HomeMy WebLinkAbout0439.094City of Palo Alto
City Manager's Report
TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
AGENDA
DATE:
CITY MAN-AGER DEl'ARThfENT: Polke
CMR:439:94
[n March 1994. the Cit)' Council fc,-~;j.cS.kJ Ih~t s-laff '"chr.::dIl1e::3. CI)'Jr1;:il Siudy Session cm
traffic safety dut to concC'ms th.at fl.,'! t"j)(~ugh efforts [,) ass-ure tr.1ft"i-:-":i3kty in the City were·
being COf\!iiderr-il and lor jmplt:m.~r.:e-,:t. Snif -,;.a5, dirL'.;leJ 1,0 pTt"5..:'nt slr,Hcgic; "lid suggest
poiicy alternatives for p't55ihie Coun,:,')1 consideration.
RE£QMMENDATIOi'iS
This is J'n lnfonnational repcn and no Tecommendation!!. liTe pre':>enteJ al this time.
PO!.ICY WPUCAllO;SS
Any policy implicatiOO1 resull from di=~un for the Council,
EV,Clrrn'E SUMMARy
Over the WI year, Council _mre .... =ivcd considerable feedback: from citizens regarding
• p ... "cived deteriontion of general traffic safety throughoul the community_ Specifically,
the concmJS focused on the speed at .. +,icb vehicJe. wen: Irnelling, the failure to obey the
rules uf the road, and ,n increa.:;ed ris~ tD pedestrians 'and b~c)'dist'ij. As a rt.s.ult of these
coocerr..s. Council directed staff to review current strategies that are being u.c;.ed to address
ttaffic safety and suggest potential other ideas for increasing safety in the community_
Since r=iving the assignment, Transportation and Police Department staff have gathered
a considenlble amount of information C'oncern.in~ traffic safety issue:;;. Staff has approached
this assignmenl from a two phase approach. This report and the discussion represents Lf.,c
tint p!we_ Ba.scd upon the feedback and direction receivorl from Council, staff would
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return in phase two wilh specific suggested recomm<odations and more de'",iiod information
oboot strategies that could be pursued.
For !be purposes of this report, "traffic ""rely" rrf<rs 10 !be safe and orderly (1"10 of
pedeoIrian, bicycle aod vehicular traffic, 1be information, pro'>'i<l<d in tbe anad>ed
documentation, b&s been divided into six major topics: spee<J, traffic volume, accidenu,
school commute, commercial vehicles, aod CalTrain grade crossings, For eoch mojo< topic,
l IiJt of general public perceptions is presented, 1be list of perceptions ~ developed
from letters aod telephone: c"I1. thaI have been received "'Of the wi year rrgarding tnffic
complaints, Facl!Jal dala was obtained from Police and Transrortalion record, as .. 'ell ...
State lnfonnation. '!be list of e,,-isting strategies includes all the piogram~ ~.nd prQo..."'ed:..lres
thai are currently used in the City. P.er COL1ncii direction. st.aff has prcn:ickd 8. list of
po:)(entiaI other strategies. It is impurtant to no:.: that thc.'-e .strat.:gi('s are rn;,~n~~J wi(hl'ut
discussion about th>!iT fem;lbility. cost. pra('ticalit)'. etc, While a l';:ot1:.id:-r:..blc amD;mt of
information is provided, :.t.aff belie'l't's that il is importanl for C(;uDcil ~o h,i .... ~ :his
information as a bas.is for discussion and possible futun:-dire ... 'tior;.
FISCAl, IMPACT
Any fiscal impact would be depeodent upon the dirt.c~on ~i.l Council may wish Il' P"'"'uc,
ENYIRONMENTAL ASSESSME!\'T
While there are environmental issues that are associated with ttlo..,) of ~ potential.
strategies, the specific L.<sessmenls would be presented on a ca.se-by-<Ue basis,
ATIACHMENTS -Data Documenl
PREPARED BY: Jon Hernaodez, Lieutenant
MlII'Vin Overway, Chief T ... ~tion Official
Lynne Johnson, Assi t Yolke ahief
Ashok Aggarwal, Iy ffie Engi"""r
DEPARTMENT HEAD REVIEW: ',-,_ L
CHRIS DURKIN
Police Chief
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CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
Ae1'1<a£-1X:;j}; k'1
KEN SCHREIBER
D~ of Planning ,
PqeJofJ
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f'ORMAT
Each of •• v8ral topics/issues to be discussed.
A. PEBCIPTIQX;
A atate.ent or description eoncerninq ~hat ve think is the
perception of the public reqardinq the topic. NUllbers in
parentheses refer to factual data associatea and/or strateqy
Jntormation iteJUl.
B~ UC"l"UAL OnTA/1HFOBXA,iION;
oata, infor.ation , professional opinion, that helps provIde
background and understanding of the topic/issue.
c. f,XrSTING STRATEGIES:
Identification and brief oeser ipt,ion of met,hods/procedures
cLlrrently used to address the topic/issue, inchlding
enforcement, physical/ and education measures.
D. ~IAL oTHER STRATEGIES;
Identi!ication and brief description of methods that might be
poas':ble.
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I. ~: apallD
JZaI:R -The r.ate at which ... ·&hicles travel on/throuqh City
.t.r..te
Tr.ttic qen.ra~ly travel. too fast vi thin and
throu<;h the City. (82,B3)
People are not obeying the posted speed
li.it •. (52,!!3)
Speed. are incraaaing. (83)
Thece is in4ut~icient traffic enforcement and
polic@ ar@ not visible enouqh and l as a
result, people: ccntinue to speed. (B5)
Speed enforcement is not a priority for the
police depar-t.l!!.ent, (B5)
Pcste·j spEed limits are: enforceable.
C82,B3,fH,H7)
City vehicles are habitual oftender9 when it
co~~s to exceeding th.o'! s.peed limit. (8S)
!ncreaa.ing the posted speed limit increases
the acty~l travel speed. (B6j
•• n.crpAL p.a.p;rsrnpVT;IQI:
1. ~d&r enforceable speed Ii_its are ba&ed upon
thE 85th percentile speed (that speecl below
wich 55 percant of the traffic is moving).
This is based on the premise that 85 percent
of the peopl. are able to accuratel~r assess
features ot the roadway and cha~acteristic$ of
the adjacent area and yill adjust their speed
accorclinqly to what is reasonable a.nd safe.
speeds higher than the 85th percentile are not
considered reasonable and s~fe.
2:. Speed s-urvey datA fro. a sample of arterial
and collector streets is as follows:
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arteriAl streets
Alae (3 sftctiona)
Hillviev
Oreqon
Pago Mill
Sand Hill {2 sections)
Unive:rsity
Cpllector Street.
Colorado (2 .. ctional
Fabian Way
H~noyer
Hillvie'i
LoD3 Verde (J sections}
Louis (2 section)
Meadov (3 section~)
Newell ,~ sections)
Welch
!o!'~st B~yshcre
(3 sE'ct.ion~!
p
o
85th
PeI'ce:ntile
~
42/43/4<
4J
43
.)
