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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSafety Commission mins 1992/05/14 . MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CHUlA VISTA SAFETY COMMISSION Thursday, May 14, 1992 7:05 p.m. Council Chambers Public Services Building CALL TO ORDER 1. Roll Call: Present: Chair Braden, Vice-Chair Thomas, Commissioners Koester, Chidester, Matacia, Padilla, and Pitts Also Present: Harold Rosenberg, Traffic Engineer; Frank Rivera, Associate Traffic Engineer; Sgt. Tom Schaefer, Police Department; Shirley Buxton, Recording Secretary 2. Pledae of Alleaiance/Silent Praver 3. Ooenina Statement Read by Chair Braden. 4. Aooroval of Minutes MSUC (Koester/Thomas) ta approve the Safety Commission Minutes of April 9. 1992 as presented. . 5. Soecial Orders of the Dav Mr. John Greene, representing the American Association of Retired Persons gave a brief presentation of the 55 Alive Mature Drivers Program. MEETING AGENDA 6. REPORT - Traffic Concerns for Main Street in the vicinity of Melrose Avenue At the April Safety Commission meeting, staff received a request to review the speed limit and no parking signs on Main Street in the vicinity of Melrose Avenue. Staff completed a speed survey for Main Street from Industrial Boulevard to 1-805. Staff is recommending that the speed limit be lowered from 45 to 40 mph since Main Street has numerous driveways, residential homes, and commercial businesses. Staff feels 40 mph is appropriate until the street improvements to Main Street, which will include a raised center median, are completed in approximately five years. After the improvements are completed, staff will re-evaluate Main Street to determine if the speed limit should be raised back to 45 mph or remain at 40 mph. Frank Rivera reported that staff reviewed the area for the truck parking problems and determined that many of the no-parking signs are missing or are covered with graffiti. Staff plans on replacing the missing signs. . Nancy Palmer, 295 C Street #112, Chula Vista. CA 91910-1037 Ms. Palmer, representing the Montgomery Planning Commission, expressed her concerns to the Safety Commission regarding Main Street. There is a two-way left turn lane on Main Street from Melrose Avenue to Hilltop Drive which is being used by large vehicles as a travel lane. The Montgomery Planning Commission feels that this is a current danger that cannot wait until the street improvements are installed. Ms. Palmer suggested delineating with pylons the actual left turn access to side streets. Another concern was for the homes that are directly on Main Street. There is a wall between Main Street and the homes, and large trucks are parking next to homes for extended periods of time. Safety Commission Minutes May 14,1992 Page 2 Chair Braden asked staff if they had researched the problem of trucks parking for an extended period of time. Frank Rivera said that currently there is not a restriction for overnight parking. The 72-hour rule is in effect for this area. If a vehicle has not moved within 72 hours after being marked by the Police Department, it can towed away. Hal Rosenberg said that it is difficult to establish a no-parking zone without a safety justification. Staff is not authorized to establish no parking zones for cosmetic or convenience reasons. He told the Commission that staff could prepare a report on this issue for the next meeting and invite Ms. Palmer back and address her concerns at that time. MSUC (Braden/Koester) to continue this item to the June meeting. 7. REPORT - Status of Apache Drive in Charter Point Subdivision Frank Rivera summarized for the Commission the issues covered at the March and April 1992 meetings. Staff's recommendation was to deny the request for the "NO LEFT TURN FROM 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m." sign and to have staff continue to work with the contractor and the construction inspection section to reduce the impact of through traffic on Apache Drive during the Phase III detour phase. Staff also recommended changes to the striping on Apache Drive at its intersection with Otay Lakes Road allowing for two turn lanes, one to the right or straight ahead and one to the left only. This would make illegal turns easier to enforce. Vicki Madrid, 1538 C Apache Drive, Chula Vista. CA 91910, President of the Charter Point Homeowners Association (HOAI, indicated that staff has been very cooperative with the HOA and answered all of their questions. Ms. Madrid felt that a misunderstanding had occurred. She felt that the students shortcutting through Charter Point was not a result of the construction, but has been a re-occurring problem for many years. The HOA's concern is the quantity and spped of traffic during the 7-8:00 a.m. hour which conflicts with the same time elementary school children are crossing Apache Drive to get to their bus stop. Ms. Madrid said that changing the striping on Apache Drive would not be any easier to enforce than a no-left turn sign at Apache Drive and Telegraph Canyon Road. She felt that installing a no-left turn sign would be an inexpensive way to try and correct the problem. She acknowledged that it may not be easy to enforce, but she said if honest people alone would obey the sign, it