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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-03-26 - AGENDA REPORTS - MULTIWAY STOP ISABELLA GRATLAN (2)CONSENT CALENDAR DATE: SUBJECT: DEPARTMENT: Agenda Item: 9 CITY OF SANTA CLARITA AGENDA REPORT City Manager Approval: Item to be presented by: March 26, 2013 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE INSTALLATION OF MULTIWAY STOP CONTROL FOR THE INTERSECTION OF ISABELLA PARKWAY AND GRATLAND DRIVE Public Works RECOMMENDED ACTION City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the installation of multiway stop control for the intersection of Isabella Parkway and Gratland Drive. BACKGROUND At the September 11 and December 11, 2012, City Council meetings and September 6 and 27, 2012, outreach meetings for the Via Princessa extension project, Isabella Parkway residents expressed concerns regarding vehicle speeds, traffic volumes, and collision history in their neighborhood. In addition, the City received a petition from 52 residents of the Pacific Grove Homeowners Association (HOA) requesting multiway stop control at the intersection of Isabella Parkway and Gratland Drive. Isabella Parkway functions as a collector roadway between Golden Triangle Road and Aurora Lane with a speed limit of 30 miles per hour (mph) and as a residential street between Aurora Lane and Via Princessa with a speed limit of 25 mph. The section between Golden Triangle Road and Aurora Lane contains multifamily housing with no direct driveway access onto Isabella Parkway, while the section south of Aurora Lane contains single-family housing with direct driveway access. Over the past several years, the City has taken a proactive approach to residents' concerns, primarily in response to concerns over vehicle speeds. The City has made several improvement: to Isabella Parkway; including installation of additional 25 mph signs to better inform motorists of the speed limit, centerline striping to delineate the travel lanes, and red curbs at the intersections of Isabella Parkway and Aurora Lane to address sight distance issues. Quopla c 3 -/1/ In response to resident issues, City staff has placed the Public Awareness Radar Education Trailer (PARET) unit along Isabella Parkway. The PARET unit is a speed display trailer, which displays the speed of vehicles as they pass by. It is an educational tool that helps motorists realize how fast they are driving, and has proven effective in reducing vehicular speeds in residential areas. In addition, the City notified the Sheriff's Department to provide selective speed enforcement with each placement of the PARET unit. The most recent placements of the PARET unit were during the weeks of October 29, 2012, and January 21, 2013. The City recently added Isabella Parkway to its Residential Speed Program. The objective of this program is to reduce speeding concerns in residential neighborhoods with the use of enforcement and education. The City and the Sheriff s Department work together to provide increased speed enforcement and education through placement of the PARET unit over a six-month period. The program's effectiveness is determined by measuring traffic speeds at the start, during, and end of the program period. The program for Isabella Parkway started in October 2012 and will continue through March 2013. In 2003, the City Council adopted its own rules and regulations to modify the Caltrans warrants for installation of multiway stop control in residential areas to reflect lower volume traffic conditions typical of many neighborhood residential streets. The City's modified warrants were also developed to address areas of high pedestrian and youth activity, such as around elementary schools and parks. The City's policy for multiway stop control at residential intersections was developed based on a review of other cities that have also modified warrants, including the cities of Pasadena and Los Angeles. The City and Caltrans wan -ants for multiway stop control are compared in the table below. Warrant city CA MUTCD Minimum Volumes (all approaches) 300 per hour for 4 hours 500 per hour for 8 hours Minimum Volumes (minor street approach) 120 per hour for 4 hours 200 per hour for 8 hours Collision History 3 reported in 12 months 5 reported in 12 months One Hour* 300/hour and 120/hour * When the intersection is contiguous to a public or private school, a center serving the visually, mentally, or physically impaired, or a recreation center or playground used by children under 12 years old. The City has the following warrant to address the issue of cut -through traffic: when the through traffic volume on the main street/uncontrolled street exceeds 2,000 vehicles per day, and this traffic volume is at least 25 percent higher than that on similar adjacent parallel streets, and when the distance between current stop signs exceeds 750 feet. The City evaluated the intersection of Isabella Parkway and Gratland Drive for the installation of multiway stop control. Traffic counts were collected for a typical weekday in November 2012 during the morning peak hour. Total vehicular traffic was approximately 200 vehicles during that time. Sheriffs Department records indicated no reported accidents at this intersection over the past four years. The intersection of Isabella Parkway