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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSafety Commission mins 1991/02/14 . . . MINUTES OF THE SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING CITY OF CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA Thursday, February 14, 1991 7:02 p.m. Council Chambers Public Services Building 1. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Co-Chair Thomas, Commissioners Arnold, Koester, Matacia, Militscher EXCUSED ABSENCES: UNEXCUSED ABSENCES: Chair Braden, Commission Chidester None. STAFF PRESENT: Harold Rosenberg, City Traffic Engineer Frank Rivera, Assistant Engineer II Matthew Souttere, Assistant Engineer I OTHERS PRESENT: Patrol Division Officer Barry Bennett See attached attendance list. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION Approve minutes of the December 13, 1990 Safety Commission. MSUC [Militscher/Koester] 5-0. 3. WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE None 4. Report on Nacion Avenue South of East "L" Street STAFF REPORT Mr. Rivera, Assistant Engineer II, stated that staff had been directed to report on actions which may be taken to address the traffic concerns on Nacion Avenue--from East "L" Street to East Reinstra Street. The residents on Nacion Avenue have requested that the number of accidents on this street and the vehicular speed be reduced. Staff studied these locations for stop signs, speed limits, closing off the street, rumble strips, and pavement legends and signs, and staff conducted a license plate survey to see what the traffic patterns are in the area. An all-way stop evaluation was performed for 12 intersections on Nacion Avenue. When we did the evaluation we used the policy which was adopted by the City Council. The total points possible on this study is 50 points, and the installation of a stop sign is justified with a minimum of 30 points. We did receive a request to install a stop sign at Nadon Avenue and East Oxford Street, and it should be noted that this location ranked first on the list, primarily because of the volumes entering the intersection. As you can see, the volumes on the minor streets vary considerably as you go down the list. It should be noted that stop sign in and of themselves reduce vehicular speed within 200 feet of the intersections and speeds mid- block generally will be higher than without the stop signs. The distances between Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 . Minutes intersections on Nadon Avenue are listed in the report. With the exception of between Pearlwood and Quail, and Princess Manor, Nolan Avenue and Melrose Avenue, if stop signs were installed at the other intersections, we would be reducing the speeds in the vicinity of those intersections but not anywhere past 200 feet from those other intersection. We also looked at the speed limit. North of East Naples Street the speed limit is 25 mph. The street is 36 feet wide from curb to curb. The speed limit south of East Naples Street is 30 mph and the curb to curb width is 40 feet. Lowering the speed limit does not necessarily slow down vehicles. Most drivers will travel at what they consider to be a safe and prudent speed. Only with constant police enforcement is vehicular speed kept low. . We also looked at the addition of rumble strips--patterned sections of rough 3/4" aggregate epoxed to the pavement, to alert drivers of the presence of a condition which may require additional attention. [A slide showing a typical rumble strip was shown to the Commissioners.] One proposal that we are recommending is that a sign be removed (as shown on the slide) and be replaced with a series of three Chevrons (" > ") and then three further down on the curve, near Nita Court. We are recommending that the rumble strip be added between Roman Way and Nita Court. The license plate survey was conducted during the hours with the highest count of vehicles, in the morning--7:00 to 8:00 and in the afternoon--4:00 to 5:00. We picked the a.m. and p.m. peak hour to conduct the survey. The license plate survey showed, using the intersection of Nacion Avenue and East "L" Street count as 100 percent of vehicles moving in the southbound direction, in the morning, 6 percent drove through to Melrose A venue; using the intersection of Melrose A venue and East Reinstra Street count at 100 percent of vehicles moving in the northbound direction, in the morning, 9 percent drove all the way to "L" Street. In the afternoon, going southbound, only 2 percent went to Melrose Avenue; going northbound, again only 2 percent went to "L" Street. The license plate survey was conducted at each intersection along Nadon Avenue and the results are shown in an attachment to staffs report. What we found was that most vehicles turned off at Oxford, Palomar, and Naples Streets--traveling in either northbound or southbound. In the afternoon, counting 100 percent of the vehicles at East "L" Street, only 53 percent went through to East Naples Street. This shows that much of the traffic on Nacion Avenue is local traffic and not through traffic. . After looking at the signs in the area, we looked at the addition of pavement legends and we feel that one recommendation that we could do would be to add the 25 mph speed limit on the pavement and the 30 mph speed limit on the pavement as well, south of Naples Street. This would help the motorists if the signs on the side of the roadway are obscured by a parked vehicle. Pavement legends are an effective means of getting the message across of what the speed limit is. -2- Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 . Minutes In looking over the accident history, there have not been many reported accidents. There may be accidents that have occurred, but no report was filed and therefore we do not have a record of it. The accident history may therefore be conservative. PUBLIC COMMENTS Don Bentzin, 1121 Nacion Avenue, CV 91911. He spoke in opposition to staffs recommendations. You are telling us that most of the people traveling Nacion A venue are residents of the area. If these people want the traffic slowed down and they want stop signs, they should get them. They are all for it. There are not enough stop signs. . STAFF COMMENT Mr. Rosenberg, City Traffic Engineer, restated, as he has in the past, that it is difficult to convince the public that the assumption that stop signs will make the street safer is not necessarily the case. We in traffic engineering, based upon experience, and experience with other cities, find that stop signs do not necessarily result in a safer condition. In fact, it sometimes can result in unsafe conditions--where motorists who enter the intersection from a cross street, thinking that cars that approach the intersection will stop, when in fact they may not. Children may cross thinking they have full protection of the stop signs, when in fact they do not. That is the reason we have this strict criteria for the installation of stop signs. If you put a stop sign at every intersection, on a particular street, it becomes an annoyance and inconvenience and motorists will often times disregard the stop sign. That is the basis for our recommendation against the placement of stop signs along Nacion Avenue. MOTION Approve staffs recommendation [That the Safety Commission recommend to the City Council the installation of" 1) curve warning signs; 2) additional centerline reflective pavement markers; and 3) rumble strips.] MSUC [Militscher/Matacia] 5-0. Mr. Rivera commented to the people present regarding this item that this item will be going to the City Council in a few weeks and that the City Council will review staffs recommendation and the Safety Commission's recommendation, take those into account and then make a determination on what will be done on Nacion Avenue. What has been recommended tonight and what has been voted on will not be installed on Nacion Avenue until the City Council has acted on the item. Residents of the area will be notified of the City Council meeting. 5. Status Report on Changes at 1-5 and Industrial Boulevard . STAFF REPORT Mr. Rivera presented the status report. At the November 8, 1990 meeting, Commissioner Arnold requested that staff look at the intersection of 1-5 and "L" Street -3- Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 . Minutes where it intersects with Industrial Boulevard. We looked at the location and made improvements to the traffic flow by adding signs; striping a right-turn curb lane 14 feet wide southbound lane, better defining the southbound approach to the freeway; adding red curbing; and adding pavement arrows. We have contacted CalTrans and they will be relocating a sign that blocks vision of the intersection, closer to the freeway, so that when a motorist stops at the stop limit line, you will have a clearer vision of oncoming traffic. Staff is looking at additional modifications, south of the freeway off ramp, on Industrial Boulevard, near the area of Moss Street. Staff is looking at minor widening in order to add a left turn lane to go on to Moss Street. The Safety Commission will be kept advised of the work performed by CalTrans. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Arnold acknowledged that the CalTrans sign closer to the intersection does present a problem. He thinks this is a good start. Agenda item #6 was taken out of order to provide a concerned citizen, who notified staff that he would be late to the meeting, an opportunity to speak before the Commission. 