HomeMy WebLinkAbout0241.093,
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April 15, 1993
HONORABLE CIT¥ COL~CIL
PalQ Alto, California
Attention: policy and Services committee
PI.AN FOR FURTHER ACTION ON SCHOOL SAFETY IS~.uES AND STUDY CORRIDORS
Members ot the council:
Report In Brief
This report provides a discussion ot staff's recommendations
regarding the pr-ocess a,nd priorities for further action on school
safety issues, including follow-up work on the Meadow/Charleston
study area and study of school ~afety issues in other areas of the
City~ staff recommencls that the Policy and services Committee
endorse an action plan for furthE'_r study of school safety issues
based on the follo~ing priorities:
priority
1
3
4
CMR! 241! 93
Aqtivity
F.esponse to site-specific safety issues and
requests from individual schools, as referred
through the city/School Traffic Safety Committee
Implementation of recommendations from the
MeadowlCharle6ton Sch~l Corridor Safety Study
Application of recommended actions from the
Meadow/Charleston Study to other areas of City
Identification and prioritization of other
potential stuC3y areas, in consultation 'With the
City/School Traffic Safety Committ~e. Report to
the Council at the. same time as the six-month
Status Report on implen1entation of the Meado'W/
Charleston corridor study recommendations.
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BACKGROUND
In february 1992, Co\~ncil directed staff to proc€!?'d .... i th a focused
3tudy of the Meadow/Charlestor. School Commute Corridor. '?he
Council motion also referred the issue of further study of other
corridors to the Policy and Services Committee.
In a Ja.nuary 1993 status report on the Meado'..r/Charleston study (CMR
142!93), staff proposed that the Policy and se!.'"vices Committee
first revie~ the F'inal Study Repc,rt and staff recommendations for
the Meadow/Charleston Scho':i'l Corridor Study at its March meeting,
and then consider the subject of future study corridors at its
April 20th meetinq.
DISCUSSION
In the staff report (CMR:144:92 1 attached) submitted to council in
early 1992 on ways to conduct a study of school safety issues.
three approaches to the study precess were identified: (l} the
focused. (Meadow/Charleston) corridor study, (2) a Major Streets
Corridor study, or (3) a Comprehensive C-it~ide study. The
estimated costs (from $20,000 to $80 1 ~OD} and durat.ion {four to
eight months) of the alternatives var:pd, ba~cc on the scale of the
studies. The Council's de~ision to direct staff to first study the
Meadow/Charleston Corridor respor.ded to the community's highest
priority concerns and the I'ost achievable, shortsst-term project.
The referral to the Policy and Services committee regarding futurE
potential study areas ac"kno\iledged the interest expressed by some
members of the community in similar treatment of other areas of the
community.
At this time, as compared to when the Meado .. /Charleston study
began, the Council, staff, and public have a more thorough
understanding of the study process and the resources and time
commitment required. Given the recent experience with the
Meadow/Charleston study, staff now estimates that a new consultant
study on the. sca.le of the Meadow/Charleston study \Io'ou1d take from
9-1l months to complete and would cost no less than $30,000 for
consultant s~rvices pi'.JS 325 person hours of staff time.
Also, sta.ff is no .... involved with many more p:cojects directly
related to school safety issues, than a year ago, These projects
vary from routine assignments and liaison functions ~ith the scheel
community, to implementation of several capital improvement program
projects. The Meadow/Charleston study alone has genera~ed a
sUbstantial number of follow-up assignments that are discussed
below. A decision to embark upon a ne .... corridor study should be
evaluated in the context of these competing demands upon staff
resources. Undertaking a new study would have the effect of
reducing the staff time that would normally be directed to othe_r
priority assignments. The following is a discussion of these areas
of involvement and staff's assessment of their relative priorities.
CMR:241:93
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~.neral School Safety ISS'..1JL~
As part of the TransPQrt~tion Divisionis routine activities, stafr
mai~tains a dialogue with, and responds to ~equests from, the Palo
Alto Unified School District (PAUSD), city/School Traffic safety
cODl.!ilittee, individual schools, and PTA groups throughout the year
on a variety of traffic safety issues. These are generally site
specific issues related to trafti:::: circulation and parkingr safety
patrols, adult crossing guards, traffic controls, etc .• in the
vicinity of individual schools. These issues are usually raised
through the city/Scnool T:-affic Safety Committee, for analysis and
evaluation by the Transportation Division.
