Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout0243.094~. -. . . , 01-• >_~ ; ,.-: '!i' •• April 28, 1994 HonORABLE CITY COUNCIL Palo Alto, California Attention: Policy and Servicos Coromittee Members of the Council: REPORT IN BRIEF This report discusses the issue of speeding ccncenlS oxpressod by the residents of the 1200 block of Hanilton Avenue and reco~~ends that the Policy and services Conrnittee rocor:'lJ':':cnd to the City Council that stop signs not be installed on lI<'llr,iltoll Avenue at. West Crescent Drive, and no othel' traff ie control !"Leasure!> be installed in the 1200 block of Hamil ton Avanue. In April 1993 the Policy and Services Conr.li.ttee dlsclts~od <l staff report on the stop Sign systeM Update. At that ti"o:, tho COfilJ1littee asked staff to work with residents of th€ 1.200 block of Hamilton, to explore alternative w<':ys to control speeding. Since then staff has had three resident Tllcetings plus sever.1l sma.ll (jroup meetings. The residents, howevc1{", could hot reach an aqreeli'.ent on a speciric approach regarding a physical solution to conn'ol speeding. BACKaROUl1D On April 20, 199J~ the policy and Services 'Committee di:scussed a staff report regarding the stop Sign System update (.cHR:2""2::93)~ After public testimony and discussion, howevor~ tho Committee retained a request to install stop signs on Hal':'lilton Avenue at West Crescent Drive in the committee, and asked staff to WOrk 'With residents of the 1200 block of Hamilton to look for a lternativ(! ways to reduce speeding and report back to the COJnl"1ittee. EVALU~TION OF STOP SIGN REQUEST A request to install stop signs on Hamilton "'venue at West Crescent Drive, to help reduce speeding, was madH by Nr. John Gri ffiths~ Prior to l·fr. Griffiths' request, Hr. HOlo.'ard h'olf had also contactnd staff with similar concerns about Sp€',edinij. CMR:24J:'H o o Based on those concerns, 25 mph speed limit signs were posted on Hamilton Avenue and the Police Department increased its enforcement activities in the area. In addItion, staff conducted a speod survey' and reviewed the accident history to assist in e\/aluatl.ng .the Gpeeding issue and problems associated with it. The' speed survey indicated an 85th percentile speed of 31 roph. While a speed of 31 mph is hiqher than the posted speed limit, a comparison of trave.l speeds on Hamilton Avenue with similar streets in Palo Alto, as shown belOW, indicates that it is common tor drivers to travel above the po~ted speed limit. Location Bt"yant Street, 1 .. incoln to Addison Bryant Street, Lo~ell to California Cowper Street, Embarcadero to Kingsley '~averley Street, Embarcadero to Lincoln Pos.ted Speed .!.J..miL 25 25 25 25 85th Pel"centll e mu>_~ 32 Jl J2 32 Staff also :t:'eviewed the ;3ccidents reported to the Pol ice DepartMent from January 1989 to September 1992 (45 mont.hs). Nithin the 1200 block of Hamil ton, t.here were no accidents reported during this period. The staff recomnlendation to the Policy and Services committee, at its April 20, 1993 meeting, was not to install stop signs on Hamilton AvenUe at West Crescent DrivG due to the following consider.ations: • Stop signs already ex\st wi thin approximately 400 f.eet and 600 feet of West Crescent. Drive (at Center in the easterly direction, and at Lincoln in the westerly direction, respectively); • • stop signs are not speed control devices (the~' ar~ used to resolve right-of-way problems caused by an excessive ~mount of traffic or accidents); .Existing conditions do not warrant stop signs at the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and West Crescent Drivn; • Although drivers slow down at stop signs and stop to yield the right-of-way to other vehicles, studies conducted in Palo Alto and several other cities indicate that drivers travel as fast or faster at T11id-block locations, to make up time lost at stop signs; • Air pollution caused by vehicles would increase; and CMR' 243,94 L 4/28/94 Page 2 " \ i i ,. j. , ' .