7. Report on Left-turn Phasing for Hilltop Drive and "L" Street . STAFF REPORT Mr. Rivera presented staff s report, explaining that the Traffic Department received a letter and phone call from Mrs. Cynthia Ranyak requesting that left-turn phasing be installed at the intersection of Hilltop Drive and "L" Street. "L" Street has a traffic volume of 20,000 vehicles per day, is a Class 3 collector, with a speed limit of 35 mph; Hilltop Drive is a Class 2 collector, with a speed limit of 30 mph, and a traffic volume of almost 9000 vehicles per day. Staff reviewed the accident history for this intersection- -for the one year study period, there were six reported accidents, two of the accidents were types susceptible to correction by the installation of left-turn phasing. The CalTrans criteria states that a minimum of five correctable accidents within a one year period are needed to justify left-turn phasing. We also looked at the delay experienced by motorists at the intersection who do not have a left-turn phasing, and we found that approximately 9 percent of the phases for one hour, there was at least one vehicle waiting to make a left turn. Eighty percent is the criteria mentioned by CalTrans. Staff has completed a left-turn phasing priority list and this intersection was evaluated along with 12 other intersection in the City. After reviewing all locations, we cannot recommend the installation of a left-turn phasing at the Hilltop Drive and "L" Street intersection. If we were to install the left-turn phasing at this intersection, it would be very costly since we could not just add the additional lights that have the left turn arrows. We would need to replace the mast arms because the current mast arms do not extend far enough out to place the left-turn phasing light over the left-turn lane. The signal standards would have to be replaced. What we have found after evaluating this intersection during the peak hour is that most of the vehicles are clearing out for the left turn. The left-turn phasing is not justified based upon the few people who go through . -4- Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 . Minutes the intersection who make the left turn. We will continue to evaluate this intersection on an annual basis with other intersections so that we can prioritize intersections which do need left-turn phasing. One intersection that we will be adding left-turn phasing in the near future is the Broadway and "I" Street intersection. Ms. Ranyak could not be present at tonight's meeting and dropped off another copy of her December 11, 1990 letter to staff this afternoon with the request that it be read into the record. Mr. Rivera read the letter to the Commissioners in its entirety, stating that attached to the letter was a petition which was signed by 88 people. Also in your packet is a copy of staffs letter of December 20, 1990 notifying her of the Safety Commission meeting. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Matacia asked, that just to be sure the decision was not made solely on the basis of cost you talked at some length about the mast arm on which that light hangs, if that arm stretched all the way out to the left turn lane, would that have made a difference in your determination. . Mr. Rivera responded that staff would have still recommended not to install the left-turn phasing because it reduces the progression (of vehicles) that we are able to attain in an east/west direction and in a north/south direction through the intersection. Mr. Rosenberg commented that the answer to Commissioner Matacia's question is no. Mr. Rivera informed the Commissioners that the left-turn phasing warrants is Item 14 on tonight's agenda and will be discussed separately from this item. MOTION Approve staffs recommendation [That the request for left-turn phasing be denied at the intersection of Hilltop Drive and "L" Street.] MSUC [Militscher/Koester] 5-0. 8. Request for an Adult Crossing Guard at Hilltop Drive and Telegraph Canyon Road . STAFF REPORT Mr. Rivera noted that staff has been working with Hilltop Junior High School to see what could be done, since we received some concerns for the pedestrians using the east crosswalk at the intersection of Hilltop Drive and Telegraph Canyon Road. At the City Council meeting of January 22, 1991, the City Council requested that the staff and the Safety Commission evaluate the request for an adult crossing guard and that staff install additional school series on Hilltop Drive and that the Police Department give special attention to this intersection. Staff has added, on Hilltop Drive, in the vicinity of this intersection additional school series signs, a school crossing sign, and have trimmed trees in the area to improve visibility of these signs. We do not recommend any additional -5- Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 . Minutes . changes to the school series signs in the area. The standards and guidelines for the school series signs are intended for school pedestrians from grades kindergarten through 12. As with other forms of traffic control, uniformity and application and operation of these traffic control devices around the schools, promotes the orderly and predictable movement of traffic. The request to establish the school crossing guard