CITY OF LOMITA CITY COUNCIL REPORT TO: FROM: City Council Ryan Smoot, City Manager Item No. SCH 12 PREPARED BY: Mark A. McAvoy, P.E., Public Works Director/City Engineer MEETING DATE: August 1, 2017 SUBJECT: Discussion and Consideration of Request to Restripe a Portion of Narbonne Avenue RECOMMENDATION Staff and the Public Safety and Traffic Commission recommend that: 1. Approve Nelson/Nygaard s recommendation to reconfigure the traffic striping on the portion of Narbonne Avenue between Pacific Coast Highway and Lomita Boulevard to include a single lane in each direction, center turn lane, bicycle lanes, and parking, per the attached memorandum; and 2. Direct staff to incorporate the changes into the current Narbonne Avenue Pavement Rehabilitation Project. BACKGROUND At the March 7, 2017 City Council meeting, staff presented a report recommending a reconfiguring of Narbonne Avenue between Pacific Coast Highway and Lomita Boulevard, to include a single lane in each direction, center turn lane, bicycle lanes, and parking lanes (see previous staff report attached). This recommendation was based on a study/report prepared by Nelson/Nygaard, the consultant firm that is preparing the pedestrian and bicycle master plan, and subsequent review and recommendation by the Public Safety and Traffic Commission. After discussion at the March 7 th meeting, City Council continued the item to a future meeting and also directed staff to ask Los Angeles County to prepare an additional traffic study of the corridor. That study has been completed, and the County Traffic Advisor will present the results of that study tonight for Council s consideration. The County study recommends that Council consider the proposed striping reconfiguration.
One interesting note from the County traffic study is the improvement for vehicular traffic at the Lomita Boulevard intersection, due to the newly provided left-turn lane storage capacity that does not exist today. Intersection Narbonne Avenue at Lomita Boulevard Peak Existing (2017) Existing (2035) Project (2017) Project (2035) LOS V/C LOS V/C LOS V/C LOS V/C AM D 0.85 D 0.88 C 0.81 D 0.84 PM E 0.97 F 1.01 E 0.91 E 0.95 Indicates inadequate northbound and southbound left-turn lane storage capacity Indicates adequate northbound and southbound left-turn lane storage capacity Some of the safety benefits that the County study points out include additional safety measures for pedestrians, bicyclists, emergency vehicles, and motorists, such as: Pedestrians: Crossing of Narbonne Avenue may be safer due to a reduction in the number of lanes to cross which reduces potential pedestrian/vehicle conflicts. Bicyclists: Increase in safety and comfort of bicyclists by providing a striped space on the roadway, increasing bicyclist comfort and confidence by separating bicyclists and automobiles and increasing predictability of bicycles and motorists positioning and interaction Emergency Vehicles: Adding a 2-way left-turn lane would create unimpeded lanes that can be used by emergency vehicles or motorists needing to pull over to provide through movement of emergency responders. Motorists: Per the U.S. Department of Transportation, roadway configurations such as this may have a crash reduction of 19 percent on corridors within suburban areas. In addition, it reduces intersection conflicts, enhances intersection sight distance, reduces left-turn conflicts at intersections and midblock locations (eg. near the post office), and provides continuous turning lanes for left-turning vehicles reducing mid-block delay and weaving. The striping reconfiguration would also meet the City s recently adopted Complete Streets Policy. Increase in Active Transportation by providing bike lanes which meets the goals of Complete Streets and Healthy Design. Based on the County s traffic study, the Nelson/Nygaard study, the recommendation of the Traffic Technical Advisory Committee, and the unanimous recommendation of the Public Safety & Traffic Commission at their February 28, 2017 meeting, staff recommends that the proposed reconfiguration be approved by the City Council. Staff recommends the inclusion of the striping modifications in the Narbonne Avenue
Rehabilitation project, which is currently under construction with striping due to be placed in the coming days. Alternatively, if the City Council would prefer, the striping modifications could be placed with regular traffic paint (instead of thermoplastic paint) and then evaluated at the end of a six (6) month period. If the City Council determines that the new configuration is not meeting the needs of the roadway users, staff could grind off the traffic paint and restore the original conditions. FISCAL IMPACT The cost of restriping Narbonne Avenue was included in the FY 2016-17 Budget within the Narbonne Avenue Pavement Rehabilitation Project, funded by Prop C. OPTIONS: 1. Approve staff s recommendations. 2. Direct staff to implement the restriping modifications with regular paint (instead of thermoplastic) and re-evaluate after a six (6) month period. 3. Provide alternative direction. ATTACHMENTS 1. Los Angeles County Traffic Advisor Report 2. March 7, 2017 Agenda Report (inc. Nelson/Nygaard Memo)