would be great help. Ms. Madrid requested the Safety Commission to install a permanent "NO LEFT TURN FROM 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m." sign. Students shortcut through Apache Drive all day long, but the residents are most concerned with this time frame. Because of the road winding, some new landscape that creates a possible sight hazard, and the speed of the cars traveling through Apache Drive, a dangerous situation is occurring where someone could get hurt. Chair Braden asked how old the Charter Point Development was. Ms. Madrid said the development was approximately eight years old and the problem has existed since then. The problem grew this year because the increase in enrollment at Southwestern College. Chair Braden asked if what the HOA was proposing would inconvenience their own residents trying to get home. Ms. Madrid said they only want the left-turn prohibition in the morning, not all day. The residents would not want to see any sort of barricade installed. The homeowners were surveyed and a majority felt the left-turn prohibition from 7-9 a.m. was the best solution. Safety Commission Minutes May 14,1992 Page 3 . Chair Braden asked why the Association permitted landscaping that caused sight hazards for drivers. Ms. Madrid said that at the HOA's most recent board meeting, the Board approved changing the current landscaping. laura Crivello, 1565 A Apache Drive, Chula Vista. CA 91910, is a Board member of the Charter Point Homeowners Association and has witnessed a safety hazard in this area. She has seen children holding hands running across Apache Drive. It is also an inconvenience to residents who are trying to leave their homes during this time. All residents live on side streets off of Apache Drive and cannot access Apache Drive because of the traffic. Mike Fulton, 1560 C Apache Drive. Chula Vista, CA 91910. is a Board member of the Charter Point Homeowners Association. Mr. Fulton said the letter he received from staff addressed the re- construction issue. He does not feel this is a re-construction issue. He felt that when the intersection is completed and light installed, it will make the problem worse. A red stop light for eastbound Telegraph Canyon Road will back up traffic. This will cause students to short cut through Charter Point rather than wait for the light to change. Mr. Fulton's main concern was not with quantity, but the speed of vehicles going through this area. He said vehicles have been clocked over 60 mph in a 25 mph zone. Mr. Fulton said enforcement is in the area, but it has not worked as a deterrent. Mr. Fulton's concern is the coordination of the raising of the intersection and the beginning of the fall semester at Southwestern College. He does not want to see a barricade and realizes that through traffic cannot be stopped, the residents just want to discourage shortcutting. . Commissioner Padilla said that the speakers were concerned mostly with the morning rush. but the previous minutes reflected that there was also a problem in the evening hours. He asked what the experience of the evening hours had been. Mr. Fulton said he hasn't seen as much of a problem in the evening as in the morning. If another solution was available, the HOA was ready to listen. One of the HOA's biggest concerns was for the safety of the children. Mr. Fulton also brought up the point that when the detour phasing is taking place, the school bus loads children and must flash red lights and he said this process could take up to ten minutes. If the lights are flashing, no cars can pass the bus and this will cause a standstill in traffic. . Hal Rosenberg said that for the past eight years, this area had an inadequate roadway. Telegraph Canyon Road and its extension to Otay lakes Road had been a narrow, country two lane road. Otay lakes Road between Telegraph Canyon Road and Apache Drive is also substandard, even though it can carry a little more traffic. When completed, Telegraph Canyon Road will provide for six lanes with a raised median and Otay lakes Road will be widened to four lanes. Mr. Rosenberg felt that when the improvements are completed and the signal is installed, the problem will be abated. He did not feel that students will continue to short cut after the light is installed since it will be a shorter trip through the signal than it would be to take Apache Drive. Mr. Rosenberg said he felt a final solution would be to construct a permanent raised median on Telegraph Canyon Road prohibiting access to Apache Drive. That would be staff's position. He recommended the Commission table the matter until the project is completed and give staff the opportunity to re-evaluate the situation. Mr. Rosenberg said traffic volumes will grow on Telegraph Canyon Road because of Eastlake, the Olympic Training Center, and Otay Ranch. Estimates on Telegraph Canyon Road are expected to grow to 40,000-50,000 and the north/south traffic on Otay lakes Road is expected to grow to 30,000 per day. Otay lakes Road will eventually have to be widened to six lanes and it will continue south into the Otay Ranch development. Since this intersection will be extremely busy, the Charter Point neighborhood should protect themselves with the construction of a raised median prohibiting