at this intersection was made by Mrs. English and the Hilltop Junior High School. They are concerned with the pedestrians crossing northbound and southbound along the east leg of this intersection. The westbound Telegraph Canyon Road approach is controlled by a stop sign. Adult crossing guards are a supplemental technique and are not intended as a traffic control device. They cannot stop oncoming traffic. When there is an adequate gap in oncoming traffic for the pedestrians to cross, they will extend out the stop paddle thereby allowing pedestrians to cross once the approaching vehicles have made their complete stop. Only a police officer can control traffic. As you can see from the pedestrian count and the turning movement count, the peak 15 minute period is 7: 15 to 7:30 a.m. At this time, we have 453 entering the intersection. Most of these vehicles are traveling north- and south-bound through the intersection. After the 7: 15 to 7:30 a.m. peak period, the pedestrian volume decreases. The school does start at 7:35 a.m. and so, generally, the 20 minute period before school starts is the busiest time for both pedestrians and vehicles. Staff does not recommend a school crossing guard at this location. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Militscher requested that the City's suggested route to school maps be provided to the Commission at the March meeting. These would help us in future deliberations concerning school problems coming up before the Commission. Commissioner Matacia concurred with this request. Mr. Rivera responded, stating that our suggested route to school maps are not recommending you travel to school on one particular route, all they show for each designated school area are the stop signs and crosswalk locations on the way to school. It is up to the parents to go through the suggested route to school with the student and familiarize the student on a way to school. We do not make recommendations on how they are to go to school, we are just providing this map and hoping that the parents take the time with the child to show them how to get to the school. The elementary school safety patrol, for grades kindergarten through six, teach the children how to properly cross the street; by seventh grade they should know how to cross the street properly. The suggested routes to school are primarily for elementary school children. . Commissioner Militscher said that when Ms. Cox came before the Safety Commission, when we were doing a planning for her school, one of the things she specified that she wanted laid out was a safe route to school and have it supplied to parents. I assume that was a tangible item and that is what I want to look at. Those recommended routes to school for the various schools in the area. If that does not exist, I have to know that too. -6- Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 . Minutes Mr. Rosenberg responded, saying that there is no map that has a line on it that says this is the recommended route to school. The map will be a map of the street system, with the locations where traffic signals exist, stop signs exist, and sidewalks exist and then it is up to the parents to find their location within that community. Each one has a map and they develop there own route for their own child. Commissioner Militscher said that would be beneficial to see those maps so that the Commissioners could see what the safe conditions were that are available to the children going to school. STAFF ACTION ITEM Provide the recommended route to school maps, for each school, to the Commissioners at the March 14, 1991 meeting. . Mr. Rosenberg inteIjected, stating for clarification, that it was his understanding, having been employed by the City a short time, that the policies in Chula Vista are somewhat different than found in the City of San Diego, but my understanding is for liability reasons, here in Chula Vista there is no recommended routes established for particular elementary schools. Instead, we provide a map showing the location of all the traffic controls and the sidewalks that are available for the children leading to the elementary schools from the residential neighborhoods. Officer Barry Bennett stated that the reason we do not have a map where we recommend a specific route is for liability reasons. For example, say a child lives on the south curb line and would normally walk westbound on a street and the City recommends that he goes eastbound a little out of his way so he crosses at an intersection, and he does that-- following the recommendation of staff and then he is injured at that intersection, I believe the City would have some exposure and liability. This is not my area of expertise but I believe that is why we do not specifically have specified routes. In response to a question by Commissioner Arnold regarding the policy, Mr. Rivera responded saying, that two police officers are assigned the elementary school