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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2006.06.08TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 1 of 13 The City of Burlingame CITY HALL - 501 PRIMROSE ROAD CALIFORNIA 94010-3997 www.burlingame.org TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Meeting Minutes - Approved Thursday – June 8, 2006 Commissioners Present: Eugene Condon, Chair Victor James, Vice-Chair Michael Bohnert Stephen Warden Dan Conway Staff Present: Augustine Chou, Traffic Engineer, Public Works Sergeant Don Shepley, Police Department Visitors: Pat Giorni, 1445 Balboa Avenue Linda Abbey, 1415 Adeline Drive Jay DeWolf, 1212 Edgehill Drive John Kevranian, 1241 Broadway Avenue Barbara Zukowski, 1108 Capuchino Avenue Tom Koros, 2225 Summit Drive Farris Horak, 1332 Edgehill Drive Rudy Horak, 1332 Edgehill Drive Sandy Towle, 2200 Hillside Drive Susan Towle, 2220 Hillside, Drive Ross Bruce, 500 Almer Road Dennis O’Brien, 2204 Poppy Drive Katie O’Brien, 2204 Poppy Drive Eugenia Swanson, 1124 Paloma TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 2 of 13 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. ROLL CALL 5 of 5 Commissioners present. (Commissioner Conway arrived at 7:15 PM). 4. CURRENT BUSINESS 4.1 ACTION ITEMS 4.1.1 Minute for March 9, April 13, and May 18, 2006 meeting. Traffic Engineer Chou explained that the Minutes for March 9 were not in the current packet. The April 13, and May 18, 2006 were in the packet to be approved. Motion: To approve April 13 and May 18 minutes M/S/C: Warden, James; 4/0/0 4.2 DISCUSSION ITEMS 4.2.1 California Drive – Proposed “Overnight Parking Restriction” signs along the 700 Block. Traffic Engineer Chou explained that at the January 12, 2006 TSPC meeting there was a request from a Commissioner to evaluate the extension of the overnight parking restriction along the 700 block of California Drive. As a previous action, the Commission had appr oved similar restrictions further north on California Drive. Mr. Chou said that extending the restriction would prohibit overnight parking from Oak Grove, north to Carmelita. He explained that the Commission wanted to ensure sufficient public notification so that businesses along the 700 Block would have time to present any concerns before action was taken. Commissioner Warden stated that he requested to have this brought back for review. He said the 700 block of California Drive had become a parking TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 3 of 13 zone for commercial vehicles and this would be an opportunity to clean the matter up and get these vehicles into a commercial storage yard. Motion: To move this to an action item M/S/C: Warden, James; 4/0/0 Second Motion: To accept staff recommendation to implement No Overnight Parking restrictions on the block of California Drive from Oak Grove to Palm (700 Block). M/S/C: Warden, James; 4/0/0 4.2.2 Broadway/Paloma Avenue – Evaluate need for stop signs Traffic Engineer Chou explained that the City had received requests from merchants for stop signs on Broadway at Paloma. The merchants felt vehicles speeding had made this intersection unsafe for pedestrians and that some type of traffic control would help. Mr. Chou stated that staff conducted a Stop Sign Warrant Study. He explained that for the volume condition, about 13,000 to 14,000 vehicles were recorded on Broadway. Additionally, approximately 1,000 vehicles were recorded on Paloma Avenue. He went on to explain that while the volume condition for Broadway was met, the volume condition for Paloma fell very short. And the accident conditions were not met. He explained that Broadway had a large number of vehicles traveling on it. The use of stop signs was really for right-of-way assignment. There was not enough demand on the side streets to warrant stop signs. Pedestrian safety should be the focus and alerting vehicles to pedestrian traffic. Mr. Chou stated that Broadway already experienced traffic congestion from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. He expressed concern that if a stop sign was installed, a speeding situation could be created between the blocks as drivers would try to make up any time lost due to stopping. Mr. Chou stated that since all three warrants were not met, a stop sign recommendation could not be made. He did make the recommendation that other options regarding pedestrian safety (signage and/or crosswalk enhancements) be considered. Chair Condon stated traffic enhancements had been approved at the crosswalk, at the intersection of Chula Vista and Broadway. Tom Koros, 2225 Summit Drive, stated that both vehicular and foot traffic would increase due to the opening of five new restaurants on Broadway. TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 4 of 13 He said Broadway was viewed as a main artery to the freeway, and that visibility was reduced due to streetscape. Despite the warrant study, he said he wanted consideration given to stops at Paloma. He expressed concerns for citizens who were pedestrians, and went on record as a strong supporter for the stop signs. Barbara Zukowski, 1108 Capuchino Avenue, expressed her concern about cars speeding along Broadway with crosswalks not a being a deterrent