and Gratland Drive, therefore does not meet the criteria of the volume or collision warrants for installation of a multiway stop. 2 In consideration of the City's warrant that addresses cut -through traffic, the City also performed a license plate survey of the vehicles traveling along Isabella Parkway. The license plate survey was performed by stationing observers along Isabella Parkway near Via Princessa and near Golden Triangle Road. The license plate numbers were noted for all vehicles during the morning, midday, and evening peak hours. If the same vehicle was noted as traveling from one end of Isabella Parkway to the other without stopping, it was considered cut -through traffic. Depending on the time of day, the cut -through traffic along Isabella Parkway was determined to be between 20 and 30 percent. This level of non -local traffic meets the requirements of the multiway stop control warrant for cut -through traffic highlighted in bold above. Isabella Parkway, south of Aurora Lane, is a local residential street with homes fronting portions of its length. The current traffic volume on Isabella Parkway is approximately 2,250 vehicles per day. The adjacent street to the east, Rainbow Glen Drive, is a residential collector with no homes fronting it. Vehicles traveling from Via Princessa to Golden Triangle Road or vice versa should be encouraged to utilize Rainbow Glen Drive, not Isabella Parkway. In consideration of this situation, it is recommended that multiway stop control be placed at the intersection of Isabella Parkway and Gratland Drive. The recommendation is consistent with the City's residential multiway stop warrant for dealing with cut -through traffic. A separate agenda item with accompanying resolution has been prepared for the intersection of Isabella Parkway and Aurora Lane. The intersections of Isabella Parkway/Gratland Drive and Isabella Parkway/Aurora Lane were chosen to provide even spacing along Isabella Parkway. Placement of multiway stop control at these two intersections should shift some of the cut -through traffic onto Rainbow Glen Drive and reduce the traffic volume on Isabella Parkway. The City will perform follow-up studies after the installation of the multiway stop controls to determine their effectiveness in reducing cut -through traffic along Isabella Parkway. In addition to the installation of muldway stop controls at Isabella Parkway/Gratland Drive and Isabella Parkway/Aurora Lane, staff plans to install edge lines and 25 mph pavement markings along Isabella Parkway, between Via Princessa and Aurora Lane. Edge lines are white lines placed approximately seven feet from the curb along the length of the roadway, providing 26 feet for two 13 -foot travel lanes. This defines the parking area along the curb and produces a narrowing effect for motorists, which encourages motorists to drive more slowly. The 25 mph pavement markings help remind motorists they are traveling in a residential area. The City mailed letters to notify the Pacific Grove and Monterey HOAs and all residents along Isabella Parkway of this agenda item and the planned installation of the multiway stop controls, edge line treatment, and 25 mph pavement markings. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS Other action as determined by the City Council. FISCAL IMPACT The installation of the multiway stop control is estimated at $1,000. Adequate Gas Tax Funds (Fund 230) are available in the Traffic Signs and Markings Account 14504-5141.008. 3 ATTACHMENTS Resolution Vicinity Map 51 RESOLUTION 13- A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA, AUTHORIZING THE INSTALLATION OF MULTIWAY STOP CONTROL FOR THE INTERSECTION OF ISABELLA PARKWAY AND GRATLAND DRIVE WHEREAS, Section 21354 of the California Vehicle Code allows local authorities to designate any intersection under their exclusive jurisdiction as a stop control intersection; and WHEREAS, traffic operations along Isabella Parkway will benefit from the installation of multiway stop control at the intersection of Isabella Parkway and Gratland Drive. NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita does hereby resolve as follows: SECTION 1. That the intersection of Isabella Parkway and Gratland Drive be designated as a multiway stop control intersection. Traffic on Isabella Parkway and Gratland Drive shall be required to stop before entering this intersection. SECTION 2. That the stop designations, as provided herein, shall apply when appropriate signs and pavement markings, giving adequate notice hereof, have been placed as described in Section 1. SECTION 3. That staff shall install all the necessary signs and pavement markings to affect this resolution. SECTION 4. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution. PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this day of 2013. MAYOR ATTEST: INTERIM CITY CLERK DA' STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss. CITY OF SANTA CLARITA ) I, Arming Chaparyan, Interim City Clerk of the City of Santa Clarita, do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita at a regular meeting thereof, held on the day of 2013, by the following vote: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: INTERIM CITY CLERK I er r¢�, ��� _ .��i�'� 10 wI"rte ' I � s:_-_...r�i� ' " fir, '' •...-� t A A�.