safety patrol and there are two staff members from Traffic Engineering which looks at each elementary school, within the City limits, and make recommendations on how the pedestrians are to enter and exit the school. We review all the elementary schools on an annual basis, there are 25 elementary schools, and we are about 50 percent complete with this year's review process. For next month's meeting, staff will provide these reports and better explain to the Commission what is being done by City staff with the elementary schools. . Mr. Rosenberg inteIjected, saying that this is an on-going program and that there is a task force that consists ofthe City's Engineering Department Traffic Engineer, the school representative, and the Police Department. -7- . . . Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 Minutes STAFF ACTION ITEM Staff will provide reports and better explain to the Commission what is being done by City staff with the elementary schools. MOTION Approve staffs recommendation [That thE Safety Commission deny thE request for an adult crossing guard at the intersection of Hilltop Drive and Telegraph Canyon Road.] MSUC [Militscher/Koester] 5-0. The Chair called for a recess at 8:02 p.m. The Chair reconvened the meeting at 8: 12 p. m. The Recording Secretary inserted into the record a correction--stating that Commissioner Chidester had stopped by the Engineering office and informed us that he would be absent from this meeting; therefore he is listed as an excused absence. Commissioner Militscher asked for clarification regarding Item 8. He wished to know who brought the complaint to the Traffic Division on Hilltop Drive and Telegraph Canyon Road. Mr. Rivera responded, saying the request was made by Mrs. English. She is a mother of a student that goes to Hilltop Junior High School. He is physically impaired and uses a wheelchair. Commissioner Militscher asked if he had an alternative way to get to school. For example, do they have transportation available for individuals such as this or does he have to take this route to school. Mr. Rivera responded, saying that the school district does provide free transportation from his home on El Capitan to the school. The parents have not chosen to use this service. Speaking with the parents and the school Vice Principal, they have informed me that after ninth grade when he will be going to Hilltop High School, he will be using a private vehicle since his motorized wheelchair will not travel the distance from El Capitan to East "I" Street. Commissioner Militscher seeking further clarification noted that he does have the free transportation as an alternative. Mr. Rivera said yes. -8- Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 . Minutes 6. Report on Median Construction at Telegraph Canyon Road and Old Telegraph Canyon Road . STAFF REPORT Mr. Rosenberg gave staffs report. The City of Chula Vista is in the process of improving Telegraph Canyon Road. As a matter of fact, a considerable amount of the road is presently under construction by EastLake Development Company and the City also has a contract to perform additional work to bring this roadway eventually to a six lane width. Sunbow Development Company is required as a condition of development to improve a portion of Telegraph Canyon Road at the area of Medical Center Drive. The City has in the past been interested in beautification of Telegraph Canyon Road. In fact, as part of the improvements taking place, there is a landscaping plan for the newly constructed median that is part of the widening project. There is an opportunity to enhance the island landscaping and at the same time provide some improved safety of the roadway by making certain modifications. There are a couple of intersections on Telegraph Canyon Road that presently permit left turns without the protection of a traffic signal. One of these intersections is at Old Telegraph Canyon Road (the old alignment before the roadway was repositioned to its present alignment). There is another location that provides access to a mobilehome park, just east of Rutgers Avenue. That portion of Telegraph Canyon Road is completed; as part of that construction, we constructed a median that has the configuration that you see [on the view graph]. What we are proposing is to prohibit the movement of the left turn out of the intersection for safety reasons and secondarily, to provide for better management of traffic and to enhance the landscaping of Telegraph Canyon Road. The landscaping is not the motivating force for this design. The motivating force is the anticipation of increased traffic that we expect as a result of developments that are taking place as well as proposed developments in the near future. When Sunbow is completed, EastLake is built out, and Rancho del Rey's SPA III get built, we expect that traffic on this section of Telegraph Canyon Road will grow from its present volume of about 20,000+ a