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Home My WebLink About2003-01-09 SC MINUTESMINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CHULA VISTA SAFETY COMMISSION January 9, 2003 Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. Public Services Building CALL TO ORDER Meeting called to order at 6:05 p.m. 1. Roll Call: Present: Chair McAlister; Commissioners, Lopez, Perrett, White, and Willett Absent: Vice Chair Acton, Commissioner Gove Also present: Majed AI-Ghafry, Civil Engineer; Patrick Moneda, Assistant Civil Engineer; Sgt. Scott Arsenault; and Florence Picardal, Recording Secretary MSC (McAlister/Willett) to excuse the absences of Vice Chair Acton and Commissioner Gove (5-0-2, Acton and Gove absent) Pledge of Allegiance/Silent Praver 3. Opening Statement Opening statement read by Chair McAlister. 4. Approval of Minutes for September 12, 2002, October 10, 2002, and November 14, 2002 • There was no quorum to approve minutes of September 12, 2002. MSC (Lopez/Perrett) to approve minutes of October 10, 2002 and November 14, 2002 as submitted. (4-0-1- 2, Willett abstain; Acton and Gove absent) 5. Oral Communications None. MEETING AGENDA Report on request for an All -Way Stop at the intersection of Otay Valley Road and Palm Avenue Staff was contacted by area residents regarding traffic issues at the intersection of Otay Valley Road and Palm Avenue. The residents were concerned over insufficient sight distances at the subject intersection, the unsafe speed of motorists traveling through the intersection on Otay Valley Road and the high volume of pedestrians crossing the subject intersection. The residents requested the installation of an all -way stop to improve the safety of the intersection. Mr. AI-Ghafry introduced Samir Nuhaily, Senior Civil Engineer for the Traffic Engineering Section, and AlexAl- Agha, Deputy Director of Engineering/Development & Transportation Services. Mr. AI-Ghafry presented the report and Powerpoint Presentation. He stated that 2 calls were received in favor of the all -way stop. Staff Recommendation: That the Safety Commission concur with staff's recommendation to deny the installation of All -Way Stop Control at the intersection of Otay Valley Road and Palm Avenue based on the intersection receiving a total of 16 points out of a possible 100 points, where 45 minimum points are required to justify the installation of all -way stop control. Public hearing opened. Safety Commission Minutes January 9, 2003 Page 2 The following persons spoke in opposition to staff recommendation: 1. Anita Barrios, 146 Palm Avenue, Chula Vista 2. Raymond Mnichowicz, 339 Palm Avenue Public hearing closed. Commission Discussion: Chair McAlister and Commissioner Willett questioned staff regarding buses and sight distance. Commissioner Willett suggested the use of caution warning signs. Mr. AI-Ghafry stated they would not be used because there has not been any accident history. He stated that staff could contact the school district to possibly have a different drop off site for buses. Commissioner Willett also suggested using traffic calming measures. Commissioner White stated that he was leaning towards the installation of an all - way stop due the public input heard this evening and the phone calls received in favor of the stop. Chair McAlister had concerns with the "s" curve at the intersection approaching Palm and the east -west sight distance. Mr. AI-Ghafry stated that the stop bar could be placed in a better position and intersection warning signs could be installed. Chair McAlister stated he agreed with Commissioner White on the installation of an all -way stop. He asked Sgt. Arsenault if there was any police action in the area within the last few months. Sgt. Arsenault stated that there was a fatality at the 3200 block of Main Street — an intoxicated pedestrian hit by a car— quite a distance from the intersection of Otay Valley/Palm. He stated there is an officer assigned to this area, but there are very few citations issued. Mr. AI-Ghafry stated that if the Commission voted to not concurwith staff recommendation, the City Engineer may take the Council for final resolution, unless the City Engineer decides to waive that right. Area residents would be notified if the item is forwarded to City Council. MSC (White/Willett) to not concur with staffs recommendation and install an All -Way Stop Control at the intersection of Otay Valley Road and Palm Avenue. (5-0-2, Acton and Gove absent) 7. Report on request for an All -Way Stop at the