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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2007.03.08 The City of Burlingame CITY HALL - 501 PRIMROSE ROAD CALIFORNIA 94010-3997 www.burlingame.org TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Meeting Minutes - Approved Thursday, March, 8, 2007 Commissioners Present: Victor James, Chair Dan Conway, Vice Chair Michael Bohnert Mark Noworolski Stephen Warden Commissioners Absent: None Staff Present: Augustine Chou, Traffic Engineer, Public Works Sgt. Dean Williams, Police Department Joanne Louie, Administrative Secretary, Public Works Visitors: Rudy Horak, 1332 Edgehill Drive Diana Mason, 1451 Balboa Avenue Farris Horak, 1332 Edgehill Drive Ray Mason, 1451 Balboa Avenue Pat Giorni, 1445 Balboa Avenue Sharon Menicucci, Atwater Drive 1. CALL TO ORDER. 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG. 3. ROLL CALL. 5 of 5 Commissioners present. 4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Motion: To accept the minutes of February 8, 2007 with the correction of the date. M/S/C: Warden, Conway; 5/0/0 CHAIR PROLOGUE (Un-agendized Item) Chair James informed the Commission that Kirsten Wallerstedt from State Senator LeLand Yee’s office was seeking a letter of support for SB279. Chair James said that due to the time restraints, the Commission was unable to provide th e letter. He said that he would, however, forward her email to staff and have this item listed under Communication on next month’s agenda. Chair James wanted to clarify that the bi-annual reports to Council would be written by the Commissioners and compiled by the Chair. Chair James suggested that the proclamation of service to former Commissioner Gene Condon be prepared such that all Commissioners would have a place to sign the proclamation. Chair James also noted that all future TSPC agenda and packet be provided to the public as it was this evening to encourage audience involvement. Chair James stated that the quad maps provided this evening did not indicate each Commissioner’s preferred method of contact. He added that once this information was confirmed, it would be available on the quad maps themselves. Chair James suggests an electronic record depository of all business and activities of this commission as a measure of transparency participation. Chair James explains that he intends to gather input from the commissioners by doing rounds starting from either the left or right on the dais. Chair James states that the role of the Traffic Engineer and Traffic Sergeant is to provide staff input and serve as an advisory role. Their roles are not inferior nor superior but of an equal level. 6. CONSENT None. 7. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mr. Horak provided copies of an article from Burlingame Daily News regarding City of San Mateo’s prioritizing pedestrians in their downtown and suggested that Burlingame should also consider this. Mr. Horak also mentioned State Senator Yee seeking support from communities to allow local municipalities to have jurisdiction over the sale of vehicles parked on local streets. Mr. Horak said that he has noticed that Bart parking lot E is mostly empty during the week and definitely on the weekends. He suggested that this could be a place for private parties to sell their vehicles and the cities within the county involved would receive a portion of the sales tax. Mr. Horak also inquired about the status of the TDA grant for the lighted crosswalk on Broadway; and, whether a group of individuals that were looking at this intersection recently had any part of the grant process. Mr. Horak suggested that grants could be enhanced with public participation and asked if there was a list of potential grants. Mr. Horak also suggested that when the City was seeking public participation that this request could be put on its website. Mr. Horak also acknowledged that the deterrent of the unmanned Police Department patrol car appeared to be effective at Broadway/Paloma. Mr. Chou asked to respond to Mr. Horak’s questions and said that the TDA scoring group had performed a field visit at Broadway and Paloma for their initial evaluation of the City’s grant application. Mr. Chou also said that there was no formal list of potential grants, as all cities are notified of various grants as they become available. He added that grant applications must be submitted and sponsored by the City through its staff. 8. NEW BUSINESS 8.1 Request by Pat Giorni to consider marked crosswalks at the intersection of Hillside Drive and Balboa Avenue. Mr. Chou explained the history of this request dating back to November 2005. He said that staff re-evaluated this intersection and found that there have been no significant changes; therefore, it was not recommending the installation of marked crosswalks at this intersection. He added that staff did, however, recommend red curbing at the approaches along Hillside Drive, at Balboa Avenue , to mitigate the visibility issue. Pat Giorni provided documentation of excerpts from TSPC minutes dating bac k to October 2005 regarding this matter. Ms. Giorni also presented a signed petition representing 42 households requesting a 4-way stop sign at the intersection, with the inclusion of at least one painted crosswalk across Hillside Drive and the constructio n of ADA curb ramps on the three remaining corners. Ms. Giorni asked that the following requests be considered: 1. 