4D(41
33
)3/34
39
).
39
.D/H/J":'
341 H
H/H/JJ
32/J}
" )~/·!:2/".1
Posted
spud
J.1all
)5
35
35
35
35
25
25
30
3D
30
25
2S
25
25
25
JO/}~/)5
3. Trav",,:l spe€"d G-.lta ~.Dni~CT€,j at several
ll)cations ind!'cdt~s !n5iJr.'i.f~c;!nt ·.:hai.r-g€s over
a p£ltriod o( 13 J'e-aI'z, ~s-sho ... ·n belo'ol~
4.
B~th P'f"rcent. i Ie Speed Posted
]..2l.1 lJli 1lU .li2>! IJ.llt
University ). 3. 3~ 33 25
West at Hale
Mid.dlef 1e1d <1 J7 40 25
Ko. of Montrose.
Middlefield 3. 35 35 25
110. of Kinq9ley
Hiddlefield 38 35 )5 25
So. of Hawth,-,:!Ie
Eabarcade.ro .0 40 <l 40 25
at Mort0n
Eabarca.dEro 41 38 39 37 25
F.ast. of Cowp-t'!r
Legal li.itations on spEs!ed en:forc~ent:
section 22350 of the Vehicle Code, the -Basic
Speed Lay," says no person shall drive at. a
speed that is unsafe tor the rcadvay
conditions, "This :section o;.akes no reference
to exceedirlg the posted speed limit. When
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testifying in court, an officer must prove the
speed was unsafe, not just in e:xce •• of the
posted limit. This law applies to any speed
above or below the posted liait in relation to
the •• f. speed dictated by the r06dway
conditions.
section 22349 of the Vehicl., Code, tbe
"KaxiJlW!ll Speed Liait," say. no person shall
drive faster than 55 mph. This law appl~es to
city .urtace streets, a. well •• the fr •• way.
Due to tbi. law dictat1"9 the aaxiau:a speed
lLBit, reqaral ••• of rOAd~ay condition., any
per_on d..rivinq taster tha.n 55 .ph is in
violation.
section 40802 ot the Vehicle Code, ~speed
Trap," defines how speed enforcement can be
cond.ucted. This section prohibits the use of
tilDe distance calculatiClilS to determine Sp.i:!s::J,
This section also requires a speed i.i~it to be:
determir.ed by an ~engineerinq and traffic
sQrv.eyl': in ord.er to use radar to enforce !I
speed. limit. There are exceptions to thi.":o
requireme.nt such as school zones · ... itt"t chi loren
in the area and non-federal 5id local streets.
5. ourinq fiscal year 1991-92, the Palo Alto
Police Department issued 7,351 speed-related
citations. In fiscal year 1992-93, 4,724
speeding citations ~ere issued. The number of
speed-related. citations has decre-ased over the
last ttJ"ee years as a result of the
departaent'll chanqe. of traft ic entorceaent
tactics. In fiscal year 1991-92, a.phasis was
placed on group radar enforce.ant, .oaeti.ea
as often as three or four tiaes a aay. Group
enforcuent resl.llts in .ore citations being
issued in snorter periods of ti.e~ In 19'92-
93, the departaentls focus began to chanqe.
Enforcement eaphesis 'Was directed to areas lind
intersections with the highest nuaber of
accid.ent.. Ad.ditional hours were spent on
safety presentations at elementary and middle
schools and additional attention was given to
school zones.
In 1993-94, the Traffic Team began devoting
additional hours to cOmQercial vehicle
enforcement and inspections, due to the nuaber
of trucks being stopped ~ith serious equip~ent
def~cts. Also during that ti~el the Traffic
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Tea. worked with only one sergeant and three
ofticers (ins;tead ot Dna serqeant and five
officers) • Thie 11114 the: result of a higher
than normal number of injuries (fiv~ officers
during a ten-month period) within the.
department which affected minimum staffing
requirements on all patrol shifts. Tra.ft ic
Team officers were also assigned to &upptasant
daily patrol positions for injured officers
throughout the year.
6. Technical studi •• and experien~e in other Bay
Area ~unitles indicates tha.t rai.inq posted
speed lI.it. to confor1ll. with the results of
prescribed Enqineerlng and Traffic surveys
does not re~ult in a correspondinq increase in
overall spe.ea.
7. It is unrealistic t.o set artificil:tlly low
speed I1mits and expect a oajcrity of the
driv~!"s to naturally accede to such limits.
It i9 equally unrealistic to expect thai:
through ent'orcement, a J:l.ajority of drivers can
be forced to confurm to artifi~ially low gpeed
limits. Furthermore, experience has show-n
that artificially low posted speed limit signs
have little, it any, significant influence on
driver behavior.
B. The City Manager has reinforced ~ith
Department Heads the importance of City
employees driving City vehicles according to
the speed limits.
c~ VIS:!" 'DITIGIIISI
1. Speed Enfgrcement
General traffic enforcement is oonducted
by all patrol officers.
The Police Department's Traffic Team is
stafted by f i Vft off ieers and one
sergeant. The primary responsiQility ot
the Traffic Team is to deal with all
traffic-related problems within the City.
Traffic Team members reqularly work
d.aytime hours, but occasionally adjust
their schedules to address traffic
problems during evenings and weekends,
Officers target areas knf ..... wn to have
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.peed-related probllJllls and. conduct high
profile enforcement in efforts to reduce
ape«!8 and accidents. Officers. conduct
a~ed-enfarcament in three way.:
individual radar, qroup radar and pacing.
Individual radar entcr-CeJII,ent is ..,hen an
offic::u I 'Working-alone~ uses rad.ar to
obtain a vio14tor~. speed and then stopa
the vehicle and issues the driver a
citation.
Gro~p radar is when on~ officer operates
radar fro. a. stationary location and
radios to other officers down the road.
These other otficltre stop the violator.
end issue citations.
Pacing is conducted by officers in mar~ed
p20trol cars and requires the1!l to drive
behin.j a violator. ThE! off icer must
:rei!ch the violator' s ~peed and thell
maintl'tin the pace for a sUfficiant
distancl:' to prove in court thli actual
..... iolator(e a.p~erj. 8ecause of safety
conce~n5, the paclng method is used on a
lil!lited basis and usually only durinq
periods of light traffic.
Officers alae conoentrAte enforcement
efforts in areas that have been reportea
by ci tizen.8 as having speed problems.
Depending on the location and resources
available, the most appropriate
enforce .. nt .ethod will be used.
High profile enforceaent stops are also
used by the Traffic Team to educate
citizens. The purpose is to give verbal
varninqa ana educate the publ io about
their unsafe driving and to qive B
·poliee presenee~ to the problem area.
PhantoJil cars (empty marked patrol cars)
are parked on the side of thil'! road. in
problem a::-eas, to aqain, give a police
presence ~ithcut depleting staffing.
The Jlobile rad.ar trailer is placed at
different locations throughout the City
to advise aotorists of their actual
speeds.
