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Home My WebLink About2016-12-05; Traffic Safety Commission; ; Approve an exception to the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program for Estrella De Mar Road between Poinsettia Lane and approximately 600’ south of Olivine Court CITY OF CARLSBAD TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION STAFF REPORT COMMISSION MEETING OF: December 5, 2016 ITEM NO. 6C-2 Page 1 LOCATION: Estrella De Mar Road between Poinsettia Lane and approximately 600’ south of Olivine Court INITIATED BY: Mehdi Sarram 6760 Estrella de Mar Road Carlsbad, CA 92009 STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approve an exception to the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program for Estrella De Mar Road between Poinsettia Lane and approximately 600’ south of Olivine Court. BACKGROUND: Estrella De Mar Road between Poinsettia Lane and Alga Road is a Local/Neighborhood Street according to the City of Carlsbad Mobility Element. The portion of Estrella De Mar Road between Poinsettia Lane and approximately 600’ south of Olivine Court features single family homes fronting the east side of the street. The roadway is 40 feet wide and is fully improved, featuring curb, gutter, sidewalk and street lights on both sides of the street. The roadway is unmarked and uncontrolled at its intersections with Cobalt Drive, Marcasite Place, Peridot Court and Olivine Court. Traffic is controlled by traffic signals at the intersections of Poinsettia Lane and Estrella De Mar Road and Alga Road and Estrella De Mar Road. Estrella De Mar Road is curvilinear and features varying grades approaching 9%. The portion of Estrella De Mar Road between Poinsettia Lane and 600’ feet south of Olivine Court meets the residence district definition found in the California Vehicle Code and is appropriately posted as a 25 mph speed zone. The portion of roadway from 600’ feet south of Olivine Court to Alga Road serves several multi-family developments and does not meet the California Vehicle Code definition of a residence district, and there is no speed limit currently posted. The section of Estrella De Mar Road under consideration as an exception to the program is the segment between Poinsettia Lane and 600’ south of Olivine Court that meets the definition of a residence district and is currently posted at 25 mph. The Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Plan was designed to address speeding on residential streets. The program defines a residential street as one that meets the residence district requirement of the California Vehicle Code and has a curb-to-curb width of 40 feet or less. The program is a three-phase process, which offer solutions at increasing levels of cost and complexity. Phase I: Enforcement and Education includes measures such as the installation of speed limit signs and pavement legends, the temporary deployment of speed feedback signs, and police enforcement. Phase II: Traffic Management features performance based practical design using enhanced signing and striping to help reduce speeds. Due to the increased cost of implementing CITY OF CARLSBAD TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION STAFF REPORT COMMISSION MEETING OF: December 5, 2016 ITEM NO. 6C-2 (continued) Page 2 these types of features on multiple streets throughout the city, a qualifying criteria has been established to help prioritize staff resources and budget expenditures. The program allows Phase II to be considered on streets having a critical speed (the speed at which 85% of the vehicles surveyed are driving at or below) of 32 miles per hour or higher. Typically, speed data, including determination of critical speed, is collected during Phase I. DATA: On September 14, 2016, staff met with Mehdi Sarram and other residents to discuss their concerns of speeding on Estrella De Mar Road between Poinsettia Lane and Alga Road. Staff outlined the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Plan (CRTMP) and informed the residents that speed studies would be conducted to help quantify the reported issues and to determine possible solutions. As part of the Phase I process, it was confirmed that Estrella De Mar Road between Poinsettia Lane and 600’ south of Olivine Court met the Phase I requirements, including a curb-to-curb street width of 40’, meeting the legal definition of a residence district, and staff receiving a request from a resident to consider the street for inclusion in the CRTMP process. Speed feedback signs were deployed on Estrella De Mar Road. Locations of the speed feedback signs were determined during the meeting with Mr. Sarram and other residents to ensure that the signs were placed where speeds were perceived to be the highest. Speed feedback signs are commonly deployed for a two-week period. The display is turned off during the first week of deployment to obtain speed data. The display is turned on during the second week. The speed feedback signs were deployed with the display turned off during the week of September 19, 2016 with the recorded speed data shown in Table 1. Table 1: Speed Data on Estrella De Mar Road Location/Direction Critical Speed SW corner of Estrella De Mar Road & Marcasite Pl / Southbound 30 mph In front of 6812 Estrella De Mar Road / Northbound 30 mph CITY OF CARLSBAD TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION STAFF REPORT COMMISSION MEETING OF: December 5, 2016 ITEM NO. 6C-2 (continued) Page 3 The critical speed of 30 mph is less than the qualifying criteria of 32 mph needed to consider Phase II features on Estrella De Mar Road. However, the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program allows exceptions to this criteria. It states, “Any street that does not meet the program eligibility criteria but is nevertheless considered by city staff to be a candidate for traffic calming will be scheduled for review and possible approval by the Traffic Safety Commission. If the Commission’s review leads to the conclusion that the street merits an exception, it will be processed through the CRTMP as if program eligibility criteria were