HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Statement 1983/08/23 Item gWV
COUNCIL AGENDA STATEMENT
Item
Meeting Date 8/23/83
ITEM TITLE: Report on school)),,zone signs on East "L" Street
SUBMITTED BY: City Engineer( l`"5 (4/5ths Vote: Yes No x )
REVIEWED BY: City Manager
At the meeting of August 16, 1983, City Council directed that a report be
considered by Council on August 23 in answer to Mr. Robert Rolle' s comments
concerning school zone signing on East "L" Street adjacent to the school . The
Director of Public Safety and the Traffic Engineer have written comments
concerning this item which are attached.
RECOMMENDATION: That Council accept report and direct staff to survey the
existing schools in the City and install the signs as appropriate to conform
to the CalTrans Traffic Manual and installation of school zone signs.
BOARDS/COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATION: Not applicable.
DISCUSSION:
School zone symbol sign are installed on East "L" Street near Cook Elementary
School . However, these sign are not in direct conformance to the current
guidelines published by CalTrans Traffic Manual . In order to be able to
enforce the 25 mph prima facie speed limit, "25 mph/When Children are
Present" signs must also accompany the school zone sign.
It is not known at this time what criteria were used for the installation of
these school zone signs. In 1978, through an Office of Traffic Safety Grant,
all the signing and traffic control devices in and near schools were surveyed
and maps prepared to give parents so they could help determine the safest
route for their children to go to school . It is the City Engineer's
understanding that all of the signing at that time was brought into
conformance with the CalTrans guidelines. However, none of the people
involved in that project (Traffic Engineering staff) are presently employed by
the City, thus the details are not known on what criteria were used to install
the current signs throughout the City. The Director of Public Safety, the
Traffic Engineer and the City Engineer recommend that all the schools in the
City be surveyed and that appropriate signs and markings be installed to
conform with the CalTrans guidelines.
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WPC 0641E
DEPARTMENTAL CORRESPONDENCE
DATE : August 19 , 1983
TO: John Goss , City Manager
VIA: Gene Asmus , Ass.ist,ant City Manager
FROM:
William J. Win Director of Public Safety
SUBJECT : Response to Comments by Robert Rolle Regarding
Cook School
Attached to this report is a Polaroid picture of the school
sign on L Street adjacent to Cook School. At last week' s
agenda meeting I indicated that this sign was all that was
required. I was incorrect. This sign is not the required
sign under the particular circumstances that exist . The
correct sign is Installation C which is depicted in the
California Traffic Manual (see attachment) .
Installation C .is needed on any street having a speed limit
othet than 25 mph. On this portion of L Street the speed
limit is 35 mph and therefore Installation C is required.
If the speed limit were 25 mph the Installation A would be
required. What this means is that the school sign on L
Street is not valid under any circumstance.
Cook School is surrounded by a 6 ' fence shown in the
Polaroid. Children going to and from school cross at
Cuyamaca and L Streets . This intersection is controlled by
both a signal and by school safety patrol personnel during
the appropriate hours . We have a program whereby information
is passed on to our traffic enforcement unit concerning
traffic problems in the vicinity of schools . We have very
few complaints from either citizens or traffic safety personnel
concerning traffic in the vicinity of Cook School. Therefore ,
there is limited enforcement in this area.
Motorcycle Officer Jack Hook did have a conversation with a
gentleman several weeks ago while he was parked with his
motorcycle on L Street. This person did not identify himself ,
hut he could have been Robert Rolle . However, Officer Hook
did not make the statements to Rolle that were mentioned at
the Council meeting of August 16th.
City o.6 Chcact V-o.ta, Ca�i�on+i� a
A 111
2.
It is obvious that any enforcement action under the
25 mph speed limit on L Street, at this location, will
not be legal unless a sign similar to Installation C is
installed. We are in the process of inspecting the other
school zones throughout the city to determine whether
similar problems exist.
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Attachments
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Traffic Manual SCHOOL AREA PEDESTRIAN SAFETY 10-9
5-1983
® Figure to-t
TYPICAL SCHOOL SIGN INSTALLATIONS
,e .
W63 1 W66
1
J J
SCHOOL W65 [SCHOGOL
INSTALLATION A INSTALLATION B
SCHOOL W65
.
SPEED W64
LIMIT R2
SCHOOL
2 BUS STOP
• 400 FT
WHEN \
CHILDREN R72
ARE PRESENT
INSTALLATION C INSTALLATION D
NOTES:
• Installation C is for use on streets having speed limits other
than 25 mph, but may also be used instead of Installation A
in any school zone.
• Omit W65 when W63 is used away from the school zone.
• Any of the Installations A, B, or C sign assemblies may be
efabricated as a single unit.
...............
