HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2002.10.10 The City of Burlingame
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CALIFORNIA 94010-3997
www.burlingame.org
TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes - Approved
Thursday, October 10, 2002
Commissioners Present:Jim McIver, Chair
Jim Evans, Vice Chair
Russ Cohen
David Mayer
Commissioners Absent:Lisa De Angelis
Staff Present:Frank Erbacher, Assistant Public Works Director
Augustine Chou, Traffic Engineer, Public Works
Chief Bill Reilly, Fire Department
Chuck Witt, Traffic Officer, Police Department
Staff Absent:Dawn Cutler, Traffic Sergeant, Police Department
Doris Mortensen, Administrative Secretary, Public Works
Guests:Neil Cullen, Director of Public Works, County of San Mateo
Visitors:Gerald Fiore, 1560 Alturas Drive, Burlingame
Earl M. Dilley, 3028 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
John Jones, 210 Edgehill Drive, Burlingame
Rafe H. Schindler, 2848 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Ron Wilk, 142 La Mesa Drive, Burlingame
Deborah Valentino, 2879 Hillside, Burlingame
Ray Jungwirth, 1730 Rollins Road, Burlingame
Eileen Thomas, 16 Vista Lane, Burlingame
Rosemarie Dean, 2823 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
James Dean, 2823 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Bob Asquith, 2835 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Jonathan Visbal, 3008 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Roland K. Gage, 1504 La Mesa Drive, Burlingame
Jack Simkie, 112 Newton Drive, Burlingame
TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes - Approved
Thursday, October 10, 2002
Visitors (cont’d):Rudolph Horak, 131 Los Robles Drive, Burlingame
Ted Koros, 2885 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Elizabeth Tabet, 2820 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
George Tabet, 2820 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
George Demetrius, 3151 Hillside Lane, Burlingame
Cathy Murray, 3209 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
S.G. Yasinitsky, 1534 Los Altos Drive, Burlingame
Calvin Gee, 2860 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Amy Gee, 2860 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Louis Sremac, 724 Paloma Avenue, Burlingame
Anne Nannini, 1555 Alturas Drive, Burlingame
Fady Malik, 2884 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Sandy Towle, 2200 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Marshall Michaelin, 3001 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Ron Zaragoza, 2871 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Niko Longmore, 2867 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Dawn Longmore, 2867 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Meg Gutierrez, 2821 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Amy Long, 2910 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Joe Long, 2910 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Thomas O’Rourke, 149 Los Robles Drive, Burlingame
Liz Watson, 1444 Balboa Avenue, Burlingame
John Gumas, 3051 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Rolando Pasquale, 2836 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
Tom Lee, 3041 Hillside Drive, Burlingame
David Zinman, 1400 Carlos Avenue, Burlingame
Heidi Zinman, 1400 Carlos Avenue, Burlingame
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TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes - Approved
Thursday, October 10, 2002
1.CALL TO ORDER. 7:00 p.m.
2.PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG.
3. ROLL CALL.4 of 5 Commissioners present.
4.CURRENT BUSINESS.
4.1 ACTION ITEMS.
4.1.1 Approval of Minutes for September 12, 2002
The minutes were submitted and approved.
4.2 DISCUSSION ITEMS.
4.2.1 Special Meeting to Discuss Hillside Drive Speed Bumps
Mr. Erbacher advised that this Commission is asking for public input about the speed bumps
installed on Hillside Drive by the County. He said all residents on Hillside were sent notices and
barricade signs facing each direction were installed near each bump. Neil Cullen, Director of Public
Works for San Mateo County, was present and could give the Commission the background on these
installations. Mr. Cullen advised that the CHP is the primary enforcer of County roads and their
enforcement has been cut back. Since the majority of motorists drive too fast, at about 35-37 mph,
the County looked at the potential for various speed control devices. The Board of Supervisors
approved the installation of the two speed bumps on Hillside Drive. The County will follow up with
a survey to property owners in about 1-2 months for their input on the speed bumps’ effect.
