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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/27/2004 - Study SessionCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH City Council Minutes Study Session July 27, 2004 - 4:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Heffernan, Rosansky (arrived at 4:40 p.m.), Adams, Bromberg, Webb, Nichols, Mayor Ridgeway Absent: None CURRENT BUSINESS 1. CLARIFICATION OF ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR -None. 2. TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES. City Manager Bludau stated that with the following presentation and discussion, staff is looking for direction from the City Council on how the City should handle requests from neighborhoods for traffic calming measures. Using a PowerPoint presentation, Transportation/Development Services Manager Edmonston stated that concerns about speeding in residential areas has become the most common complaint received by the traffic engineering section of the Public Works Department. He stated that the complaints come from all areas of the City with a wide variation of what residents consider to be a problem, which makes it difficult to identify what the City can do. Mr. Edmonston explained that the City used to have a program for speed bumps. They were installed in the late 1980's and early 1990's and were found to be effective, but since that time, there has been a tremendous amount of experimentation and research into other solutions. He displayed a photo of an existing speed bump and further explained that about a dozen neighborhoods submitted applications for speed bumps during the program. The program became controversial when neighbors weren't in agreement on whether to have speed bumps installed. A moratorium was placed on installation and little has been done with regard to traffic calming since. Mr. Edmonston displayed two additional photos that showed the use of speed bumps and a road narrowing technique on Port Seabourne. He stated that studies have shown that drivers respond most directly to being required to go up and down, either over a bump or dip, or being required to move side to side, such as a road narrowing would do. He stated that another method that has been used since the speed bump program was abandoned was the one done in the Eastbluff area where certain traffic movements were actually prohibited. Mr. Edmonston reported that an extensive study was done in the Santiago Drive/Holiday Road area, but no action has been taken, in part due to the cost of the proposed solutions and indecision on who should pay for them. Mr. Edmonston reported that two additional neighborhood traffic studies are currently underway. He displayed a draft of the overall plan for the Newport. Volume 56 - Page 1080 INDEX (100 -2004) City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes July 27, 2004 INDEX Heights /Cliffhaven area, which showed the number and types of devices that are being suggested by the consultant. He stated that specific recommendations will be presented to the City Council at a future meeting. He also pointed out that speed bumps are not listed as an option, because the consultant was given the direction not to include them. Mr. Edmonston explained that this direction was based on known concerns by the Fire Department. He listed the consultant's options as including bulges, traffic circles, medians, road narrowings, zebra crosswalks, stop signs and splitter islands. City Manager Bludau asked if the consultant was given any parameters with regard to end costs. Mr. Edmonston responded in the negative. He noted that the residents have been involved during the process, which has consisted of three meetings. The study being done in the Newport Hills /Harbor View community has only held one meeting so far, with the second scheduled for August 3, 2004. City Manager Bludau asked what the costs of the suggested traffic calming measures for Newport Heights would be if they were implemented. Mr. Edmonston stated that the consultant has been asked to provide these costs and that they would be a part of the report when the recommendations are presented to the City Council. He noted that some of the measures require landscaping, which adds considerably to the cost because of ongoing maintenance and irrigation. He also displayed detailed aerial photos of the improvements being suggested for Kings Road and Irvine Avenue. Council Member Webb asked if stop signs would be removed at intersections where traffic circles are installed. Mr. Edmonston stated that they could be, but that without the stop signs, there is an initial period of about six months where there is a greater potential for collisions. Mr. Edmonston displayed photos showing examples of a permanent bulge and a median island. He stated that staff would appreciate guidance from the City Council, and that one option would be to form a committee. He listed the types of questions that staff struggles with when working with residents on traffic concerns. These include how to determine if a problem is real or perceived, what level of speed is a problem, if traffic volume should be a consideration, what traffic calming techniques are supported, what the minimum level of neighborhood acceptance should be and how multiple requests should be prioritized. Lastly, Mr. Edmonston