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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-08-01; Traffic Safety Commission; MinutesMINUTES MEETING OF: TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION DATE OF MEETING: TIME OF MEETING: 3:OO p.m. PLACE OF MEETING: August 1,2005 (Regular Meeting) City Council Chambers CALL TO ORDER Chair Dorsey called the Meeting to order at 3:OO p.m. ROLL CALL: Present: Absent: Staff Members Present: Chair Steve Dorsey Vice-Chair Susan Gardner Commissioner Gordon Cress Commissioner Guy Roney Commissioner Bonnie Bradshaw None Robert Johnson, Deputy City Engineer, Transportation Lt. Don Rawson, Carlsbad Police Department Sgt. Chris Boyd, Carlsbad Police Department APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Because of the Fourth of July holiday, there was no July meeting held and, therefore, no minutes to be approved. June 6,2005 ACTION: Motion by Commissioner Cress, and duly seconded by Vice-Chair Gardner, to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of June 6, 2005 as presented. VOTE: 4-0- 1 AYES: Cress, Dorsey, Gardner, Bradshaw NOES: None ABSTAIN: Roney August 1,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 2 ITEM 4 - ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None. ITEM 5 - PREVIOUS BUSINESS: Robert Johnson, Deputy City Engineer, stated that at the July 26~ City Council meeting, the City Council adopted an ordinance to establish an all-way stop at the intersection of Hidden Valley Road at Lighthouse Road and the school driveway. A work order has been issued and work will be implemented during the month of August. At the same meeting, the City Council adopted an ordinance to establish that both yield signs on Walnut Avenue at the Madison Street intersection be replaced with stop signs. A work order has been issued. ITEM 6 - NEW BUSINESS: ITEM 6A: Establish a prima facie speed limit upon Paseo Avellano from Calle Barcelona to Segovia Way. Mr. Johnson stated that Silvia Garcia, a resident of La Costa Valley in south Carlsbad, initiated this item. She is requesting a prima facie speed limit be established on Paseo Avellano. This road follows a relatively straight alignment with a slight curvilinear portion in the middle with centerline grades ranging from approximately 1% to 7.65%. It is a short road, about 0.2 miles in length, and serves as a local collector road. Parking is allowed on both sides of the road, and it has been constructed to City standards with curb, gutter, sidewalk, and streetlights. It has a curb-to-curb width of 40 feet. Referring to Exhibit 1, Mr. Johnson said that on Paseo Avellano there are currently no controls established at the three intersecting streets. However, at Calle Barcelona, Paseo Avellano is controlled with a stop sign and on the north end at Segovia Way, Paseo Avellano is controlled with a stop sign. Continuing, Mr. Johnson stated that traffic volumes on Paseo Avellano range from approximately 4,550 vehicles per day, which is the 24 hour ADT north of Calle Barcelona to approximately 2,850 vehicles south of Segovia Way. This particular road is used as a cut-through bypass in the neighborhood to get from Segovia Way to Calle Barcelona. This was one of the reasons Ms. Garcia asked for a prima facie speed limit to be established. There are no homes fronting on this particular road. Mr. Johnson explained that in order to establish the prima facie speed limit, staff completed an Engineering and Traffic Survey for Paseo Avellano in conjunction with a speed survey. Staff found that a critical speed of 3 1 miles per hour exists upon the roadway with the pace speed ranging from 24 miles per hour to 34 miles per hour. Ninety-one percent of the vehicles were in that pace speed, the 1 0-mile per hour increment that has the highest number of vehicles. Fortunately, the collision August 1,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 3 history on this road is very good, indicated by no reported collisions in the two-year period from May 1,2003 to April 30,2005. The Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee reviewed the matter, and it was recommended that a 30-mile per hour prima facie speed limit upon Paseo Avellano ftom Calle Barcelona to Segovia Way be established. DISCUSSION: Commissioner Cress stated that in looking at the speed survey, the maximum speed recorded was 34 miles per hour indicating that drivers are