From the floor, Mr. Demetrius stated the first speed bump is in the County and the second bump is
in both the City and County. Mr. Asquith stated he is at home most of the day and has noticed that
almost every car on Hillside Drive exceeds the speed limit. Also, his wife has been hit twice while
backing out of their driveway and has seen that the fire station drivers can’t exit due to cars speeding
by and the CHP enforcement is reduced. Wants bumps also in the City side of Hillside Drive. Mr.
Gumas stated the County has held several meetings with property owners who support these speed
bumps. Also recommends that the BPD enforce this area, too. He would like all the jurisdictions to
coordinate their efforts in making this street safer. Mr. Simkie stated he has noticed a slow down in
the traffic since the speed bumps were installed. Mr. Visbal stated he has noticed the traffic is
slightly slower and recommends more bumps be installed. Mr. Horak stated it seems some people
were concerned that Hillside Drive traffic would be diverted to Canyon Road due to the speed
bumps; however, Canyon Road is too narrow so it hasn’t happened. Also, because of speeding
traffic, families with small children are hardly buying on this street which directly affects local
economies. He recommends placing another bump near 2824 Hillside Drive south of the fire station
where cars speed up again. Mr. Schindler stated he saw two accidents of cars backing out of their
driveways. He had been concerned about the noise a speed bump near his house would cause;
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TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes - Approved
Thursday, October 10, 2002
however, he has noticed a definite slow down in speed. Wants the existing bump to stay with more
bumps added on Hillside Drive. Mr. Koros stated the house next door has been hit in the past several
times over the years by speeders. The bumps are a great benefit to the whole neighborhood. Mr.
Koros submitted a petition with 45 signatures of neighbors supporting the speed bumps. Mr. Tabet
stated he is 13 years old and supports keeping the existing speed bumps and recommends more
installed farther down the hill. Backing out of their driveway is hazardous due to the speeding cars.
Ms. Tabet stated she lives south of the fire station and recommends at least one more speed bump
be installed in here area. Mr. Yasinitsky stated he has a background in traffic safety at S.F. State
University and stated that speed bumps are an unexpected obstruction on an ordinary street and can
be hazardous. He recommends that the speed bumps be removed. Ms. Murray stated traffic on
Skyline Drive needs to be slowed down, too, because some speeders have hit her fence while turning
onto Hillside Drive. Ms. Gutierrez stated that early Tuesday morning for the second time in 1-1/2
years, a car ploughed through her front yard, which is south of the fire station, damaging her
retaining wall, the garage, fencing and landscaping. She feels property value in this area has
diminished due to speeding traffic. Ms. Dean stated that her property south of the fire station has
been damaged about 15 times in 30 years due to speeding traffic. She recommends a speed deterrent
south of the fire station to alleviate these problems. Mr. Gee stated he supports the speed bumps.
Since 1996 he has had about 8 incidents when speeders have almost hit him as he exits his driveway.
Also, although there are no sidewalks, there are still pedestrians on Hillside Drive. He supports
further striping and signs warning of blind corners. Mr. Pasquale countered Mr. Yasinitsky’s
statements. Ten people have already requested more speed bumps be installed and challenged the
Commission to add an Agenda item for the next meeting to install more speed bumps. Dr. Michaelin
read a letter from his son who stated he believes that the speed bumps are a failure. His son stated
that the unheeded stop sign on Hillside Drive at Adeline Drive is more dangerous than the speeding
on Hillside Drive. Dr. Michaelin stated he feels the speed bumps will cause someone to hit their
brakes causing a hazardous situation. Mr. Malik stated that he supports the existing speed bumps.