to speeding. She also stated that there wasn't enough protection for pedestrians. She expressed the difficulties she experienced in att empting to cross Broadway, and also went on record in support of a stop sign at Paloma and Broadway. John Kevranian, 1241 Broadway, recommended a stop sign be installed. He wanted to see traffic study numbers for Burlingame Avenue, which had both stop signs and a traffic signal. He said the volume of traffic was the same as Broadway. He also said that there wasn't enough police power to enforce safety laws. He went on record strongly urging the installation of a stop sign. Rudy Horak, 1332 Edgehill Drive, stated that the constant flow of traffic on Broadway prevents him from crossing to shop on the north side of Broadway. He said Paloma was halfway down Broadway and the logical place to put stop signs. Farris Horak, 1332 Edgehill Drive, discussed ho w difficult it was to cross Broadway and how time consuming it was driving north on Paloma and turning onto Broadway. She felt stop signs at this location would allow cars to turn. Linda Abbey, 2415 Adeline Drive, stated pedestrians crossing Broadway was the reason it was impossible to turn left off Paloma, as well as other streets, onto Broadway. Pat Giorni, 1445 Balboa, suggested making Broadway a one -way street from El Camino through to the freeway. She said that traffic could be directed to use Carmelita westbound since the parking has parking restrictions during commute hours. This would allow for two lanes going to the freeway at Broadway and two lanes coming back on Carmelita. Ross Bruce, 500 Almer Road, asked if 18-wheeler trucks were allowed on Broadway. He also asked if the accident history condition study was conducted only at that specific intersection. Mr. Bruce stated he and other merchants felt that placing a stop sign at Paloma would have a beneficial result for all of Broadway, preventing vehicle accidents and slowing traffic. He asked that the study area be expanded even though the warrants had TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 5 of 13 not been met. He suggested placing a stop sign at this intersection as a one year experiment. Sandy Towle, 2200 Hillside Drive, suggested slowing down traffic by installing a lighted crosswalk on Broadway, similar to ones in San Mateo and on California Drive. He felt stop signs and traffic signals would create tremendous delays, causing drivers to go faster and not make it any safer for pedestrians. He wanted the City to try a lighted crosswalk approach. Eugenia Swanson, 1124 Paloma Avenue, discussed speeding issues on Broadway and getting across Broadway (east -west) from Paloma and went on record in favor of the stop sign. Jay deWolf, 1212 Edgehill Drive, asked what the City was doing for Broadway and Chula Vista. Chair Condon stated crosswalk enhancements on Broadway and Chula Vista was the past recommended action. Mr. deWolf inquired about variations in the count which could occur durin g various times of the year. He asked the City to look at U -turn signage on Broadway. He felt installing a stop sign would be fine, but suggested a stronger police presence might be more helpful. He also said that those turning right didn’t seem to slow down for pedestrians. Katie O’Brien, 2204 Poppy Drive, stated Broadway was a thoroughfare going to the freeway. She said pedestrian traffic and car traffic had increased, and will continue to increase. Commissioner Warden expressed his opposition to ma king Paloma a one- way street. He stated he didn’t want to see all the traffic backed up on a residential street like Carmelita. Commissioner Warden asked if Paloma was the correct place for a stop sign, with respect to side street traffic. He asked Mr. Chou if the stop sign belonged at Laguna rather than Paloma since 2 -way traffic crossing Broadway was allowed on Laguna. He stated that numerous stop sign requests had been turned down in the past because of liability to the City. Commissioner Warden as ked if placing stop signs in locations not meeting warrants would actually make the City liable. Mr. Chou stated that the City Attorney knew of no cases where cities had legal action against them for installing unwarranted stop signs. However, doing this did not stop any city from being taken to court. He said that the City would have to prove a professional engineering decision was made for doing so, based on overwhelming evidence that stop signs would benefit the City at those locations. TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 6 of 13 Commissioner Warden wanted the Laguna area studied for action based on the increased amount of pedestrian traffic possibly resulting from new businesses opening soon. Mr. Chou stated that while the Laguna intersection was not at the center of the Broadway corridor, it did have traffic entering from both ends of the side street and might better meet the warrant conditions. Commissioner Warden stated that if nothing is done with a stop sign, knock-down delineators might be another option for consideration when this matter comes back to the Commission. Commissioner James directed his questions to the floor speakers. He asked Mr. Koros about the levels of traffic and what time the heaviest traffic