left turn access onto Apache Drive from Telegraph Canyon Road. Chair Braden asked about the current plans for the median. Safety Commission Minutes May 14, 1992 Page 4 Mr. Rosenberg said that the current plans call for a break in the median to allow access to Apache Drive. He thought it would have merit to incorporate a change in the construction plans to allow for a full median, and said it is still a possibility. Chair Braden said it would be more costly to make the change later rather than now. Vice-Chair Thomas asked for the history of having any signs that prohibit certain actions during certain hours and asked if it worked. Frank Rivera said there are signs in the City limiting parking during certain hours of the day. He said the signs are only good if there is an officer to enforce them. However, it is no problem to install a sign. Hal Rosenberg and Sgt. Schaefer both agreed with Mr. Rivera that a part-time sign is not effective unless a police officer is there to enforce it. Vice-Chair Thomas asked if during the three day re-route period the police department would be present to help with traffic. Sgt. Schaefer said that the traffic control plan approved by the Traffic Engineer should provide for a flag person, but the Police Department will not perform traffic control. Sgt. Schaefer also referred to Mr. Fulton's comments regarding the loading of the school bus. He said he has never seen the bus flash its lights and stop traffic for a ten minute period. Normally the children are already on the south curb line waiting for the bus. Commissioner Matacia said he understood the residents to say there is a safety problem from vehicles turning left onto Apache from Telegraph Canyon Road, and therefore should do something about the vehicles turning left. He said the only way to solve the situation is to stop the left turns onto Apache Drive. Commissioner Pitts asked how many lanes will be available to vehicles turning left onto Otay lakes Road from Telegraph Canyon Road after the street improvements are completed. Hal Rosenberg said there will be two left turn lanes onto Otay lakes Road. He also pointed out there would be one left turn lane at Apache Drive. With Telegraph Canyon Road expanding to six lanes shortly, residents of Charter Point trying to turn left onto Telegraph Canyon Road will have to cross three lanes of traffic and merge with the eastbound traffic, and this will be a difficult maneuver. He said he did not feel that there should be residential streets emptying out onto six lane roadways without the benefit of a signal. There isn't enough resident traffic to justify a signal at Apache Drive. Commissioner Pitts asked for the capacity of the turn lanes on to Otay lakes Road. Mr. Rosenberg said the turn pocket is 250' long with two lanes turning left which equalled the ability of serving 600 cars turning left per hour. Frank Rivera reminded the Commission that with the signals, the green light is given longer to serve the higher volume of traffic. Commissioner Matacia asked if staff had discussed a permanent barrier on Telegraph Canyon Road with the residents. Frank Rivera said this had been discussed with the HOA and it was an idea that not many people had considered. Some thought it was a good idea, but most thought the traffic was only a problem for approximately two hours and not all day and therefore, the median was not looked at favorably. Safety Commission Minutes May 14,1992 Page 5 . Commissioner Matacia asked if the residents understood about the expansion of Telegraph Canyon Road. Mr. Rivera said that the residents would rather wait until the expansion is problem, and then look at installing a left turn barrier. Since the traffic volumes are not a problem 24 hours a day, they are not receptive to a median. Commissioner Matacia asked if staff was receptive to a median. Frank Rivera said that speaking from a safety standpoint, a median is a good option since a signalized U-turn is being provided at Otay Lakes Road and Telegraph Canyon Road. Commissioner Padilla asked if there was an anticipated date for the intersection closure. Mr. Rivera said that the contractor is currently ahead of schedule. The detour is being planned for the first week of August in order to avoid coinciding with Southwestern College's fall semester. Commissioner Padilla said he had a problem with approving staff's recommendation as written, since it did not provide for anything to help the residents now. . Commissioner Chidester said the residents will have to bear the situation through the construction. He said that the Commission could approve staff's recommendation and continue police patrol and recommend when the construction is completed, put a median to prohibit left turns. Several Commissioners stated that it would be less expensive to do changes now and look at modifying the current contract to provide for a median at Apache Drive. Mr. Rosenberg said that he would have to determine if there is enough money in the contract to allow for a change order. He said it is possible to implement, but he would check with the department head about appropriating additional monies and that the change would have to go to Council for approval. Mr. Rosenberg reminded the Commission that it is staff's