stated that the issue of funding needs to be addressed, as well as the possibility for allowing residents to have traffic calming features installed themselves through the encroachment permit process. Council Member Webb confirmed that the City would be liable for such installations, and Mr. Edmonston explained that they would still be in the City's right -of -way. In response to City Manager Bludau's question, Mr. Edmonston stated that speed bumps tend to slow all drivers down, but it's related to the kind of car being driven, the wheel base and the suspension. In general, the design of the speed bumps that have been installed are twelve feet long with a three -inch rise and can be driven at 25 miles per hour by most vehicles. Council Member Webb asked who would be the appropriate members of a committee, if one is formed. Mr. Edmonston stated that it could include a couple of council members and staff members, and should particularly include the Fire Volume 56 - Page 1081 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes July 27, 2004 INDEX Department. He explained that the Police Department is already represented on the Traffic Affairs Committee and the Fire Department has a different set of concerns in regard to traffic calming measures. He noted that the City of Sacramento has an expansive program with six full-time staff members dedicated to it. The first question they ask is if the traffic calming measure is being requested for a primary or secondary response route. Speed bumps on primary response routes are automatically denied and the Fire Department has final veto authority for requests on secondary routes. The Police Department vehicles tend to have greater maneuverability. The Fire Department also has concerns related to transporting individuals who require medical aide. Mr. Edmonston added that he's recommending a committee because it's a complex issue and some of the previous studies are already out of date. Council Member Heffernan noted that $160,000 has already been spent on traffic studies and asked if the traffic studies shouldn't have been done after input from the Police and Fire Departments. He explained that this would have defined the parameters and limited the alternatives prior to the studies being done. City Manager Bludau noted that the consultant who performed the study for the Newport Heights area was told to look at traffic calming measures without using speed bumps, but that currently there is not a Council policy that allows the Fire or Police Department to have veto power. Mayor Ridgeway stated that the traffic calming studies are appropriate and that the Fire Department may not necessarily oppose street narrowing. He stated that traffic calming has taken on a new meaning in neighborhoods in every city, due to the increase in traffic. He supported the funding of traffic calming studies. Council Member Bromberg asked how many speed bumps would be needed on a typical residential street. Mr. Edmonston stated that what's generally proven to be effective are speed bumps spaced 300 to 500 feet apart, which would be one or two in a typical block. He stated that another concern with installing speed bumps is that traffic might shift from one residential street to another, and that's why traffic calming is looked at on an area -wide basis. Council Member Bromberg asked to what extent fire vehicles would be slowed down on a nonprimary street with one or two rows of speed bumps. Fire Chief Riley responded by saying that it depends upon the frequency and configuration of the traffic calming device, but that speed bumps add to the Fire Department's response time. Specifically, each speed bump adds between 2.5 and 10 seconds to the response time, depending upon the type and size of the equipment being driven. Mayor Ridgeway asked how road narrowing affects the Fire Department. Fire Chief Riley stated that the whole concept behind traffic calming is to do one of two things, which is to discourage traffic from going down a street or to reduce traffic speeds. He stated that this affects everyone, including the Fire Department, and that every traffic calming measure will affect the Fire Department's response time to some degree. He expressed his support for the formation of a committee to look at all of the traffic calming measures available, and the pros and cons of each. Fire Chief Riley noted that the "Port" streets already have the least desirable response time in Newport Beach, because of the Volume 56 - Page 1082 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes July 27, 2004 INDEX location of the existing fire stations. He stated that it would be critical to only install traffic calming measures that wouldn't affect primary or secondary response routes in that area. Additionally, Fire Chief Riley stated that there is a concern by the Fire Department for speed bumps and their impact on the Fire Department's ability to give medical care and transport a patient to the hospital. He stated that there needs to be a policy statement on what the acceptable effect on response time is. Lastly, Fire Chief Riley stated that another significant issue is the effect of speed bumps on the mechanics and torsion of the Fire Department equipment and apparatus. He agreed, however, that having a safe community means having manageable