During the course of a typical year, staff is invclved ~ith several
such issues. At the present time, staff has received requests from
Palo Verde School and El Carmela School rega~ding safety problems
in front of the SChools. Staff conducts field observatiol".s,
collects field data, and develops recommendations for improvements,
if warranted. In addition, there are pending issues related to
access t,o Palo Alto High School, including the installation of .e
pedestrian signal on Embarcadero Road between Palo Alto High School
and To'Wn ar.d Country Village Shopping CI?nt.er (a proposed new
capital Improvement Program project for 1993-94) I and discussions
'With the PAUSD regarding th.~ feasibility of opening a neW' drivewa:t
onto £1 Camino Real.
staff believes that the issues raised through t.he city/School
Traffic Safety Committee~ which acts as a forum for resolving
school safety concerns, are a high priority; and the current
process of addres~in9 such issues on a case-by-case basis should
continue.
FoJ,loW'",:,,"Ul;) on the Meadow/Charleston Stuc1y ReCOmI!lenQ..atigD...§.
The ME'-adoW'jCharlestoJ"l. study has resulted in seve.ral specific major
recommendations that. staff 'liill need trJ pursue, subject to approval
by Council ano. availability of fur.ding, in the next one to two
years. Am~ng these 2re the following:
• Install a Traffic Signal at Meadow Drive and Waverley
Street
• Conduct a feasibility stUdy of pedestrian/bicycle grade
separations at railroad crossings on school commute
corridors.
• Work 'With Cal trans on feasibility. scope and cost of
intersection and traffic sign~l improvements on E1 Camino
Real at Maybell, Los Robles Avenue and Arastradero Road l
for future Capital Improvement program projects.
CHR:2U:93 4/15/93
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• Initiate discus3io!'ls '\II'ith Barron Park }.s50ciation on
bikeway improvems.nts along Los Robles Avenue an.d pedestrian
improvements along Lo~ Robles and Maybell Avenue.
• Conduct a High Accident Locations study y.eaI'ly, tor all
intersections on routes to s~hool ~lth five or more
accidents per year.
-rhese recommendations were developed '\II'ith the cooperation and
support of the Stanford Middle School comm~nity and other
neighborhood interests. They will require substantial staff time
to pursue, develcp and implement. The school comnunity is anxious
to r~ave the City move forward expeditiously with these safety
improvements.
If Cou~cil were to direct that another study of the magnitude of
the Meado'W/Charlcstcm study receive priority, staff 'WQuld not be
able to concurrently pursue these issues as effectively, and the
time"Cable for il:lplementation 'Wo\11d be extended. Even if another
safety st,udy were assigned to a consultant, as 'Was the
Me'3dow/Charleston study, staff's responsihilities in sOliciting and
awarding a cor.sultant contract, monitoring the consultant's 'Work,
arranging and coordinating the public participation process, etc.
would allow less time for pursuit of these projects.
Staff believes that the recommendations from this study are
important safety impro ..... ementsi their implementation remains the
highest priority for the community; and they should be purs'.Jed
diligently over and above other major studies at this time.
Applicati.on of Meado .. /Ch~.rle§_ton Recommendations to_mOth_er Areas
Sever-al of the recornI!lendations generated by the consultant ft:)r the:
Meadow/Charleston study have applic.ability cit:)' .... dde or in ,:lthe.r
school comm.ute corridors. EX2.mple3 of actions that '.'-ould be
pursued by the Transpor-tation Division include:
• Adoption of the re ..... ised Adult Crossing Guard warrants.
• Increase all-red phase, nWalk-indi~ations and pedestrian
clearance intervals at intersections along El camino Real.
• Conduct a Higt_ Accident [.ocations study yearly ~ for all
intersections on routes to school ..... ith five or mOI'e
accid~nts per year.
• Identify and repaint ~aded pavenent legends.
• Educate employers and employees in Stanford Research Park
of the location of schools and school commute routes.