occurred. Mr. Koros indicated the heaviest was between 7:00 AM and 9:30 AM, and then again between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM. He said this was true for both pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Commissioner James asked Barbara Skukoski what the time frame was for her concerns. She stated it was 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM. Commissioner James asked John Kevranian what time he observed the “near-miss” incidents referenced earlier. Mr. Kevranian stated it is all day, between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Commissioner James then asked Jay deWolf about the times of the U-turn violations. Mr. deWolf stated it was all day. He also thanked the Commissioners for their service to the community by serving on the Commission. Commissioner James asked if speeding was the biggest concern based on the discussion from the floor. The audience agreed. Commissioner Conway stated that the warrant studies were useful because the Commission could rely on them legally. He stated that there had not been a time where the warrant study did not match the field test. He added, however, that he also felt discomfort crossing Broadway. Regardless of the outcome of the warrant studies, he felt strongly that something needed to be done. He expressed his concern with the backup that would be caused by putting in stop signs. Commissioner Bohnert expressed his own concerns regarding crossing Broadway. He said crossing Carmelita was just as dangerous as crossing Broadway. He suggested the entire area should go under review (Carmelita, Broadway, Laguna, Paloma, all cross streets, the Broadway overpass enhancement and freeway) to be made pedestrian safe. One stop sign in the middle of all of this would create a great deal of backup to the freeway without addressing the problems in all of these areas. Commission Condon expressed his concern that the residential streets would be subjected to the backups. He said he would entertain a traffic study for stop signs at Capuchino because it is a 4-way intersection. He said he would also like to look at the placement of knockdown delineators at TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 7 of 13 Capuchino and Laguna. With so many cars coming through Broadway, he said he didn’t see speeding as the problem, but crossing the streets was the issue. He suggested looking at the locations where people cross streets, implement measures known to work similar situations, and consider a stop sign at Laguna if the warrants were met. Mr. Chou responded that delineators were a good option. He cautioned that wide turning vehicles on a street narrowed by streetscape would roll over delineators, so regardless of using less expensive delineators, there would still be a maintenance issue. He said this intersection was a three way approach and there would only be one type of turning movement minimizing the damage to the delineators. Mr. Chou said that this intersection and corridor was a good case for considering traffic signals. He stated the main reason being large volumes of vehicles traveling in one direction where breaks in traffic flow was needed for other vehicles and pedestrians to cross. He said that stop signs were not warranted because this would mean that each of the 13,000- 14,000 vehicles would be required to stop and backups would be a concern. Traffic signals would allow vehicles to move through the intersection and create breaks when needed. Mr. Chou stated that a traffic signal warrant study could be conducted for the future and the Commission can then bring this to the Council. Chair Condon asked Mr. Chou if a new traffic signal at this intersection could be coordinated with the signal at California Drive to avoid a congestion and backups. Mr. Chou responded that this could be done. Chair Condon said he would like to see the crosswalk delineators at the Capuchino and Paloma intersections; and, look into traffic signals and get a sub-committee together to study the feasibility of meeting signal warrants. Commissioner James stated the problem was not being addressed because the issue being brought up was speeding, but the request for stop signs dealt with right-of-way control. He raised the question that speed was stated as the issue during public discussions, but how could there be speeding when the traffic was so heavy? Commissioner James asked Mr. Chou if there were other studies and methods to address the issue of speed. Mr. Chou said there were. Commissioner James stated that cars parked perpendicular would also affect the speeding issue. He stated a different approach to the speeding problem is required other than a stop sign. Commissioner Bohnert expressed the importance of seeing the big picture in all options planned for this area. TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 8 of 13 Commissioner Warden suggested changing Paloma into a two -way street. He said that combined with a signal at Paloma, this could be the way to keep traffic moving, and improve pedestrian traffic access. Motion: To make this an Action Item. M/S/C: Warden, Conway; 5/0/0 Chair Condon aske dfor a motion to deny the request and open up the whole Broadway district to a sub-committee to look into