ORANGE COUNTY TRAFFIC COMMITTEE. COMMITTEE REPORT OF: February 15, 2018 ITEM C

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1 ORANGE COUNTY TRAFFIC COMMITTEE SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT: 5 SUBJECT: LOCATION: INITIATED BY: INVESTIGATOR: REQUEST: Intersection Control Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street Ladera Ranch; TB 952 F2 Resident s Request Deepthi Arabolu Establish Intersection Control DATA: LOCATION MAP Page 1 of 10

2 EXISTING CONDITIONS Tuberose Street between Sellas Road South and Celestine Circle/Duskywing Court is an approximately 1300 foot long, 36 foot wide residential local street with one travel lane in each direction. There is no centerline stripe or posted speed limit on Tuberose Street. Tuberose Street is fully improved with curb, gutter and sidewalk. Four residential local streets, St. Mays Road (Private Street), Agapanthus Street, Barberry Street, and Cleome Street intersect Tuberose Street forming uncontrolled T intersections, except the intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street, which is an uncontrolled 4 legged intersection. On the northerly end, Tuberose Street is stop controlled at Sellas Road South forming a T intersection. On the southerly end, Tuberose Street ends at Celestine Circle/Duskywing Court forming an uncontrolled T intersection. Parking is permitted on both sides of Tuberose Street. There are no homes fronting Tuberose Street between Sellas Road South and Agapanthus Street. Several residential driveways front Tuberose Street on its east side and a community park occupies the majority of its west side, between Agapanthus Street and Celestine Circle/Duskywing Court. Agapanthus Street between Merriweather Place and Pomegranate Street is an approximately 800 foot long, 36 foot wide residential local street with one travel lane in each direction. There is no centerline stripe or posted speed limit on Agapanthus Street. Agapanthus is fully improved with curb, gutter and sidewalk. Three residential local streets, Tuberose Street, Pink Trumpet Street, and Rose Mary Place (Private Street) intersect Agapanthus Street, forming uncontrolled intersections. On the westerly end, Agapanthus Street changes name to Cleome Street and is intersected by Merriweather Place, forming an uncontrolled T intersection. On the easterly end, Agapanthus Street forms a knuckle at Pomegranate Street. Parking is permitted on both sides of Agapanthus Street. Several residential driveways front Agapanthus Street; the community park occupies the south side of Agapanthus Street between Merriweather Place and Tuberose Street. TRAFFIC VOLUMES 24 HOUR VOLUMES: ENTERING INTERSECTION Location Date Direction Volume Peak Hour Volume AM PM Tuberose St 12/06/17 SB Tuberose St 12/06/17 NB Agapanthus St 12/06/17 EB Agapanthus St 12/06/17 WB Page 2 of 10

3 HIGHEST 8 HOUR VOLUMES: ENTERING INTERSECTION Date: 12/06/17 Time 7 am 8 am 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm Major St. (Tuberose St) Volume Minor St. (Agapanthus St) Volume Total Average Hourly Volume = 118 % of Minor Street Volume of Total Entering from All Directions = 32% SPEED ZONE FIELD DATA Location: Tuberose St Date 85 th Percentile (MPH) 50th Percentile (MPH) Pace Speed (MPH) Pace (%) NB/SB NB/SB NB/SB NB/SB n/o Agapanthus St 12/06/ s/o Agapanthus St 12/06/ Posted Speed Limit (MPH) ACCIDENT DATA Traffic Engineering s collision records show no reported accidents at the intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street in the past 10 years. ANALYSIS OC Public Works Traffic Engineering received a request from a Ladera Ranch resident to evaluate the need for an all way stop control at the intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street. Based on available records, this intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street was previously evaluated for intersection stop control in The results of that investigation concluded the intersection did not support the installation of stop control signs. Regarding this recent request, the resident stated she was recently involved in a traffic collision at this intersection, while she was driving on Tuberose Street. During this collision, she assumed she had the right of way while passing through the intersection. The resident mentioned that, neither she nor any of her neighbors living near the intersection were aware of the traffic law Page 3 of 10

