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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-10-04 City Council (9)City of Palo Alto 3 City Manager’s Report TO: ATTN: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMISSION FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PLANNING DATE:October 4, 1999 CMR: 375:99 SUBJECT:RESOLUTION APPROVING NO PARKING ZONES ON ARASTRADERO ROAD AT TERMAN DRIVE REPORT IN BRIEF Due to the substantial number of accidents related to left turns from Arastradero Road to Donald and Terman Drives, staff recommends that left-turn lanes and signal arrows be installed on Arastradero Road at this intersection. The accident problem will be exacerbated by added traffic from full occupancy of the Mid-Peninsula Jewish Community Day School adjacent to Terman Drive. In order to provide sufficient width on Arastradero Road to add the left-turn lanes, the gutters must be narrowed and parking must be removed on the eastbound and westbound approaches to this intersection. Council approval is required to establish the new No Parking zones. CMR:375:99 Page 1 of 4 RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that Council refer to the Planning and Transportation Commission the proposed establishment of No Parking zones on the north and south sides of Arastradero Road for a distance of 300 feet to the east of the easterly crosswalk at Donald and Terman Drives; and for a distance of 200 feet to the west of the westerly crosswalk, for discussion and recommendation. BACKGROUND Terrnan Drive is the only vehicle access to the former Terman school site and the Terman apartments adjacent to the site. Terman Drive is one leg of the four-legged Arastradero Road/Terman Drive/Donald Drive intersection, located approximately midway between E1 Camino Real and Foothill Expressway. At this location, Arastradero Road has four traffic lanes, an eastbound bicycle lane with no parking permitted between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. any day (except five minutes for commercial vehicles), and a westbound bicycle lane with parking permitted at all times. In the past few years, the Transportation Division has received complaints about problems related to drivers making left turns from Arastradero Road to Donald and Terman Drives, where there are neither left-turn lanes nor left-turn signals. Staff reviewed the accident history and found ~hat a substantial number of accidents related to left-turn movements have occurred at this intersection since 1985. Twenty accidents occurred directly between left- turners and opposing through drivers where there are infrequent and/or inadequate gaps of heavy peak period through traffic. An additional eight rear-end accidents occurred due to the interaction between inattentive drivers and drivers stopped in the inside through lanes to make left turns. In 1997, the Mid-Peninsula Jewish Community Day School applied to the City to move and expand its school (currently located on the Terman site) to a new location adjacent to the Terman site. The Transportation Division and the project applicant looked at various driveway options for the new school, and agreed that the best access would be via the existing Terman Drive intersection. Because the expanded school will substantially increase existing left-turning traffic, the City required the applicant to fund its proportional share of the left-turn improvements which will be constructed by the City. DISCUSSION The existing traffic and bicycle lanes on Arastradero Road are already as narrow as possible, so the additional width for the left-turn pockets must be obtained by removing parking on the east and west sides of Arastradero. As shown in Exhibit A of the attached resolution, the length of the new No Parking area will be 300 feet to the east of the easterly crosswalk; and 200 feet to the west of the westerly crosswalk (the distances are proportional to the number of projected left turning vehicles). This parking removal will affect six residences--five on the north side of Arastradero and one on the south side of Arastradero. All six residences are comer properties and have frontages on side streets. Bus stops are located on Arastradero CMR:375:99 Page 2 of 4 Road at this intersection. The addition of the left-turn lanes will result in five-foot-wide bike lanes in which buses will stop, with the bus blocking part of the outside through-traffic lane. This situation is unavoidable and is present in other locations in the City, including other locations on Arastradero Road. In addition to the signing and restriping work that will be needed to add the turn pockets, the width of the gutters on the north and south sides of Arastradero must be reduced by one foot each in order to provide the minimum acceptable width for the bike lanes. All curb, gutter, signing, striping, and signal work will be performed by the City. Staff sent a letter to residents living along the affected portion of Arastradero Road and to residents of Donald and Terman Drives, explaining the project and its impacts and notifying them of the October 4 City Council meeting. Staff also sent copies of this staff report to the six households fronting on Arastradero Road. Staff has heard from three of the notified households (the single affected household on the south side of Arastradero was not notified of the proposed change in time to have any potential response included in this