speeds, particularly in the residential areas, which reduces the number of responses that are needed by the Fire Department. He stated that this responsible look at traffic calming measures needs to be weighed with the impacts on emergency response times. Mayor Ridgeway expressed his concern for the response time to the "Port" streets. Fire Chief Riley explained why the drive to the "Port" streets is so long, and stated that adding a fire station would be an expensive remedy. Using a map on display, a brief discussion followed regarding routes and entrances into the area. Fire Chief Riley stated that it's a common problem with any expanding community. He noted that the Newport Crest area is another difficult area to reach, but that there is an even greater concern for the response times to the new development in Newport Coast off of Crystal Heights Drive. Police Chief McDonell stated that speed bumps don't create the problems with regard to response time for the Police Department as they do for the Fire Department. He stated that the fundamental issue for the Police Department is whether there is a safety hazard that warrants the installation of a traffic calming measure. He stated that complaints about speeding vehicles are dealt with individually, and an attempt is made to quantify the problem and determine if it is real or perceived. He explained that targeted enforcement can create a problem when determining where the department's resources should be allocated. Police Chief McDonell stated that drivers tend to accelerate between speed bumps, which adds to the noise and aggravation in a neighborhood also. In response to Mayor Ridgeway's question, Police Chief McDonell stated that the Police Department has statistics on the number of accidents on any given street, but that they are not grouped by the type of street. He noted, however, that the majority of accidents clearly occur on the arterial streets just based on the volume of traffic. Council Member Nichols stated that the speed bumps on Newport Hills Drive, and 15th and 16th Streets have been a problem for years, and that speed bumps on the collector streets don't seem appropriate. Police Chief McDonell agreed that speed bumps on the high volume streets don't appear to be appropriate. Council Member Nichols further noted that the stop signs in old Corona del Mar appear to be effective and are less expensive. Police Chief McDonell stated that a stop sign can provide a false sense of security if it's placed where it's not warranted and drivers don't stop. Council Member Webb asked if there had ever been reports of an increase of accidents in areas with traffic calming measures. Police Chief McDonell stated that nothing overwhelming had ever been reported, although accidents do occur. Volume 56 - Page 1083 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes July 27, 2004 INDEX Susan Skinner Caustin provided a handout and asked for the City Council's support in bringing speed bumps to the "Port" streets. She stated that it's an area full of children and that there's a real problem with drivers coming around the curves at high rates of speed. Her handout included documentation that there's a 60% reduction in accidents involving children in residential areas that have speed bumps installed. Ms. Caustin specifically asked the City Council to approve the inclusion of a test pilot on her street as a part of the traffic calming studies being done, and noted that 18 of 19 homes on the street support speed bumps. She added that the risk for an accident is even higher on her street because it is not a high volume street. In closing, she expressed her support for a rationale speed bump policy that weighs both the needs of the Fire Department and public safety on the streets. In looking at the configuration of Ms. Caustin's street, Mayor Pro Tern Adams stated that it appears that nearly all of the traffic is generated by the people who live there. Ms. Caustin disagreed and added that those who speed are generally not the ones who live there. Council Member Webb asked for a clarification on the critical speed in the neighborhood. Ms. Caustin recalled that a verbal report she received from a member of the Public Works Department stated that the 85th percentile was 28 miles per hour around the curve. Council Member Webb recalled that it was 22 to 23 around the curve, and approaching 28 miles per hour on the straight stretch. In response to a second question by Council Member Webb, Ms. Caustin stated that she didn't have figures on the actual volume of traffic on her street, but would guess that it's 200 to 250 cars per day. Mr. Edmonston stated that a consultant did collect speed and volume data near Ms. Caustin's home. It was found that the volume was just under 200 cars per day. He stated that the speed measurements taken in the area were typical, or to the low side, for similar subdivisions with the same width streets. He stated that it's probably a function of the length of the street, the curves and a stop sign at Port Weybridge. In response to Council Member Webb's request, Mr. Edmonston reported that from January 1, 2001, to present, 106 pedestrian versus auto accidents occurred in the City. Of the 106, six happened mid -block in residential areas, or approximately 6% of the total. Bob Caustin asked the City Council to