intersection of Nacion Avenue and East Millan Street/East Millan Court. On November 1, 2002, staff received a letter from Chula Vista resident Christopher Bajkiewicz regarding traffic issues at the intersection of Nacion Avenue and East Millan Street/East Millan Court. Mr. Bajkiewicz stated that southbound motorists travel through the subject intersection at unsafe speeds and often cross into the northbound lane. He also stated that there have been "close calls" with pedestrians trying to cross the street at that same location. The resident requested that an all -way stop control be installed along with a painted crosswalk to improve intersection safety for pedestrians and to control the speed of motorists traveling through the subject intersection on Nacion Avenue. Mr. AI-Ghafry showed the Powerpoint Presentation. He stated 6 calls were received, 2 in favor and 4 against the all way stop. He clarified that pedestrian counts were taken at 2-3 pm and 2-4 pm and no one had crossed Nacion Avenue at that time. Staff also set up the speed counters for a 24-hour period. He also stated that stop signs are used to assign right-of-way, not to control speeds. If stop signs are improperly installed, it carries higher ramifications and liability than if they are properly installed. Staff Recommendation: That the Safety Commission concur with staffs recommendation to deny the installation of All -Way Stop Control at the intersection of Nacion Avenue and East Millan Street/East Millan Court based on the intersection receiving a total of 28 points out of a possible 100 points, where 45 minimum points are required to justify the installation of all -way stop control. Public hearing opened. The following persons spoke in opposition to staff recommendation: 1. Cynthia Relph, 366 E. Millan St., Chula Vista 2. Frank Araiza, 381 E. Millan St., Chula Vista 3. James Dobson, 375 E. Millan St., Chula Vista 4. Richard Haenel, 736 Nacion Ave., Chula Vista Public hearing closed. Safety Commission Minutes January 9, 2003 Paae 3 Commission Discussion: Commissioner Willett stated there is a speeding problem at this location and suggested traffic calming measures. Sgt. Arsenault stated that there are plans to assign a motor officer to this area. Commissioner White stated he supports installing an all -way stop due to public testimony and as a traffic calming measure. Commissioner Lopez stated he agreed with the community and supports the installation of an all -way stop. Commissioner Willett concurred with the comments made by Commissioners White and Lopez. Chair McAlister stated that he also supported the installation of the all -way stop. Mr. AI- Ghafry stated that if the Commission voted to not concur with staff recommendation, the City Engineer may take the Council for final resolution, unless the City Engineer decides to waive that right. Area residents would be notified if the item is forwarded to City Council. MSC (White/Willett) to not concur with staffs recommendation and install an all -way stop control at the intersection of Nacion Avenue and East Millan Street/East Millan Court. (5-0-2, Acton and Gove absent) 8. Report on request for Speed Hump Installation in the vicinity of Rancho del Rev Middle School This item was pulled from tonight's agenda. 9. Action Summary Update/Staff Comments Mr. AI-Ghafry stated that staff has prepared a budget for a flashing beacon at "E" Street/Corte Maria. Also, staff has prepared a letter for the Charter Point Homeowners Association regarding tree trimming and red curb, but has not received a response. 10. Traffic Accident Summary —October 2002, November 2002 Sgt. Arsenault stated there is a dramatic decrease in overall accidents for October and November and a significant increase (30%) in moving citations. 11. Staff Comments None. 12. Commissioner Comments Commissioner White stated that all the signals have been installed at Medical Center Drive. Commissioner Perrett asked if staff could investigate the intersection of Heritage Road/Olympic Parkway. He observed some near -accidents from cars making right-hand turns onto eastbound traffic. Chair McAlister thanked staff for the December workshop; thanked Ralph Leyva, retired (Dec. 2002) Senior Civil Engineer; and welcomed Samir Nuhaily, Senior Civil Engineer and Alex AI-Agha, Deputy Director of Engineering. ADJOURNMENT AT 7:20 P.M. to the next regularly scheduled meeting of February 13, 2003. J \EngfneeASAFEM010903_MIN doe 0 Respectfully submittedJ4,zz� 4t-��L Florence Picardal, Recording Secretary