traveling below 34 miles per hour. He asked if the 30-mile per hour speed limit was worthwhile spending the money to put up stop signs if drivers are already driving that speed. Mr. Johnson agreed that occasionally a driver goes through at a speed much in excess of the 34 miles per hour. The question that is often heard is what is the absolute speed limit for that particular roadway? Being that it is a two-lane undivided road, there would be an absolute speed limit of 55 miles per hour that some drivers could drive on that street as long as they are in compliance with basic speed law. It would present difficulties for the police department to enforce a speed of 40-45 miles per hour, as long as the driver is driving somewhat reasonable, because the absolute speed limit would be 55 miles per hour. By establishing a 30-mile per hour prima facie speed limit it indicates to all drivers what is a reasonable speed for that roadway taking into consideration that it is not only the short segment of the roadway, but that there are three intersecting streets, it is in a residential area, the road does not qualify as a residence district per the vehicle codes. However, the road is located in a residential area. That implies that there would be vehicles crossing at the three intersections, kids on bikes, and pedestrians on the roadway. Commissioner Cress said that he noticed the survey was taken fiom 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. This could mean that during the heavy traffic hours people are using Paseo Avellano as a shortcut between the two main streets, and there could be higher speed trafEc at that time. Mr. Johnson stated that speed surveys are conducted in the off-peak hours for obvious reasons, but it could go both ways. In rush hour, conditions could be more congested, so drivers are going slow, or perhaps they are in a hurry to get to work or school, and possibly may be going a little faster. Nevertheless, it has been found that obtaining the speed survey during off-peak times is an accurate and fair representation of what the prevailing speeds are on a particular roadway. For the most part, 30 miles per hour appears to be a reasonable prima facie speed limit to establish upon Paseo Avellano based upon the results of the Engineering and Traffic Survey. August 1,2005 MOTION: ACTION: VOTE: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 4 Motion by Commissioner Cress, and duly seconded by Commissioner Roney, to recommend that a prima facie speed limit of 30 miles per hour be established upon Paseo Avellano from Calle Barcelona to Segovia Way. 5-0-0 Dorsey, Gardner, Cress, Roney, Bradshaw None None ITEM 6B: Establish a prima facie speed limit upon Poinsettia Lane from Black Rail Road to Cassia Road. Mr. Johnson stated that this item is a request to establish a prima facie speed limit on a portion of Poinsettia Lane from Black Rail Road to Cassia Road. Poinsettia Lane is a designated major arterial on the Circulation Element of the General Plan of the City of Carlsbad. It is a four-lane divided roadway. The subject segment extends from Black Rail Road to Cassia Road. Except for a small missing gap from Cassia Road to Skimmer Court, with the opening of Poinsettia Lane from Melrose Drive to El Camino Real, Poinsettia Lane extends the entire length in the City from Carlsbad Boulevard east to Melrose Drive. The exception is the missing link between Cassia Road and Skimmer Court. That roadway segment will be built by a private development and is anticipated to be completed in 3-5 years. When that occurs, there will be a complete link of Poinsettia Lane. Until that time, Poinsettia Lane terminates at Cassia Road. Drivers use Cassia Road to El Camino Real to proceed north or south. Mr. Johnson stated that the segment being discussed does not currently have a prima facie speed limit established. It is a four-lane divided roadway, which would have a 65-mile per hour absolute speed limit. Referring to Exhibit 1, Mr. Johnson explained that from Black Rail Road westerly to Paseo del Norte, Poinsettia Lane currently has a posted speed limit of 45 miles per hour. This subject segment is recommended for a 45 mile per hour prima facie speed limit, which would extend that existing speed zone to Cassia Road. Four lanes exist except for a short portion of Poinsettia Lane between Ambrosia Lane and Cassia Road. One of the eastbound lanes was dropped because