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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-12-04; Traffic Safety Commission; ; Install a STOP sign on Wright Place at its intersection with Palomar Oaks Way( ( CITY OF CARLSBAD TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION STAFF REPORT COMMISSION MEETING OF: December 4, 2006 LOCATION: INITIATED BY: Wtight Place at Palomar Oaks Way Dannette Hess 2006 Palomar Airport Road Carlsbad, CA 92011 ITEMNO. 6B REQUESTED ACTION: Install a STOP sign on Wright Place at its intersection with Palomar Oaks Way. BACKGROUND: Wright Place intersects Palomar Oaks Way in a T-intersection configuration and is located in the Airport Business Center northerly of Palomar Airport Road. Wright Place is the stem of the T-intersection and Palomar Oaks Way is the top of the T-intersection (see Exhibit 1). No STOP signs are installed to assign the right-of-way at this location. DATA: Wright Place is a cul-de-sac street located easterly of Palomar Oaks Way that serves several industrial lots. Palomar Oaks Way is an industrial street with a curb-to-curb width of 52 feet that is not classified on the Circulation Element of the General Plan and terminates about 430 feet northerly of Dryden Place. It has a daily traffic volume of about 4,800 vehicles north of Palomar Airport Road. There are no plans to extend Palomar Oaks Way beyond its current terminus. A driveway serving an industrial lot is located on the west side of Palomar Oaks Way across from Wright Place. For each STOP sign request received by staff, appropriate traffic studies are undertaken. Unless installed for the purpose of assigning right-of-way, STOP signs can cause substantial inconvenience to dtivers and should be used only where warranted. One of the conditions at an intersection that may warrant consideration of installing a STOP sign on the minor street is when the safe approach speed to the intersection for a driver on the minor street is less than 10 miles per hour due to visibility limitations. The 10 mile per hour safe approach speed to the intersection of vehicles on the minor leg is evaluated when there is a request to install a STOP sign only on the minor street at the subject intersection. Except for unusual situations, the minor street at a T-intersection is generally considered to be the stem of the "T" with the major street being the top of the "T". For purposes of this report, Wright Place will be referred to the minor street and the stem of the T-intersection and Palomar Oaks Way will be considered the top of the T-intersection. ( ( CITY OF CARLSBAD TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION STAFF REPORT COMMISSION MEETING OF: December 4, 2006 ( continued) ITEMNO. 6B An uncontrolled intersection is one that does not have right-of-way assigned by the presence of a yield or stop sign, or a traffic signal. Drivers approaching an uncontrolled intersection consisting of either three legs or four legs have right-of-way assignment based upon the rules of the road. Additionally, the driver should have an unobstructed view of the entire intersection and sufficient length along the intersecting street for the vehicle operator to anticipate and avoid conflicts with approaching vehicles about to enter the intersection. When a driver on the minor street is traveling towards the intersecting major street, they reach a decision point where it is necessary to determine if braking to a stop is required because of a vehicle approaching the intersection on the major street that may constitute a conflict. The location of the decision point on the minor street must allow the driver sufficient distance to view to both the driver's right and left all approaching vehicles on the major street. The driver on the minor street, generally not having the right-of-way, can then initiate actions to slow, stop, or avoid a conflict with other vehicles, as necessary, when the minimum clear sight triangle distances are provided (see Exhibit 2). For the analysis of local streets and in this case, an industrial street, the. minor street decision point is assumed to be 50 feet from the intersection conflict point when the vehicle on the minor street has an approach speed of 10 miles per hour. A distance of 250 feet (stopping sight distance for 35 miles per hour in accordance with the Sixth Edition of the Caltrans Highway Design Manual) along the major street must be provided to minor street drivers to view vehicles approaching the intersection. If the vehicle on the major street cannot be seen at the point of its minimum stopping sight distance from the conflict point when the driver or the minor street is at the decision point location on the minor street, a STOP sign can be considered for installation on the minor street so as to positively assign the right-of-way. To view vehicles approaching the subject intersection on Palomar Oaks Way from either direction, the driver on Wright Place has sight visibility limited to less than 215 feet, when looking to the south, and has 596 feet when looking to the north from the decision point on Wright Place. Line of sight limitations on the southeast comer of the intersection are due to grading of the slope behind the public right-of-way and to the lower elevation of Palomar Oaks Way southerly of Wright Place. Consequently, the 10-mile per hour safe approach speed criteria for a driver on Wright Place is not being met to view northbound vehicles and a STOP sign can be considered for installation on Wright Place. RECOMMENDATION: The Traffic Safety Coordinating Committee recommends the installation of a STOP sign on Wright Place at its intersection with Palomar Oaks Way. NECESSARY CITY COUNCIL ACTION: The City Council must adopt an ordinance to establish the STOP sign as recommended. LOCATION MAP WEST LEGEND: © PROPOSED STOP SIGN LOCATION ~ EXISTING STOP SIGN LOCATION @ TRAFFIC SIGNAL EXISTING DRIVEWAY NOT TO SCALE PROJECT NAME PROPOSED STOP SIGN WRIGHT PLACE AT PALOMAR OAKS WAY EXHIBIT 1 DRAYrf'I BY: SCOTT EVANS, CARLSBAD ENGINEERING DEPT. 11/7/06 C: 1RAmC STOP SIGNS STOP SIGN-WRIGHT-PALOMAR OAKST.DWG DECISION POINT TITLE NOT TO SCALE ~~,---- -.J ~ 2 (._) ~ c.o 0) ll) -.J ~ 2 El o Q::: ~ :3 8 ~ Q::: C'J C) I.!) C'J El 9; :::, O'. LL) Q::: C) ll) C'J I I I I I I I I 1 I I I I I I I .........__...~L ___ _ I• 50' WRIGHT PLACE (MINOR) \STREET. REQUIRED LINE OF SIGHT REQUIRED LINE OF SIGHT DECISION POINT WRIGHT PLACE MINOR) STREET WRIGHT PLACE AT PALOMAR OAKS WAY INTERSECTION APPROACH SIGHT TRIANGLE DRAl'rN BY: SCOTT EVANS, CARLSBAD ENGINEERING DEPT. 11 07 06 C: TRAFFIC STOP SIGNS STOP SIGN-IIRIGHT-PALOMAR OAKS2.DIW NOT TO SCALE EXHIBIT 2