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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-11-13 City Council (15)City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report TO: FROM: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PLANNING AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT DATE:NOVEMBER 13, 2001 CMR:404:01 SUBJECT: 2001 ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC SURVEYS This is an informational report and no Council action is required. BACKGROUND The purpose of this report is to inform Council about the completion of engineering and traffic surveys rejustifying existing posted and prima facie speed limits on thirty-three street segments, which will allow the Police Department to use radar for speed enforcement purposes. The California Vehicle Code (CVC) requires updating the engineering and traffic surveys every seven years in order to reevaluate whether or not the Police Department can use radar for speed enforcement. The engineering and traffic Surveys can remain valid for up to 10 years, if a registered engineer evaluates the road segrnent and determines that no significant changes in roadway or traffic conditions have occurred. Exempt from this requirement, are the 25 mph school zone speed limits, when children are present, and local roads, as defined by the CVC, for which the police department can use radar without en~lneerlng and traffic" surveys. The three elements of the engineering and traffic surveys as defined in CVC section 627 are: (1) speed surveys, (2) roadway conditions, and (3) accident records. Effective January 1, 2001, this CVC Section was amended so that local jurisdictions may also consider "residential density" and "pedestrian and bicycle safety" factors when conducting engineering and traffic surveys. The speeds are normally established at the first five-mile per hour increment below the 85th percentile speed. However, accident history, residential density, pedestrian and bike safety, and roadside conditions, further justify lowering the indicated speed by 5 mph. DISCUSSION For 22 street segments (Attachment A) the previous engineering and traffic surveys were conducted in 1994 and 1995 and will expire soon. In addition to these 22 segments, staff also evaluated the use of radar for speed enforcement on an additional 24 street segments including Embarcadero, Middlefield, Charleston and Arastradero Roads (Attachment B). The engineering and traffic survey results indicate that the existing posted speed limits on CMR:404:01 Page 1 of 3 all of the previously surveyed 22 street segments, as well as the prima facie speed limit of 25 mph on eleven new street segments, are justified (Attachment C). It is important to note that for the first time since the speed trap law went into effect, staff was able to justify the 25 mph prima facie speed limit on four additional street segments (Attachment B), primarily due to using the new provisions of the law which allow "residential density" and "pedestrian and bicycle safety" factors. The street segments are: 1.Channing Avenue, between St. Francis Drive and Alma Street 2.Embarcadero Road, between Alma Street and Middlefield Road 3.Charleston Road, between E1 Camino Real and Middlefield Road. 4.Middlefield Road, between the northerly city limit and Matadero Creek!Ellsworth The CVC allows local authorities to increase or decrease the prima facie speed limits by ordinance or resolution to appropriate speed limits as determined by engineering and traffic surveys. No resolution or ordinance is required if an existing posted speed limit, or prima facie speed limit, is rejustified by engineering and traffic surveys. Therefore, no Council action is required for the 33 street segments where the current posted speed limit or prima facie speed limit is justified. Of the remaining 13 street