4 pertinent to uncontrolled intersections, which is governed by Section of the California Vehicle Code (CVC). This code essentially gives the right of way to the first vehicle arriving at the intersection and when two vehicles enter an intersection from different highways at the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield the right of way to the vehicle on his or her immediate right. Furthermore, this section states that vehicles on a terminating street shall yield the right of way to vehicles on the intersecting continuing highway. The resident also expressed that the intersection has sight distance issues that precludes drivers from viewing approaching traffic. Furthermore, she claimed there was a near miss collision recently that involved a vehicle travelling on Agapanthus Street nearly colliding with a fire engine travelling on Tuberose Street. In response to the recent request, OCPW Traffic Engineering conducted a new traffic investigation for the intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street. Currently, the intersection is an uncontrolled intersection, which is typical of low volume, low speed, residential intersections within unincorporated County. As part of the investigation, staff conducted an all way stop warrant study. The Orange County (OC) Traffic Manual s all way stop warrant requires the total vehicular volume entering the intersection from all approaches must average at least 500 vehicles per hour for any eight hours of an average day and the average delay to minor street vehicular traffic must be at least 30 seconds per vehicle during the highest hour, in addition to the volume of entering traffic on the minor street being at least 40% of the total entering from all directions. In the absence of meeting the minimum volume criteria, an all way stop may also be justified when five (5) or more accidents susceptible to correction by an all way stop installation occur in one (1) year period. Satisfying either of these criteria suggests that an all way stop control may improve intersection safety and facilitate orderly traffic flow. The measured traffic volumes at the intersection showed that the current average hourly volume of total vehicles entering the intersection during the highest eight (8) hours of the day is 118 vehicles. The intersection measured no delay of 30 seconds or more during the peak hour. The minor street, Agapanthus Street, generated 32% of the total traffic entering the intersection from all directions. Collision records showed no reported accidents over the past one (1) year period; furthermore, records show this intersection has zero (0) reported accidents in the past ten (10) years. Traffic Engineering also looked at the placement for a two way stop control at this intersection. The OC Traffic Manual considers placement of a two way stop control based on the designation of the highway, accident history, and the critical approach speed on the minor street in combination with the intersection volumes. The intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street did not satisfy any of the conditions stated by the manual for the placement of a twoway stop control. Based on the findings of this investigation, the intersection did not meet warrants for the placement of stop signs. The unjustified use of stop signs cause unnecessary delays, encourage intentional violations and weaken compliance of other justified regulatory signs. However, Page 4 of 10

5 based on the history of resident requests and the input received from the residents about the right of way confusion at the uncontrolled intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street, Traffic Engineering evaluated the use of yield signs, a less restrictive intersection control method. Assigning the right of way to the major road, which is Tuberose Street, by installing yield signs on the minor street, which is Agapanthus, would be less restrictive than stop signs. Therefore, to address the residents continued concerns, Traffic Engineering recommends the placement of yield signs on Agapanthus Street at its intersection with Tuberose Street. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND INPUT A resident of Ladera Ranch residing on Bluewing Lane addressed the Committee. She mentioned to the Committee that the street sweeping in their neighborhood is scheduled for every first and third Wednesdays of the month and the residents always ascertain not to park on the streets to facilitate the street sweeping process and avoid the $45 penalty. She stated that staff s presentation demonstrates pictures on a street sweeping day and hence show no vehicles parked along the streets of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street. She stated that she was involved in an accident at the intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street on November 14, She mentioned that she drives the intersection several times a day and was never aware that traffic along Tuberose Street did not have the right of way over traffic on Agapanthus Street, by default. She mentioned that only after the collision did she learn about the specific CVC section through the CHP officer that educated her on the day of the collision. She explained the details of the collision and that she was at fault with respect to the right ofway awareness. She mentioned that she later contacted her neighbors and learnt that none of them were aware of the specific CVC section as well. She mentioned that her next door neighbor was involved in a near accident at same intersection in the past and had approached the County for the placement of stop signs at the intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street. She stated that the stop signs were denied by the County based on the fact that the intersection is low volume, low speed intersection designed with traffic calming measures, and absence of accidents. The resident said that the stop sign would have prevented her from an accident. She stated that intersection has serious safety concerns, one of them being the line of sight precluding the drivers from viewing oncoming traffic at the intersection. She said the curvature and the landscaping maintained by Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corporation contribute to the line of sight issue at this intersection. In addition, she mentioned there are vehicles parked at this intersection that also preclude the line of sight issue. She expressed her perception of the high rate of speeds on Tuberose Street and said that her observations are contradictory to the traffic speed data presented by staff. She said that the speed counters were not placed at a location that would represent the speeding vehicles. She said she approached all the residents of the neighborhood, which include approximately 172 homes on 14 streets about their input on having a stop control at this intersection. She said she personally talked to them or left a flier at their doors asking for input. She mentioned that she received 100% support from the residents of 71 homes about the necessity of having a stop sign. She Page 5 of 10