several alternatives such as signals and crosswalk delineators. He asked that the sub - committee come up with a plan for all of Broadway. Commissioner Warden suggested adding merchants and residents in the area to the sub-committee. Commissioner Conway asked asked Mr. Chou the best way to set up the sub-Committee. Mr. Chou stated that two members from t he commission should work with the merchants and/or Ross Bruce, BID President. This would be an on-going process to build consensus for a plan of attack for the entire corridor and not just this intersection. Then the sub -committee, with support from the business community, would come back to the Commission and build the last bit of consensus from the rest of the Commissioners. This way the sub-committee would not come back to the Commission with a “done deal” solution. Further discussion of any new idea s should occur between the business community, sub-committee and Commission. Second Motion: To deny the request for a stop sign at Broadway and Paloma, and have the chair appoint a sub -committee to review the entire Broadway corridor for a more appropria te approach to the traffic and pedestrian issues in that area. M/S/C: Warden, James; 5/0/0 Commissioner Warden and Commissioner Bohnert volunteered for the sub - committee. 5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF NEW ITEMS 5.1 California Drive/Highland Avenue – Crosswalk enhancement or total elimination Mr. Chou stated that a staff report discussing this matter would be available at the next Commission meeting. TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 9 of 13 6. FROM THE FLOOR Pat Giorni, 1445 Balboa, stated that Councilwoman O’Mahoney said at the last Council meeting that money would be available for repaving arterial streets; and, that one of them was Hillside Drive. Ms. Giorni expressed her hope that the Commission would consider re-evaluating crosswalks at Hillside and Balboa. She said the City ordinance regarding overnight parking was not being enforced there and cars parked at the corners add to the “blindness”. She requested red paint be added at corners of the intersection to keep cars from parking there. Linda Abbey, 2415 Adeline Drive, thanked the City of Burlingame for the traffic counts conducted on Adeline Drive. She said that one count location had a red cone in the street next to the counter. She was also concerned that during the study, Mercy High School was not in full attendance because of finals week, a nd she asked if the City could verify with Mercy High School what the attendance was during the dates of the study. Ms. Abbey stated that the traffic was never light during the week on Broadway, and she also wanted it noted that the time period between 1 1:30 AM and 1:00 PM during the week was a high traffic time. She stated that the pedestrians on the street may not perceive cars as speeding, but cars aren't yielding to people in the crosswalks. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS 7. 1 Bicycle Safety Issues in Burlingame Traffic Engineer Chou stated the sub-committee was working on dates to meet to discuss potential projects. He said that June 20 or June 27 were the most likely dates. Mr. Chou added that the sub-committee members were in agreement that they need to develop some projects for funding; and, that this sub -committee would not impinge on the Council’s sub-committee because this current sub- committee would lay the groundwork and be able to hand over something viable to the Council’s sub-committee after it was established. Chair Condon asked Mr. Chou if a format of the meeting could be establish ed beforehand, and Mr. Chou agreed that they could do that once the meeting date was established. 7.2 From Council to Commission/Staff None. TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 10 of 13 7.3 From Staff to Commission 7.3.1 Traffic Engineer’s Report 7.3.1.1 Peninsula Avenue/US 101 Overpass Status Report Traffic Engineer Chou stated that San Mateo and Burlingame were working on an agreement to hire a traffic consultant to redo some of the studies in the area. He said that Burlingame would pay for a portion of the studies and receive data on a list of Burlingame intersections. Mr. Chou said that the City of Burlingame provided the City of San Mateo with recommendations of the streets to be studied. 7.3.1.2 Broadway/US 101 Overpass Status Report Traffic Engineer Chou stated that this was still in the EIR stage. 7.3.1.3 Radar Speed Zones Traffic Engineer Chou reported that he was reviewing the accident reports supplied by the Police Department. Mr. Chou also stated that the section of California Drive in questions would be broken into two sections with two surveys rather than one. The first section of California Drive would be from Murchison to Broadway. He said at Broadway, California Drive changed significantly, and this is not reflected in the current report. Commissioner Warden commented that it made sense to look at this in three sections: Murchison to Broadway, Broadway to Burlingame Avenue, and Burlingame Avenue to Peninsula Avenue. 