segments, speed survey results indicate that the posted speed limit can be lowered from 35 mph to 30 mph on two street segments and should be raised on the remaining 11 street segments (Attachment D), to enable the Police Department to use radar for speed enforcement purposes. Staff will forward an ordinance to Council lowering the speed limit on the two segments in the near future. Council adoption of the ordinance will allow posting a lower speed limit and use of radar for speed enforcement purposes on those two street segments. However, based on Council’s past explicit direction not to raise speed limits, staff does not plan to include the remaining eleven street segments in the ordinance. Should Council choose to raise the speed limits on the remaining eleven street segments, Council could agendize this item and direct staff to prepare an appropriate ordinance for Council adoption. ATTACHMENTS A.Summary of Speed Surveys for Existing 22 Street Segments B.Additional 24 Street Segments Surveyed C.Street Segments Where Speed Limit has been Re-justified D.Street Segments Where Speed Limit Should be Lowered or Raised CMR:404:01 Page 2 of 3 PREPARED BY: DEPARTMENT HEAD: S AGGARWAL City Traffic Engineer Interim Director of Planning and Community Environment CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: EMILY HX’~SON Assistant City Manager CC:Planning and Transportation Commission City-School Traffic Safety Committee Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Committee Neighborhood Associations CMR:404:01 Page 3 of 3 ATTACHMENT A Previous Street Segments where Engineering and Traffic Surveys were conducted in 1994 and 1995, and conducted again in October 2001. NO STREET SEGMENT 1 Alma Street Embarcadero Road to Oregon Expressway 2 Alma Street Oregon Expressway to East Meadow Drive 3 Alma Street East Meadow Drive to San Antonio Road 4 Churchill Avenue El Camino Real to Alma Street 5 I Churchill Avenue Alma Streetto Embarcadero Road- 6 I Colorado Avenue Middlefield Road to Louis Road 7 East Bayshore Road Embarcadero Road to north City Limit 8 Fabian Way East Charleston Road to West Bayshore Road 9 Hanover Street Pagemill Road to Hillview Avenue 10 I Hansen Way El Camino Real to Pagemill Road 11 t Hillview Avenue Hanover Street to Foothill Expressway 12 I Hillview Avenue Foothill Expressway to Arastradero Road 13 Oregon Expressway Alma Street to Middlefield Road 14 Oregon Expressway Middlefield Road to Highway 101 15 Pagemill Road Alma Street to El Camino Real 16 Pagemill Road El Camino Real to Hanover Street 17 Pagemill Road Hanover Street to Foothill Expressway 18 San Antonio Road Alma Street to Middlefield Road 19 San Antonio Road Middlefield Road to Charlston Road 20 University Avenue Middlefield Road to east City Limit 21 Welch Road Pasteur Drive to Quarry Road 22 West Bayshore Road Oregon Expressway to Amarillo Avenue ATTACHMENT B Additional Street Segments where Engineering and Traffic Surveys were conducted in October 2001. NO 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 STREET Arastradero Road Arastradero Road Arastradero Road Channing Avenue Channing Avenue Channing Avenue Charleston Road Charleston Road Charleston Road Colorado Avenue East Bayshore Road Embarcadero Road Embarcadero Road Embarcadero Road Middlefield Road Middlefleld Road Middlefield Road Middlefield Road Middlefield Road Middlefield Road Middlefield Road San Antonio Road West.Bayshore Road West Bayshore Road SEGMENT El Camino Real to Foothill Expressway Foothill Expressway to Hillview Drive Hillview Drive to west City Limit St. Francis Drive to Newell Road Newell Road to Boyce Street Middlefield Road to Alma Street El Camino Real to Alma Street Alma Street to Middlefield Road Middlefield Road to San Antonio Road Louis Road to East Bayshore Road Embarcadero Road to San Antonio Road Alma Street to