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2 . Ro.od Bupp Progra.
In 1991, Palo Alto e.ta.b1ishe.d a Road Bump
Proqr... The purpose of the pr-oqraa 18 to use
road buap. to lower speeds on local
re&idential streets. The prograa identifies
criteria {baaic, neighborhood. support, and
operational) that aust be .et and. stand.ards
tor the location and de-siqn of road buaps.
Road buap. cost about $5,000 per buap and are
of tan inatalled .5 I: aeries or tVa or acre.
Th. only loeetiofl.8 at which road ~p9 {8
total) t..av. been in.tall&d to date are on
Covpe:r, Colorado and Marion in the Midtown
area. ".101', it any, CO!!lment6, favorable or
..rnfavorabl.~ h.lVII! been re.';':eived reqardinq the
existing read buaps:.
;..11 cily vphi:..:1Es could
t..lh.!T'" b~pel' stickers.
stjc~er could be ~ phone
to rep<:,rt ho'lol th-e City
driven.
2. s~ed Watch PrQ9rc~
h3. ... e ill. drive tbe
Included on the
nW!lbel." fo!' citizens
vehicle W~9 being
BellVlJe, Washington and Portla.nd, Oregon have
volunteer-based Heighborhood Sp~ed Watch
Proqr4&s. Th.ae public aw~reness prograas are
intended to aake drivers aware of residents'
concerns r~4rdinq the i_pact of speeding on
ne:iqh.borhood safety and livability. This
awaren... cx:curs by send.ing letterll to the
reqiatered. ovne.rs of speeding vehicles noted
by resident.. The cities provide radar quns
and trainif)9 to participants j participants
cQllect license plate nuabers and vehicle
intoraa~ion on those cars traveling in excess
of 5 llph over the speed limit; city staff
obtains owner's na~es and addressaa from
Dep~rt~ent of ~otor V~hicles and sends a
letter to the vehicle's owner. The program is
used only tor lower volume, two-lane streets
and not on busier tour la~e streets where it
ia aore difficult to record information and to
us~ radar to properly assess a Vehicle's
speed.
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3. Neighborhood; Traffic MAnogegent Program
A nuaber of cities have tOrAl!l.l ne1qhborhood
traffic aanaqezent Jlroqra.s to gerve o. a
-.&i"1B to ac1d.r... neiqh..borhood resident. (
concerns about .pe~, safety and other trarfic
relata4 i8.Uau. While Palo Alto in fact has
hAd such. proees. tor .any years, it lacks:
a. the fOnla! structure .nd presentation
:aaterillla, and
b. an annual co .. it.ent of dollars for
iapleaentation ot physical "4sur •• /
c.haracterlt~ by the-currer:t higher
profile: .odel. in other citi@s.
One of the fact.or's thi!lt infloJe.r,ces dri'lc:
perception about vh~t is ~ reasonable and s~fe
speed, i~ the width of th~ trav€l lanes ~nd
the preser,ce an·j proxi:Jity of objects ai.or."9'
the side of the lravel lane. For exa~ple, a
driver has a very different srmse of "W':t"1 • .!t is l'!
reasonable and safe G~ed on the quite n~lro~
streets ~ith on-str~et parking in the
Southqate neighborhood as cOl1pared witt'. the
"'~,d.er street,s, rolled curbs, cars park.ed in
driveways or up on the cl,krb/side .. aH: that
typifies some residential areas in Palo Alto.
One. utra.tegy to rE:duce speeds could be to
narrow existing 'Wide streets. This could be
done on a tull bloeJr:.-by-bloc)( basis or at
pericd1c locations (e.g., use of bulbouts)
along a block. Either approach could be
accompanied by significant roadway drainage
and design considerations.
5. Downsize Arter ip 1 Ca) Cro. rour !:Apc, to 'fVo
Wn!ui
Conversion ot current four lane Mresidential
(proposed CPAC t:1esignation) ilrter ials
(E!:lbarcadero, Middlefield, Charleston and
Arastradero) to:
a. B tw~-lane roadway
center turn lane
landscaped ~edian) I
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with
(or
a cor.t inuous
an opcional
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c.
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bike lanes, .and
on-street park.ing-. while lJUIIintaininq
current lane confiqurationa at major
inter84!1:ctions, could posliibly have the
effeet of reducing travel speeds by about
5 aph. A rough coat e.timate to restripe
(continuoua center turn lan8 option) the
full lerlqt.h of b.barcad8ro Road (:2 • 2
ailaa) is $250 1 000; a rouqh cost estimate
for a fully landscaped center .edian
option would be $1.5 .illion.
Safety Chegkpointe
Officers using the qroup enforcement lIlethoo
could work high vol'llIIe roads for safety
violations. These viol~tions 'Would include
Beat belts/ child safety seats and cechanical
violattans.
Use of Photo~~
This device is similar to t.h.e city (5 current
Radar Traileri however, th~ unit could be
hidden and equipped to teke photog:-dphs of
violators, their vehicle and license plate.
Citations 'Would than be mailed out te· tl"ie
registered owner with the photo of ~~a driver.
a. ~Ar Drones
Radar drones could be insta14ed on city po~er
poles~ These drones wO\.llc1 transmit 4 radar
signal yhich would in tUrn sat off a driver's
radar detector. Once a driver using a radar
detector th.inks r:o"d«r is being used in the
area, he/sne would presumably slow down.
9 • Pel ice Motgrgycles for Traffic Enfor!aU.Dt
Motorcycles could be used for working heavily
congested at"ea& such as downtown and
intersections along El camino Reali
Embarcadero and Alma. Motorcycles are smaller
and much quicker than full-size patrol cars,
and allow officers to quickly and safely enter
traffic 1 catch up to, and stop violators. In
addition to being used in heavily congested
areas, motorcycles are effective in less
congested areas due to their smaller size.
Wh~n a patrol car is parked in a problem area r
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.ost drivers see the vdhicle and obey the
laws. When driverli~ don't see a patrol car,
they Day be leas prone to follow the rules of
the road.
10. Estahlish Realistic/RAdar Enfcrce,ble Speed
I.i.itl
In order for t...'le. police dapartl!!ent to use
radar for speed enforcazent, the speed limit
could be POllted in accord a nee with an
engineering and traffic survey as require~ by
the california. Vehicle Code. While posting
speed Ii.its per survey requirements may
reBult in hiqher posted speed limits, s~udies
indte-ate t.~e.t travelling speeds do not
increase and it provides a means for police to
enfo~ca speed li~its i~ a cost efficie.nt and
safer manner.
11 • .I.n.Quas¢ Numbtt-. __ QL_.Qft....~ Dedicated........t.Q
.En!Q.r~
Increasing trle size oi current Traffic: TeaIll is
another option. Currently one sergeant. and
five officers 'Work Mondays through .Fridays,
6:10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., ,times of day and days
of weeK adjusted from time to time). By
increasinq the size Qf the Team, there would
be lfIor-e off ieers to focus on enforcement of
all Vehicl.e Code requlations, increase the
number of comm6~cial vehicle inspections, and
Qedicate time to routine traffic complaints.
