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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSafety Commission mins 1991/10/10 . . . -e . MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CHULA VISTA SAFETY COMMISSION Thursday, October 10,1991 6:35 p.m. Council Chambers Public Services Building CAll TO ORDER 1. ROll CAll: PRESENT: Chair Braden, Commissioners Thomas 17:00 pm). Chidester, Koester, Matacia, Padilla, Pitts ALSO PRESENT: Harold Rosenberg, Traffic Engineer; Frank Rivera, Associate Traffic Engineer; Sgt Tom Schaefer, Police Department; Shirley Buxton, Recording Secretary 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MSC (Chidester/Koester) to approve the Safety Commission Minutes of September 12, 1991 as amended. Approved 6-0-1 with Commissioner Thomas absent. 3. SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY Agent Brian Truel and Agent Ron lederle gave a slide show presentation on the School Safety Patrol program. 4. WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE: None MEETING AGENDA 5. Reoort on reauest for an all-wav stOD at Buena Vista Wav and Calle Santiaao This item was discussed at the Safety Commission meeting of August 8, 1991. At that time, the Commission tabled this item until October when pedestrian counts would reflect school traffic. Staff completed a morning and afternoon pedestrian count at the intersection of Buena Vista Way and Calle Santiago and at the school crosswalk at Don Carlos Court where there is school safety patrol. The all-way stop evaluation, even with pedestrian counts, did not justify the installation of an all-way stop even though traffic volumes were slightly higher than previously recorded. Staff looked at the route suggested by Mrs. Cueva at the August meeting to go from Crystal Creek to Buena Vista/Calle Santiago through Del Rey Park to the elementary school. Staff found the distance of this route was approximately 1,800 feet. However, walking from Crystal Creek down Buena Vista Way and crossing at Don Carlos Court was approximately 1,200 feet. Mr. Rivera reported that there have not been any reported accidents at this intersection. Therefore staff's recommendation was that the Safety Commission deny the request for an all-way stop at Buena Vista Way and Calle Santiago. Commissioner Padilla asked Mr. Rivera for clarification of the how measurements were made. Mr. Rivera reviewed how measurements were taken. Commissioner Padilla said his concern was for the residents who lived north of East "H" Street and would not go over to the starting point of Crystal Creek and for the comparative distance between the actual intersection of Calle Santiago/Buena Vista Way as opposed to Buena Vista Way and Crystal Creek Court. Mr. Rivera indicated that for residents northwest of Buena Vista/Calle Santiago it would be shorter in distance to go through the park. MSC (Matacia/Koester) to approve staff's recommendation and deny the request for an all-way stop at the intersection of Buena Vista Way and Calle Santiago. Approved 4-2-1 with Commissioners Padilla and Pitts voting no and Commissioner Thomas absent. . . . Safety Commission Minutes October 10, 1991 Page 2 6. ReDor! on Concerns on Medical Center Drive Staff received a request to look at the problem of speeding on Medical Center Drive which is four lanes, two northbound and two southbound. Medical Center Drive is posted at 40 mph and an engineering traffic survey was completed. The intersection of East Naples Street/East Naples Court is uncontrolled at Medical Center Drive, but there are stop signs for East Naples Street and East Naples Court. The accident history shows that this street has a higher than average accident rate as compared to similar streets in the State. An all-way stop evaluation was conducted at this intersection, but it did not justify installing an all-way stop. Staff recommended against installing an all-way stop, but that the speed limit on Medical Center Drive be reduced from 40 mph to 35 mph. The design speed for the road is 35 mph due to the vertical and horizontal curves which make the stopping sight distance limited. Chair Braden asked why Medical Center Drive is posted at 40 mph when the design speed is 35 mph. Mr. Rivera said that when speed limits are initially posted, the prevailing speed of motorists is reviewed. When Medical Center Drive was first opened, there wasn't an accident history and motorists were travelling at the 85 percentile speed of 41 mph and 46 mph. The range of speed was 26 - 50 mph. Staff felt 40 mph would be a reasonable speed. Chair Braden asked what types of accidents were occurring on Medical Center Drive. Mr. Rivera said that speeding vehicles had gone out of control and over the median. Also, there have been right angle accidents at this intersection. On the