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The city/School Traffic Safety Committee has requested that staff
take a proactive role in making all schools and PTAs aw~re of these
and all other Meado\.'/Charlestcn study recommendations I and to
actively encourage each school cotmlunity to identify areas of
concern where OTle or more of the recommended measures could be
'Warranted. 'l'hese requests 'Would require short, issue-specific
field studies by the 'l'ransportation Division, and recommer.dations
which would be fOIiiarded back thro .... gh the C:i ty I School Traff ic
Safety committee to City staff or the PAtTSD.
Through this process. staff would learn more about the magnitude
and scope of concerns in other school conunute corridors. Some
issues, whi~h might otherwise be folded into a "corridor studyn,
could be resolved satisfactorily at this level.
New Study cOrridors
Last year, there was a clear consensus that a study of t~e commute
corridor between the Barron Park neighborhood (and other
residential areas east of the CalTrain right-of-way, and :; .L~
Stanford Middle School was the first priority. The issues of
safety at the railroad crossing a~d the major arterial streets,
Alma Street and E: camino Real, were clearly defined. At the same
time, while there was some community interest, in principle l in
pursuing more expansive studies that encompassed more or all of the
commute rOl.ltes traveled by Palo 1\1 to school Children, such other
"corridors" vere not as clearly identified and defined.
During informal discussicns staff has had with the
Meadow/Charleston Advisory Committee and the City/School Traffic
Safety Committee during the past year, no specific focus areQ or
corridor has been identified to staff as the next highest priority
for another in-depth study. Generally, safety issues related to
elementary schools are dealt w~th through the normal channels of
the city/School Traffic Safety Cummitte2. Some areas have b~en
mentioned as potential study candidates, including the Arastradero
Road corridor to Gunn High School l the commute across Oregon
EXprQSSway or Embarcadero Road to Jordan Middle School, access to
Palo "-1 to High ~chC'Ol, and the commute routes from east of
Middlefield Road to J. L. stanford Middle Schocl. ALl are larger
areas traversing major-ar-ter ial streets, traveled by middle and
high school students. While this list might indicate support for
a Mmajor streets" study, it is likely that some safety imprcvements
along these routes would be pursued through the applicatiDn of the
MeadC\i/Char1eston study findings. Examples '".'ould include possible
ne'W adult crossing guard stations, traffic signal timing or ph~,6ing
improvements~ etc.
Therefore, as a next step, staff believes it would be important to
hold fUrther discussions with the school conunur,ity r in consultation
wi th the city I School Tratf ic Safety Corrut'li ttee, to determine the
CMR:241:93 4/15/93
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demand for# and priority of, other are~s ·which may benefit from a
focused study. This effort eQuId be handled in conjunr.tion ...... ith
the out!"each efforts regarding the applicability of the
Meadow/Charleston findings in other areas. Staff is scheduled to
return to the City council after 5i)( months "With a "progress
report" on the imple::nentation of the Me.adow/Charleston study
recommended actions. At the same time, staff .... ould be able to
pr-ovide :a more complete picture of the priorities and demand for
~ew corridor studies~
staff is currently involved at different stages of discussion and
implementation ot sevE!'ral school safety studies and improvement
projects~ These range from routine activities, such as the work
generated through discussions 'With t~e city/Schnol Traffic Safety
Committee, to implementation of capiTal improvement projects
generated from the MeadOW/Charleston study {as described above), or
in separate discussions ~ith the Palo Alto Unified School District
(e.g., Embarcadero pedestrian traffic signal). Staff feels it is
important to maintain tha routine City/School liaison function, and
to demonstrate sustained progress toward implementation of the
Meadow/Charleston improvements as the highest priority assignments.
staff proposes that prior to returning to the City Council ~ith a
progress report on the implementation of the MeadOW/Charleston
recommendations in six months I staff 'Would conduct meetings and
further outreach to the school community to apply the more
universal recommendations in other attendance areas and to identify
school commute corridors .... hich may require future ir.-depth study~
RECOMMENDATION
staff recommends that the Policy and Services Com~ittee endorse and
recom..lt!en,j to the city Council the action plan as outlined in t.nis
report for study of Echool safety issues, based on the following
priorities:
1
2
3
CMR:241:9)
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Activity
Response to site. specific safety issues and requests
from individual schools as referred through the
City/School Traffic Safety Committee,
Implementation of recommendations of the
Meadow/Charleston School Corridor Safety study,
Application of recommended actions from the
Meadow/Charleston study to other areas of City, and
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4 Identification and prioritization of other potential
s~udy arEas, in consultation with the City/School
Traffic safety COlnro.ittee, and report to the Council
at the same time (November 19931 as the six month
Status Report on implementation of the Meadow/
charleston Corridor study reco~~endations.