Thia would alao allow for the T.am to expand
enforceaent efforts tc a night shift and
weelc:enda. more frequently. While increasing
the nwaber 01" ofticers dedicated to traffic
entorcement wo-u.ld result in more citations
being issued and a correspondinq decrease in
the number of accidents, no guarantee exists
that the number of violators would decrease.
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11. l'Qfll;, 'VOLlIIU!
!QLPMIr -The number of cars travellinq on and through City
.tr •• t..
.... J'DC'Inxog: :
Do
Th. volu.. of vehicle traffic is too high.
(Bl,B.,lIl)
The voluae of vehicles is i~creaainq rapidly.
(81,B3)
A .lqnltic&r.t portion of traffic volume is due
to non-Palo Altc residents. (B4)
Tl",e city is not doing ~uch to control the
in.crea~e in tr~ftic vclume, {Bl,B2,BJ,B4)
1. In th~ P3St 25 y~~rs, tr~ffic volu~es on the
:;ajor r(J~(:lr. .. ays in Palo .;1 to h:.'l,ve been
jr,crc-'J.siilg' at olr! anm.1.::'Il r,e!,t,~ ran9·ing from 0.5
pe.rcent tc ) Fercent. City .... ·ide t::-a!fic volume
t J 0 .. aaps for 1969 and 1993 are presented if.
Appendices ~ and 8.
:2. Typical traffic vohlme ranges; for various.
types ot 6treets are as follows!
FrtJe\iays and
expressways.
Arte.ri.e.l str'e.ts
C·:)llector Btreets
Local strillets
18,000-150,000
10,000-45,000
1,000-10,000
100-2,500
vehicles/day
vehicles/day
vehicles/day
vehicles/day
J. As part at the followup to the citywide Lana
Use and Transportation stuaYI traffic volumes
at 11 1N:jor intaraections in Palo Alto are
aonitored on a one-to two-year cycle. The
data collected. in 1985, 1990, 1992 and 1993
indicat •• th~ follo~in9:
a. 1992 p.lI. peak hour traffic volUIlles, at
411 but cne intersection, were less than
the previous recorded volumes (1990), and
'b~ 1993 p.lII. peak hours traffic volumes at
all 11 intersections are less than or
equal to values anticipated and approved
a spart of thz Citywide study.
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c, Census d.t~ (1~90) provides .ODe helpful
indicator. Qf travel characteristics.
•• '!'he total nuaber ot vehicle trips is
about 600. OOOid-ay,
b. About 10 percent of ve.hi cle. are ju.t
~ •• ing throu9h the City.
c. The re&e.indu is aplit:
d. The
~5 percant attributable to Palo
Alto/stanford re.ident. and
45 percent attributable to non-Palo
Alto/stanford residentD.
45 percent Palo Alto/Stanford
rIH!.ide!lts porti~1l is at.out;
25 percent idthin the Palo
Alto/Stanford 3re.! and
20 percent ollt::.idp the P~lo
A1t-ojStanford drei'! .
In 1989, the Citywide Land USE! an<l
'Transportation Study re.sul ted in act-ions :by
the ~.ity of Palo Alto to Address co_unity
vide concernR about 1~creasin9 traffic
congestion resulting tro~ ~cntlnuinq
CO&aercial .and induatrial developaent. At
that ti .. , developaant pot2ntial vas reduced
fro. 25 aillion aqy.r~ feat to ] aillion
square feet. The 3 .i11ion square t .. t
represents an 88 percent reduction in
developaent potential and only a 12 percent.
increase over axistinq d.velop~ent in 1987~
2. Trip Reduction Qrdino~~
Palo Alto adopted a Citywicle Transportation
Deaand Manaqaaent (TOM) ordinance in 1990, as
one ct li~ .. e "Golden Triangle Task Yorce jq
citiu5 in Santa clara co~~ty. Recently, the
Bay Area Air Quality Manaqeaent District
(BAAQMD) adopted Regulation 13( Rule 1, (~Tri9
Reduction Require.ents for Larger Employers·)
which supersed.e. all local city and county TO!(
ordinances. The rule 8pplies to ~lt public and
private toc~ployers ... ·ith .ork sites of 100 or
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o
3.
----.~ ............... ,-------
more employees.. The averaqe vehicle ridership
(AVR) perforaance objectives for the Zone in
which Palo Alto is locat.ed., increaae-s fro.
1.10 in 1993 (110 employees/100 vehicles) to
1.'5 in 1999 (135 """loyoeo/100 vehicles,.
This represents a 23 percent reduction in the
nu:aber of private vahicles driven to york,
coapared to 1993 condition ••
stAnford univer.ity Efforts t.o Reducg Single
Oeg»pont Yehlel,.
Stanford University has, and ccntir..utlA. to
Make notable efforts to'Ward reducinq si!'lg:le
occupant autollonile use. though a va.ri~ty of
transportation-related proqra.ms and se.rvices
(incentives ~nd disincentives) tha~ influence
trave.l mode choices. As part of their 1988
Sa.nta Cla.ra. COl.mty GenQral Use Permit (County
lands}t there is 2 requirement th~t new
development cannot contribute any nl!1!.
automobile tripI'J beyond the nl..l.Z':ber a llo .... ed in
19813. This is monitored and reported un by
Stanford on an annual basis ~nd, to date, they
have ~et that require~ent.
4. City Support for Alterpatiye Transportation
Ill2!1U.
Palo Alto has long-standing policies and a
notable record of actions .and !ochievcJ:lents
that emphasize, encou.rage and facilitate the
use of alternative .odes to the autoaobile
,walking, bi.king, caJ:'/vanpools, transit).
These policies and actionS!, cons istecnt ly
applied over an extended ~riod of tise, have
made a favorable dittere~ce in the utilization
of Eeveral transport cCllponents and,
therefore, have resulted in lQWer voluaes of
o-affic.
D. WEnt" ODQ STlUUGIIB2
1. Support Regi9n~ Market ___ e __ :l_!?_~L_ Pricing
StrategW
Karket-ba&8d pricinq mechanisas that
accurately reflect the costs ot travel Choices
could significantly change travel Jl.ooe choices
and reduce the volulle of automobiles ciurin9
peaJt pe.riooa. '{"he same concept is a.lr~ady an
integral part of c,ur da.ily lives as 'Je make
13
--".,-, -----
\
choice. about the use of telephones, water,
power j airline traval, ate.
2. Povelop Local Transit Mprqperit@-rypc system
A local areA Marguerite-type small bus systam
serving n6iqhborhood areas and major
destination points could reduce the number of
automobile trip. in Palo Alto.
J. Pux@ue Extlnsiou pf Light Rail Trsnflit frOll
Mountain Viey to/through Palo Alto
An ""tension of Liqht Rail 'rransit fro.