southeast corner of the intersection, there is a "Rental Information" sign for Sunbow which reduces the sight distance for motorists exiting East Naples Court. Staff looked into removing the sign and tried to locate a permit for the sign. To date, a permit has not been located and most likely the sign will be removed in the near future. Commissioner Chidester asked staff if the future of Medical Center Drive included continuing to Orange Avenue or Palomar Street. Hal Rosenberg said that when Sun bow Development Phase II begins construction, Medical Center Drive will continue to Brandywine Avenue. Commissioner Pitts said that the request was initially made because of children who cross Medical Center Drive to go the school as well as to school bus stops. Mr. Rivera said that elementary schools kids are picked up in the East Naples Court cul-de-sac. The junior and senior high students must cross Medical Center Drive to get to their bus stops. Commissioner Matacia asked how effective a reduction in speed of 5 mph would be. Mr. Rivera said that it would be more effective for police enforcement. Commissioner Matacia then asked why the speed couldn't be reduced to 25 mph to slow vehicles down to a safe speed. Mr. Rosenberg said the law does not allow staff to arbitrarily establish speed limits based on what staff felt was a safe speed. It must be based on a traffic study which takes into account how motorists interpret the condition of the roadway. The 85 percentile is used as well as the accident history in determining the speed. . . . Safety Commission Minutes October 10, 1991 Page 3 Commissioner Pitts asked Mr. Rivera if there was any place where junior and senior high students could cross Medical Center Drive to get to their bus stop. Mr. Rivera said there is no crosswalk at that intersection. Mr. Rosenberg said that all-way stops are not as critical on residential streets as they are on major streets. Medical Center Drive is a major street with traffic volumes currently at 8-9,000 and it will continue to grow to approximately 25,000 vehicles per day. East Naples Street/Court will stay at a low volume compared to Medical Center Drive. Eventually, the intersection is expected to have a traffic signal. Susan EnD/e. 720 East NaD/es Court #196. Chu/a Vista. CA 91911 Ms. Engle recently moved to Chula Vista and was surprised to find no stop sign or crosswalk at this intersection for the children or other pedestrians. She said motorists constantly exceed the posted speed limit. Ms. Engle is afraid an accident will occur and wished to prevent this from happening. Dennis A/brioht, 760 East NaD/es Court, #279, Chu/a Vista. CA 91911 Mr. Albright plays tennis at the park on East Naples Street and said that each time he crosses Medical Center Drive, he must stop in the median and check for oncoming traffic. Traffic is not visible to him until he steps off the island. He must then return to the median in order to avoid being hit. Mr. Albright said he can cross the street fairly easily, but is concerned with children who do not have the speed or reactionary ability necessary to avoid an oncoming car. Mr. Albright pointed out that this intersection is at the top of an incline and that motorists are accelerating up to the crest when they come upon the intersection. Terrv Mitchell. 740 East NaD/es Court #186. Chu/a Vista. CA 91911 Mr. Mitchell echoed Mr. Albright's comments regarding the topography of the area. The hill begins at Telegraph Canyon Road and goes up to East Naples Street/Court. Vehicles coming down from the hospital on Medical Center Drive cannot be seen until the last minute. Commissioner Matacia asked Mr. Mitchell what his request was. Mr. Mitchell requested an all-way stop sign at this intersection. He felt this was the only way to slow traffic down. The Commissioners viewed slides of the area. Commissioner Matacia said that there are many all-way stops in Chula Vista and he had trouble understanding the good or bad of all-way stops. He said there are all-way stops in areas where there isn't a lot of traffic. Commissioner Matacia then asked if that intersection could have an all-way stop on a trial basis. Mr. Rivera said he is hesitant on installing stop signs on a trial basis. Mr. Rosenberg added that there must be uniformity when evaluating an all-way stop. All-way stops are not installed for the purpose of slowing traffic down. Staff found that the intersection is not unsafe as it exists today. Mr. Rosenberg said that in the past, Council and the Commission have installed trial all-way stops and could not recall any location where a trail stop was installed and later removed. MS (Matacia/Chidester) to accept staff's report and concur with the recommendation to reduce the speed limit on Medical Center Drive from 40 mph to 35 mph. Robert Smith. 