- o • The current stop sign installation is consistent with the Council.'s Guard and Go policy for local residential streets, DI.CU.SIO~ OF THE COKHITT~E DIRECTION Following the Policy and Services CornT11ittee direction to work with residents ot the 1200 block of Hamilton to consider alternative ways to address speeding concerns, an initial meeting was held with residents on May 18, 1993. Approximately 17 residents representing 15 hoUgehold~ were present. During the meeting, several strategies to reduce travel speeds were discUssed and it was decided to work with a small group ot residents to explore various options. Mr. Howard Wolt volunteet'ed to serve as the residents I coordinator.. Staff roat several times with Mr. Wolf and other residents to discuss speed bumps, circles, chokers, and a specific proposal to install an island in the middle of street, in front of 1266 Hamilton. 'I'hese ideas were all eventually discarded by the residents involved/ because they would result in some loss of parking on both sides of the street, and because of their adverse affect on neighborhood aesthetics (see the attached letter from 111'. Howard Wolf, Attachment 1). Nc_vertheless, staff continued to work. with Mr. Holf in an effort to find an acceptable solution witb little or no loss of parking. staff sU9gested installing an island in front of 1290 Hal11ilt.on (Attachment 2), which Would have resulted in a loss of parking on only one side of the street, adjacent to Nr. Wolf I s property, at 580 West Crescent. This alternative was presented to residents in a meeting on January 12, 1994, but did not meet with residents' approval, so it, too, W.1S discarded. During this meeting and a subsequent simi lar meeting held Januar~' 30, 1994, those present seemed to favor the installation of road bump(s) on the street )."ather thah islands. Suggested locations were in front. of 1266 Hamilton and possibly 1300 Hamilton. However, after the January 30th meeting, staff received calls from seVeral residents (all of whom were directly or indirectly affected} opposing the installatioh ot speed bumps, because of their adverse affect on neighborhood aesthetics. since 'parking and aesthetics are the hJO important considerations associated with any physical solution to control speeding) and it became evident chat residents were more concerned wi til losing parking and the aesthetics of the neighborhood than speed reduction, stafr sent the residents a letter (Attachment 3) informing them that He would not pursue any physical changes to the street, and that we would be sending a staff report to the Policy and Services Con;mittee tor its consideration, and would inform them regarding the dale and time tho."lt the Commit.tee would discuss this item. CHR:243:94 4/26/94 Page 3 , i , , , I I , l ,:.," I I· f' , " ( '. ," o In the roeantirec, the Police Oepartment has been providing periodic speed enCOi"CerlOht and has placed a mobile radar warning device ill the 1200 blocx of Hamilton, and will ~ontil1ue to do 51;) on a per.iodic"b.!!lsls. R£CO)QteNDl\TtoN staff reco)"m.encls that tho Policy and Services Committoe recommend to the City Council, that stop signs not be installed on ,Hamilton Avenuo at West ,Croscent Drive, and nCl othe.t traffic control aeasures be irlstalled 1n the 1200 'block of Hamilton.Avenue . . Respactfully $\.1broitted, A1< A1rO--..-W 0..,{ ASKOK AGGARWAL. City 'fraffic 'En(jineer :fffi.;aJ!!Y Assistant City Manager Attachl"!'