Reviewed by: Approved by: Gary Y. Sugano Assistant City Manager Ryan Smoot City Manager Prepared by: Mark A. McAvoy, P.E. Public Works Director/City Engineer
July 27, 2017 TO: FROM: Mark McAvoy, Public Works Director City of Lomita Irena Guilmette Traffic Advisor CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST TO RESTRIPE NARBONNE AVENUE BETWEEN PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY AND LOMITA BOULEVARD At the March 7, 2017, Lomita City Council Meeting, the Council was presented with a proposal to restripe a portion of Narbonne Avenue between Pacific Coast Highway and Lomita Boulevard. This roadway reconfiguration was to be completed due to the upcoming pavement rehabilitation project on Narbonne Avenue that is slated to begin construction soon. After hearing the Staff report, the City Council made a motion to continue this matter after a more comprehensive traffic study was conducted by Los Angeles County. Existing This segment of Narbonne Avenue is classified as a minor arterial roadway on the 2013 Functional Classification System s California Road System maps on file with the Federal Highway Administration. It is an undivided highway striped for two lanes of travel in each direction with on-street parking. The roadway has curb, gutter and sidewalk on both sides. Narbonne Avenue is signalized at Lomita Boulevard, 250th Street, 255th Street and Pacific Coast Highway. Between Lomita Boulevard and 250th Street, the abutting property consists of commercial and residential properties with the Lomita Magnet Elementary School located on the northwest corner of 247th Street and Narbonne Avenue. Between 250th Street and Pacific Coast Highway, there is a mix of commercial, multiple-dwelling residential and single-family residential development. The 0.90 mile Narbonne Avenue corridor between Pacific Coast Highway and Lomita Boulevard has a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour (mph), and the average daily traffic is approximately 14,300 vehicles per day. Proposed This roadway reconfiguration would reallocate road space to one lane in each direction, a center two-way left-turn lane, a Class II bicycle lane in each direction with parking to remain on both sides of the roadway. The striping at the signalized intersections of Narbonne Avenue at 250 th Street and 255 th Street would transition the two-way left turn lanes into dedicated left turn lanes for both northbound and southbound Narbonne Avenue. The striping at the signalized intersection of Lomita Boulevard would remain the same except for the extension of the northbound left turn lane and the addition of dedicated right turn lanes on Lomita Boulevard. The existing striping at the signalized intersection of Pacific Coast Highway would remain the same. Traffic signal timing on Narbonne Avenue at the signalized intersections would need to be modified to accommodate the reconfigured roadway.
Traffic Analysis Methodology The County of Los Angeles considers any roadway with less than 20,000 vehicles per day to be an ideal lane reconfiguration candidate and a roadway with less than 15,000 vehicles per day wouldn t require a level of service (LOS) analysis. Although Narbonne Avenue has less than 15,000 vehicles per day, for purposes of this study, the County conducted a LOS analysis at the intersection of Narbonne Avenue and Lomita Boulevard due to traffic concerns raised by the public at the March 7, 2017, City of Lomita Council Meeting. Based on the analysis, LOS ratings ranging from A through F were assigned to this intersection, with A representing free flow, and F representing congested conditions. The following table represents the LOS for the intersection of Narbonne Avenue at Lomita Boulevard: Intersection Narbonne Avenue at Lomita Boulevard Peak Existing (2016) Existing (2035) Project (2016) Project (2035) LOS V/C LOS V/C LOS V/C LOS V/C AM D 0.85 D 0.88 C 0.81 D 0.84 PM E 0.97 F 1.01 E 0.91 E 0.95 Indicates inadequate northbound and southbound left-turn lane storage capacity Indicates adequate northbound and southbound left-turn lane storage capacity According to the County s General Plan, acceptable LOS is considered on a case-by-case basis with LOS D generally being the minimum desired. LOS ratings below D may be acceptable according to the County s General Plan if the