Respectfully submitted,
,~/l~
GAYLE LIKENS
senior • Transportation
~; /, //, IUY~ A'. ../~'<-ry
KENNETH R. SCHREIBER
Director of Planning and
Community Environment
CMR:144:92, city/School Pedestrian safety Study,
February 1992
CC: Jim Brown, PAUSD Superintendent of Schools
City/School Liaison Committee
City/School Traffic Safety committee
MeadowjCharleston Commute corridor Study Advisory committee
PTA Safety Representatives
PAUSD Principals
CMR:241:93 4/15/93
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Feb:n:.ary 6, 1992
HONOF~BLE CITY COUNCIL
Palo Alto, California
~ITY (SCHOOL PEDESTRIA.~ SAFETY STUDY
Members of the council:
REPORT IN BRIEF
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ATTACHMErH
The purpose of this report is to respond to an earl fer council
direction regarding the scope of a study to address pedestrian
safety issues for school children.
This report outlines three alternative approaches that such a study
might folloW' and recommends that council direct staff to proceed
with a city/school Pedestriar. Safety study that focllses on the
Meadow/Charleston Commute Corridors between Barron Park and Jane
Lathrop stanford (JLS} middle school, with the following
understanding:
a. Staff will work 'With the city/School Traffic Safet:.t
Committee to ensure that the study process includes
participation by appropriate representatives from the
affected schools, ?TAs, and the Schoel District; and
b~ The amount of the consultant contract f(~r this study is
not to exceed $25,000 and ~ill be developed and executed
by the Cit)~ Manager, as provided in the PdIo Alto
Municipal C~1e, ~ithout furthe= review and approval by
Council~
staff also recommends that ceur>.cil adopt the attached Budget
Amendment Ordinance (Attacnment 1) to provide funding for the
study~
On December 9, 1991, the Council passed a motion which incl uded the
follcl'wing:
"Support a pedestrian safety study of the critical travel
corridor& used by Palo Alto school children. Direct staff to
prepare a scope of the propos~d study and to vork ~ith the
CMR: 144: 92
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School Cistrict, its Traffic Safety co:m:mittee and others in
drafting the scope."
Inclu~ed as Attachm~nt 2 is a ~emorandum dated December 5, 1991,
trom council Members Mike Cobb and ':ean McCown regarding this
matter. This memo was part of a series of actions that resulted
from various mee'tings at1d discussions fol1o .... ing a tragic ac.::ldent
in whiCh ~ JLS student .... as killed by a train at the Meadow railroad
crossing.
ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES
Staff has revie~ed this matter and concluded that there are three
basic approaches that co~ld be followed. These three approaches
are described i~ Attachment J and summarized below.
Approach 1:
Approach 2:
Approach 3:
Meadow/Charlesto~ Commute Corridors
between~ar~9n Park and JL$
This approach would"have a small/limitad study
area, include only affected schools and
address all issues of concern.
CitYWide M~lli __ Street Corridors
This approach ~ould have a large/citywide
study area~ include all schools and address
only maj'or street issues of concern.
Comprehensiv~~~~ide Corridor Study
This approach ~ould have a large/citywide
study area, include all schools and address
all issues of conCErn.
While the scala of the st'..l.dy \o.'ould vary significantly fOl" the three
approaches, the conduct of the stud)~ 'I,mula be sirnilar for each
approach and include the following elements:
• Issue IdentificB,tion
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Evaluation of Alternatives
• Conclusions and Recommendations
• Action Plan
Attachment 4 provides a brief description of each of the above.
Irrespective of which approach is selected, consultant resources to
assist in the study process ~ill be required. Once a decision is
made regarding which approach to follow, staff will proceed with
CMR: 144: 92 2/6/92
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the solicitation, evaluation, selection and a,"'ard of contract for
consultant services. This procedure is outlined in Attacr~ent 5.