6 mentioned that 57% of these residents had near accidents at this intersection. In the process of collecting the neighborhood consensus, she said that she learnt about the concerns of several residents about traffic issues at this intersection that included right of way confusion, speeding along Tuberose Street, curvature of the street, overgrown landscaping and parked cars impeding the line of sight. She requested all residents to provide her with input, contact public works staff with their input or attend today s meeting. She mentioned about a specific resident that is a civil engineer by profession, who mentioned to her about all the drawbacks at the intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street. She mentioned about a similar intersection located in Ladera Ranch neighborhood, being controlled by a stop sign. She mentioned about the many pedestrians walking their dogs including elementary and middle school children passing through the intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street on a regular basis. She mentioned about the park located on the corner of the intersection attracts several children. She mentioned about an incident where she observed a girl riding her bike along Tuberose Street and said that her life would have been in danger had a vehicle from Agapanthus Street approached the intersection. She once again emphasized all the safety concerns at the intersection, mentioned that the community wants a two way stop sign along Agapanthus Street at its intersection with Tuberose Street and requested the Committee to approve it. A resident of Ladera Ranch residing on Bluewing Lane addressed the Committee. He mentioned about the location of the elementary and middle schools with respect to the intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street and indicated the route many children from the neighborhood take to get to their schools. He said that the pictures of the intersection presented by staff would have been from a street sweeping day and do not reflect the actual scenario of the intersection which always has parked cars blocking the line of sight. He mentioned that he bought his own pictures/ videos in an electronic format for the viewing of the Committee. However, the Chairman stated that, our cyber security policy prevents us from installing or connecting his data to County equipment. The resident explained that his video covered the peak hour condition of the intersection showing several children passing the intersection. He questioned about why a petition was not circulated in the neighborhood with respect to this item, unlike the other two items that were presented in this meeting. Staff explained that stop control requests are not evaluated based on community input unlike parking restriction items. He shared a letter that was addressed to staff from a fire engineer from the Orange County Fire Authority, expressing the need of a stop sign at the intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street. The engineer s opinioned that based on his driving experience, he opinioned that the intersection is a blind intersection with limited visibility and unsafe design. He narrated an incident that happened while he was driving the fire engine south on Tuberose Street when a vehicle approached Agapanthus Street and almost collided with each other. He expressed that he had difficulty seeing the approaching vehicle on Agapanthus Street and similar was the case with the other driver seeing him. He requested the Committee to consider placing stop signs at this intersection. The resident stated about the requirement of the warrant of having five collisions in one year being absurd and difficult to Page 6 of 10