744 East NaD/es Court #282. Chu/a Vista. CA 91911 Mr. Smith agreed with staff's recommendation to reduce the speed limit to 35 mph, but felt that this was only half the solution needed. The all-way stop would cause people to slow down at the intersection. He agreed . . . Safety Commission Minutes October 10,1991 Page 4 with Commissioner Matacia that there are too many all-way stops in Chula Vista where they are unnecessary. However, this intersection is in need of a stop sign. Mr. Smith pointed out that Greg Rogers Elementary School is west of Medical Center Drive. Students on East Naples Court must walk to school because the school district will not send a bus to pick them up because they live too close to the school. Children cross Medical Center Drive to play at the local park. Mr. Smith said the all-way stop was necessary at this intersection as a preventative measure. Sharon Tatum. 730 East NaDles Court #193. Chula Vista. CA 91911 Ms. Tatum has two children who attend Greg Rogers Elementary School. She favored the all-way stop because her oldest child (age 7) must cross Medical Center Drive to return home and she now meets him at the intersection in order to cross him safely. Ms. Tatum has witnessed many speeding cars on Medical Center Drive. Commissioner Chidester asked if there was school safety patrol at the intersection of Medical Center Drive and East Naples Street/Court. Ms. Tatum said there is no one there except her at this intersection and a young child does not have the skills necessary to avoid oncoming vehicles. Co-Chair Thomas asked Sgt. Schaefer to review the enforcement history of Medical Center Drive. Sgt. Schaefer said the Chula Vista Police Department had received complaints about speeding on Medical Center Drive. He assigned an officer to perform radar enforcement in the area, and the officer issued no citations. This was because the Police Department could not justify that speeds found on radar enforcement were in violation of 'unsafe speed.' In order for the Police Department to issue a citation in a 40 mph zone and have a successful prosection, the motorist would have to be travelling approximately 55 mph. The radar enforcement did not produce speeds in that range. Chair Braden asked about enforcement of a 35 mph zone. Sgt. Schaefer said that speeds would need to be in area of 50 mph in order to issue citations that a court would uphold. Sgt. Schaefer explained that in court, the police are required to present a 'Speed Limit/ Engineering Traffic Survey.' If the survey states that 40 mph is safe for the roadway, the police must justify why the speed they cited for was unsafe. There are many conditions that lead to writing a citation, including traffic volumes, pedestrian traffic, weather conditions, lighting conditions, or any unusual conditions that exist. Medical Center Drive does not have many unusual conditions because there are no driveways and there is limited pedestrian traffic. Motorists would have to be approximately 15 mph over the speed limit in order to issue a citation. VOTE ON MOTION: Approved 6-' with Commissioner Pitts voting no. Commissioner Chidester asked if staff could explore the possibility of putting a crosswalk at Medical Center Drive and East Naples Street/Court. Frank Rivera said that the City of San Diego evaluated pedestrian crosswalks at several locations and found that when painted crosswalks are at uncontrolled intersections, the pedestrian accident rate was over three times as high as the normal pedestrian accident rate. Commissioner Chidester then asked about incorporating a school safety patrol for morning and afternoon crossings. . . . Safety Commission Minutes October 10, 1991 Page 5 Mr. Rivera said that the school safety patrol is too far away from the intersection to monitor Medical Center Drive. The law states that school crosswalks must be painted yellow and within 600 feet of the school. Since Medical Center Drive is more than 600 feet away from the school, the crosswalk must be painted white and, therefore, the school safety patrol could not monitor it. Mr. Rivera then pointed out to the Commission that there is a white crosswalk at an uncontrolled intersection on Broadway in Chula Vista and within a two year period, there were two fatalities. 