project supports the General Plan goals, such as creating an efficient multimodal transportation system that serves the needs of all residents, and promoting active transportation. Based on the analysis, the intersection studied was categorized into the following groupings: LOS A through D Implementation of roadway configuration is not expected to result in traffic congestion at this intersection. LOS E Implementation of roadway reconfiguration is expected to result in traffic congestion at this intersection. However, LOS ratings below D may be acceptable according to the County's General Plan if the project supports the General Plan goal of promoting active transportation. The benefits, if implemented, should outweigh the traffic congestion impacts at this intersection. LOS F with Adequate Turn-Lane Capacity Implementation of roadway reconfiguration is expected to result in severe traffic congestion at this intersection. However, turn-lane capacities are adequate to
accommodate the forecasted queue lengths. The benefits,, if implemented, should substantially outweigh the traffic congestion impacts at this intersection. LOS F with Inadequate Turn-Lane Capacity Implementation of roadway reconfiguration is expected to result in severe traffic congestion at this intersection. Furthermore, extending the length of the turn-lanes to accommodate the forecasted queue is not feasible due to site-specific constraints. Implementation of roadway reconfiguration is not advisable along the roadways approaching this intersection. No Change to LOS For purposes of analysis, the intersection configuration is not expected to change at this location. Lane configurations from roadway reconfiguration will transition to join existing striping conditions approaching this intersection. Although the LOS at the intersection of Narbonne Avenue at Lomita Boulevard shows a LOS of E during the PM peak hours, the northbound and southbound left-turn capacity goes from inadequate to adequate with the intersection lane changes. Benefits of lane reconfiguration along Narbonne Avenue Pedestrians Pedestrian crossing of Narbonne Avenue may be easier and safer due to a reduction in the number of lanes to cross which reduces potential conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles. Bicyclists Increase in Active Transportation by providing bike lanes which meets the goals of Complete Streets and Healthy Design. Increase in the safety and comfort of bicyclists by providing a striped space on the roadway. The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) advocates the benefits of bike lanes, including increased bicyclist comfort and confidence on busy streets, separation between bicyclists and automobiles, increased predictability of bicycles and motorists positioning and interaction, increased total capacities of streets carrying mixed bicycle and motor vehicle traffic and a visual reminder to motorists of bicyclists right to the street. Emergency Vehicles Adding a 2-way left-turn lane would create unimpeded lanes that can be used by emergency vehicles or motorists needing to pull over to provide through movement of emergency responders.
Motorists Reduce specific types of traffic collisions. Per the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, roadway configurations such as this may have a crash reduction of 19 percent on corridors within suburban areas surrounding larger cities. Reduce intersection conflicts. Enhance intersection sight distance. Reduces left-turn conflicts at intersections and midblock locations. Reduce vehicle travel speeds because having additional lanes during non-peak hours encourages people to speed. Provide continuous turning lanes for left-turning vehicles which may potentially reduce mid-block delay and weaving. Community Improve business because people who walk or use bikes spend more money. Cost-Effective Implementing roadway design during the upcoming pavement rehabilitation project on Narbonne Avenue is cost-effective because there is no need to grind out existing striping. Left Turn Access at signalized intersections Left turn access for northbound and southbound Narbonne Avenue will be enhanced because dedicated left turn lanes will be installed at the signalized intersections of 250 th Street and 255 th Street. This will enhance visibility for left turning motorists as well as reduce left-turn collision potential. Conclusions Recognizing there are factors in addition to LOS that have bearing upon the suitability of roadway reconfiguration on Narbonne Avenue, it is recommended the City consider implementing these striping changes by weighing the potential benefits of facilitating multimodal transportation which supports the City of Lomita s recently adopted Complete Streets policy.