.ents: fr;1f1fd4' f /JUa4~ RENNETH R. SCHREIBER Oil-ector of Planning and Community Environment 1. Octobor 25, 1991 letter from Mr. Howard Wolf 2. (}scamber 1.4, )'!)93 letter to Residents of 1200 block of Hamilton 3 .. February 10, 1994 lettct" to residents regarding next steps cc: Residents of the 1200 blOCK of Hamilton CHR: 243:94 4/28/94 Page 4 Octo be r 25, 1993 Mr. Gary Fanlno Ms. Liz Kniss Mr. ,loa Simitian 110ward E. Wolf S80 W. Crescent l)rlve Corner of Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA. 94301 (415) 325·2005 PolI~y & Services Commitlea Cily Council Cily of Palo Alto 250 H~mmon Avon ue PO Box 10250 Palo Allo, CA 94303 PE: April 15, 1993 PoIICI' & Se,vices Commitlao Meeling Ways 10 Reduce Speed Dn 1200 alock of Harnillon Dear Council Members, ATTACIIl\mNT 1 On April 15, 1993, John Griffiths and! addressed Iho Policy & Servicos committee of the City Council with regards io our concerns about the speed of traffic flow on tho 1200 block of Hamillon Avenue. At that lime, your committee expressed serious empathy for our situation and directed city staff to work with residents of our block 10 look for alternative ways to reduce speed. Please allow this le~er to bring your Cllmmittee up 10 date on our progress. First, I want to stress in as sirong of terms as I can how wonderful iI has been to worl< with Mr. Ashok Aggarwal and his staff. The level of sorvice provided by Mr. Aggarwal was nothing bul excellent. Following the committee's directive. I organized a neighborhood meeling on May 18, 1993 during which Mr. Aggarwal made a thorough presomalion on the speed reduclion alternatives. As you can well imagine, the views anil opinions of this neighborhood group were diverse and in many cRsed "anti ,city·. Nevertheless, Ashok handled Ihe meoting wilh aplomb. '-.;.:::---- ",.: . , -' '-. I I r f o o Page 3. In surtlmary, I would once again like to thank tM Policy 8. Services Committee and especially Mr. Aggarwal and his staff lor tho excellont service we have recieved. Although I have given up on the obvious solutions for now, I have not given up the fight to slow down the spged of traffic Oh Hamilton Avenue. My four year old daughter and two year old son deserve a safe neighborhood in which to play. I am going to do everything in my power to see that I provide them this safe environment. To this end, if your eommfttee or staff have any other idoas for us, we would welcome the input. In the meantime, I would like to formally request that the Mobile Radar Warning Device recently purchased by the city be ·inslalled· 6n a periodic basis on the 1200 block of Hamilton. AntiCipating that somo may not with this device to be located direclly ill front 01 their home, I would like to voluntaer our IlOme's Hamilton Avenue frontago. In a laMr I sent 10 Lieutenant Kathy McKenna of the Palo Alto Police Depar1m()nt on September 30, 1992, I suggested this same action as ana of many that the city could pursue in an attempt to slow down traffic. Now that tho devico has finally bean acquired, I Ylould welcome its use on our street. Thank you once again for all the city's etfMs all this malter. I look forward to working with you in the future in the h~pe that we can win the battle against speeding traffiC in some creative way. In the maanlime, I look forward to hearing back from someone on the Mobile Radar Warning Davice. cc: John Griffiths Ashok Aggarwal 1200 b:ock of Hamilton neighbors \ " !) Residents of the 1200 Block of Hamilton Avenue December 14, 1993 TransportatiooDivis.ion Dear Sir or Madam: On April 15, 1993 the PolicV and Services Committee of the Palo Alto City Council directed staff to investigate ways to control the speed of traffjc In the 1200 block of Hamilton Avenue, and to report back to the Comminee with our findings. Subsequent to lhe Committee's direction, staff held a neighborhood meeting on May 18,1993 in the home of Mr, and Mrs, John Griffiths, During this meeting, se.veral strategies to control speeding were discussed. Following Hle meoting, staff met several times with area residents to discusa speed bumps, circles, chokors. and other traffic control meodsures. These ideas were discarded by