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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-01-04; Traffic Safety Commission; Minutes” MINUTES MEETING OF: TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION DATE OF MEETING: January 4,1993 TIME OF MEETING: 3:OO p.m. PLACE OF MEETING: City Council Chambers CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Blake called the Meeting to order at 3:OO p.m. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Blake, Fuller and Stachoviak. Absent: None. Staff Members Present: Bob Johnson, Traffic Engineer Associate Engineer Jim Murray Police Officer Rob Shelton APPROVAL OF MINUTES: On motion by Commissioner Fuller, the Minutes of the Regular Meeting held December 7, 1992, were approved as presented. AYES: Blake and Fuller ABSTAIN: Stachoviak ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None. PREVIOUS BUSINESS: Bob Johnson reported that the Park Drive speed zone item will be on the City Council agenda tomorrow night, January 5. Mr. Johnson stated that at the present time there are only three Traffic Safety Commissioners. Hopefully, Mayor Lewis will appoint two new Commissioners tomorrow night to return the Commission to a full Commission of five. NEW BUSINESS: A. Citvwide - Citizen request to establish a minimum distance to move a parked vehicle after the 72- hour maximum parking duration allowed January 4, 1993 TRAFFIC SAFfTY COMMISSION Page 2 Bob Johnson gave the initial report, stating that the intent of this change is to establish a minimum distance for moving ALL vehicles, and is not intended to mean that RV's only have to move a certain distance. He said there was some misunderstanding due to a newspaper article and he felt it was important to stress that this includes ALL vehicles, including boats. Jim Murray continued the staff report, stating that with this change, all vehicles must be moved 528 feet, or one-tenth of a mile, after the 72-hour maximum parking period has expired. Bob Johnson stated that over the years, the City has received telephone calls from concerned citizens with regard to vehicles parked on the street in excess of the allowed 72 hours, where the vehicle is moved only a few feet after being marked, but continues to stay in basically the same spot. This has become a 'game' that is played by only a few citizens, but does result in complaints to the Police Department and the Engineering staff. Mr. Johnson said that staff is recommending that the Municipal Code be amended to specify the minimum distance a vehicle must be moved after 72 hours as one-tenth of a mile (528 feet). Staff chose that distance as it is used by other cities and staff felt it was reasonable. The City Attorney's office reviewed this recommendation and stated it would be appropriate. The Police Department will check the odometers of the vehicles in addition to the marking of the tires. Chairman Blake opened the meeting for public comment at 3:12 p.m. James Manion, Jr., 7228 Durango Circle, representing himself and the RV'ers United For Fair Play, stated they were reacting to the newspaper article. Mr. Manion requested that this item be continued one month to allow sufficient time for those affected to respond. He said that a large number of RV owners and boat owners would be affected by this change and should be able to attend the meeting. He asked what areas are provided by the City for off-street parking and how many complaints had been received. Mr. Manion also wanted to know from what area the complaints were received and just how many citizens were involved. Mr. Manion stated that he would like to know whether this was one person complaining 100 times, or 100 people complaining once. He also said the meeting should be held at a time when the concerned citizens could be present. Commissioner Fuller asked Mr. Manion whether he understood that this ordinance applies to all vehicles, and Mr. Manion stated he did. Commissioner Stachoviak stated that it is not a responsibility of the City to provide parking for RV's or boats. 8 Mr. Manion replied that there is no place in Carlsbad to rent storage space for RV's and/or boats. Bruce Hobba, 7221 Durango Circle, stated that the letter he wrote to the City concerning RV's and boats was due to the situation on his street where there is one boat that has been in the same spot for three or four years. Not only is this a visibility problem, but is actually a violation of the law. Mr. Hobba stated that this creates a safety hazard, because children dart out into the street and can't be seen because of the large vehicle. He stated that this is an area where the vehicles are moved a foot or two and then left basically in the same spot. January 4, 1993 TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION Page 3 Mr. Hobba said he was concerned with large vehicles mainly, and suggested that there be some sort of restriction-such as 'X' number of days for an RV or boat with a permit from the City, and then it must be moved. John Bost, 7216 Durango Circle, stated he supported the recommendation as presented, but would like something done to address the problem with large vehicles. He also recommended a permit process; such as a nominal permit fee.of $10 for the first night, and $1 each night up to fie or ten days as a maximum. He said his concern and that of his neighbors is the parking of these large vehicles for a long period of time. Mr. Bost added that if a person can afford an expensive motorhome, then they should be able to pay to have it stored. Joe Reed, 1008 Daisy Avenue, stated he did not believe the public streets were ever intended to be used for storage. RV's and boats are larger than passenger cars and in the area where he lives, if they are parked on the street, cars must go toward the center of the street in order to miss them. When there are large vehicles on both sides of the street, there really is a traffic safety hazard. The small children and pets are in danger of being hit by cars that cannot see them crossing the street. Chairman Blake closed the public comment at 3:25 p.m. Commissioner Fuller stated that the present law has a 72-hour maximum time limit for any vehicle to be parked on a City street, and the people who move their vehicles only a foot or two are playing a 'game' with the law. He said that enforcement is a problem and will be with the change, as the few people who don't obey the law will continue to try to circumvent the intent of the law. Commissioner Stachoviak asked why there was a need to change the ordinance, and Officer Shelton stated that it will be more difficutt for people to move their vehicles one or two feet and with the odometers being checked, the Police will have more opportunity to tow vehicles. Officer Shelton said this change will not solve the problem, but it should help. A large number of complaints are received by the Police Department regarding parking problems in the City, and abandoned vehicles are towed immediately. If a vehicle is a traffic hazard, Officer Shelton stated they also tow those right away. However, if the owner of the vehicle requests a hearing and the towing was found to be unjust, the City then must pay the towing costs and storage fee. The Police do try to find the owner of a vehicle that is a traffic hazard, and ask them to move it. In reply to query regarding the number of complaints, Officer Shelton said the telephone rings constantly in the Police Department, and most of the calls involve parking problems. These calls come from every residential area of the City, and not just one specific area. Bob Johnson stated that the complaints do not come from any particular area, and when an individual has a problem, that concern is addressed by the City. The Bristol Cove area has a problem with large vehicle parking and the new street sweeping ordinance will help that, not only in that area, but throughout the entire City. January 4, 1993 TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION Page 4 Chairman Blake stated that this change would give the Police Officers a better tool to work with and will basically make it more difficult to play the 'game' of moving a vehicle just a foot or two. ACTION: On motion by Chairman Blake, the Traffic Safety Commission approved the recommendation to establish a minimum distance of one-tenth of a mile (528 feet) as the required distance to move a parked vehicle after the 72-hour maximum limit has expired. AYES: Blake, Fuller and Stachoviak B. Review TSC Rules and Procedures and Adopt Resolution No. 93-1. Bob Johnson gave the staff report, stating that this is the annual review of the Rules and Procedures for the Traffic Safety Commission. ACTION: On motion by Commissioner Stachoviak, the Traffic Safety Commission adopted RESOLUTION NO. 93-1, approving the Traffic Safety Commission Rules and Procedures as presented. AYES: Blake, Fuller and Stachoviak REPORT FROM TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSIONERS: None. REPORT FROM TRAFFIC ENGINEER: Bob Johnson stated he had no additional report. ADJOURNMENT: By proper motion, the Regular Meeting of January 4, 1993, was adjourned at 3:40 p.m. Minutes Clerk