CITY OF LOMITA CITY COUNCIL REPORT TO: FROM: City Council Ryan Smoot, City Manager Item No. SCH 10 PREPARED BY: Mark A. McAvoy, P.E., Public Works Director/City Engineer MEETING DATE: March 7, 2017 SUBJECT: Discussion and Consideration of Request to Restripe a Portion of Narbonne Avenue RECOMMENDATION Staff and the Public Safety and Traffic Commission recommend that: 1. Approve Nelson/Nygaard s recommendation to reconfigure the traffic striping on the portion of Narbonne Avenue between Pacific Coast Highway and Lomita Boulevard to include a single lane in each direction, center turn lane, bicycle lanes, and parking, per the attached memorandum; and 2. Direct staff to incorporate the changes into the design plans for the Narbonne Avenue Pavement Rehabilitation Project. BACKGROUND The City received a recommendation from Nelson\Nygaard, the consultant hired to conduct research and prepare a long range bicycle/pedestrian master plan (active transportation plan) for the City, to reconfigure the lanes on Narbonne Avenue between Pacific Coast Highway and Lomita Boulevard (memo attached). The consultant provided the recommendation at this time due to the upcoming pavement rehabilitation project on Narbonne Avenue that is slated to begin construction in the near future. Existing With a roadway width curb-to-curb of 60 feet, Narbonne Avenue functions as the City s centermost North/South corridor. Narbonne Avenue is fronted by a variety of commercial businesses, schools, the civic center, library, post office, and fire station. Narbonne Avenue is posted with a 35 mph speed limit sign. While overall safety
collisions in the City are low, for the period between 2005 and 2013, 22% of pedestrianinvolved collisions and 28% of bicyclist-involved collisions occurred along this stretch of Narbonne Avenue. Narbonne Avenue north of Lomita Boulevard consists of a single lane in each direction with parking on both sides. In the adjacent jurisdiction to the north (Torrance), the roadway consists of a single lane in each direction with Class II bike lanes in each direction. In the adjacent jurisdiction to the south (Rolling Hills Estates), the roadway again is a single lane in each direction. The roadway between Lomita Boulevard and the City s southern boundary, however, consists of two lanes in each direction. Due to the fact that this section with two lanes in each direction is situated in between roadways with a single lane in each direction, motor vehicle traffic volumes along the subject section is considerably lower than would be expected for a four lane roadway, averaging less than 15,000 vehicles per day. Narbonne Avenue is designated as a Minor Collector by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) s 2013 Functional Classification System maps. Per the FHWA classification system, Major Collectors offer more mobility relative to Minor Collectors that offer more access. Narbonne Avenue also is currently a designated Class III bike route. Per the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) bikeway classification system, a Class III bicycle route serves to designate preferred routes through high demand corridors and provide continuity to other bicycle facilities. Proposed / Discussion Nelson/Nygaard s proposed re-design would trim the excess capacity along this roadway section from two lanes in each direction to a single lane in each direction, along with adding a center turn lane, Class II bike lanes, while maintaining parking. The center turn lane would provide two way left turn access to driveways along the corridor, while also supporting left turn pockets at intersections. Because the roadway carrying capacity is underutilized, reducing the number of vehicle lanes from four to three is not projected to increase traffic. Rather, the center turn lane is expected to alleviate existing bottleneck conditions. Similar three lane configurations have been found to support 25,000 vehicles per day, which is significantly higher than Narbonne Avenue s daily traffic of less than 15,000 vehicles per day. In addition to fully accommodating existing vehicle travel along Narbonne Avenue, and not removing any parking, another important component of this redesign is traffic and pedestrian safety. In order to reduce the disproportionately high incidence of traffic collisions occurring along this vibrant corridor, the consultant team proposed the reconfiguration from four lanes to three lanes to allow for a center turn lane. Pedestrian visibility is particularly important at intersections, especially adjacent to Lomita Magnet School.
The proposed roadway enhancement would also provide another important pedestrian safety benefit of establishing designated bike lanes which encourage cyclists fearful of sharing lanes with moving vehicles to ride on the roadway rather than the sidewalk. Nelson/Nygaard is recommending Class II bike lanes along Narbonne Avenue as part of the Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan. In addition to the significant safety benefits, the redesign would produce a more comfortable and friendly environment to pedestrians accessing Lomita Magnet School, bus loading and drop-off there and elsewhere along the corridor, businesses, and other properties. A more retail-friendly environment would advance economic activity along Lomita s Downtown commercial corridor. The proposed reconfiguration would not necessitate removal of any parking or increase traffic. This recommendation was first discussed at the February 28, 2017 Public Safety & Traffic Commission, and the recommendation was forwarded to the City Council by unanimous vote. In addition, the representative from the Los Angeles County Sheriff s Department indicated their support for this redesign due to the increased safety benefits of the center turn lane and dedicated left turn pockets at intersections. If City Council approves this recommendation, much of the reconfiguration could be accommodated at this time by being added into the upcoming Narbonne Avenue Pavement Rehabilitation Project. Staff is currently preparing design plans with construction estimated to begin in a couple months. FISCAL IMPACT The cost of restriping Narbonne Avenue is already included in the FY 2016-17 Budget within the Narbonne Avenue Pavement Rehabilitation Project, funded by Prop C. OPTIONS: 1. Approve staff s recommendations. 2. Provide alternative direction. ATTACHMENT Nelson/Nygaard Memorandum dated February 16, 2017