met. Any street recommended by the Traffic Safety Commission as not qualifying for an exception may be requested by a citizen to be reviewed by the City Council for a final determination.” As Estrella De Mar Road between Poinsettia Lane and 600’ south of Olivine Court meets the geometric requirements of the CRTMP program, meets the definition of a residence district, has demonstrated neighborhood support for improvements, and experiences prevailing speeds that are compatible with traffic calming devices, it is considered by city staff to be a candidate for traffic calming. If the exception is approved by the Traffic Safety Commission, staff would proceed with Phase II on Estrella De Mar Road. Phase II would include a public meeting to formulate a concept plan and a mail survey to all residents to determine support for the concept plan. The CRTMP requires a minimum 50% return on mailed surveys and an approval rate of at least 67% on returned surveys in order to proceed with the plan. The program requires that the resident-supported plan be approved by City Council prior to implementation. Since there are other streets currently under Phase II consideration, staff would incorporate Estrella De Mar Road between Poinsettia Lane and 600’ south of Olivine Court into the list of active streets. A current list of streets qualified for Phase II of the program is provided below: Table 2: Phase II Streets Street Critical Speed Corintia Street, Alga to El Fuerte 35 mph Trieste Drive, Chestnut to Milano 35 mph Daisy Avenue, Batiquitos to Rose 34 mph Cadencia Street, Perdiz to Calle Conifera 34 mph Estrella De Mar, Alga to Arenal 32 mph Amargosa Drive, Los Pinos to Olivenhain 33 mph Basswood Avenue, Monroe to Valley 33 mph Park Drive, Valencia to Alondra 33 mph Hillside Drive, Kelly to Neblina 32 mph CITY OF CARLSBAD TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION STAFF REPORT COMMISSION MEETING OF: December 5, 2016 ITEM NO. 6C-2 (continued) Page 4 Based on staff resources, funding availability, and other approved streets waiting for implementation of Phase II, if Estrella De Mar between Poinsettia Lane and 600’ south of Olivine Court is approved as an exception to the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program, a public meeting with the neighborhood would likely be held in the second half of 2017. Based on the findings contained in this report, and the allowances contained in the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program, the Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee supports the exception of Estrella De Mar Road between Poinsettia Lane and approximately 600’ south of Olivine Court to be eligible for Phase II consideration. NECESSARY CITY COUNCIL ACTION: None Page 5 0.0625 0.125 0.25 0.375 Estrella De Mar Road: December 5, 2016 Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program Exception 2 • son Estrella D peed um·t N + ( DOVE LN ~I ALGA RD Existing Speed Limits Estrella De Mar Road: Poinsettia Lane to 600’ south of Olivine Court –Meets California Vehicle Code definition of a residence district –Allows speed limit to be set at 25 miles per hour, regardless of the critical speed of the roadway Existing Speed Limits Estrella De Mar Road: 600’ south of Olivine Court to Alga Road –Does not meet the California Vehicle Code definition of a residence district –According to California state law, the speed limit must be set based on the critical speed of the segment, which reflects driver behavior on the segment Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program (CRTMP) Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program (CRTMP) Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program (CRTMP) Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program (CRTMP) Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program (CRTMP) Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program (CRTMP) Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program (CRTMP) Program Eligibility‐exceptions “Any street that does not meet the program eligibility criteria but is nevertheless considered by city staff to be a candidate for traffic calming will be scheduled for review and possible approval by the Traffic Safety Commission.” Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program (CRTMP) Program Eligibility‐exceptions “If the Commission’s review leads to the conclusion that the street merits an exception, it will be processed through the CRTMP as if program eligibility criteria were met.” Estrella De Mar Road Background •Phase I completed in 2012, and it was determined that the segment did not meet Phase II criteria •Several residents from Estrella De Mar Road met with city staff on September 14, 2016 to discuss their concerns regarding speeding •Staff agreed to collect speed data again Findings Collected September 19, 2016 Speed Data on Estrella De Mar Road Location/Direction Critical Speed CRTMP Criteria SW corner of Estrella De Mar Road & Marcasite Pl / Southbound 30 mph 32 mph In front of 6812 Estrella De Mar Road / Northbound 30 mph 32 mph Considerations Estrella De Mar Road, between Poinsettia Lane and 600’ south of Olivine Court, is considered to be a candidate for traffic calming for the following reasons: –Meets Phase I requirements –Experiences prevailing speeds that are compatible with traffic calming devices –Segment is parallel to El Camino Real and can be used as a cut‐ through –Steep grades can cause increased speeds Plan for Implementation •If Estrella De Mar Road, between Poinsettia Lane and 600’ south of Olivine Court, is approved as an exception for Phase II, it would be added to the list of streets that qualify for Phase II of the program •Based on staff resources, funding availability, and other qualified streets currently waiting for Phase II implementation, a public meeting with the neighborhood would likely be held in the second half of 2017. Staff Recommendation Approve Estrella De Mar Road, between Poinsettia Lane and approximately 600’ south of Olivine Court, as an exception for Phase II of the Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program.