staff report). One resident of Donald Drive is concerned about increased traffic on her street that is already occurring. The other two residents on Arastradero Road nearest the intersection are concerned that narrowing the bike/parking lane on the north side of Arastradero will bring traffic closer to their homes, thereby increasing noise and making it harder than it already is to enter and exit their driveways. Left-turn driveway access may also be more difficult for these two households because these residents will have to turn across the new left-turn lane which may have more vehicles queued up than currently is the case. At least one of these residents is also concerned that parking may be more difficult because spill-over parkers from the Terman Community Center already use the north side of Arastradero Road and Donald Drive. When parking is removed from the north side of Arastradero, some of these parkers may move to Donald Drive or one of the other side streets, which are also the only locations where residents of the six directly-affected households will be able to park (other than their own driveways or garages). One of the concerned residents has a driveway that is too short for parking without blocking the sidewalk. Staffhas already received a complaint about the increased back-up of traffic entering Terman Drive as a result of the recent opening of the new school. Staff believes that installation of left-turn pockets and signal arrows is essential to avoid increased safety problems that could result from the added traffic now using Terman Drive. RESOURCE IMPACT The estimated cost of the signal modifications is $65,000, plus $25,000 for the gutter, signing, and restriping work, for a total of $90,000. As a condition of project approval, the Jewish Community Day School will reimburse the City up to $20,300. The signal modifications are budgeted in the Electric Fund. The gutter, signing, and striping work will be implemented as. part of the City’s annual resurfacing project, funded by existing Street Improvement fund monies. CMR:375:99 Page 3 of 4 POLICY IMPLICATIONS This project is consistent with Comprehensive Plan Policies T-28 and T-39: Policy T-28: Make effective use of the traffic-carrying ability of Palo Alto’s major street network without compromising the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists also using this network. Policy T-39: To the extent allowed by law, continue to make safety the first priority of citywide transportation planning. Prioritize pedestrian, bicycle, and automobile safety over vehicle level-of-service at intersections. TIMELINE Left-turn pockets will be installed this fall, and left-turn signals will follow as soon thereafter as possible. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW This project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") under Section 15301 of the CEQA guidelines (minor alterations to existing facilities). ATTACHMENTS A. Resolution Approving No Parking Zones on Arastradero Road and Exhibit A PREPARED BY: Carl Stoffel, Transportation Engineer DEPARTMENT HEAD: ~ .~(’t| J G. EDWARI~ ~ Director of Planning and Community Environment CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: HARRISON Assistant City Manager Arastradero Road residents Mid-Peninsula Jewish Community Day School Jewish Community Center Palo Alto Housing Corporation Terman Library Barron Park Neighborhood Association Greenacres I and II Neighborhood Associations Friends of the Palo Alto Library CMR:375:99 Page 4 of 4 RESOLUTION NO. RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO APPROVING AND ADOPTING NO PARKING ZONES ON ARASTRADERO ROAD WHEREAS, a study of accidents at the Arastradero Road/Terman Drive/Donald Drive intersection indicates that a substantial number of accidents have occurred that are related to vehicles turning left from Arastradero Road; and WHEREAS, a new development project adjacent to Terman Drive will cause a fifty percent increase in peak hour left turns from Arastradero Road onto Terman Drive; and WHEREAS, left-turn lanes and signal phases are required to substantially reduce the number of left-turn related accidents; and WHEREAS, there is a need to establish zones where parking is prohibited at any time in order to accommodate left-turn lanes at this intersection; and WHEREAS, Palo Alto Municipal Code section 10..44.010 enables the City Council to establish by resolution such parking restrictions and prohibitions as may be necessary. NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Palo Alto does hereby RESOLVE as follows: SECTION i. The City Council hereby establishes "No Parking at Anytime" zones on the north and south sides of Arastradero Road for a distance of 300 feet to the east of the easterly crosswalk; and for a distance of 200 feet to the west of the westerly crosswalk, as indicated in Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated by reference. // // /./ // // 990721 sd10032155 SECTION 2.The Councii finds that this project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") under Section 15301 (minor alterations to existing facilities) of the CEQA guidelines. INTRODUCED AND PASSED: AYES: NOES: ABSTENTIONS: ABSENT: ATTEST:APPROVED: City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: City Attorney Mayor City Manager Director of Planning & Community Environment 990721 sdl 0032155 EXHIBIT A: NO PARKING ANY TIME TERMAN/ARASTRADERO INTERSECTION