Reviewed by: Approved by: Gary Y. Sugano Assistant City Manager Ryan Smoot City Manager Prepared by: Mark A. McAvoy, P.E. Public Works Director/City Engineer
M E M O R A N D U M To: Alicia Velasco, Mark McAvoy, Daniella Ward, City of Lomita From: Dru van Hengel, Roger Pardo, Nelson\Nygaard Date: February 16, 2017 Subject: Narbonne Ave Road Diet BACKGROUND The City of Lomita and Nelson\Nygaard are currently collaborating on the development of the City s first Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. The Plan will introduce policies and projects to support future investments in active transportation including walking, bicycling and accessing transit. By funding the development of the Plan and consequently adopting it, the City Council has sent a strong signal that it intends Lomita to be more competitive in the pursuit of funds allocated by programs such as the Caltrans Active Transportation Program, and Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority Call for Projects. This will enable Lomita to fulfill a vision of providing safe and connected bicycle and pedestrian networks along and across city streets. To date, the project team has completed a comprehensive analysis of existing conditions as they pertain to pedestrian and bicyclist safety in the City of Lomita, public outreach to share those results, and is currently in the process of developing project and program recommendations for the City. The Plan is expected to be completed in Spring 2017. One of the plan recommendations will include a bike lane project on Narbonne. The City has scheduled pavement maintenance on this street in advance of the plan s completion, and is considering whether to implement this recommendation at this time to achieve cost savings. RECOMMENDATION In order to take advantage of the coming repaving and restriping project along Narbonne Avenue, Nelson\Nygaard recommends the implementation of a design change, commonly called a road diet (Figure 1). While parking would remain on both flanks of the roadway, one travel lane in each direction would be removed. In their place would be a bicycle lane in each direction, and a dual turn lane in the center. This design would significantly improve bicycle connectivity, create a safer environment for all users, and continue to support traffic flow. 706 SOUTH HILL STREET, SUITE 1200 LOS ANGELES, CA 90014 213-785-5500 www.nelsonnygaard.com
NARBONNE AVENUE ROAD DIET LOMITA BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PLAN City of Lomita Figure 1 Narbonne Avenue Road Diet Design WHY NARBONNE? As Lomita s centermost North/South corridor, Narbonne Avenue provides a rational backbone for Lomita s bicycle network. It would be within a half-mile reach of all residents. The corridor would connect the community civic center, Lomita Elementary, a variety of commercial destinations, and the nearby Railroad Museum attraction. The following are additional considerations that suggest the applicability of a road diet to facilitate bicycle facilities along Narbonne Avenue. Motor Vehicle Volume Three lane road diets, such as the one suggested for this corridor, have been shown to support up to 25,000 vehicles per day, as long as intersection designs support left turn pockets. Narbonne s comparatively low vehicle demand is well under this limit, with the highest traffic volumes (single direction) of 769 vehicles in the peak hour. It is important to note that Narbonne Avenue north of Lomita Boulevard is designed to carry one lane of traffic in each direction. This suggests that the Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. 2
NARBONNE AVENUE ROAD DIET LOMITA BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PLAN City of Lomita design of Narbonne Avenue south of Lomita Boulevard is overbuilt to support much more traffic than it does. It should also be noted that the designated left turn lane that accompanies road diets may facilitate smoother traffic flows and reduce rear-end collisions and near-misses as individuals do not stop in a travel lane to que for a left turn. Safety Although the rate of collisions in Lomita is low, a high proportion of them occur on Narbonne. Between 2005 to 2013, 22% of pedestrian-involved collisions and 28% of bicyclist-involved collisions occurred along Narbonne Avenue. In addition, the plan s Level of Traffic Stress analysis considering roadway width, number of lanes, and speed, identified Narbonne Avenue as exhibiting conditions of extreme stress that only the most experienced cyclists are capable of, though not necessarily comfortable, maneuvering. Road diets are a strategy for calming traffic by narrowing the vehicular right of way, creating a safer environment for all users. Fiscal Efficiencies The implementation of roadway design efforts during repaving projects is cost-effective. With fresh roadway surface on which to install pavement striping, there is no need to grind or otherwise mask the existing striping. Staff anticipates installing many of the improvements in the future as repaving projects. Given the timing of Narbonne Avenue s repavement, it would be a fiscally efficient decision to implement the recommended road diet simultaneously. Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. 3