7. Reoort on Parkino Prohibition for 400 block of "L" Street Frank Rivera said that in January 1990, the Safety Commission voted to prohibit on-street parking for the 400 block of "L" Street as a requirement for the future Youth Center. The City Council on April 17, 1990 approved Resolution 15591 to prohibit parking on the 400 block of "L" Street. Subsequent to the meeting, the striping needed to provide for a two way left turn lane. This would allow easy access for eastbound traffic to the Youth Center and would not cause traffic to back up on "L" Street while motorists tried to enter the Youth Center. Westbound vehicles would be able to merge into the two way turn lane and enter the single family residences. Frank Rivera had recently received requests, however, to allow for some parking on "L" Street. Since Council already approved the parking prohibition, staff felt it necessary to return this item to the Safety Commission. Staff received a letter from Mr. Charles Schrader, President of the Cas a Vianney Homeowners Associations which is located at 440 "L" Street. The request proposed parking on the south side of "L" Street and no parking on the north side. Staff did not want to change the recommendation that was approved by the Safety Commission and City Council in 1990. The traffic volumes on "L" Street will continue to increase and most of the residents in the area have adequate off-street parking. The problem with the Cas a Vianney condominiums is that there is no guest parking available. Mr. Rosenberg said "L" Street is a 64' wide and designated as a Class I collector street in the General Plan. This type of road is an old standard that is no longer applied. Because"L" Street is designated as a four-lane roadway with a left turn provision, the only way to accomplish the provision is to remove parking on both sides. It is possible to re-stripe the road with parking only on one side and still have a left turn lane. However, a down side of the alternative is that the lane next to the curb would be narrow and there would not be a buffer or shoulder area between the sidewalk and the traffic lane. The second problem with the alternative is that there would not be any room for bicyclists. The lane adjacent to Chula Vista High School, carries a high number of bicyclists. A third problem is that the lane adjacent to the school would be narrow and presents a problem for motorists slowing down to turn into the Youth Center. The motorist would have to stop and force all cars behind them to stop, as turning right adjacent to a curb is difficult. Chair Braden asked if parking was to be eliminated on the entire block. Mr. Rosenberg said the plan was to eliminate parking on the entire block. Staff received suggestions to keep the parking in front of the Casa Vianney condominiums, but this wouldn't be practical because traffic would be travelling through a serpentine alignment on "L" Street. Another alternative would be for the property owners to widen the road on the south side. Chair Braden said that a problem could occur if a truck parked next to the narrow lane of traffic. Mr. Rivera said that "L" Street is a designated truck route, as is Fourth Avenue. Chair Braden said that to her recollection when this issue was brought up last year, no one attended the Safety Commission meeting even though they were notified. . . . Safety Commission Minutes October 10, 1991 Page 6 Commissioner Chidester asked if it would be easier to widen "L" Street to the north, rather than to the south. Each driveway on the south would have to be moved back, whereas, the north side has few interruptions and is currently under construction. He also asked if there was a sidewalk along the north side of "L" Street. Mr. Rivera said that there is a sidewalk on the north side. Mr. Rosenberg said "L" Street could be widened to the north, but the school district has expressed concern about the amount of property that would be required for a widening. Also, the intersections of "L" Street and Fourth and Fifth Avenues would not match if the street was widened to the north. Commissioner Chidester said that at 434 "L" Street, half the curb is painted red and the other half is not and wanted to know why. Frank Rivera said that over numerous years, staff has responded to citizen requests to "red tip" driveways in the area. Because these residences are near the Chula Vista High football field, vehicles would crowd driveways during events which would not allow access to the residences. Commissioner Chidester said his objection to removing the parking was that a person should be allowed to park a car in front of their house. Mr. Rosenberg said that City standards do not give credit for parking on the street. All new developments are required to provide off-street parking sufficient for occupants and visitors. Commissioner Matacia said the Youth Center will be used from 7:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. and operated primarily by the Chula Vista Boys and Girls Club. It will also be used by the YMCA on weekends and as a drop-in center for youths. The school district will also be utilizing the Center. Co-Chair Thomas asked Mr. Rosenberg if there would be an overflow for the Youth Center. Previously, there were 110 spaces and when the Youth Center was built, 36 spaces were removed. He asked