Mountain V!~w throuqh Palo Alto to Xenlo Park
alonq El camino Real would serve a num~er of
destinations and related trips that would
othe.l.lrrfia8 :be :cade by automobile . It would
also provide the possibility for 1:1 strong
empnasis on transit-oriented development alon9
El camino Real in conjunction ~ith the ten or
so stations that would be part ot the LRT
system, thereby accommodating future
development .. dthcut ths same trattic-relatect
impacts associated wit)l traditional non
transit development~
-----"',---.---
o o
xxx.~: ~ID~8
&QCIDIITII Motor vehicle versus motor vehicle I bixe
versus aotor vehicle, pedestrian versus motor
vehicle.
A. 'IllCU'TIOJlS:
Palo Alto streets are unsafe and are qetting
vorse. (81,B2)
Accident. are nOr'llally
speed ond " disregard
clevices. (B5)
caused by excessive
for-traff io control
A se.rious accident has to occur
Cit}· does somethir.g to pr-ev03nt
(B2rB6,C2,C3)
before the
accidents.
Effective traffic enforcement reduc~s the
number of accidents. (86)
The City c~n engineer ~nd centrol safety
through the use of signs and other physical
devices, (Cl,e5)
City streets should be safe fol.: children to
play in. (84)
An increase in the numbe.r of vehicles
increas.es: the nu.mDer of accidents, especially
more pedestrian involved accidents. (B7)
:a. '&cTPl\L J)MA I II!9!!,!tIO. I
1. Between 1989 and 1993, the i::ajury a.ccident
rate in Palo Alto has. remained relatively
unchanged (average of 557 accidents per year) .
Durinq the Baae period, the f.tal accident
rate in Palo Alto has remained at three per
year ~ except in 1990, when there W2re six.
(See Appendices C and 0)
2. The surveyed Bay Area ci ties show a
significantly lower per capita and injury
accident rate when compared to the state
accident rate as a whole. The fatal and
injury accident rates for the state have
decreased over the last five years. This can
be attributed in part to the mandatory seat
belt law, vehicle supplemental restraint
systems (air pags) , mandatory :rJ.otorcycle
15
--,,-------
.,'
belaet law, bi~~cl. hel .. t law, an~ stricter
DOt entorcaaent.
J. Li.t~ belO\i are the •• ven areas vi'th the .ost
traffic accidents in the last rive years:
100 block !l Camino Real (55 ~ccidents);
19 occurring at tb. stanford Shopping
Canter entrance.
200-300 university Aven~. (36 accidents) •
2600-)000 Middlefil!ld Road (JJ
.. ccident.a) .
400-600 Middlefield Ro~d (32 accidents);
12 occi..irri~.g at t-he intersection of
Ha:ilton Aven~e.
50{)-6UO E:::..t·arc3dcro Road (32 accidents);
11 occurring at the ir,tp-rsection of
~iddlefield Road,
4CIO-fOO }.llt'a street pi a<."cident:s.); 11
Clccu!'l'!r.g at thE" intf:!rsoection of Hamilto ..
A· ... enuo!! ,
800-~OO University (ll accidents).
•. Streets are desiqned for vehicle traffic, not
for childrEn to play in.
5. Fer-the past t-",o Y9'&rs, the single highest
CAuse ot injury/tatal accidents is violation
of the basic speed laW'. {Appendix E)
6. Hat1unal Highway Traffic safety Administration
atudias have shown that effective traffic
enforcaae.nt t'educea the number of accidents at
~it1e locations. It is to this end that
the Polj~~ Departaent has chanqe4 enforcement
tactic-. and focuses its efforts at
int.rsectior~ or areas with the hiqnast number
'Of accidents.
7. Th.~e i5 no current tactual data to support or
deny the perception that an increase in the
nuabe.r of vehicles increases pedestrian
involved accidents.
16
C. lJlU'tn nu.uqlU:
1. Annu,l HIgh Accidant Locatiqn Antly.i.
2.
Periodically, .toff p«rtoras a aystaaatic
review of locations where the highe.t n~r
ot accident. OI;:cur. Total nUAbe..r or accident.
are deterained. accident rates are calculated,
and the ten hi9h •• t locations are atuclied in
detaiL Such study include-Ii preparation or
colli_ion diaqrUUJ illulltratinq the type ot
accident, direction of travel, tl .. ot d .. y~
etc. and field investi9atl~n and .v~luation ot
each location to detet"1line contr-ibutinq
factors. Specific action. are then identified
and iaple.ente<l and tlie •• areas are included
in targeted enforcement location~.
Is,rget ?-rea
I&!d!.llQM
'I'ne Traffic J;'e!!.;:! fc.:;uses enfc.:r-ct:':!.ent ~fforts
on locations and int~r5ectia~s with the
higbest ac:",ident rates. ::-·:3::-!'.cr-.r..-tocs give
~arnings and cit~tions in these target ereas.
Pa.trol ott iC8!:"& are ~ 1 so dire-ct€-d. !:.o these
lccations.
Police ofticet"s ir.ve$.tiq~te aU reportP:<1
traffic ac.::lde.nts. "I".o t]"'Pes of reports are
used. The Ilot'"e invol .... ed report is used when
one or Bare of ~~e follo.log factors are
present:
injuri ...
.or. than tvo vehicle. involved
unlic.naedf_uBpended dri~era
pursuit., reckless drivlllq or speed
contest.
drunk dr 1 verfli.
hazardous .aterial apills
hazardous aechanical violations
prosecution for eve vlolations{s) is
sought
A briefer .fer. of report is an f!£Xchange of
Infor.ation Report.-It swaaarizes .ir.or
property daaage accident. when the above
criter-h. are net met.. Exch4nge of Infontat.ion
Reports serve in:;u.rance purposes ar,d ara not
17
...
~ ...
• ent to tb~ atateyide reporting SY5t ...
Part i •• raeaiva a copy of this report at the
acene ot the accident, and & copy 1.
maintained by the Police Department.
Tbe Specialized Traffic Accldent
Reconatruction Tea.. responds to assist with
tatal and aa.jor injury accidents. The t ...
collect. evidence, photoqraphs the scene &nd
reconstructs the. accld~flt ~ The teAK eeeJt.
prosecution throuqh the oistr iet Attorney'.
otfice When appropriat ••
Accid.ent d.ata ia cOlIPuta.rized and plotted on
an accident pin aap according to type and
location.
The Traffic Team works in cooperation "",i.t!': the
department's School/Traffic Safety COe!lli';tee,
the Fire Departm~ntl School Resource. Officer
~nd school principals to educate students on
bicycle and pedestrian safety. Early in the
school year I trle i·oli<.!e Dep4rt~e.nt provides
middle and elsmentary schools .. lth high
visibility traffic direction.
5. ptYDical Improyements
In respons~ to requests and complaints and a~
a reoult of other investigations ana
evaluations, physical improvements are made at
various locations to ~ddresG specil'ic isslJes
at such locations. These physic~l
iaprovegants include: parkinq restrictions,
restricted turns, increased sight distance,
atop signs, traffic eiqnals, &tc.