4-way stop signed intersection to control driver behavior. 2. At least 1 painted crosswalk for pedestrian crossing. 3. Elimination of curb side parking on Hillside for at least 20’. 4. ADA curb cuts be completed as soon as possible. Sharon Menicucci questioned the underlying reasons for stop sign warrants and questioned the validity of the assessment that there would be vehicle backup to El Camino Real. Diana Mason expressed the need for stop signs and crosswalks at this intersection and her concern of the near-misses that have occurred there. Ms. Mason stated that there was high pedestrian traffic at this intersection and that drivers are focused on t he stoplight ahead, rather than the immediate intersection and crosswalk. Farris Horak stated that every intersection should have crosswalks. Chair James closed the public floor and asked input from the Commission. Commissioner Noworolski questioned the likelihood of traffic backup and asked whether traffic counts performed on Adeline could be relevant to Hillside. Mr. Chou said the volumes could be different such that it would be less on Adeline when compared to Hillside. Commissioner Conway inquired about the process of installing the curb ramps and how it was prioritized. Mr. Chou answered that there was an existing ADA Ramp Replacement Program which was part of the Capital Improvements Program. He said that doing areas by sections was economically advantageous and was a more productive method of project management. Commissioner Conway stated that the study looked at crosswalks and did not address stop signs. He asked confirmation that in order to consider stop signs another study needed to be conducted. Commissioner Bohnert asked about the criteria necessary for red curb installation. Mr. Chou stated that the one criteria was dependent on how much existing curb parking would be eliminated, and if there would still be ample adjacent parking. Commissioner Bohnert expressed his concern that something needed to be done at this intersection beyond red curbing; and, that there was lower pedestrian traffic due to the lack of safety and therefore avoidance of this intersection. Commissioner Warden said he supported the staff recommendation to not proceed with installation of marked crosswalks, but to proceed with red curbing to address the visibility issue. Commissioner Conway asked clarification on what warranted a stop sign installation. Mr. Chou explained that stop sign warrants were established by State and Federal regulations. Commissioner Noworolski asked staff the question of if a crosswalk were installed, if it is ever removed. Mr. Chou answered that there was always a process to re-evaluate the continued need for a crosswalk, but historically, such traffic devices tended to become a fixture because it was warranted and justified initially. Chair James wanted clarification that stop signs were not the tool for speed control and asked what the proper tool for speeding would be. Mr. Chou concurred that stop signs should be used for right-of-way assignment. He added that enforcement and education were the tools to use to address speeding. Chair James once again opens the floor for public commen ts. Ms. Giorni reiterated the issue of right-of-way for pedestrians and vehicles attempting to enter Hillside Drive from Balboa Avenue, hence stop signs were necessary. Ms. Menicucci stated that she agreed with Commissioner Bohnert, and did not necessarily understand the Traffic Engineer’s perspective. Chair James closes the floor for public comments. Motion: To deny the marked crosswalk installation and to implement the red curbing. M/S/C: Warden, Noworolski; 2/3/0 The motion did not carry, so Commissioner Conway made a second motion. Motion: Table the issue and re-evaluate for next month, especially in light of the new materials and petition presented by the public. M/S/C: Conway, Noworolski; 4/1/0 (Warden dissented) 9. STAFF REPORTS 9.1 Traffic and Parking Issues None. 9.2 Staff Reports 9.2.1 Traffic Engineer’s Report None. 9.2.2 Traffic Sergeant’s Report None. 10. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT None. 11. PENDING ITEMS None. 12. COMMUNICATIONS 12.1 Letter from Forte Press Corporation regarding height limitations signs on B roderick Road. Mr. Chou reported that this is a written request; and, that staff would evaluate it and if necessary, work with the Quad representative to handle this matter. 12.2 Commissioner Warden reported that there still seemed to be a problem with storage containers of furniture on Edgehill Drive. He added that it was present for the last 8-9 months. 12.3 Mr. Chou reported that the City Clerk was requesting a joint Council/Commission meeting for May 7, 2007 at 6:00 pm. 13. COMMISSION & COMMITTEE REPORTS 13.1 Bi-annual Commission Report to Council (June 30 and December 31) No discussion. 13.2 Quad Maps All commissioners were agreeable to being contacted for Quad issues by either telephone or email. Commissioner Noworolski stated he preferred email, but either method is acceptable. 14. ADJOURNMENT Adjournment was at 8:45 pm.