day to around 45,000/50,000+ cars per day. That is a substantial volume of traffic. It is similar to the traffic we now have on sections of "H" Street by Hidden Vista Drive. In fact, it is parallel to the conditions that we have in the City of San Diego on Mission Gorge Road. In anticipation of this high volume of traffic and the high speeds that are associated with this type roadway-- because it does not have much friction, e.g., driveways and parked cars and other kinds of things that tend to slow traffic--we feel that the left turn maneuver across three traffic lanes and attempting to judge the gap in traffic in the westbound direction will cause, we think, a precarious situation and a risky type maneuver. In San Diego, we found this kind of situation does result in, not only accidents, but injury type accidents and in some cases, fatal accidents. This is a preventive measure and we recognize that it is going to cause some hardship to the tenants/owners of the properties that are developing in that cui de sac roadway (Old Telegraph Canyon Road). Because of the out of direction travel that may be required because the left turn (going westbound) cannot be performed. However, I want to point out that the out of direction travel, we think, is minimal because there is an intersection to the east, Medical Center Drive, which is signalized. . -9- Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 . Minutes After the proposed improvements are completed, we will provide for a .U. turn capability. So, motorists could turn right (coming out of Old Telegraph Canyon Road) drive perhaps a mile, and then make a .U. turn and come back into the westbound direction. PUBLIC COMMENTS Dallas Breed, 660 Telegraph Canyon Road, Chula Vista 91910. I am one of the general partners which owns the first building on Old Telegraph Canyon Road. I also own the real estate company that occupies that building as a tenant. I question safety; we have had two accidents in four years. I live in the Hilltop Drive and "L" Street area, and we just heard a discussion about that. They had six accidents in one year and you denied them a further traffic control. I don't figure we need it out here either. A business such as the one I run is very personnel dependent. I am in a highly competitive business. This proposal will have a major economic impact on my business. I have a feeling that when people are forced to go to Medical Center Drive and make a .U. turn, they are not going to make the .U. turn. I think they will go up the hill and go down Naples Street through the new subdivisions and you will thereby increase a lot of traffic by the school at Oleander Avenue and Naples Street for special children. . Mr. Rosenberg wished to clarify one of the points made by Mr. Breed. The constraint of accessibility to the property. I have been informed by others in dealing with similar problems that the primary access need to property is towards the property and not away from the property. When they leave it is not as critical. We are not affecting access to the property, it is just the exiting out of the intersection. From an attraction point of view it is not as if we are closing the intersection off completely, it is just limiting the exiting maneuver. Joseph Silvia, 6566 San Miguel Road, Chula Vista 91902. I own the cocktail lounge and the 680 Telegraph Canyon commercial building. I have been at this site since 1968 and I was the first on Old Telegraph Canyon Road which used to be the original Telegraph Canyon Road. There is a light on Paseo de Rey, which is two-tenths of a mile away, which is west when exiting Old Telegraph Canyon Road and then we have a signal four-tenths of a mile, east, on Medical Center Drive. I do not see a problem with letting anybody make a left-hand turn. Traffic is not going by at 50+ miles per hour, it is being slowed by these two signals. Maybe with the development of EastLake and the road being built up in the next four to five years I can, maybe, see coming before the City Council and asking to do away with the left-hand turn. But at this time I don't see any problem out there. . Mr. Rosenberg interjected, stating that the gentleman is correct, there are signals that tend to create gaps in traffic; however, in the westbound direction Medical Center Drive terminates at Telegraph Canyon Road so that when the light is red for Telegraph Canyon Road westbound traffic, there will be a heavy move turning to go westbound from Medical Center Drive. There will be a constant flow in the westbound direction. Also, -10- Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 . Minutes the same applies to the Paseo del Ray intersection. While the signals tend to create gaps, the turning volumes at these two intersections will probably fill up the gaps with vehicles. . Jerald A. Alford, 2445 Fifth Avenue, San Diego. I represent Telegraph Canyon Medical Office Partnerships, which has a permit to