1). POTI!!Tl:M, OtHER snAfU xu J
L Infonational r.eaflGing
Inf-ormational leafleting could occur near
intersections .... here a greate:t-nUMber of
acciaents occur. Handout .. qiven at safety
c.heckpoints 'Would infona motorists of the
problem and would solicit cQoper~tion relatinq
to safe driving techniques. The checkpoints
would be advertised in the h'eekly.
18
o
2. IDcr.a30d Enforcement ot High Accident
Intersections
Due to current workload demands, Traffic Te~
.amber. devote ti •• at five area/lntarsectiona
with the qreateat nWllber ot accidents in the
l •• t .ix-.~ntb period. This number could be
aodified to include the top eiqht or ten areas
in the I.at three Ilonths. Patrol officers
froll! all three shift. could be 4saiqned to
wonitor th4l!S8 .areas tor a set aaount of time
durinq each shift and have thei~ time logged
~8 a call for •• rviee.
19
mIN:. The travel ~o And from schoold by
studGntB~
It is unsafe for children to walK and/or bike
to acbool. (B1,82)
There ar~ an inadequate numbe~ of ~dult
croas inq quards. . (BJ , B4)
There i. in8ufticient tratfi~ enforce.ent in
achool ton~s. especially during school hours.
{55}
1. Accljents;t or Near s~
During the last five years, there have been a
totc!lil of 2'J :ce.portet;l accidents (eight -w1th
injuries) involving students, bicyclists and
vehicles in school I=arking l,ots and/or
adiacl!:nt to schools on the road~ay~ 'l'Went}~ of
the 27 dccidents have occurred in or around
Gunn High School (13, 5 -with injuries) and
Palo Alt~ High School (7, 2 with i~juries).
2, Accidents In''y'olvins SchOQl Children
euring the last five years, there have been a
total of 320 injury accidents involving
children ~tween the ages of five and 18:
&. 1989 -65
b. 1990 -57
C. 1991 -57
d. 1992 -7.
•• 1991 -62
Breakdown of their involvement by age group:
(S ... Appendix F)
J. The.re are currently 11 adult crossing guards
vorxinq at 11 specific intersections (App~ndix
G) during the llorninq and afternoon school
c~ .. ute periods.
4. There are 28 childr~n serving as traffic
pat:..-ols at 13 specific intersectir)n (Appendix
20
· ' ..
Go) c;luring the aorning and afternoon a.cho-ol
co.aut. perioda-. Two of the intersactions
al&o have adult guards.
c. UlInW IDUJ9Igt
1. City'SSh991 xr,ftic SAfety C9mDi~t.§
The City/School Traffic Safety Ca.aittee ... n:.. .. . forua and focal point for
14.nti fyinq, evalu&tin9" and. Ba)dng
r.' nd.ationa to the City Kanaqer and the
Scb-ool Dl.tr iet SUper i ntendent regardift9
iaCbool traffic a.t.ty i •• u~. The seven •• I\ber
coaaitt.a i. eoapria~ of repLesent8tives from
~e City (2)1 ~~. School District {2} and the
PTA Tra!fic Safety Board en·
The City of P.do Jo.lto 5up-ervisE"s and funds the
Adul t Cr-c!S8ing Guard Pr09ra."!I, Requests are
s\!b!!;~ttec! to the City/ScnQol T~afflc Safety
co~itte"! f<.'r re"lie·... ar.d recor...z:.endation.
C-.:-iteria r,,!" !'YlIl'LI-!ltinq the D'i!cd io.L· an adult
cTcssirlg gu"rd include" consideration of: the
numbel.-of elementary school-age pedcstriens
per l'.oIJ.r (20 mini::w:.), Dppropriateness of use
of .. Jur.lor Traffic Patrc.l, lI:nd intersection
centrol and vahiclt;. volume warrants.
O.lrnmtly .. there 3re adult-crossing guax:d:rs at
11 intersectiona during the morning ana
atternoon H-chool comaute :periods. Training
ana :!ield auperviaion are provid*<1 by the
PoliC4J Depa.rt!llent, and the adult crossing
guards wag •• (SS,OOOiyear/person) are included
in the P'olJce ~partJtenc' s budget. At the
present ti:.e~ there are. requests outstanding
tor adult croBainq quards at two additional
intersections.
3. ~ Tr0ffic ~ty Patrols
The Palo Alto Unified School District
.adJtinh •. terll the. Junior Traffic safety Patrol
Progra.. The purpose o~ the program is ~o use
trained etudent5 (qenerally 5th graders) to
assist pupils in aately crossi~ stre9ts near
the sc..~ool. CUrrentl)', there are 28 children
.e~inq a. patrol ~rs at 13 intersections
during the morning and afternoon school
commlJte periods.
21
"'''.:
4. Scb091 Bite Sat'ty ln~ction Prograw
Tha school bik.e sa.fety instruction pr-ogre. i.
under the diraetion of A Fire Depar-UKnt
Captain. Eacl'J year, he conducts bicycle
enfil!!lty cia.sroca pr ... ntations. for all third
and fifth grader.. Se also provides Doth
.idd;le .choal. with • yaarly slide and video
satety preaent&tion. !ach tall th. :Fire
captain coordinate. a Bicycle Rodeo to prowote
bicycle safety and awareness for childr*n.
Th& Fire captein also conducts the juvenile
bicycle offender proqra.. Juve.nile. Yho
receive their tirst citation attend a bicycle
safety class In lieu ct having the violation
appear on their record.
S. Responses tp Slte-Spgcific IS$I.,Ie:;; and Regb!J!.ll...z
City statf routinel}' ~espo~ds to requests t !"O"J!
the Valo Alto Unified School District,
ctty/Schoo.l Traffic Safety cc::;.z:ittEoe,
individual s-:hools, a.nd P'rA groups U.rcugr.out
the year on a variet~' of traffic satety
.issues. These are genet"ally ~i te-specit it:
issues related to traffic circul~tion and
parkinq, safety patrols I adult crossinq
quards, tratfic controls, etc., in the
Vicinity ot individual schools.
6, SChAA!' Commyte corridg.r .:.tY..Q.i.~i1Ac..t~
Th~ ~adow/Charleaton School Corridor Safety
Study va. coapleted in early 1993. Th.
purpose of the study was (1) to take a
compre.hl!l"lslve look. at traffic a.,.fety issues
and concerns r~latea to the saf~ty of students
traveling along public streets bet:.tean J. L.
stanford Middle School and the Sar!"on Park
Neighborhood and (2) to develop con.ena~s ~nd
support for a proqrua ot 5hort-tena and long
te.ra reco_enda.tions. The study identified 26
individual actions with support ter
implementation. Many 01' these Actions h4ve
already been co.pleted and a05t of the ott.erE
are in procees, either as cur~ent projects in
the City's Capital r.prove..ent Proqra.a or
tiu':'ouqh aqreeJiilents 'With Caltrans tor El calDino
Real.
lIt Council's direction, statf has .orked with
22
o
'qj em
the appropriate parties (city/School Traffic
Safety COJ:Ulitte., principals and PTA
representatives) to identify issues and
consider alternative approaches for proceedinq
with edditional school C01lUllute safety 8tudiee.