Most of the drivers on Hillside Drive are local residents. Mr. Sremac stated he supports the existing
speed bumps and also recommends installing speed bumps across from McKinley School on Paloma
Avenue due to high traffic volumes and speeding at this site and asked that this item be added to
next month’s Agenda. Mr. Zaragosa stated we need to do more than install speed bumps. It is
difficult to exit his driveway due to the speeders. Ms. Longmore supports the speed bumps. She
noticed speeders have slowed down. She suggests adding a stop sign, too. Her former neighbor’s son
was killed by a speeder 12 feet away from the existing speed bump. Mr. Dean stated that of the 15
accidents on his property, 5 of the cars were so badly damaged, they had to be towed away. Also,
they lost 5 pets over the years as well. Adeline Drive in Burlingame used to be a “race track” but
with the stop signs now added, it is much safer now. He suggests a stop sign in front of the fire
station and make the yellow light a blinking light after 10 p.m. Mr. Fiore stated there has been a
dramatic increase in traffic on this street. As stop signs increased on Trousdale Drive, the traffic on
Hillside Drive increased. He clarified that on Hillside speed humps were installed, not speed bumps
which cause you to stop and could cause a hazard. He recommends a stop sign on Hillside at
Alturas. There is a curve there and with speeding traffic, it is difficult to turn onto Hillside Drive.
Ms. Nannini was concerned that she had not been notified in advance of the speed humps being
installed but noticed the posted meeting signs. Ms. Thomas stated she represents five other families
who could not attend this meeting but all support speed humps and more stop signs. Mr. Towle
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TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes - Approved
Thursday, October 10, 2002
stated the problem starts on the lower part of Hillside Drive and the speed humps will eventually
become less effective.
Chief Reilly stated that the humps are quite acceptable for fire apparatus and response time;
however, an increase in the number of speed humps could have an impact on fire response time. The
red light at the station now has worked well. The yellow flashing light they had before was virtually
ignored by drivers over time. Comm. Mayer likes the idea of coordinating all jurisdictions to work
on this problem. Mr. Erbacher advised that the City and the County will now get together to discuss
this possibility and how it fits into the various priorities.
4.2.2 Millbrae BART Station - Parking Impacts on City streets - Possible Parking Restrictions -
Commercial Area west of California Drive to Burlingame Plaza Area
Mr. Erbacher stated five comments have been received from the 150± notices sent. From the floor,
Mr. Jungwirth stated that regarding one option to sign No Parking 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. - their business
opens at 5:30 a.m. and both customers and employees use Rollins Road for parking and hope the
City considers this. They have 200 off-street parking spaces but their customer volume is high
between 6 and 9 a.m. Mr. Gage stated his business is on Guittard Road and his employees and the
surrounding businesses use Rollins Road for parking since employees don’t have enough parking
as it is. Even trucks take up parking spaces on the street. Ms. Watson stated she received an
overnight parking ticket in front of her residence and would appreciate the City communicating its
parking restrictions to the residents and businesses.
For next month’s meeting, notices will be sent to the R-1 area.
4.2.3 Request to Review Speed Concerns on Hillside Drive
Mr. Chou advised that these speed concerns address the lower part of Hillside Drive near Alvarado
Avenue. Staff performed speed studies with a sample of 177 cars on a weekday from 9 to 10 a.m.
with the critical speed being 37 mph. The road configuration shows that there are no other controls
that would facilitate slowing the traffic. Officer Witt stated that the survey results are consistent with
a similar survey performed several years ago. Speed affected only 2 of 5 accidents that occurred
along this part of Hillside. These accidents were rear-end collisions. Officer Witt will add this site
to the Selective Enforcement program and will utilize the radar trailer to deter speeding. Mr. Chou
advised that they will be pinpointing the times the vehicles are speeding and advise the police as to
when enforcement is needed there. From the floor,
Mr. Zinman stated he would like more enforcement and hope that the situation will improve.
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TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes - Approved
Thursday, October 10, 2002
5. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF NEW ITEMS.
5.1 Request for Green Zone or 1 Hour Parking Limit at 809 California Drive
Mr. Chou advised that staff will perform studies to determine the feasibility of this request and will have
the resulting recommendations at next month’s meeting. From the floor, the petitioner stated they have
no parking for their customers and would like a space for them. At present, cars tend to park at this site
sometimes for days on end. If there is no customer parking, potential clients won’t stop. They have been
open for three months; and every Saturday, there has been no customer parking space available. Mr.