7 meet. He said that a local agency could supersede the guidelines provided by the State of California. Based on all the facts stated he requested the County to consider the placement of stop signs at the intersection of Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street. Staff shared to the Committee the input received via from residents of the neighborhood. One of the resident expressed that there is a problem at the intersection and said that there should be no parking allowed on the right side of Tuberose Street as approaching Agapanthus. She mentioned that the parked vehicles create a line of sight issue preventing drivers from viewing approaching traffic. She requested the problem be resolved for the safety of the community. A resident of the community that had been residing there for the past eight and a half years wrote to staff expressing his support for the placement of a stop sign on Agapanthus Street at its intersection with Tuberose Street. He said that he travels through this intersection twice a day and was involved in near miss collisions at least five times so far. He said based on the close proximity of the children s park to this intersection, he is very concerned that a serious accident would happen. He said that he like many of his neighbors did not know about the right of way rule at this intersection. He said that this is especially true for non commuter traffic or visitors that are new to the neighborhood. He further mentioned about the skew of the intersection and the blind spots involved with it. He urged the Committee to approve a stop sign at this intersection. An officer from California Highway Patrol through an to staff expressed he is very familiar with this intersection and passes through it on occasion during his patrols. He mentioned that traffic is very light at this intersection and in his experience, has never witnessed a vehicle code violation. He said that he concurs with staff s recommendation of placing yield signs on Agapanthus Street. A resident of the neighborhood wrote to staff that about her support of placing stop signs at this intersection. In her letter, she mentioned that she raised concerns in year 2014 about the unsafe condition at this intersection. She narrated about how she was almost involved in a collision at that time due to the right of way confusion and the lack of visibility of approaching traffic. She mentioned that the County denied her request of stop signs. Now that her neighbor has been involved in a collision due to the same reason she stated, the Committee should consider the placement of stop signs before something serious happens. She mentioned about the proximity of the park to this intersection where many children play, walk and ride bikes. She said that the entire community feels the need of a stop sign at this intersection. A resident of the neighborhood wrote to staff about how important a four way stop sign is needed at this intersection. The resident in her referred to other intersections in the Ladera Ranch neighborhood that are currently controlled by stop signs and have a similar design/ layout as Tuberose Street at Agapanthus Street. Page 7 of 10

8 TRAFFIC COMMITTEE DISCUSSION The Chairman of the Committee emphasized the effectiveness of yield signs at this intersection. He stated that based on the right of way confusion that residents are expressing, yield signs are enforceable signs and serve as effective as stop signs although they are not given as much credit as stop signs. The Chairman asked staff to speak about the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the Orange County Traffic Manual s guidelines on the placement of stop and yield signs. Staff explained the guidelines in the manual with respect to both the stop and yield placements and how the current conditions at this intersection do not support the placement of stop signs. The member at large representing the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) explained that the guidelines and standards in our manuals are established for an important reason in the traffic engineering world. He explained that the primary purpose is to find the right and appropriate traffic engineering solution for an existing problem. He stated that in a traffic engineering world unlike other engineering fields, installing unwarranted controls will have unintended consequences which will encourage unnecessary traffic violations, liability concerns and increased potential for crashes. The member asked staff if this intersection even meets the warrants for the placement of a yield sign. Staff explained that the volumes and accidents do not meet the yield warrant requirements. However, staff stated that the condition of the warrant, which says that yield signs can be used for assigning right of way in a case where stop signs are overly restrictive, was applied here. The Committee member asked staff if the sight distance was evaluated at the intersection and staff answered that the current no parking zones are adequate with respect to providing the minimum sight distance requirements. The Committee member also asked staff if the landscaping at the corner of the intersection meets the corner sight distance requirements. Staff answered that, that requirement needs to be further evaluated. The Committee member asked staff about the neck downs or chokers and the uses of that specific design in the neighborhood. Staff explained that chokers are traffic calming devices that narrow the roadway width and calm down the traffic and they naturally provide adequate sight distance by facilitating no parking zones at the narrowest parts of their design. A Committee member representing the California Department of Transportation asked staff about the corner sight distance criteria and the volumes of children crossing the intersection. Staff answered that, because there is a park located in the corner of the intersection, there are sometimes children that will cross at this intersection. Concerning the corner sight distance, staff mentioned that chokers provide the corner sight distance requirement by restricting parking along all the four corners of the intersection. The member representing OCTA suggested staff re evaluate the corner sight distance requirement thoroughly to see if any landscaping or parking zone modifications need to be implemented. A motion was made to implement yield signs on Agapanthus Street as recommended by staff but with an amendment to evaluate the corner sight distance to determine if any additional red curb is needed. The Committee unanimously approved the motion. Page 8 of 10

9 RECOMMENDATION Establish Yield intersection control on Agapanthus Street at the intersection with Tuberose Street. Evaluate the corner sight distance requirement at the intersection to determine the need for any additional no parking zones. BOARD ACTION NECESSARY TO ENACT THIS RECOMMENDATION 1. Approve this report. 2. By resolution, establish Yield intersection control on Agapanthus Street at the intersection with Tuberose Street. Page 9 of 10

10 Proposed Intersection Control On Agapanthus Street At Tuberose Street Page 10 of 10