recommendation to wait until the construction is complete before making any final decisions. MSC (Braden/Thomas) to accept staff's report and 1) deny the request for a "NO LEFT TURN FROM 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m." sign on Telegraph Canyon Road; 2) have staff continue to work with the contractor and the construction inspection section to reduce the impact of through traffic on Apache Drive during the Phase III detour phase; and 3) to direct staff to research the possibility of modifying the contract to extend the median on Telegraph Canyon Road through Apache Drive to prohibit left turn access and report back at the next meeting. Commissioner Matacia said if staff felt it was important to have the permanent median and the hold up was the contract, he wanted to know why a barricade couldn't be installed while staff is researching the possibility of extending the median. Commissioner Pitts said that the residents want a no left turn only during 7:00-9:00 a.m. and if a median is installed, it will not give residents any left turn access. . Hal Rosenberg clarified the issues at hand. The first issue was to install a part-time no-left turn sign. The Safety Commission could vote and deny that request as staff recommends. A second action would be to direct staff to look at current plans and get a cost estimate of installing a permanent median across Apache Drive. The Commission could also direct staff to install a temporary barricade which would be removed during the detour phase until a permanent median is constructed. Staff could also be directed to work with the HOA and attempt to describe the alternatives available. Safety Commission Minutes May 14, 1992 Page 6 VOTE ON MOTION: Motion approved 6-1 with Commissioner Pitts voting no. MSC (Matacia) to place a permanent barrier at the intersection of Apache Drive and Telegraph Canyon Road now. Motion dies for lack of second. Commissioner Matacia said that he did not see a reason to wait thirty days if there was a safety problem while contractual ideas were being researched. Hal Rosenberg said that was not staff's recommendation in the Agenda Statement to install a barricade, but it was the prerogative of the Commission to make the motion. This option was not published to affected citizens. MSC (Thomas/Pitts) to place a temporary barrier at the intersection of Apache Drive and Telegraph Canyon Road now, remove it during the three day re-route period, and replace it after the re-route period. Approved 6-1 with Commissioner Chidester voting no. Mr. Fulton returned to the microphone to say that at the HOA meeting that was attended by City staff, the issue of prohibiting left turns to Apache Drive from Telegraph Canyon Road was raised, and that not one homeowner agreed with this option. Mr. Fulton said a vast majority of the homeowners did not want to see the intersection closed. Mr. Fulton asked what would happen when a serious accident occurred at Telegraph Canyon and Otay lakes Roads and the intersection needed to be closed. This has happened several times before and the police department re-routes traffic onto Apache Drive. If a median is placed, this cannot occur. 8. REPORT - Request for Stop Signs at East Naples Street and Foxboro Avenue Staff received a request from the Foxhills Homeowners Association President to install an all-way stop at the intersection of East Naples Street and Foxboro A venue to help facilitate the school crossing and increase the available sight distance. Mr. Rivera reviewed the accident history of the intersection. Staff's recommendation is that the Safety Commission deny the request for an all-way stop at the intersection of East Naples Street and Foxboro Avenue and that staff: 1) extend the red curb along the south curb line west of this intersection by 50' and 2) continue to work with the Chula Vista Elementary School District to keep the landscaping trimmed at the southwest corner of this intersection. Chair Braden read a letter into the record by Ms. Marianne Gibson who opposed staff's recommendation. Mr. Lee Elsworth, 564 Nantucket Drive, Chula Vista CA 91911, representing the Foxhills Homeowners Association thanked staff for the study they performed and said the recommendation for the extended red curb was a good improvement. He explained that the crest on East Naples Street caused a sight hazard for residents trying to exit Foxboro Avenue and with cars parked on the roadway, it is difficult to see. Mr. Elsworth understood that stop signs were not designed for speed control, but cars speed and the number of vehicles have increased since the development of Sunbow. He felt a stop sign would prevent a serious accident and make the intersection safer. MSUC (Thomas/Pitts) to accept staff's recommendation to deny the request for an all-way stop at the intersection of East Naples Street and Foxboro Avenue and that staff: 1) extend the red curb along the south curb line west of this intersection by 50' and 2) continue to work with the Chula Vista Elementary School District to keep the landscaping trimmed at the southwest corner of this intersection. Safety Commission Minutes May 14, 1992 Page 7 . 9. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. STAFF REPORTS 10. 