tne residents involved, because they would result il1 a loss of parking and because of their affect on neighborhood aosthetics (pleaso refer to the enclosed fetter from Mr. Howard Wolf to tho Policy and Services Commit~ee for details). MOle recemly, Mr. Wolf again contacted staff regarding the subject location. As a resuft, we have iointly developed the en:::losed altarnative plan to present to area residents for consideration. This plan would result in a loss of parking on only one side of the street~ adjacent to Mr. Wolf's property. We have arranged a meeting in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Wolf, at 580 West Crescent Drive, to discuss this plan and seek your input. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 12, 1994, at 7:30 p.m. We wHi forward our recommendations to the PoHcy and Services Committee, based upon input we receive at this meeting. In the meantime, If you have any questions, prease call me at 329-2575. Best wishes for a happy holiday season. Sincerely, ,41A 41, ~ «.{ ASHOK AGGARWAL, P,E. City Traffic Engineer 2BJHami!tonA\'e1l1e P.O.Boxl~ PaklAlto,CA9U)3. ~1S.329.~ 415. 329.22S9Fax . :.~ \ ~ ---(-C=U-'lD'--'--"' L ,. -r=~ 'T"r·= .... ,L.., H IlHII TtJ.N AVE, -------r~IL_---~--e !-'ebruary 10, 1994 City~ l-'aJoAltg ~lIb1iaA/aJUliligmui CC1IUJlla'iiYt-f"wOtIJ1~!l A'ITACHMENT 3 R$9idents of the 1200 alack ~t Hamilton ~venue Dear' Sir/Madam: The purpose of this letter is to inform you that despite our best ettQ~ts, we have been unable to find a sat is­ ractol"Y solution to the ~peeding issue in the 1200 block of H8k'111toJl Avenue. As you xnQw, on ~pril 15, 1993 the Policy and Services CO~oJlittoe of the city CO\lnci 1 directed staff to invest i­ qate ways to control the spcel'j of traffic in the 1200 Blod; of Hanilton Avenue, and to report back to the COMittce: \Iith our findings. Since the COlnmittee I s direction l .... 0 hnve han three evening meetings involving ~lnost all of the residents, several meetings involving a Ih;d.ted nl.mber of rosidents, and many phone conversa­ tions 'With various residents. Initially, "le diSCUssed installlnq an island in the ~iddlo of tht:! street 11'"1 (~ont of 1266 Hamilton. This idea was discarded by residents, because it would result in a loss of parking on both sides of the street. A sec-ond isla(ld location, in front of 1290 Hamilton, which would result in a loss of parking on only one side of the st ... ~et adjacont to 580 West Crescent., ...... as also discarded by rosidents in a ~,C!ctinq on January 12, 1994. Du:rlng both the J"anuary 12th meeting and a meeting held on ·January 30, 1994, those present seemed to favor installing road buops on the street. Suggested locations wer,c··in front of 1266' and 1300 Hamilton. since then, Bone residents have called lrIe opposing the installation of road bUR\ps, because of their affect on neighborhood aesthetics. Parking and aesthetics are the two main issues associated with an) .. physical solution to control speeding. Since both parking ('Ind aesthetics would be affected by a physical solution, and it is clear that residents do not want to lose pat"king Ol.' affect the aesthetics of the neighborhood, we arc not going to pursue any physical changes to the street. ! . mHamiltcn A,"mUe' 1',0.&0,,,1023) PiliAlIo,CA ?aU ns.m,2S2(J 4IS.329.ZMF.a..x " ~ o 0 1200 Block of lIarni lton Residant.s February 10, 1994 Page 2 Durinq the next few weeks, W~ will be 'Worklnq on n: statf report to the Policy .and S(tl"vices COl"J'lIit.tea for its considera~ion and will inforR you regarding the date and time that the co~mittee will discuss this Ite~. In the meantime if you llave any questiolls, ptease call I'le at 329-2575. I would also like to take this <>pportunity to thank you all for taking the U",. to porHcipote in this process. Sincerely, Ashok Agqarwal, P.E. City Traffic En~ineer cc: Vicei Rudin ... ,