Neighborhood Cul-de-Sac Implementation The traffic study conducted for the Talaria project analyzed the amount of project traffic expected to use local, residential streets immediately north of the project site. The traffic study found that while the project will contribute additional daily trips to residential streets in the area, the amount of project trips expected to use local streets is relatively low, and below the City s thresholds. Therefore, the project itself is not required to provide neighborhood protection measures for these residential streets. Nonetheless, the City Council may wish to consider implementing cul-de-sacs or other traffic restrictions on the four residential streets immediately north of the proposed project in response to neighborhood concerns over speeding, cut-through traffic on these streets. Staff has identified four preliminary cul-de-sac options based on resident input, previous neighborhood protection studies done for the area, and observations on the street and land use layout of the neighborhood. These alternatives are briefly described on the following pages. City Council may wish to direct staff to further study implementation of these or other alternatives in advance of, or concurrent with, project construction; or as part of the Alameda North Neighborhood Protection Plan evaluation that is underway. EXHIBIT R1
Alternative 1 Partial Diverters (Alameda North Alternative) This treatment involves installing a raised barrier on each residential street immediately north of the east-west alley north of Alameda Avenue. This barrier restricts northbound street traffic and alley traffic into the neighborhood, but allows southbound traffic to exit the neighborhood. Benefits of this treatment include restricting cut-through traffic from leaving Alameda Avenue to bypass congestion through the neighborhood, while still allowing some neighborhood access and circulation. Drawbacks include the ability for motorists to drive around the barrier illegally to access the neighborhood, which requires police enforcement. This treatment was included in Phase 2 of the Alameda North Neighborhood Protection Plan that was previously approved by the City Council in 2005. EXHIBIT R2
Alternative 2 Full Cul-de-Sac / Below the Alley (Resident Alternative) This treatment has been suggested by several residents in the neighborhood. The alternative would include closing each local street completely south of (below) the eastwest alley north of Alameda Avenue. Northbound traffic from Alameda would be prohibited from entering the neighborhood. Southbound through traffic from the neighborhood could proceed left or right into the alley, but would be restricted from accessing Alameda. This alternative would require installation of a cul-de-sac bulb on the local street adjacent to the multifamily apartment buildings between the alley and Alameda involving the reconstruction of curb and gutter and the elimination of on-street parking adjacent to the multifamily residential neighborhood (partially replaced by creating new street parking on Alameda). Multifamily residents with off-street parking accessed from the alley would be required to circulate up to Oak Street and down the local street to the alley to reach their parking. This would eliminate cut-through trips on each local street, but would add local trips from the multifamily garages accessed from the alley. This alternative would direct all local neighborhood traffic onto Oak Street and residential streets north of Oak. Pedestrian and bicycle trips would be allowed to proceed straight through the closure. EXHIBIT R3
Alternative 3 Full Cul-de-Sac / Above the Alley (Toluca Lake Alternative) This treatment is similar to Alternative 2, but would close each local street completely just north of (above) the east-west alley north of Alameda Avenue. Northbound traffic from Alameda would encounter a new T-intersection at the alley, and could proceed left or right into the alley. Southbound traffic from the neighborhood would be stopped and forced to u-turn before the alley. This alternative would require installation of a cul-desac bulb on the local street adjacent to the last single-family residence before the alley involving the reconstruction of curb and gutter and the elimination of on-street parking adjacent to the last single-family residence. Like Alternative 2, this would eliminate cutthrough trips on each local street, but would direct all local neighborhood traffic onto Oak Street and residential streets north of Oak. Pedestrian and bicycle trips would be allowed to proceed straight through the closure. This alternative is very similar to the cul-de-sacs that have been installed in the Toluca Lake neighborhood near Warner Bros. Studios. EXHIBIT R4
Alternative 4 Partial Diversion into Alley (Directional Cul-de-Sac Alternative) This treatment would involve installing a full street closure at each local street at the alley, but would involve installing a 45-degree angled diversion to direct northbound trips from Alameda westbound into the alley, and southbound trips from the neighborhood eastbound into the alley. This would provide for a full street closure but would not require a u-turn movement on any approach, and would require less (or possibly no) street parking removal. The angles of this treatment could be reversed to direct traffic in one direction or the other, and different treatment diversions on adjacent local streets could be combined in different ways to provide various circulation patterns in and out of the neighborhood. This would require reconstruction of curb and gutter on each local street north and south of the alley. Pedestrian and bicycle trips would be allowed to proceed straight through the closure. Staff recommends that if the City Council wish to consider cul-de-sacs, that a pilot project be put in place to temporarily close the streets under consideration for cul-desacs. This could be done at relatively low cost by installing temporary, K-rail traffic barriers on the affected streets. Staff could then collect traffic count data both before EXHIBIT R5
and after the temporary street closures to assess the impact of cul-de-sacs on other streets and intersections. Further, these temporary closures could allow the neighborhood residents to assess directly the positive and negative benefits that full street closures would bring to their neighborhood. At the end of the trial period, staff would remove the K-rail barriers and provide an analysis of the closures to the neighborhood residents and to the City Council. EXHIBIT R6