7.3.2 Traffic Sergeant’s Report Traffic Sergeant Shepley stated that staffing continued to be sporadic.He reported on the following: ● The Police Department was able to deploy the radar trailer more often when their staffing was higher. It is currently broken and has been sent for repairs. TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 11 of 13 ● Selective enforcement had been happening on the train tracks at Sanchez, Broadway, and North Lane areas. Two joint operations with Amtrak and ESO were conducted. ● Moving the California/Sanchez bus stop appeared to have positive impact on the afternoon SamTrans school bus route. ● Police was also enrolling their School Resource Officer into an Instructor’s Course to teach him how to conduct the Operation Life Saver program in schools, which will be part of the officer's curriculum next year. ● The Street Racer Detail was to be on Friday night, June 9. There had been lots of media interest and Burlingame was hosting the event, as well as next weekend’s event at the request of the Daly City Police Chief for the premiere of the movie “Fast and Furious 3”. ● A training session was scheduled for Friday, June 9, from noon to 4:00 PM with the San Diego Police Department, who were the current “gurus” in street racing enforcement. Sgt. Shepley also reported that Engineering, Finance and the Police Department were involved in several studies. ● Preliminary Red Flex red light running studies were done for Broadway/El Camino Real, Broadway/California Drive, Chapin Avenue/El Camino Real, and Trousdale Drive/El Camino Real. The results showed that Broadway/El Camino Real was the highest violator location. Further evaluation was needed before suggesting to Council whether or not to accept the program citywide. ● Engineering, Police, and Finance were currently working on smart meter implementation. ● The Employee Parking Permit Program would be ending in August. Commissioner Warden asked what would happen when funding ran out with DBID. Sergeant Shepley stated that the City Manager could designate who he wanted to administer the sale of the parking permits, and w as looking for one of the merchant groups or a merchant take over what DBID was doing. Commissioner James asked about the other capabilities of the red light runner cameras. Sgt. Shepley stated that he was not directly involved with the program implementation, but understood that once they were installed, the system could have the ability to provide Police with the footage of a crime if it occurred at a monitored intersection. TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 12 of 13 7.4 From Commission to Staff 7.4.1 Commission Chairperson Report. Chair Condon reported on the Caltrain railroad corridor safety issue. He said that he was looking into possible funding for joint fencing, as well as cost for the various options for fencing material. Chair Condon asked staff to look into the design options for fencing len gths and the use of natural barriers, defensive landscaping, and gullies. Commissioner Warden asked about scheduling another Special Meeting and inviting Caltrain and SamTrans to discuss what changes they made regarding fencing and rerouting bus line. Chair Condon said that he wanted all the answers to all possible questions beforehand, along with costs for the total job and for each option. Commissioner Warden wanted to know what the timing would be, as he would like to see something done for the August meeting, before the beginning of school. Chair Condon responded that securing funding for fence installation was the delay and could not be done by August. He asked, however, if it was possible to get all the “ducks in a row” with respect to planning, o ptions, costs, funding avenues, before the August meeting. Mr. Chou stated that the information could be gathered for the internal meeting with Caltrain. Chair Condon asked that at the July meeting, a date be set for an August Special Railroad Corridor Safety meeting. Chair Condon asked for a Commissioner to join him on this sub -committee, and Commissioner Conway volunteered. 7.4.2 Reports of Citizen Complaints or Requests Commissioner Warden stated his concern over a lot of commercial vehicles parking in residential areas. He asked if it is was possible to have the Business License Office or the Code Enforcement Officer to look into whether these businesses were being operated out of homes. He asked if this could be controlled through the City Attorney's office. Traffic Engineer Chou agreed the process could begin there and then assigned to Finance, Permits or Code Enforcement. TRAFFIC, SAFETY & PARKING COMMISSION June 8, 2006 Minutes Page 13 of 13 7.5 Comments and Communications Chair Condon suggested that Engineering and Police look into the Hillside Drive issue. Chair Condon also said that the Commissioners could help staff with traffic counts and the development of possible solutions future plans for the Broadway/Paloma issue. Commissioner Warden asked if they ask the sub-committee to draft local merchants and residents based on this meeting’s attendance. It was suggested Ross Bruce, Dave from the Il Piccolo Coffee Shop and some others. 7.6 Next Regular Meeting There were no anticipated absences for the next meeting on July 13, 2006. 8. INACTIVE OR PENDING ITEMS None. 9 AGENDUM FOR NEXT MEETING ● Item 5.1 - California Drive/Highland Avenue crosswalk. 10. ADJOURNMENT 9:15 PM.