This pre-study procedure normally takes approximately fout months
to accomplish. However, if the cost of the consultan~ contract
does not exceed $25,000, the City Manager h.as the authority to
exp.cute the contract, without the further review and approval of
the council. This could shorten the time it would take to retain
the services of a -consultant from four It'lo!'l.ths to two months.
The time it takes to conduct
of the required consul tan't
scale of the study. The
assistance, as well as the
study, is as follows:
the study itself, as well ~s the cost
services is directly related to the
dollar cost of required consultant
time requirF.!d to complete the actu.al
Approach 1
Approach 2
Approach )
$20,000-$30,000
$50,.00.0-'$60,000
$80,000-$90,000
3-4 months
5-6 months
6-8 :months
The above time periods, for each of the three approaches, repre~ent
the amount of ti&e it would normally take to conduct such a study,
and do not include the t'JO to four roor..th period requirE"d for the
retention of consultant services, nor the ili,pact of the summer
school closure period. Shown below is a summary schedule for each
approach sho~ing the period for retention of a consultant and the
dur~tion of the actual study. inclusive of the impact of the summer
school closure:
FEB MAR APR MAY JUN-SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN' FEB MAR APR MAY
Alm.roach 1
Retain Cons. 0-------0
Conduct Study 0------////----000000
Approach 2
Retain Cons. 0--------------0
Conduct study ////0------------------00000
Approach 3
Retain Cons. 0--------------0
Conduct Study ////0----------------------0000000000
KU
o begin/end
CMR: 144: 92
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2/6/92
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GENERAL COMMENTS
The initial discussion regarding su~h a s~udy was clearly directed
toward the small:er study area represented by Approach L
Subsequent discussion about the study suggests a comprehensive
citywide study reprezented by Approach 3 would more nearly reflect
some com:munity expe::o:tations. Approach 2 represents a middle ground
that addresses only major street issues but on a citywide ba&is.
Each approach is valid, but will have different results. ~nicheve~
approach is selected, it is impcrtant that expectations ere
appropriately scaled.
These alternativ~ approaches ~e~e presented and discussed at the
January 16, 1992 meeting of the city/school Traffic Safety
Connnittee. The people present expressed a general interest in
ta~inq a more co~prehensive citywide approach, but also recogniz&d
the Meadow/charleston JLS/Barron ParX area of Approach 1 as being
the highest priority area.
These alternative approaches were also presented and discussed at
the city/School Liaison Committee meeting on January 28, 1992. All
four ~embers expressed their preference for Approach 1, as being
more readily achievable and focusing on the highest priority area
of concern,
Staff believes that Approach 1 is the preferred way to proceed.
This approach is readily achievable~ responds directly to specific
expressed concerns~ and addresses ~ high priority area of concern.
General traffic and pedestrian issues related to school access in
other areas of the City would continue to be addressed and resolved
as part of the ongoing activities of the City/School Traffic Safety
committee~
Approach 1 also offers the opportunity cf shortening the time it
would take to retain the services of a consultant fron four months
to two mor.ths. \t!'hile thg consultant selectior, process would still
involve solicitation, evaluation and s~lection 01") a competitive
basis, the Cit}' Manager has the authority to execute contracts up
to an amount of $25.000 \.rithout the revie'orl and approval of the
Council. This shortened time period WO'.11d permit data collection
to occur prior to school closure in June and completion of the full
study in early fall. For Approaches 2 and J, the actual study
could not begin until mid-September.
The necessary flinds to provide a total of $25. COO for this study
ar-e proposed to come from the follo.ing two sources: {l) $3,000
fro~ an existing Transportation Division line item that prQvides
resources for traffic ~ccident and safety studies, and (2) $22 /000
from the Reserve for Capital projects. The attached Budget
Amendment Ordinance provides for the transfer of $22,000 from the
Reserve for Capital Projects into the Transportation Division
CMR:144:92 2/6/92
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budget, tor the purpose of funding t~is specific study.
