsbad Senior Center to present the proposed Phase II traffic calming plan to all of the residents of the 46 homes along Magnolia Avenue. 12 people attended the meeting, representing 11 homes. At the meeting, staff answered questions from the residents regarding the proposed traffic calming plan and worked with the residents to establish consensus for the plan. Implementation of the Phase II plan requires that a majority of the residents on the street support the plan as determined by responses to a mailed resident survey. The survey is considered valid if 50% or more of the residents and non-resident owners return the completed survey. Support for the plan is indicated by 67% or more of the returned surveys in support of the proposed plan. 55 surveys were mailed out to residents and non-resident owners for the Magnolia Avenue traffic calming plan. 32 surveys were returned for a 70% return rate. Of those 32 surveys, 29 or 91% were in support of the proposed plan. In summary, the Magnolia Avenue traffic calming plan proposes installing residential STOP signs on both legs of Magnolia Avenue at Adams Street, and on both legs of Magnolia Avenue at Grecourt Way (see attached Exhibit 1). This would reduce the uncontrolled length of the segments of Magnolia Avenue to a "residential scale" as follows: • Pio Pico Drive to Adams Street -600 feet in length • Adams Street to Grecourt Way -520 feet in length • Grecourt Way to Highland Drive -595 feet in length Page 2 r COMMISSION MEETING OF: (continued) CITY OF CARLSBAD TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION STAFF REPORT October 1, 2012 ITEM NO.GA This reduction of the uncontrolled lengths of the segments of Magnolia Avenue should result in a reduction in vehicle speeds. RECOMMENDATION: Based on the findings contained in this report, and the requirements of Phase II of the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program, the Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee recommends approval of the Magnolia Avenue traffic calming plan. NECESSARY CITY COUNCIL ACTION: The City Council must adopt ordinances to establish the STOP control on Magnolia Avenue at Adams Street and at Grecourt Way as recommended. Page 3 w > <( ~ a.. VALLEY ST. HIGHLAND DR. ADAMS ST. PIO PICO DR. ---- Jl ___ --- NOT TO SCALE LEGEND: Q EXISTING ALL-WAY STOP • NEW ALL-WAY STOP ~ .. __ [) ( YVETTE WY. ~ GRECOURT WY. <( <( :J ~o 0 N z U") (.0 <( :::, 0 0 "' ----------- MAGNOLIA AVENUE TRAFFIC CALMING PLAN EXHIBIT 1 CARLSBAD RESIDENTIAL TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PROGRAM