develop a 15,000 square foot medical office building at the end of Old Telegraph Canyon Road. We are here to oppose this planned median modification to allow a left-hand turn only and no left-hand turn westbound onto Telegraph Canyon Road. A letter was written to Mr. Rosenberg, and is in your packet, regarding the principal objections to this modification and offering a suggested modification as a compromise, if you will, to allow the continuance of a left-hand turn movement out of Old Telegraph Canyon Road to westbound Telegraph Canyon Road. In the staff report, there is no indication as to when build out volumes will occur. At the present time the westbound traffic, traffic going toward 1-805 from Medical Center is 12,425, whereas the eastbound traffic is stated to be 7,740 ADT. Significant! y less traffic is traveling eastbound at this point than westbound. It seems that it would be just as safe to make a left-hand turn from westbound Telegraph Canyon Road across three eastbound lanes into Old Telegraph Canyon Road as it would be to make a left-hand turn from Old Telegraph Canyon Road, going across the same three eastbound lanes, to go westbound. I don't know why one movement would be safer than the other. I would also point out that traffic tends to clear with the nearby signals. Also, in order to go to Medical Center Drive to make the 'U. turn to go westbound, you will have to cross over three lanes of the eastbound traffic in four-tenths of a mile and if traffic is as heavy as the Engineering Department would lead us to believe, that is going to be a difficult movement also. I don't believe we are looking at a situation that would require the drastic modifications that is being suggested by the Traffic Department. The suggestion of an acceleration lane to complete a left- hand turn movement for westbound traffic, to me, appears to be a good compromise. If the compromise is not satisfactory, I suggest leaving the intersection as it is and handling the matter in the future when traffic volumes warrant it. . Mr. Rosenberg pointed out that Southwestern College generates a lot of traffic and that the roadway has been under construction for some time. We know that a considerable amount of traffic has shifted over to "H" Street while the road work is being performed. I think the inbound traffic to the college is using "H" Street and the exiting traffic is probably circulating back onto Telegraph Canyon Road, which could explain the volume counts. I would object to the design of an acceleration lane. If we were to allow the left turn, I would just as soon leave it open. Unless the acceleration lane is some considerable distance, it becomes a trap, some motorists become shy and they stop in that lane. It causes a confused type situation. This project is scheduled in conjunction with improvements so that it will come with the Sunbow development and it is not contemplated that the work will be completed within the next year or two. There is nothing to preclude us from leaving it the way it is and coming back at some future date to modify it in the way we are recommending. -11- . . . Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 Minutes COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Matacia wanted to know when the count was taken as he counted 52 UPS vehicles in under one-half hour recently. Mr. Rivera responded that the count was taken a year ago and staff does not know when UPS opened its facility. The distance between Paseo del Rey and Old Telegraph Canyon Road is approximately one-tenth mile; the distance from Old Telegraph Canyon Road to Medical Center Drive is just one-half mile. MOTION That the Commission table this item until there are some extenuating circumstances that cause us to come back with this proposed modification. MSUC [MatacialMilitscher] 5-0. Item 13 was taken out of order to accommodate a concerned citizen. 13. Report on 1991 All-way Stop List STAFF REPORT Mr. Rivera gave staffs report on the listing of 11 intersections that staff evaluated for an all-way stop. As you will note, the intersection of Melrose A venue and Talus Street, and it had five points and ranked at the bottom of our list. We do not recommend an all- way stop at that intersection. PUBLIC COMMENTS Tina Browning, 1634 Melrose Avenue, Chula Vista 9l9ll. We need something to stop people from loosing control as they go the hill, they have gone through my neighbor's front door. We have had three accidents in a one year period. There are many children around because of the nearby school. I feel that a stop sign on Melrose A venue at the Talus Street will stop people at the bottom of the hill. Before they can gain speed again, they will be past this area. I have never heard of rumble strips before, but that is an idea. People are constantly driving up on the sidewalk and not reporting accidents. We have had three accidents further down from the intersection, your report says