KEN RUKAVINA, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR / CITY ENGINEER ROB OLSON, TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER

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1 M E M O R A N D U M Agenda Item #: 2 Meeting Date: 2/1/17 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: MEMBERS OF THE TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE KEN RUKAVINA, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR / CITY ENGINEER ROB OLSON, TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER REQUEST FOR SPEED CONTROLS IN THE 1500 BLOCK OF GRANVIA ALTAMIRA DATE: FEBRUARY 1, 2017 Background: The City received an from Mr. Jared Langus of 1576 Granvia Altamira requesting that the City review and address perceived speeding issues along Granvia Altamira adjacent to his home. Mr. Langus stated that it was difficult to exit his driveway due to the speed vehicles are traveling and that he felt the street was unsafe. City staff conducted a field review of the area in December and began collecting traffic data in January. In addition to traffic volume and collision data, geometric conditions and the existing physical conditions of the area within the street right-of-way was documented. Discussion Field inspections were conducted in late 2016 to identify existing conditions along the streets. Below summarizes the findings of the field survey: Granvia Altamira is about 60 feet wide in the 1500 block with white edge lines painted to provide one 14 to 16-foot wide lane in each direction. On-street parking is allowed on both sides. Double yellow centerline (Caltrans Detail 22) is located along the entire length of the street. White edge lines are located on both sides of the street. The southeasterly side of the street is lined with single-family homes, each with a private driveway. The properties are landscaped up to the back of the curb with mailboxes along the street. Via Zurita has all-way stop control at its intersections with Via Cataluna and Monero Drive. There are on-way stop controls at the intermediate intersections. A review of collision data for Granvia Altamira indicated there has been six reported collisions between Via Fernandez and Colonel Plaza since January However, none of those of those

2 were in the vicinity of the 1500 block. Other unreported incidents may have occurred, but there is no documentation on those, if any. Speed surveys were conducted along Via Zurita over multiple days in early January The speed survey summaries are listed in Table 1. Figure 1: Image of the 1500 Block of Granvia Altamira Traffic Speed Surveys Speed surveys were conducted along Granvia Altamira over multiple days in December The speed survey summaries are listed in Table 1. Based on the above surveys, the overall speeds of traffic on Granvia Altamira are slightly above the posted speed limit with the 85 th percentile speeds being between 7 and 9 miles per hour above the limit. Overall, while there are instances of some fast moving cars on Granvia Altamira, the speed surveys do not show an excessively high speed.

3 Table 1: Speed Survey Results Speeds (miles per hour) Total Volume / Date/Time Avg. 50 th % 85 th % Highest Above Limit (Vehicles) 12/19-20/ hour southbound (1) / 588 (uphill) 12/23-23/ hour southbound (1) / 303 (uphill) 12/19-20/ hour northbound (1) / 555 (downhill) 12/20-22/ day northbound (1) (downhill) / 872 Note: Posted speed is 25 miles per hour. 1 Trailer displays feedback sign and has posted 25 mile per hour black/white sign. Sight Distance Issue The field reviews of the area showed that multiple property frontages along the south/east side of Granvia Altamira have landscaping and mailboxes that are located right at the back of curb and in some instances of the landscaping, drape over into the roadway. This creates significant sightline obstructions for drivers trying to exit their driveways and since many of them are backing out into traffic. The problem is exacerbated because the driver will be looking for traffic from the end of the vehicle that further into the driveway. The City has codes and encroachment requirements that govern the height and placement of landscaping and objects into the right-of-way. The excerpts of those pertinent sections are listed below: below: City Code Traffic Engineer Obstruction Removal. Whenever the city traffic engineer finds, in his or her discretion, that any hedge, shrubbery or tree growing in a parkway obstructs the view of any intersection, or any traffic upon the streets approaching such intersection, the traffic engineer shall cause the hedge, shrubbery, or tree to be removed or reduced in height. (Ord (Exh. 1), 2012; Ord , 1965) Standards and General Provisions of the Public Works Permit The standard for planting heights in the right of way is stated in the General Provisions and Standards for Public Works Permit, April That provision states: Plant height on right-ofway shall be less than 30 inches, with no hedges. Tree planting in the right-of-way requires prior approval from the City Forester.

4 The images included at the end of this staff report show that clearly there are multiple violations of the both the Code and Public Works permit and these need to be addressed by the City s code enforcement officer and then have the situation reviewed after corrections have been made to determine if a substantial sight line obstruction still exists. Summary Based on the above information, there does not appear to be substantial speeding issue that needs to be addressed. However, there needs to be a significant clean-up of the parkway area to bring the vegetation back to within City standards and remove or modify any non-standard encroachments that may still be blocking appropriate visual sight lines to the street for motorists. Options to address this issue are outlined below: Alternatives Costs 1. Document and submit to the City s code enforcement officer any potential violations of the City s municipal code as it relates to landscaping within the public right-of-way and standard encroachments. 2. Monitor the condition after correction of any code violations and determine if sight line deficiencies still exist. 3. Provide periodic speed enforcement along the 1500 block of Granvia Altamira to make sure that vehicles speeds are being maintained at a level that is consistent with the posted speeds in the area. 4. Provide staff with alternative direction and/or comment on this item. The cost for PVEPD speed enforcement and the City s Code Enforcement Officer will be part of the regular daily operating costs of the departments. Recommendations Staff recommends implementing Alternative items 1, 2, and 3 above. Posting of this Item: A notice was posted along Granvia Altamira near the intersections Colonel Plaza providing notification that this item would be included on the February 1, 2017 Traffic Safety Committee agenda for discussion.

5 Staff report prepared by: Rob Olson Transportation Engineer Attachment A: Letter From Resident.

6 South Curb Line of Granvia Altamira Vegetation Sight Line Obstruction

7 South Curb Line of Granvia Altamira Mailbox Sight Line Obstruction

8 South Curb Line of Granvia Altamira Vegetation and Parked Vehicle Sight Line Obstruction

9 Collisions Data

10 Attachment A: Resident Letter -----Original Message----- From: Langus, Jared Sent: Tuesday, December 13, :06 AM To: Jeff Kepley Subject: Granvia Altamira is dangerous Chief Kepley, It has become increasingly dangerous for my family to pull out of our driveway onto grand Villa Alta Mira. The speeding down our street has become a daily if not hourly occurrence. There is no stop sign for a significant distance, including a stretch which spans across Colonel Plaza. I have great respect for the police department and your organization. We have only lived here a short time and I have ed you on this subject before. You did reply to me which I greatly appreciate. However we have not seen any police presence or traffic presence in our immediate area. I think it is really important for the safety of my immediate neighborhood for you to help enforce the speed limit on our street. I plan to attend the next traffic meeting to see what I can do about getting an additional stop sign. Perhaps if I had some information from one of your officers about how dangerous they believe the street is as well I may have more luck than if I just go in by myself. Below is a photo of someone who was speeding down my street this morning and I couldn't even back out of my driveway. And when I did, he was honking his horn screaming at me that I should get out of my car and pull over to fight him. Meanwhile, he was coming so fast around a blind corner in front of my house, that had he been going the speed limit, I would have been able to safely pull out of my driveway. He doesn't even have a license plate on the back of his car. So, if you could have someone patrol the plaza on granvia it would be appreciated. I believe we live in a very safe neighborhood from a crime standpoint. However, I have noticed that people speed though PV quite excessively. And this presents a great danger, especially during the hours when people are pulling out of their homes to take children to school and head to work. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Best regards, Jared Langus 1576 Granvia Altamira