consider a pilot study on his street. He stated that the residents are even willing to pay for the installation of the speed bumps and is only asking that the City provide information on how they should be built. Mr. Caustin stated that his street is not a collector street, but that the traffic does come from more than the neighbors. Nancy Skinner stated that she is concerned for the safety of her grandson, and that the costs associated with speed bumps don't compare to the life of a child. She suggested that it would be a good idea to put in a sample trial location while a committee addresses the issue. She stated that the street that the Caustic's live on would be a good location since police and fire vehicles don't use the street to access other locations. Ms. Skinner encouraged the City Council to balance Volume 56 - Page 1084 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes July 27, 2004 INDEX the safety issues and consider speed bumps. Louise Fundenberg stated that traffic calming is also needed in the alleys, especially on the peninsula. She asked the City Council to consider this as well when addressing the issue. In response to Mayor Ridgeway's question, Fire Chief Riley stated that the Fire Department does utilize alleys as response routes. He stated that the goal is to pick a response route that will lessen the response time and sometimes alternate routes are used. Mayor Pro Tom Adams expressed his support for the idea of forming a committee. He stated that the issue of thresholds will be a challenge for the committee, and deciding when and if traffic calming measures are appropriate. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated that speed bumps have their place but, in general, he's not in support of them. He noted that the traffic conditions on the Caustins' street are about as good as they get for a residential neighborhood, and that the speed and volume are low. He didn't feel that speed bumps would create much of a change. Council Member Bromberg also expressed his support for a committee. He noted, however, that one of the problems with committees is that there often is not enough information to make an appropriate decision. He stated that he is not a huge fan of speed bumps, but agreed that putting in a couple of rows of speed bumps on the Caustins' street might provide some good test information for the committee. Council Member Webb also expressed his support for the committee concept, but questioned how any accomplishments would be evaluated. He suggested that the committee evaluate the studies that have been done and are being done, set some thresholds and make recommendations on how the recommended measures would be paid for. Council Member Heffernan asked if a pilot program could be done prior to a study being done, or how the City would handle an encroachment permit application for speed bumps. City Manager Bludau stated that such an application would be presented to the City Council. He added that if a committee is formed, the committee might suggest, early on, that some pilot programs should be set up, or it could be a part of the recommendation to form a committee at the next City Council meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated the committee should make the recommendation on the appropriateness or inappropriateness of a pilot program. Council Member Webb stated that he couldn't consider an encroachment permit application until there was a way to evaluate the success or failure of the requested project. He stated that some type of mechanism or criteria needs to be established to determine if a pilot program is successful, and how that success would be measured. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated that if zebra - striped crosswalks are used, their installation cannot be arbitrary. He explained that if they're used, the criteria Volume 56 - Page 1085 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes July 27, 2004 will need to be very specific, due to the possibility of lawsuits. Council Member Heffernan suggested that the report from staff include the recommendation to form a committee, as well as consideration for a pilot study. He stressed that he'd like to see some action taken by the City on the issue. Council Member Bromberg agreed that the recommendation from staff should include the formation of a committee and the possibility of conducting a pilot program. Council Member Rosansky stated that there are a number of existing speed bumps in the City and that any pilot study should include those. Mayor Ridgeway stated that he also supports a committee, and that he didn't know which measures might be the most appropriate for any given street. He added that the City Attorney will also need to provide his opinion, and that the community as a whole needs to be taken into consideration when discussing the issue of traffic calming measures on individual streets. PUBLIC COMMENTS - None. ADJOURNMENT - at 6:00 p.m. The agenda for the Study Session was posted on July 21, 2004, at 2:15 p.m. on the City Hall Bulletin Board located outside of the City of Newport Beach Administration Building. City Clerk Recording Secretary Mayor Volume 56 - Page 1086 110113 v of Newport Beach f, dv Session Minutes INDEX THIS PAGE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY. Volume 56 - Page 1087