zero accidents. Mr. Rosenberg suggested that the Commission direct staff to look into this matter and report back at the next meeting and staff will be in touch with Ms. Browning and anybody else in the neighborhood. MOTION The Commission directs staff to further study this item and bring it back before the Commission at its March 14, 1991 meeting. MSUC [Militscher/Koester] 5-0. -12- Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 . Minutes 10. &tablishing a Trial Traffic Regulation: All-way Stop at Corral Canyon Road and Country Vistas Lane STAFF REPORT Mr. Rivera stated that staff has decided to present this item to the City Council in the form of a report. We want the City Council to establish an all-way stop at this intersection. Presently, there are two stop signs controlling Country Vistas Lane and we are proposing the addition of two more stop signs to stop Corral Canyon Road on both approaches. Mr. Rosenberg, in response to Commissioner Koester's question as to whether this had come before the Commission before, stated the item came before the Commission several years previously and that it has been a continuing request and that it was denied on one and perhaps two occasions based on traffic warrant study. However, we think traffic conditions are such with the development that has taken place and the opening of the church, and the recognition of the accident potential at this intersection resulting from some limited visibility, and while it is a borderline situation, we feel in the interest of motoring safety and community safety that an all-way stop would be appropriate. . PUBLIC COMMENTS Stanley Waid, 5617 Galloping Way, Bonita 91902. I am the traffic representative from the Sweetwater Valley Civic Association and I am also the treasurer of Bonita Highlands Homeowners Association. I thank you Mr. Commissioner (Commissioner Matacia stating that he lives in the area and while he does not wish to see more stop signs, this area needs a stop sign). I would ask staff that, in addition to the stop sign, they look at left turn pockets. Mr. Rivera noted that staff will be looking into Mr. Waid's request. Corral Canyon Road will be chip sealed this summer and at that time we will take a look at changing the striping. STAFF ACTION ITEM Look at changing the striping at this intersection when the chip seal is being done this summer. MOTION That staff rwt put a trial there, but install the all-way stop signs. MSUC [Thomas/Matacia] 5-0. 9. Report on Palomar Street/Orange Avenue . STAFF REPORT Mr. Rivera stated that staff investigated the concerns of Mr. and Mrs. Locicero and are therefore we are recommending that no further action be taken on Orange A venue south of Palomar Street. -13- . . . Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 Minutes MOTION That the Commission accept staffs recommendation [That the Safety Commission approve staff's report and recommend no further action be taken on Orange Avenue south of Palomar Street besides the recently completed asphalt pedestrian walkway and roadway lane striping.] MSUC [Koester/Matacia] 5-0. 11. C.I.P. Status Report FY90-91 Commissioners had reviewed and had no comments or questions. 12. Chula Vista Police Department Traffic Summary for November and December 1990 14. 15. 16. 17. Officer Barry Bennett's explained to the Commission why the figures in the report do not always match what has actually happened. Report on 1991 Left-turu Phasing List Mr. Rivera informed the Commission that this is staff's list where they evaluated 13 intersections for left-turn phasing traffic signal addition. The ranking is in alphabetical order. None of the intersections met all the CalTrans criteria used in the evaluation. The list is provided as information. Report on AAA Pedestrian Safety Program Appraisal Mr. Rivera explained that this is an annual report that is completed by both the Traffic Engineering section and the Chula Vista Police Department. It evaluates the City of Chula Vista's performance with traffic accidents and injuries. The primary emphasis is on pedestrian safety. Chula Vista's ranking is comparable to other cities of the same size, we were ranked average. Oral Communications None. Staff Reports None. 18. Commissioner Comments Commissioner Thomas asked about Bonita Road exit to the off-ramp, my original request was to shrink the lane so that two vehicles could not go side by side. Commissioner Thomas asked that a status report be brought to the Commission on the status of the Shell Oil Station at Bonita Glen Drive. 19. Recess to Regular Monthly Workshop Session -14- . . . Safety Commission Meeting February 14, 1991 Minutes 20. Adjournment to next regularly scheduled meeting of March 14, 1991. MOTION That we adjourn this meeting. MSUC, (Militscher/Koester] 7-0, approved. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m. '8~ /I ~- Berlin D. Bosworth, Recording Secretary [CI WP51ISAFETYI2-14-91.MIN] -15-