1991-92 CIP Status Report - Distributed for Commissioner information. 11. Chula Vista Police Department Traffic Summary for March 1992 - Distributed for Commissioner information. 12. Status Reoort Allev South of E Street between Church and Del Mar Avenues - Distributed for Commissioner information. 13. Status ReDort on Shell Oil Car Wash at Bonita Glen Drive - Distributed for Commissioner information. OTHER BUSINESS . 14. Commissioner Comments None. 15. Commission WorkshoD Staff distributed a status report to the Commission regarding the role of the Safety Commission. Vice-Chair Thomas disagreed with staff's interpretation of what the City Council expressed at the joint meeting on February 27, 1992 and requested a copy of the minutes of that meeting. Hal Rosenberg said staff did not intend to quote Council, but thought their overall objective was to delegate more authority to the Safety Commission. Vice-Chair Thomas said Option 2 was staff's recommendation, where he felt Option 1 was more what Councilman Malcolm expressed at the meeting. Option 2 would give more authority to staff and leave the Safety Commission as an advisory group. Commissioner Padilla concurred with Vice-Chair Thomas. He said Option 2 favored Council, staff, and lastly the Safety Commission and that is not what Council requested. Frank Rivera said this report is only a draft which the City Engineer has not approved. It was for the Commission's information and input in order to receive comments prior to sending it to Council. The report would be amended to reflect the Commission's comments. . Hal Rosenberg said staff is looking for a consensus by the Commission in order to write a report to inform Council as to which direction the change was going. Under OPtion 1, it would give the Safety Commission final decision making authority and would require a change in the City Charter. This required review by the Charter Review Committee and if the Council wants to proceed with the recommendation, changes in the Charter would have to be placed on the ballot for citizen approval. The change would not only give the Safety Commission authority to direct staff to perform certain actions, but also allow the Commission to install traffic control devices that currently require resolutions from the Council. An ordinance would have to be written that the City Council was giving Safety Commission Minutes May 14,1992 Page 8 authority to the Safety Commission to install parking signs, speed limit signs, stop signs, and whatever else the Council delegated. Mr. Rosenberg thought the Commission wanted to rely on staff for the installation of traffic control devices rather than take it upon themselves. Shirley Buxton read to the Commission the minutes of the joint meeting of the City Council and the Safety Commission dated February 27, 1992, specifically, Councilman Malcolm's intent and Councilman Moore's comments regarding stop signs. Hal Rosenberg said he accepted that the City Council would probably prefer Option 1 and asked the Commission to disregard the staff recommendation. He asked the Commission if there was a consensus on an option. Vice-Chair Thomas said he did not want the responsibility of installing traffic signals, but could deal with all-way stop signs and also there was a budget aspect to be considered. Hal Rosenberg said that the Commission could make a recommendation regarding capital projects, but it didn't necessarily mean that staff would have to implement the recommendation. For example, if a citizen were to ask for a traffic signal and staff agreed with installing a signal but it did not rank well in the overall City ranking, the Safety Commission could direct staff to give it a higher priority in the budget process. But currently, the Commission could not give staff direction to prepare plans, because they cannot appropriate funds. However, the Commission could direct staff to request funds from Council. Commissioner Matacia felt staff was looking at this process thinking that the Commission would overrule them. He saw that Council wanted to relieve themselves of routine items and give the responsibility to staff supported by the Commission. Commissioner Matacia referred to the April 9, 1992 minutes of the Safety Commission regarding the liability issue and said that it seemed too negative. Hal Rosenberg responded that when staff goes to court to provide testimony, they are asked what standards were used for the installation of a traffic control device. If it is a random decision with no criteria, the City could be guilty of creating a dangerous condition. Commissioner Matacia said that if the Safety Commission were given authority, the first question he would ask would be to have staff define their standards for installing control devices. Vice Chair Thomas said he recalled Mayor Nader as suggesting that the Commission and staff look at the current warrant system for possible changes. Shirley Buxton read the section from the minutes quoting Mayor Nader. Hal Rosenberg asked if there was consensus on Option 1. The Commission said there was consensus on Option 1. ADJOURNMENT MSUC (Koester/Pitts) to adjourn at 9:35 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, xi/uAlLLJ I3ux/~' Shirley Buxt'on, Recording Secretary SB:SAFETYJ061492.MIN 062892