The consensus of opinion is to recommend
proc.eedinq with a two part area-wide study
process rather than a toc~Bod sinqle corridor
etudy, ai.liar to the Meadow/Charleston Study
(Appendi>: Hl.
7. Entoxggent
Enforcement prio~itie. are generally directed
throughout the achool year in conSUltation and
discussions between the City/School Traffio
Safe.ty Committee !tind the Police Department.
The Police Department also responds to
requests from individual schools 011 speciftc
traffic-seafety concerns as \!tell.
S. Infontstion packets provlg_~d Pr l...QJ.:......1fL..S.~
QlWl1Dg
Every AU9uBt, ~,e School Distrlct sends
parents a packet of m"terials which includes
information reqardinq school CCIMl.lte safety
issues j including bike route maps.
9. AnnUal Maintenance
Each year, prior to school openingj the City
repaints all school cross-walks and pavement
leglClnds, 8S ~'ell as maintenance of school
related signs on and along city str.eets.
D. POTmrr'v, O?'U' IDUI9IE8
1. Intersections which me.t the City Council
adopted guid.elines for employing additional
crOSSing guards at intersections used by
elementary age students ($7,DOOlyear per adult
guard) ~ould be proactively surveyed.
2. Student safety p~trol programs could ~
expanded to include all 11 elementary schools.
3. Education progTaJIlS could be expanded for
parents and students regarding traffic safety
issueR specific to individual school sites.
23
''rr'T, !DICLI' -TrUcks and other larqe vehicles carrjinq
tJOQCl8 and equiPlM'nt and. aa.k.inq deliver.ie.a/pic);-ups in the
City.
&.. lIICiIPflQI.,
The nUlllber
incrusinq.
of
(89)
truck route violatot'S 1 ..
'l'bere ia insufficient enforcement of tr-.lcX
route violations. (B1,D2,B3)
There is an increase in the speed of
co..ercial vehicles. {87J
Wh~n commercial vehicles
accidents, the seriousness
increases. (88)
are involved in
of those accidents
Commercial enforcement field activities Cl'e:ate
~d.dlticnal traffic h2'l2.ards. (el)
Trle allo".lable weiqrlt limit. is too high for
Palo ~lto streets.. (B4,B5,B6)
Menlo Park and Stanford commercial traffic is
being diverted through Palo Alto due to
aifferenC8R in the cities I weight limits.
{BS,86)
II" nC'l'tl1tL DATA I 1](f0RMATrON:
.1. The Police Departalent has three CHP-certifie.d
coaaercial Vehicle Inspectors. These officers
are assigned to the Traffic Team and are able
to adjust their work hours to address any
probl .. areas. On average, Ii tota.l of 60
hours per week is devoted to commercial
enforcelll8l"lt.
2. While the Traffic Team officars concentrate on
co..arcial violations, all patrol officers are
trained in basic commercial enforcement.
Areas of enforcement include truck route
'O/iolBtions, Dovinq violations, llIechanical
violationa and driver safety violations, such
6& the number of hours a driver \oTorks in a
qiven day. The. Palo Alto Police Department
works closely with the CHP and. other Bay Area
law enforcement agencies involved 'With
24
.:~.
'?;\>" .,".
~~'-·f~· .~:'
~.
o o
cowatIrcilll vahicle entorce.aent ..
3. DUring Fiacal ~.ar 1993-94, the Traffic rea.
i •• ued 328 citations and dur!nq Fiscal Year
1992-9). 492 citations tor cosaercial
violatiolUl.
,~ Current r~14tions restrict trucks ot 7 tons ,-.-iau. qro.. weight) or .ore to use only
d •• iqnated truck routes. Trucks weiqhing 1 •••
than 7 tons Are not rutricted. Designated
truck rout •• are illustrated in Appendix I.
, . Data froa a
Avenue ju.t
.:ruly 15. 1993
.urvey
.... t
is .a
of t.rucks on tJniv.rsit)~
ot Middlatield Roau on
follow:
I!I. OUI'ing a 12-hol.l.r survey period (5:00 :a.m.
to 5;00 p.m.) I 3 total of 328 ccm~erci~l
Yehicl<!s were counted, 176 westbound. (!:nd
1<)2 ~astbc")\.lnd.
b. The 'IIolU!ll.e of C'Q:7I.!!lerC'ial vehiclas varied
thrc·.,;Clt~Qilt tnt! d<1Y r as illustrated 0010"'(
with;" lO\i of 10 in t}l~ ea.rly ~o.r71inq and
" high of 4-4 in the late morning period.
Vo]uwe or Coaperciol vehicles by Time of
~
5-6 4.::1. 10 11-12 "'.m. 36
6-7 a • It. 20 12 Jloon-l p.m. 37
']-8 i!!!.m. 2) 1-2 p,m. 30
8-9 a.lt. lS ;:-3 p.,.. 25
9-10 •••• H 3-4 p.l!1 . 21
10-11 41al H <-5 p.m. 13
c. The police obtained. unladen (no car-go)
v.igbt infor.a.tion for 183 (56 percent)
ot the total nuaber ot 329 vehicles. Tbe
r..ainde:r could not be Buccessfully
.etched to OMV records due to incoapl.te
or inco~rect recorded field data. Since
the recorded ~eiqhts are unladen _ei9ht~,
t.he coaaercial vehicle officers added
probal:lle cargo weights to determine laden
Cfull C&rqo) veiqhts for each vehicle.
The .. are sumaarized below:
25
Under 3 tona
Fro. J to 7 tons
Over 7 tons
19 ve..~icle&
liS vehicles
49 vehicl ••
lot
63'
'"
It i. i..portant to point out that the
above deta i. based upon an ••• \laption
that. each truck it; tully loaded.
:P;ealistieally ~ ~ot all o! the vahiel ••
noted •• beinq "over 7 tens'" .:sre i11.9a1,
sinca a .tzable proportion could be
carryinq on 1)' • partial load at that
point in their delivery achedule.
d. Duri~ the l;:-h'Our-,mrv.y period, lour
ve_tbound vehicle. ~er@ observed turning
right .t Middlefield Read an~ proce~ing
north into Menlo Padt. io:hi le there .erQ:
aore .... estOO';..md vehicles that did turn
right on th~ Middlefield, they ~l.so made
!Ii left t;urn iro:: XiddIefield onto Lytton
Z!j'ld pro(-:,€-!!de-d "o'estt-our,d on !..j'tton.