RECOMMENDATION
Statt recommends that Cour.cil direct sta:ff to proceed with a
city/school pedestrian Safety study, in gene~al conformance ~ith
Approach 1 as presented in this staff r~port, ~ith the following
understanding:
a.. Staff ... il1 *,ork with the City/School Traffic Sa.fety
cotmni ttee to ensure that the study process includes
participdtL:m by appropr-iate representat.ives from the
affected schools, PTAs, and the school District,
b. The amount of the consultant contract for this study is
not to exceed $25,000 and will be developed and executed
by the city Manager, or his designee, as provided in the
Palo Alto Municipal code, without further review and
approval bl the City Council.
Staff also recommends that council adept the attached Budget
Amendment Ordinance (A~tachment 1) transferrin9 $22,000 from the
Reserve for Capital Projects to the Transporta~ion Division budget,
in order to provide funding for the study.
Respectfully submitted,
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Chief Transp ~ation Official !'!ARVIN L']jVE AY KENNETH R. SCHREIBER
Diz'ector of Planning and
Community Environment
L. kif ~~
I JUNE FLEMING (h~
!jSistant Ci ty "~ger
Attachments: 1. Budget Amendment Ordinance
2. Memorandum from council Members Mike
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4.
5.
=ean McCown (December 5, 1991).
AlternatiVe Study Area Approaches
Scope of Study
Study Process and Ti~eline
cc: City/School Liaison committee
City/School Traffic Safety COlTliitittee
cobb and
Palo ~to Unified School District Superintendent James Brown
PTA Safety Committee Representatives
CMR:144:92 2/6/92
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ATTACHMENT 1
ORDINli, ... "'lCE NO.
ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE ern OF PALO ALTO
AMENDING THE' BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1991-92 TO PROVIDE
AN ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION TO THE TRANSPORTATION DIVISION
TO CONDUCT A PEDESTRIAN SAFETY STUDY
WHEREAS, pursuant to the provisions of Section 12 of Article
II! of the Chartel of the City of Palo Alto, the Council on June
24, 1991 Qid adopt a budget for fiscal year 1991-92, and
WHEREAS, the City Council haG directed staff to proce~d
a city/school Pedestrian Safety Study that focuses on
Meadow/Charleston Commute Corridors between Barron Park and
Lathrop stanford HiddlQ School; and
with
the
Jane
WHEREAS, additional funds irl the amount of $22,000 'Would have
to be incorporated in the Planning Department._ Transportation
Division budget to accomplish this needi
NOW, THEREFORE, the Council of the City of Palo Alto does
ORDAIN 4S follows:
SECTION 1. The sum of Twenty-Two Thousand Dollars ($22,000)
is hereby appropriated to Contract Se~vices in Traffic Operations
proqraa in the Transportation Divisio'/l of the Planning Department
and the Reserve for Capital Projects is correspondingly reduced~
SEC'I'I9N 2. This transaction 'Will reduce the Reserve from
$5,320,031 to $5,298,031 as of February 3, 1992.
SECTION;]. 'fhe Ccuncil of the City ot Palo Alto hert:=.by finds
that the enactment of this ordinance is not a project -<Jnder the
california Environmental Quality Act and, therefore, no envi:r'onmen
tal impact assessment is necessary.
SECTION 4.
Hunte ipal Code.
adoption.
As provided in Section 2.04.375 of the Palo Alto
this ordinance shall become effective upon
INTRODUCED AND PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTENTIONS:
I\BSEliT:
ATTEST: APPROVED:
C.lty Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Asst& city Attorney
APPROVED:
city Manager
D1rector of Finance
Director of Planning and Community Environment 91-2.13
I
ATTACHMENT 2
MEMORANDUM
December 5, 1991
TO: Our Colleaguas
FROM: Council Members Hike Cobb and Jean HcC_oW'n
City Representatives to city/School Liaison committee
SUBJECT: Report ~ro. city/School Li.ison committee
The Alma/Meadow railroad crossing was among the issues discussed at
the November 2E, 1991 :meeting of the City/School Liaison Committee4
As a result of the discussion l committee members voted to recoDllllend
to thei~ respective bodies that adult crossing guards (not sworn
police officers) be funded [or the Meadow and Charleston railroad
crossings arxi that a study of the critical travel corridors used by
school children be initiated.