Middlefield Road Middlefield Road to Walnut Drive Walnut Drive to St. Francis Drive North City Limit to Channing Avenue Channing Avenue to Embarcadero Road Embarcadero Road to Oregon Expressway ©regon Expressway to Matadero Creek Matadero Creek to Loma Verde Avenue Loma Verde Avenue to Charleston Road Charleston Road to San Antonio Road Charlston Road to East Bayshore Road Amarillo Avenue to Loma Verde Avenue Loma Verde Avenue to Fabian Way ATTACHMENT C Street Segments where Posted Speed or Prima Facie Speed Limit has been Re-justified by the October 2001 Engineering and Traffic Surveys EXISTING RECOM- NO STREET SEGMENT SPEED 85th %MENDED LIMIT SPEED 1 Alma Street Embarcadero Road to Oregon Expressway 35 40.7 35 2 Alma Street Oregon Expressway to East Meadow Drive 35 40.8 35 3 Alma Street East Meadow Drive to San Antonio Road 35 36.5 35 4 Channing Avenue St. Francis Drive to Newell Road 25 34.9 25 5 Channing Avenue Newell Road to Boyce Street 25 31.2 25 6 Channing Avenue Middlefield Road to Alma Street 25 29.6 25 7 Charleston Road El Camino Real to Alma Street 25 34.9 25 8 Charleston Road Alma Street to Middlefield Road 25 34.7 25 9 Churchill Avenue El Camino Real to Alma Street 25 31.3 25 10 Churchill Avenue Alma Street to Embarcadero Road 25 27.6 25 11 Colorado Avenue Middlefield Road to Louis Road 25 27.8 25 12 Colorado Avenue Louis Road to East Bayshore Road 25 25.8 25 13 East Bayshore Road Embarcadero Road to north City Limit 35 44.5 35 14 Embarcadero Road Alma Street to Middlefield Road 25 34.8 25 15 Fabian Way East Charleston Road to West Bayshore Road 30 39.7 30 16 Hanover Street Pagemill Road to Hillview Avenue 30 31.4 30 17 Hansen Way El Camino Real to Pagemill Road 30 35.9 30 18 Hillview Avenue Hanover Street to Foothill Expressway 30 37.7 30 19 Hillview Avenue Foothill Expressway to Arastradero Road 35 44.3 35 20 Middlefield Road North City Limit to Channing Avenue 25 34.8 25 21 Middlefield Road Channing Avenue to Embarcadero Road 25 34.6 25 22 Middlefield Road Embarcadero Road to Oregon Expressway 25 34.6 25 23 Middlefield Road Oregon Expressway to Matadero Creek 25 32.5 25 24 Oregon Expressway Alma Street to Middlefield Road 35 36.2 35 25 Oregon Expressway Middlefield Road to Highway 101 35 40.4 35 26 Pagemill Road Alma Street to El Camino Real 35 41.2 35 27 Pagemill Road El Camino Real to Hanover Street 35 34.5 35 28 Pagemill Road Hanover Street to Foothill Expressway 35 40.5 ! 3529San Antonio Road Alma Street to Middlefield Road 35 33.9 35 30 San Antonio Road Middlefleld Road to Charleston Road 35 35.4 35 31 University Avenue Middlefleld Road to east City Limit 25 32.8 25 32 Welch Road Pasteur Drive to Quarry Road 25 31.7 25 33 ! West Bayshore Road Oregon Expressway to Amarillo Avenue 30 38.9 30 ATTACHMENT D Street Segments where the Posted or Prima Facie Speed Limit must be Lowered or Raised to be consistent with the October 2001 Engineering and Traffic Surveys NO STREET 1 Arastradero Road 2 Arastradero Road 3 Arastradero Road 4 Charleston Road 5 East Bayshore Road 6 Embarcadero Road 7 Embarcadero Road 8 Middlefield Road 9 Middlefield Road 10 Middlefield Road 11 San Antonio Road 12 West Bayshore Road 13 West Bayshore Road SEGMENT El Camino Real to Foothill Expressway Foothill Expressway to Hillview Drive Hillview Drive to west City Limit Middlefield Road to San Antonio Road Embarcadero Road to San Antonio Road Middlefield Road to Walnut Drive Walnut Drive to St. Francis Drive Matadero Creek to Loma Verde Avenue Loma Verde Avenue to Charleston Road Charleston Road to San Antonio Road Charlston Road to East Bayshore Road Amarillo Avenue to Loma Verde Avenue Loma Verde Avenue to Fabian Way EXISTING SPEED LIMIT 25 35 35 25 35 25 25 25 25 25 35 35 35 85th % 36.9 33.7 34.6 37.3 48.1 36.3 38.3 36.6 37.0 38.1 45.3 149.3 ! 45.9 RECOM- MENDED SPEED 30 30 30 30 40 30 30 30 30 30 40 40 40