what the formula was for having 74 parking spaces. Mr. Rosenberg said he could not answer the question, because the Planning Department sets the standards. He said he was led to believe that the parking was sufficient for the size of the facility. Co-Chair Thomas said if the on-street parking was removed, residents on the south side of "L" Street might use the Youth Center parking lot and cross mid-block. Conversely, Mr. Rosenberg said, if parking is allowed on the south side of "L" Street, users of the Youth Center might park on "L" Street and cross mid-block to the Youth Center. Chair Braden asked if the Youth Center would have events open to the public. Commissioner Matacia said at the current Boys & Girls Club events are open to the public. The Boys & Girls Club is in negotiations with the City's Parks & Recreation Department and the Sweetwater Union High School District to determine the types of events to be held at the Center. Mr. Rosenberg said he understands that there is additional parking on the Chula Vista High School campus which provides overflow parking. Mr. Rivera said there is a small parking lot near the gymnasium off Fourth Avenue and a lot on the south side of "K" Street. . . . Safety Commission Minutes October 10, 1991 Page 7 Commissioner Pitts said all lots available on the campus are full during footballs games and with the construction of the Youth Center, 36 spaces were lost. He questioned where motorists would park if an event is going on at the Youth Center and at the stadium. Mr. Rivera said motorists would be parking on the perimeter of the school including Fifth Avenue. "K" Street, and side streets. Mr. Charles Schrader. 440 "L" Str88t #1. Chula Vista. CA 91911 Mr. Schrader responded to the statement made regarding adequate notice by stating that notices for Council meetings are mailed on Thursday for Tuesday meetings. As a result, citizens receive notice for Council meetings on the day of the meeting. Mr. Schrader explained that the previous Board of Directors of the Casa Vianney Homeowners Association did not feel they could do anything about the removal of parking on "L" Street. When he became President of the Board of Directors, he immediately began looking into the situation. Mr. Schrader was told by Frank Rivera that the standard for a two-way left turn lane is 10'. Traffic Engineering always recommends the widest possible lanes and the widest lane is 12'. He said with four lanes at 12' and a turn lane at 10', it still doesn't add up to 64'. He brought this item to the City Council and was told that on the "H" Street bridge the lanes are 9' wide, and if these lanes are 9' wide, then making lanes on "L" Street 11' instead of 12' should not be a problem. He said that two lanes could be 11' wide and two lanes 12' and this would still allow for adequate space for on-street parking. Mr. Schrader said that when there is a football game at the high school, parking lots are full as are the surrounding streets, and cars have been towed from the Casa Vianney complex during football games. He said this situation will only get worse and asked that the Commission allow parking on the south side of the street so their guests can have a place to park. Mr. Schrader said that many homeowners came to the City Council meeting on October 1, 1991. These homeowners have one car parked in their driveway and one on the street. If parking is removed. these homeowners will have to park around the block from their homes. Carolvn Wheatlev. 440 -L - Street #M. Chula Vista. CA 91911 Ms. Wheatley pointed out that "L" Street will have to be re-striped whether parking is eliminated or not. The guest parking is needed, otherwise, Casa Vianney guests may have to park in the Youth Center. These guests would then cross mid-block causing a liability to the City. She is opposed to closing the parking on the south side of "L" Street. Chair Braden asked Mr. Rosenberg his opinion of narrowing the lanes to allow parking on one side. Mr. Rosenberg gave the dimensions of the street if parking were allowed. On the south side, there would be the 8' parking lane, the next lane 12', the next 11', the center left turn lane would be 10', the next lane 11' then the lane against the north side 12'. Mr. Rosenberg said he does not recommend a 12' lane next to a sidewalk because there would not be a buffer between pedestrians and vehicles. This striping is currently on "F" Street between Third and Fourth Avenues. Co-Chair Thomas asked if there were additional requirements since this is a truck route. Mr. Rivera said that staff does not recommend any lane less than 12' in width for trucks. Mr. Rosenberg said there are 11' lanes in the City and cited "E" Street under 1-805 as an example. He is unaware of any location in the City that has 9' lanes. Mr. Charles Schrader. 