HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 334-05City of Palo Alto
City Manager's Report
TO: ~.~. -HONORABI:E" CITY COUNCIL ~"~ .. --.~.~-.-~.~~~,<-~.-~~-~---~~ .. -~ .. ~.
FROM: CITY MANAGER
DATE: JULY 25, 2005
DEPARTMENT: PLANNING AND
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT
CMR: 334:05
SUBJECT: SECOND DOWNTOWN NORTH TRIAL TRAFFIC CALMING PLAN
Please note that this is an informational report and no Council action is required.
BACKGROUND
On March 29, 2004, Council directed staff to remove most elements of the First Trial Plan for
Downtown North traffic calming that was installed in June 2003, including six of the seven street
closures. Council directed staff to implement a Second Trial Plan (Attachment A) including two
traffic circles on Everett (at Emerson and at Webster), one traffic circle at Hawthorne (at Cowper), a
speed table on Hawthorne (near High), and a speed table on Palo Alto Avenue (between Alma and
Emerson). Council also directed staff to implement right tum restrictions between 7 AM to lOAM
from Middlefield onto Hawthorne and Everett and left tum restrictions between both 7 AM to 10
AM and 3 PM to 6 PM from Alma onto Hawthorne and Everett. In addition, Council asked staff to
provide informational reports on various aspects of the new plan, as discussed below. The first
informational report was provided to Council on August 9, 2004 (CMR:391 :04).
DISCUSSION
The Council-adopted Second Trial Plan described above is illustrated in Attachment A. The second
trial plan was implemented in two phases. The first phase was completed with installation in April
2004 of tum restriction signs along Alma and Middlefield. The second phase was completed in
September 2004 with installation of the three traffic circles, two speed tables, and associated
striping and signage. An informal stakeholder input group was convened by the Transportation
Division to advise in evaluation of the second trial plan. Roundtable members, who comprise both
proponents and opponents of the first Downtown North traffic calming (closures) Trial plan, have
met four times since being convened by the Transportation Division. While no voting has taken
place during the meetings· and consensus was not always reached, discussions have been respectful
of differing points of view.
The timeline for the evaluation and review of the second. traffic calming trial plan is as follows:
• Trial preliminary evaluation was completed by mid-June 2005
• Preliminary evaluation findings were reviewed by the Downtown North Second Traffic Calming
Trial Plan "Roundtable" on June 23, 2005
• A public meeting on preliminary evaluation findings is scheduled for July 21,2005
CMR:334:05 Page 1 of3
• An postcard advisory survey on the Downtown North Second Traffic Calming Trial will be
mailed out to residents of Downtown North and environs after the public meeting
• The Planning and Transportation Commission will conduct a public hearing on staff findings
and recommendations on Planning and Transportation Commission (PTC) public hearing in
June 2005
• City Council meeting and decision regarding second Downtown North Traffic Calming Trial
will take place at a date to be determined after the Planning and Transportation Commission
public hearing
Advisory Survey of Residents
The advisory survey of resident opinion on the Second Downtown North Traffic Calming Trial Plan
will ask respondents to check "yes" or "no" to the following question: "Should the Second
DoWntown North Traffic Calming Trial Plan be made permanent." The advisory survey area will
include residences and business addresses on all Downtown North streets bounded by Middlefield,
Lytton, Alma, and the San Francisquito Creek; residences and business addresses with at least one
side on Middlefield, Lytton, or Alma; and residences and business addresses in the Lytton
Neighborhood east of Middlefield, south of the San Francisquito Creek, west of Chaucer, and north
of Middlefield; and residences and businesses on both sides of University Avenue from Middlefield
to Chaucer. The survey will be in the form of a postcard sent to addresses in the above areas with a
pre-printed Transportation . Division return address. The Transportation Division has conducted an
array of such resident advisory surveys in recent years, including those pertaining to the College
Terrace traffic calming plan, the Channing traffic calming plan, the Louis Road traffic calming plan
and many others.
RESOURCE IMPACT
There is $60,000 in the Transportation Division FY 2004/05 operating budget for this project,
which may be used if necessary for modification, augmentation, or removal of traffic calming trial
elements. One potential modification is filling in the existing traffic circles with decomposed
granite similar to the fill used in the now-removed street closures at an estimated cost of $12,000.
The estimated cost for Public Works Operations to maintain the traffic calming measures in the
Second Trial Plan, calculated at 2% of project costs annually for fifty years, is approximately
$1,440. This extra maintenance requirement is not funded.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
This traffic calming plan is consistent with Comprehensive Plan policies and programs relating to
neighborhood streets, including the following:
PolicyT -32: "Design and maintain the City street network to provide a variety of alternate routes,
so that the traffic loads on anyone street are minimized."
Policy T-33: "Keep all neighborhood streets open unless there is a demonstrated safety or
overwhelming through traffic problem and there are no acceptable alternatives, or unless a closure
would increase the use of alternative transportation modes." .
CMR:334:05 Page 2 of3
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Policy T -34: Implement traffic calming measures to slow traffic on local and collector residential
streets and prioritize these measures over congestion management. Include traffic circles and other
traffic calming devices among these measures."
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A mitigated negative declaration was approved by the Council for the Modified Mixed Measures
Plan, which included plans with similar or less impact, such as the Second Trial Plan.
ATTACHMENTS
A. Downtown North Second Traffic Calming Trial Map
PREPARED BY: ~/~ JOSEPH KOTT
Chief Transportation Official
\
DEPARTMENT HEAD:
Directo of Planning Community Environment
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
"'-. Assistant City Manager
CC: Downtown North Roundtable Members
Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Committee Members
City of Menlo Park Transportation Division
CMR:334:05 Page 3 of3
I
ATTACHMENT A
H P ALTDAV NUE
Bike Bridge I ( , G
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• EXisting Stop Sign
': Gateway
: Bulbout Pair
@ Tr~ffic Circle
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BRYANT STREET
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1nstall New , Stanford
NO CLOSURES'
PLAN
,-DOWNTOWN
NORTH TRAFFIC
CAtMING PROJECT
Note:' the gbteways/T;b~:~t -+ gl O' ______ ..:!!e~, Ele~'~~<:T~~1'T ~
bulbout and traffic Existing Gateway ~ r:~;-_ -""''''-'''=.1-.---:, -, --'I~rl!!l' 'r---
circles allow full two-way ~)\ Fire 6
traffic access. ~ ~ i \ ~ _-:J ~~~!i9n _ , 5 lnr a "--_-,-,-___ -=--~o '--_____ """~ ____ =~~n.:b~-,--::~ ,~~~~~ ~~_ II?\I_~ .. !I'~ ALMA STREET m AlMA STREET
,,/ -~ 'e.J ~ sOllTHERNPACIFICRAILROAO
.;o/~ Existing
n~o .
7-10 AM
3-6 PM
7':10 AM
3-6 PM