Therefore, we are asking that the Council:
14 Direct that the city Manager vork ~ith the Superintendent of
the Palo Alto unified School District to assure immed.iate
shared funding for qualified adult crossing g'.lards at the
Alma/Meadow and Alma/Charleston railroad crossings.
2. support a pedestrian safety study of "the critical travel
corridors used by Palo Alto seheol c:r"lildren~ Direct staff to
prepare e scope of the proposed stUd)' and to work with the
school cistrict, its traffic safety committee and others in
drafting the scope.
The PAUSD Board of Education approved comparable recommendations at
its meeting of December J, 1991.
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ATfACHMENT 3
CITY/SCHOOL PEDESTRl<l.N SAFEn' STI'DY
DRAFT ALTER"IATIVE STUDY AREA COl\'CEPTS
Text orCoundl Assignment: "Support a pedestrian safety study of the cdr.kal
trave! conidors used by Palo Aha school children. Direct staff to prepare a
scope of the propos~d study and to work ~ith the school district,. its traffic
safety committee and others in drafting the scope."
This would he a fvcused study of t!1e twa co;nmlJle rO:Jtes tha: involve at grade I::.l!lroad
crossings frOIT'. the Barron Park and wes.t of EI Camino Real neighborhoods to JLS ~ .. !jddle
Schoo!. n.e study are'" would inclL<de the signalized and un:>ign:.!ized cro:5sings of El
Camino l!~d by JLS, Gurm and l1.ianOl Brione~ J.nd Hoover elementary school su,;dent~, the
Meadow Drive and Charleston Rend con";J·.jrs, through the railroad and Alma Street
crOSSings to the school entrar:ce.s..
This approach WQuid include all major aneri;).1 streelS which are crossed by eler.1en:ary and
middle school stude!l!s, v.ith secDnd<J.ry focus 001 high schoo~ crossings. The a:te~ial ciJrril.~or:i
wouTd include Alma Streei (including T<:ii:roJd crossings). EI CalIlino Re~l. EIT'.bJ.rc<1dero
Road, Page !\'fili and Oregon F..xpn::ssWci}. Chadeston anl~ J...raslrfldero Rr;.;'.ds, L'nl',ersity
Avenue, Middlefield Roact, San Antonio ROJd.
By definition,. this approach would not encomp85s student commute corrid·.Jrs on coIIeclor
and local neighborhood streets ~ithin the school attendance areas, nor would it focus on
school safety is.:iUe:s related to the immediate .. "ic.inity of the school site, except as they may
pertain to the major street system.
Those schools whose attendance area boundaries require students to cro~s any of these
arterials would be included in the study. The,S.:! inciude the fom secondary sch:ooJs and the
follo'Wing elementary sthDOk Addison, Duveneck, ""'alter Hays, Fairmeadow, EJ CarrneJo,
luana Briones, Escondida, <.md. oistrict-wide schools:, Hoover and Ohione.
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Approach #3: Comprehensh·t Cl£ywid~ __ Co rrido{" Stud,,·
This stud)' would encoJ7lpa'is (111 schools and all school commu.e: r()Ll!es. in Palo AiTa,
regardless of the street ciassification, This study could address. s.afe:y nmcerns shared by
mo!"-e. than (lne school community as wen CJ; issues related I..!niquely to one school attend;mce
area. The process afidentifying the issues and soliciting input from ea;:h participating scl,ool
couId be time consuming. Should each schc-o: participate and produce a lengthy list of
concerns, it will likely be necessary to prioritiz.e the :ssues and/or address the stt!dy in
muItipie phases.