Traffic Manual SCHOOL AREA PEDESTRIAN SAFETY 10-3
s1983
® The delay to school pedestrians may be considered 5. Traffic control signals.
excessive when the number of adequate gaps in traf- 6. Remove visibility obstructions.
fic during the period students are using a crossing is 7. School safety patrol.
less than the number of minutes in that same time
period. When adequate gaps occur less frequently 8. Adult crossing guard.
than an average of one per minute, some form of g, Pedestrian separation structures.
III school pedestrian safety measure is needed. 10. Pedestrian walkways along the roadway.
Information developed from field studies will de-
termine the safety measures that are justified at the 11. Pedestrian walkways separated from the
crossing.Types of school pedestrian safety measures roadway.
include: 12. Parking controls and curb-use zones.
1. Warning signs and markings. 13. Bus transportation.
2. Variable speed limits. Some warrants to be used as guidelines for their
3. Intersection stop signs. application are discussed throughout this chapter.
4. Flashing yellow beacons.
Signs and Markings 10-04
• 10-04.1 Signs-General
Only permanent-type uniform traffic signs ap- Installation C (W65 and R2, plus R72) is for use I
- on streets having speed limits
proved by the Department of Transportation (CVC than 25 mp
h
oter h, but may also
21400-01) shall be used on public highways.Portable other
inst5ad h Installation A
signs (except hand-held units for adult crossing any school zone.
guards and school safety patrols) are not permitted Y
within the roadway. School area traffic signs need OPTIONAL School Signing may be used where
not be reflectorized unless there is considerable warranted by prevailing conditions:
nighttime" student use of the school buildings. Installation B (W66 and W66A) is for use at
However,school area signs on State highways should marked school crosswalks on the
be reflectorized. If reflectorization is necessary, the "Suggested Route to School." It
entire assembly shall be reflectorized uniformly.Any "Suggested
not d used where the School." It
of the Installation A, B, or C sign assemblies may be shall
is not be used
by stop signs,traf-
Typical as a single unit. fic signals, or yield signs. It should
Typical school area signs are shown in Figure usually be posted at the crosswalk,
10-1. but may be posted up to 50 feet in
10-04.2 Sign Placement advance.
Typical school area signing,both standard and op- Installation D (W64) "School Bus Stop 400 Feet"
tional, are illustrated on Figures 10-2 through 10-5. is for use in accordance with the
STANDARD School Zone Signing defines the be- provisions of CVC 22504(c) where
ginning of the school zone on all streets contiguous zonthere view
each direction. The distance
It should usually be posted at the school boundary, shown on the sign may adjusted
en
but may be posted up to 500 feet in advance,depend-
to o fit conditions.
W63 for use
ing on prevailing approach speeds and visibility. in advance of remote
However,school zone signing is not required if there school crosswalks outside of the
are no school pedestrians using the highway and the school zone.
school grounds are separated from the highway by a
fence, gate or other physical barrier (CVC 22352). The section of highway following a school zone
Installation A (W63 and W65) is for use only on should be posted if the prima facia speed limit is
streets having a 25 mph speed limit. different from that in the school zone.
•
August 22 , 1983
File No. CY-008
To: John Goss, City Manager
Via: John Lippitt, City Engineer ,111)✓
From: C. H. Glass, Traffic Engineer (/
Subject: School Signs on East "L" Street
At the Council meeting of August 16, 1983, the City Council referred an oral
communication from Mr. Robert Rolle, 158 East "L" Street, to the
Engineer for investigation and report back. In his communication,
had pointed out that the school signs on East "L" Street near Cook Elementary
School were not correct and
the City
of East "L''t Street the right to raise the
speed limit to 35 mph segment
We have tried to contact Mr. Joseph, CalTrans attorney,
that Mr. Rolle spoke
to. However, he is currently in the hospital for the next week or so. We
will follow through with a contact as soon as he returns to work.
We have researched thus to
this matter reduring during past week and have the following
information/recommendations
California Vehicle Code sets a 25 mph prima facia speed "when passing a
school building or the grounds thereof, contiguous to a highway and posted
with a standard school school warning s'ignsh�howe ger nta �eview East
ofL
currently posted with sc the CalTrans
Traffic Manual indicates that not t the fully
CalTrans standard
Ca Trans recommendations.
includes "25 mph/when children are present" messages which informs the
motorist what the law is. ter
that
We have spot checked some other ou don' t town and
we th mined CalTrans
there are additional locations
recommendations for signing at schools. We intend to survey all school
areas
in the city as soon as possible and bring all school signing up to
recommended standards. We estimate it will take
emen 0 to 80 manhours to complete
the survey and order the necessary sign 9 n
the speed
In response to Mr. Rolle's statement that hlimit cannot aineconformance
limit on "L" Street, the current mph speed
with the California Vehicle mph s speed Section that will and
be posted lnexts to raCook
Manual, Chapter 8. The 25 p p
Elementary is only in effect before and after school "when children are
present."
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WPC 0642E