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Home My WebLink About2003-03-13 SC MINUTESMINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CHULA VISTA SAFETY COMMISSION March 13, 2003 Council Chambers I* 6:00 p.m. Public Services Building CALL TO ORDER Meeting called to order at 6:04 p.m. 1. Roll Call: Present: Chair McAlister; Commissioners: Acton, Gove, Lopez, Perrett, White, and Willett Absent: None Also present: Samir Nuhaily, Sr. Civil Engineer; Majed AI-Ghafry, Civil Engineer; Susan Mihalka, Engineering Technician; Sgt. Scott Arsenault; and Florence Picardal, Recording Secretary 2. Pledge of Allegiance/Silent Praver 3. Openinq Statement Opening statement read by Chair McAlister. 4. Approval of Minutes for January 9, 2003 and February 13, 2003 MSC (Willett/Perrett) to approve minutes of January 9, 2003 as submitted. (5-0-2, Gove and Acton abstain) 0 No minutes available for approval for February 13, 2003 MEETING AGENDA 5. Oral Communications John Steepy, 309 Bronco Place, Bonita - Mr. Steepy spoke about the total disregard of stop signs and red lights. He felt it was dangerous for both motorists and pedestrians. He felt that red light cameras should be installed and other measures should be taken for enforcement. 6. Report on Request for a 2 -hour Parking Zone on Woodlawn Ave., Colorado Ave. and the South Side of "G" Street Staff received a letter from the Board of Directors of the Holiday Gardens Homeowners Association, complaining that residents of their complex have insufficient on -street parking in their area because trolley riders and residents of the apartments on Oaklawn Ave. continuously park their vehicles along the frontage of their complex on Woodlawn Ave., Colorado Ave. and "G" Street. They are also requesting the 2 -hour parking zone in order to discourage people, who do not live in the immediate area, from parking their vehicles on these streets for long periods of time. Mr. AI-Ghafry presented the report and Powerpoint Presentation. He stated that 7 calls were received, 3 in favor of the 2 -hour time limited parking, 2 were against, and 2 had no opinion. He added that there are 162 units in the Holiday Gardens condo complex and 168 on-site parking spaces. He clarified that the limit on the number of permits per household is 2. The permits will be issued to people who reside at the address and whose vehicles are registered to that address. Even with the permits, the 72 hr. parking limitation would still be enforced. He also stated that if residents wanted to use the MTS parking lot, the homeowners association and MTS would need to have an agreement and the City would not be involved. Staff Recommendation: That the Safety Commission accept this report and concur with staff to recommend to City Council that 2 -hour time limited parking be installed on Woodlawn Ave., Colorado Ave. and on the Safety Commission Minutes March 13, 2003 Page 2 • south side of "G" St. as discussed in this report, and that permits be issued to residents on these streets to exempt them from the restriction of the 2 -hour time limited parking. Public hearing opened. The following persons spoke in favor of staff recommendation: 1. Sandra Goodson, 450 #C Woodlawn Ave., Chula Vista 2. Gilbert Saldivar, 425 Oaklawn Ave., Chula Vista 3. Alejandro Vallodolid, 455 #B Woodlawn Ave., Chula Vista 4. Patricia Casteneda, 704 #A "G" St., Chula Vista The following person spoke against staff recommendation: Eleanor Krause, 415 #D Colorado Ave., Chula Vista Public hearing closed. Commission Discussion: Commissioner Acton asked about enforcement of these permits. Sgt. Arsenault stated that warning notices would be issued. Commissioner White asked if the parking restriction would be for a 24-hour period. Mr. AI-Ghafry stated it would be a 24-hour period, except Sundays and holidays. Commissioner Gove stated she was not convinced that the 2 -hour time limited parking is the answer and is not comfortable until more information is received. Chair McAlister asked if parking could still be allowed on the south side of "G" Street. Mr. AI-Ghafry stated yes, it could be allowed and the spaces on "G" Street could be utilized for visitor parking. Chair McAlister requested when this item goes to Council that the Homeowner's Association and all residents in the area be notified. • MSC (McAlister/Acton) to concur with staff to recommend to City Council that 2 -hour time limited parking be installed on Woodlawn Ave. and Colorado Ave., and that permits be issued to residents on these streets to exempt them from the restriction of the 2 -hour time limited parking. (6-1-0, Gove voting no) 7. Oral Report - Traffic Issues along Surrey Drive and Discussion of Speed Hump Policy The following persons spoke: 1. John Steepy, 309 Bronco