I ATTACHMENT 4
CI1Y/SCHOOL PEDESTRL-.N SAFETI' SrrDY
SCOPE OF STUDY DRAFT
]~ Issue Identific:ation
This phase of the study inval ... ,~s working with re.presentat:ves of indivjdl.!al schocls. the
PTA. PAUSD administration, and the City/Schoo: Traffic Sn.fet'::-' Commin~e, t·'.J identify
lssues and concerns which need to be analyzed.
ll. Data Collf:ctian and Analysis
This ph~se in ... olv~s collectinn 'of pertinei-:t traffic engineering cat::. including tiaffic
volumes1 bicycle and pedes.trian cOl.!nts, accider,t di..ltil, traffic .... ~C'lations, speed sur .... eys,
field observatlor;~, street geometries, etc. It further incilldes coilectinj: pertinent
informatiDn from the s.::::hool district regardirlg :;htt:ndanc~ areas., enrolJ mer:t pro.\e.:tions,
transportation policies, etc, and information from other 8,gen,::;es and jurisdictions that
have control over areas in question (e.g., Caitruns, Salllr:ern PacifIc"'C<lllrain JPB, S<lllta
Oara County, private property owners).
All data is ar,alyzed and findings summarized for evattl3tlon.
TIl. E",aluation or Alternatl'r'cs
In this phase of the study, potential alrernati\·e solutions (short, mech:H'f' and iO:lg-te:rm)
are identified, conceptual plans and prdiminury cost eSilrn(Jtf'S-prepared and fea:.fbil;t)'
of implementation eVJ.luated.
IV. Conclusions and Recommendations
This phase irwolves determination of the preferred aitemative.i, priO{j!ization of
aiternati-ves for implementation and prepannion of a finai repo~t 'wHn
recommendations for consideration bv the Cr'l'.r'School Liai5C'n Committee, Cit)' CouncJ1
and School Board. ••
V. Ae1iQn P Jan
The lmp1ementatirJn tirnelinc ~ill be based upon the dec;sions of the City Council at
the end of the stOJdy. The City or other res.ponslble agencies v.ill implement
impro<,'ements on an ongoing basis within the framework of exi$ting budgets. Olher
mid-to-lcng range improvements win mos.t likely r.eed to be programmed into the
Capital Impro,:ement Program. Project that invoive other public agencies and
jurisdictions will require comdi!lZltior, and outside funding.
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ATIACHMENT 5
Cln/SCHOOL PEDESTRL>.N SAFETY STUDY
STUDY PROCESS A."m TIMELI:>E
'."" P. A .--, ". .. f ~.... ..:1
1. Step 1: Define Scope of Study (3-4 weeks)
Soticit views and ideas from the City/Schoo! Safety Committee and PAt;SD
representatives; fannulate a preferred'approacb tf) study
Present various approaches with comments to tbe City/School Liaison Committee
Decision by City Council Oil study approach
2. Su~p 2: Develop ~pe of Sen-ices lind Request for Proposals (3·4 weeks)
Approval of Budget Amendment Ordh-,ance by City Councll
Preparat~on of Request for Proposals
3. Stel' 3: Consultant Selectioc Pnxess (12·14 weeks)
Issue Letters of Intent
Send cut Request for Proposals to consl<!tants responding to Leiter of Intent
Evaluate proposals
Formation of Selection Advisory Committee
Consultant rnterview~ by Selec!ion Advisory Comminee
Referral of Consultant Selection to Fin:J.nce Committee
Negotiation of Contract
Award of Contract by Cit), Council
4. Step 4: Conduct ACWOiI Study (3·8 months)
B"le content of the ~tudy wouid follow the oU11me on the preceding: page. The time
required tc complete cons.L!1tant work will vary according: to the scope of work.
Approach Cost Estimate Time Frome
Meadow/O:arleston Corridors 520)000-$30,000 c:..:..:..."---f--=-=:..:..:.cc.:...:.:.:~--+ 3·4 months
Major Streets Corridors $50,000-$60,000 5·6 months
Cornprehen3lve Cityv.-ide Study $80,000-$90,000 6-8 montbs
General Notes
1. Role of City/School Traffic SaCet"j Committee
The CityrSchooJ Trafftr. Safety Committ~e will be invchied and s(:rve as. an advls.ory
committee through cut the study proce!l.!;. In this role, the committee could mal!'ltain
its existing str ... cture j designate a subcommittee to work with city staff, or expand its
membersnip on a temporary basis to include representa.!ives from all interested schools.
2. lnvoheme-!lt of Private Sc~OOI5
Students attending private schools may use many of the S:1me rDut~S as. students in the
PAUSD. Repres.entativt:s frow private schooh. could b.: in .... ited to p<.mkipate in the
study as part of the advisory committee or in some otha way.