Erbacher stated that this item will be a Discussion Item next month, and staff will notice the surrounding
neighbors to attend that meeting; so action may be expedited.
5.2 Request for Green Zone - 30-Minute Parking Limit at 828 Mahler Road
Mr. Chou advised staff will perform studies to determine the feasibility of this request and will have the
resulting recommendations at next month’s meeting. This item will be a Discussion Item next month, and
staff will notice the surrounding neighbors to attend that meeting; so action may be expedited.
6. FROM THE FLOOR.- No Comments.
7. INFORMATION ITEMS.
7.1 From Staff to Commission
7.1.1 Traffic Engineer’s Report
Mr. Erbacher stated that the new signals at Carmelita Avenue and California Drive and at Morrell
Avenue and California Drive are in and operational. Mr. Chou stated that there were some minor
problems with the Morrell/California signals initially. The contractor was able to fix them. The
signals at Carmelita Avenue and California Drive are working just fine now and will be fine tuned
even further. This is because there have been reports of back ups at Carmelita Avenue, possibly due
to more traffic using this intersection during the commute times. He also advised that staff has been
looking at new illuminated in-pavement flashing crosswalks at California Drive and Lorton Avenue.
Staff is coordinating with PG&E to provide power to that site; however, that may take three months.
Also, a handicap ramp is being considered here. The budget might also allow a second site for the
same type of installation.
7.1.2 Staff Action Log - Attached.
7.1.3 Burlingame Parking Study
7.2 From Commission to Staff
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TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes - Approved
Thursday, October 10, 2002
7.2.1 Reports of citizen complaints or requests
7.2.2 Comments and communication
Chair McIver attended the Millbrae BART meeting and three points were brought up for the
residential area just north of the new BART station: (1) increase parking restrictions from 7 am to
1 pm; (2) double parking fines; and (3) provide free parking permits for residents.
7.2.3 Expected absences of Commissioners at the Thursday, November 14, 2002 meeting
Comm. Evans stated that his term expires in November and after 15 years on this Commission, he
may not reapply as Commissioner.
8. INACTIVE ITEMS.
8.1 Request for traffic control on Dwight Road
Mr. Erbacher advised that the walls are now up and construction continues. The site should be ready for
landscaping in about two weeks.
8.2 Petition from Bayswater & Howard residents requesting a traffic study of area to determine if traffic-
calming measures warranted
Mr. Erbacher advised the petitioners that the budget money is not available at this time and continues to
be on hold for the Traffic Calming Program. Officer Witt submitted the Selective Enforcement Report
which shows 11 citations issued.
8.3 1007 Chula Vista Avenue - Letter requesting Speed Limit Signage for Traffic-Calming effect to
constrain speeding drivers
This item is on hold for the Traffic Calming Program.
8.4 Request for speed limit and truck weight limit enforcement, a traffic signal on Trousdale Drive at
Skyline Boulevard, STOP sign on Trousdale Drive at Loyola Drive and STOP sign on Trousdale at
Quesada Way. Results of Traffic Data Gathering - Speed limits
Officer Witt submitted the Selective Enforcement Report which shows 38 citations issued, five were for
speed violation.
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TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes - Approved
Thursday, October 10, 2002
8.5 Howard Avenue - Speed and Trucks (e-mail)
Mr. Erbacher advised that a work order was issued for a truck prohibition signage. This item is on hold
for the Traffic Calming Program.
8.6 1300 Block of Vancouver Avenue - Speed Concerns (petition)
This item is on hold for the Traffic Calming Program.
9. AGENDIZE FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
4.2.1 to Discussion Item as a Request for More Speed Humps
4.2.2 to remain as a Discussion Item
4.2.3 to Inactive Item
5.1 to Discussion Item
5.2 to Discussion Item
Request for Speed Hump on Paloma Avenue at McKinley School to Discussion Item
10. ADJOURNMENT. 9:28 p.m.
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