Place, Bonita - favors speed humps 2. Stewart Bornhoft, 354 Surrey Drive, Bonita - not in favor of speed humps 3. Anna Castro, 294 Surrey Place, Bonita - not in favor of speed humps 4. Roberto Solorzano, 301 Bronco Place, Bonita - not in favor of speed humps 5. Jeff Jackson, 999 Surrey Drive - favors speed humps Mr. AI-Ghafry stated that this item was for information only and no action would be taken. He stated that 5 phone calls were received and all 5 callers were opposed to speed humps. He explained the Speed Hump Policy. The installation of speed humps is financed by the residents. Commissioner White asked if there were any speed humps installed in the City. Mr. AI-Ghafry stated there are none on public streets, but they are used on private streets (i.e., condom in u m/town home complexes). A traffic calming measures booklet was distributed to the Commissioners and Mr. AI-Ghafry gave a brief synopsis of traffic calming measures. Commissioner Gove asked if there have been further discussions with the residents on Surrey Drive. Mr. AI- Ghafry stated that all of the all -way stop alternatives have been addressed. He stated that half of the community would like to leave the streets "as is" and the other half would like to be more progressive in installing traffic calming measures. 8. Oral Report - Two All -Way Stop Installations along Santa Cora Avenue Mr. AI-Ghafry stated that a letter was received from a resident of Lomas Verdes requesting that all -way stops be installed at Bridalvale Road and Bramblewood Street at Santa Cora Avenue. He stated that Bridalvale Road and Santa Cora Avenue would be a good candidate for an all -way stop installation and would look 1 Safety Commission Minutes March 13, 2003 Page 3 further into the Bramblewood Street location. Chair McAlister asked that this item be placed on an upcoming agenda. 9. Oral Report - Traffic Signal Installation/All-Way Stop Installation at First Avenue and Palomar Street Mr. AI-Ghafry stated that the intersection of First Avenue and Palomar Street has had many requests for traffic signals or stop signs. This intersection was studied in April 2001 with staff recommending an all -way stop, but the Safety Commission did not concur with staff recommendation. Since April 2001, numerous calls have been received on this location and this intersection was placed on the Traffic Signal Priority List. Chair McAlister asked that this item be placed on an upcoming agenda. 10. Oral Report - Uninterruptible Power Supply Systems for Traffic Signals Mr. AI-Ghafry presented a short report on the Uninterruptible Power Supply System (UPS) traffic signals. UPS traffic signals continue the operation of a traffic signal even during blackouts for a period of 2 hours. Traffic signals operate much better on the UPS if they are equipped with light emitting diodes (LED). The City has retrofitted 55 signals with the UPS equipment and LEDs. 11. Oral Report - Traffic Signal Detection for Bicyclists Mr. AI-Ghafry stated that a letter was sent to Mr. Dieben addressing his concerns with the traffic signal detectors for bicyclists. He also stated that staff is looking at the possibility of installing video detection devices, which gives true detection at all times. 12. Action Summary Update/Staff Comments • Mr. Nuhaily stated that in the Chair's opening statement, he was introduced as the "Deputy Director of Engineering", but his title is "Senior Civil Engineer". Sgt. Arsenault stated that the new Traffic Safety Officer, Melissa Cummings, is on board. She will be speaking to high school, college -level, and driver's education students on traffic safety. Five hundred yard signs (e.g., Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25; Watch Your Speed) have been purchased and will be distributed to residents in problem areas. Also, a message board sign has been purchased and will be utilized in problem areas. The first fatality of the year occurred on Otay Lakes Road at Telegraph Canyon Road; it was not speed related. In 2002, there were 1500 more moving citations issued than the previous year. There will be some changes in the reporting of non -injury accidents which will result in more data and time -savings forthe officers. 13. Staff Comments - None 14. Commissioner Comments Commissioner Willett thanked the Police Department on the quick response to an incident in the Otay River Valley. Commissioner White commended Sgt. Arsenault on the positive article in the Union Tribune on the issuing of traffic citations on Olympic Parkway, East "H" Street, Telegraph Canyon Road, and Bonita Road. ADJOURNMENT AT 8:00 P.M. to the next regularly scheduled meeting of April 10, 2003. Respectfully submitted, Florence Picardal, Recording Secretary J:\Engineer\SAFETY\031303_M IN.doc