440 "L" Street #1. Chula Vista. CA 91911 Mr. Schrader said he has been living on "L" Street for six years and has never known large trucks to park on "L" Street. He said trucks travel the route, but do not park. . . . Safety Commission Minutes October 10, 1991 Page 8 Mr. Henrv Salisburv. 440 "L" Street #A. Chula Vista. CA 91911 Mr. Salisbury questioned why a left turn lane was needed, when travelling east the only left turn that could be made was to turn into the Youth Center. Travelling west, there are no businesses and a left turn lane is not necessary. Mr. Salisbury said that the Commission was not discussing the factor of not having the left turn lane. Co-Chair Thomas said if the Commission allowed parking on the south side of "L" Street, it would encourage mid-block crossing and jaywalking into the Youth Center. MSC (Thomas/Matacia) to approve staff's recommendation and prohibit on-street parking on the 400 block of "L" Street. Approved 6-1 with Commissioner Chidester voting no. Mr. Rivera told the audience that this item will be tentatively scheduled for second City Council meeting in November. Only the City Council can reverse their decision of 1990. Mr. Rivera will notify the audience. Chair Braden told the audience that they can appeal to the City Council. The Safety Commission recommends actions, but it is Council that sets policy. Mr. Charles Schrader. 440 "L" Street #1. Chula Vista. CA 91911 Mr. Schrader asked the Commission why they voted to eliminate parking. Chair Braden said it was a matter of safety. Co-Chair Thomas said his vote was partly based on the mid-block crossing of pedestrians. Mr. Schrader said that by the Commission's recommendation, they would be making Casa Vianney guests walk across "L" Street or several blocks. Most the residents at Casa Vianney are senior citizens as are their guests. Co-Chair Thomas asked Mr. Schrader if there was guest parking in the Casa Vianney complex. Mr. Schrader said they do not have guest parking, and he discovered that it would cost $5,000 to put in two parking spaces. The Casa Vianney complex was built in 1977 before there was a minimum parking space requirement. Casa Vianney has 1.8 parking spaces per unit which is satisfactory for residents, but not guests. Chair Braden told Mr. Schrader that he had used his allotted time to speak to the Commission. She then reinforced that the Commission's job was to evaluate situations on safety and advised Mr. Schrader to go to Council. 8. Oral Communications None. 9. Field TriD Suaaestions Mr. Rivera gave the schedule of the School Safety Task Force which evaluates the School Safety Patrol. If the Commissioners are interested in attending this Task Force, they should contact staff and arrangements can be made to go with the Police Department and Engineering staff on an evaluation. Another suggestion would be for the Commissioners to go with staff on a speed survey. This would entail setting speed counters, using radar guns, and possibly using the Police Department Smart unit. The Commission agreed that this would be their field trip and set Saturday, November 16, 1991 as the date from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. . . . , ~ Safety Commission Minutes October 10, 1991 Page 9 The November Safety Commission meeting needed to be rescheduled because of the Annual BICIC Banquet. The Commission tentatively agreed on Wednesday, November 20 or Thursday, November 21, 1991 for the next meeting depending on availability of Council Chambers. 10. 1991-92 CIP Status Reoort Chair Braden asked about the status of the Shell Oil Car Wash. Mr. Rivera told the Commission that there are several ways this project could be notified in order to receive bids from public andlor contractors. The City is requesting that Shell notify interested parties through the newspaper since public funds are involved, but Shell Oil Company is opting to go with a sealed bid procedure. This meant Shell would notify their list of contractors and ask them to submit bids. The City feels bidding through the newspaper is a better alternative and more reasonable bids would be received. This situation needs to be resolved prior to any work beginning. 11. Chula Vista Police Deoartment Traffic Summarv Distributed for Commissioner's information. 12. Commissioner Comments Co-Chair Thomas suggested that the Commission put together a workshop on Parliamentary Procedures for the benefit of new Commissioners and a refresher for other Commissioners. This would include what it takes to make a motion, to speak, etc. Chair Braden suggested that Co-Chair Thomas may want to wait until he was Chair of the Commission to hold a workshop on Parliamentary Procedure. ADJOURNMENT MSUC (Braden/Matacia) to adjourn. Respectfully Submitted, ~~~co!~~ SB:SAFETY/1 0 1 091 .MIN 102491