of a 90- degree turn from Poinsettia Lane to Cassia Road or from Cassia Road to Poinsettia Lane. Otherwise, the subject segment is a four-lane divided roadway. An all-way stop control at Black Rail Road is on the westerly terminus of this speed zone and Ambrosia Lane is controlled with a trafic signal at the four-leg intersection of Ambrosia Lane and Poinsettia Lane. Mr. Johnson stated that Poinsettia Lane generally follows a straight alignment. There is one horizontal curve in the middle portion of the road close to the easterly portion where the horizontal curve radius exceeds the minimums for a major arterial roadway. Centerline grades vary from 4 percent on this segment up to approximately 6.32 percent. The ADT for this major arterial is very low at this time. It is approximately 5,000 vehicles per day. The design range on a major arterial is August 1,2005 TrafEc Safety Commission Meeting Page 5 20,000 to 40,000 vehicles per day. The current volumes are very low but will change some day when the segment that is missing between Cassia Road and Skimmer Court is completed. The missing segment is referred to as Poinsettia Lane Reach E. There have been no traffic collisions on this road segment in the two-year period from May 1,2003 to April 30,2005. Mr. Johnson explained that in establishing the prima facie speed limit, an Engineering and Traffic Survey was conducted. Part of that was obtaining speed survey data. The critical speed was found to be 49 miles per hour with a pace speed ranging between 42 to 52 miles per hour, and 8 1 percent of the vehicles were found to be in the pace. The Trafic Safety Coordinating Committee also reviewed this matter, and it was their recommendation that the existing 45-mile per hour prima facie speed limit upon Poinsettia Lane be extended from Black Rail Road to Cassia Road. DISCUSSION: Vice-Chair Gardner stated thk she was unable to see what was at the comer of Ambrosia Lane and Poinsettia Lane. It appears to be a new park and she wanted to know what the expected traffic volumes might be. Mr. Johnson explained that the new City park is called Aviara Community Park, which is under construction. It will have ball fields, clubhouse facilities and other amenities for children, such as a tot lot. Mr. Johnson stated that he did not have a projection for the number of vehicles with him. The parking lot will have plenty of parking spaces. It is not a regional park so there is not a lot of volume anticipated to use the short segment of Ambrosia Lane into the park. There is a driveway serving a condominium complex located on the east side of Ambrosia Lane. High traffic or pedestrian volumes are not expected to be generated because of the park. MOTION: ACTION: Motion by Vice-Chair Gardner, and duly seconded by Commissioner Roney, to recommend that a prima facie speed limit of 45 miles per hour be established upon Poinsettia Lane from Black Rail Road to Cassia Road. Dorsey, Gardner, Cress, Roney, Bradshaw VOTE: 5-0-0 AYES: NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ITEM 6C: for Gordon Cress. Consider adoption of a Traffic Safety Commission Resolution of Commendation Mr. Johnson stated that over the years, this item has been initiated by the Traffic Safety Commission to honor the former or outgoing Chair. At this point, Mr. Johnson turned this matter over to the August 1,2005 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Page 6 Commission for their disposition, noting a sample Commendation that has been provided in the staff report. DISCUSSION: After some bantering back and forth, Chair Dorsey stated that he felt that the Commendation was highly warranted. MOTION: ACTION: Motion by VicOChair Gardner, and duly seconded by Commissioner Bradshaw, to adopt a Traffic Safety Commission Resolution of Commendation for Gordon Cress for serving as Chair of the Traffic Safety Commission. VOTE: 4-0- 1 AYES: Dorsey, Gardner, Roney, Bradshaw NOES: None ABSTAIN: Cress ITEM 7: REPORT FROM TWFIC SAFETY COMMISSIONERS None. ITEM 8: REPORT FROM TRAFFIC ENGINEER Mr. Johnson reported that because the first Monday of September is Labor Day, next month's regular meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission would be held on Septembex 12,2005 at 3:OO p.m. in the City Council Chambers. ADJOURNMENT: Chair Dorsey adjourned the Regular Meeting of August 1,2005 at 3 : 19 p.m. Respectfdly submitted, Ruth Steckdaub Minutes Clerk