6, Information troQ ether C~ties
A. Kouo,"oin yiey -'I"hQ City of Kountain Vie ...
d.fin •• ,.. truck. , .. ) tons or .ore j I\as
designated truck routes (unrestricted
veic:rht) in the north-sout.h direct.i.on
si.ilar ~o Palo hlto; and designeted
truCK routes (unre.str ict~ 'Weight) .L. the
east-wast 4irection al both ends as vell
as the .iddl. of the City.
b. ~to elora -Santa Clara has no weight
liait exoept for li.ited s~nts of five
exiatinQ streets which have ~ J-ton
_ight lait.
c. SUMyyolo -'I1le City of Sunnyvale defines
a truck .. ); tOll5 or BOre; ha B a
substantisl north-south and 41st-vest
qri~ of ~8si9nated unrestricted highways
and supple.ental desJgnated truck traffic
routu.
d. Menlg Park -MenlQ Parx has 1) no weiqnt
lisit on several roads (Sand Hill Road.,
Alpine, EI eaaino Real, and roadyays
serving the industrial area ~ast of
B~yshore FreevaYi 2) a J-ton limit for
26
;/" ..
;;:-~--;;.~.
10
trucks not servir.9 Henlo park,
unraatricted weight limit if serving
Menlo Park, on Santa cruz, Oak Grove,
University, Manlo Avenue, Ravenswood and
Middlefield; and J) a J-ton ~ight Ii_it
for trucks sarving Xenlo Park and total
pr-ohibition of truc)c:a .erving-Palo Alto
on Willow Road betw •• n Middlefield and
Route 101.
Mountain view and s~~nyvale define a
truelt aa 3 tons &JED have a reasonable
grid of de.iqnated routes for trucks to
use.
By cOBpari8on , Palo Alto dEfines a truc~
as 7 tons ABD has a reasonable nu~r of
dusJgrnated routes in t.he north-south
direction, but not in the east-west
direction.
I. There is no current. !~ctual data tc-support or
aeny the perception that there is an increase
in the speed of cc~~erical ve~icles,
8. 'There is data to support the percept ion that
accide.nts involving :::om:mercial vehicles are
usually serious. This i6 in large part due to
the cUtference in size and we i.ght bett"o'een
trucks/tractors and pas~enqer vehicles.
Thouqh there is tactual data from L~e state to
support that truck accidents maKe up 11
percent of total state accident fatalities and
four percent of total state accident injuries,
we do not have ~ccident data for the city or
county to compare with the Btate information.
9. Citations for truck route violations for the
last two fiscal years hav_ to~alled 193 , and
199 respectively.
1. Commercial Enforcement
co~ercial vehicle enforcement ranges from
officers finding violations durin9 reqular
patrol, to the use of CHP-as5isted commercial
checkpoints. Theee checkpoints often involve
up to seven other agencies, including the
Public Utilities Commission.
27
.. ~~,/~;
~ ;;...:::. •..
ourinq II commercial v&hicle enforcement stop,
a coaplete safety inspection is conducted on
the v~icle. The driver's lic~nsinq, medical
certification and tiae on the road are all
investigated. Due to the fact that comaercial
trucks are very large vehicles, often on roads
not desiqned tor such aized vehicl$s, traffic
congaation can occur at the site of a
cOlDercial inspec:tion. The proper use ot
conu Mel siqns ansures a. s,afe zone tor the
oft ieers to work and shows a larqe pol ice
pre.ance to not onl}' the general publicj but
to the oommercial driver6 as well.
The Police Department rasponds to complainta
troll citizens on truck route violations,
c01lUlE!rcial Vehicle movinq violaticns and
reported unsafe lo~d8. Members of the Traffic
Taam have also worked vith citizen groups to
better educate them in regard to weight and
size limits •
.2. ~Qmrnercial Educati,Q..O
In an a'::'tempt to gain c\)mpliance from the
trucking industry I the Police Dep.ertmerrt
provid.es a truck route map to drivers and.
tr-ucking companies explaining how" they ca.n
legally operata within the city. Safety talks
ana vehicle in$pection& for co=panies wiehing
to be in compliance are also provided.
The "Police Department was instrumental in
devaloping the South Bay COmQercial Officers I
Group. This group ot commercial officers,
from seven So~th Bay aqencies, worka together
to e.nforce cosmarcial lIiolations throuqhout
the greater South Bay with a reqional
approach.
The Police Inpartment is in the process of
purchasing portable scales to better wo~k
weight violationa. With these Bealea, not
just total vehicle weight may be deterJIined,
but individual ax.le. weight as well. Many
s~_fety violations rega.rding weight do not
invol ve total weight, but rather-improperly
positioned loads~ These portable sc.ftles
enable a better determination of such
violations.
D. POTENTIAL OTHER smT!iGIES~
28
.
o 0
1. R04uotion in Weight Liaits/Cbonqe Truck Routes
A reduction in the weight limit definition tor
truck. and/ or chanq. in de. igna ted truck
rout •• could be •• de. If the weight Ii_it in
Palo Alto was to be reduced from 7 to 1 tons,
thereby atfectinq IlAnY aore truck., .eriou.
can.idaration should be qiven to d •• 1gnatinq
additional ea.t-west rout6(8) &~ truck routes
( •. q., Oreqon would be one .uch po •• ibility;
Eabarcadero 0& Qniveraity would be another).
2. Li.it Qgwntoyn Truck pel!y§ries
Truck deliveries could be limited in the core
o~ the dovntcvn area to certain hours of the
day, (e.g., 11;00 p~~. to 11:00 a.~.) in order
to reduce the effects of tr~ck travel, parking
and loading/unloading on pedestrian environ
~nt. traffic flow! parking, and safety during
the ~ore intense and i~portant periods of the
co~~rcial/retAil business day.
29
I ,
r
MInaR """DIpIIUIiIIT Of pXI -Locations .... here ClIl'I'rain
railroad track. and roa~~y. cross.
A. rggrrXawr
nM croe.inq. of CalTraln riqht of 'Ways ue
unaaf. lor ped •• trian. and bicyclists. (B.2)
,....u.r.. can provide tail ... re solyticNi tD
prevant accidents at t..."'la..se locations. ~Bl, 82)
It i. ~f. for 9tudent.
art_rial_ and rail cros8ings,
to eros.
iBn
iUj.or
..I.. C.sl1"Tain u:!'"" .. ·ic~ pre:s€-r.tly is ct:-tlprised of 60
train trips per da:}', CUrrel"lt proPQs~d phns
c.!ll tor el~ctr-iiic.!'ltian ot the systell! r;r.d
service incre~5es up to 120 train trips per
da!', i.4nger ra:"F;e effo.ts t~0 recp.Lic3.te a BART
type ser\'ice W'c'.Jld :resuJt. In 160 or mor<! train
trips psr-day .
.2. There have been tOl.:.r train accidents during
the l~st five yeo!l;r's, on£ fatal accident
involvinq a juvenile bicyclist 01/6/91) and
three train/auto a~cidents ~ith no injuries.
zntoraation conflr.ed be.t'Ween Palo Alto Police
Departaent Amtr.X reeor~s~
l~ Vahiel_, 4nd pedestrian/bike oata:
O\ul .. ton
Jlaadev
Cburcblli
Ai_
Oa.ily
Traffic Volul!les
HI,OOO
9,000
11,000
30,000
Peax Hour
Ped!Bike Volwaea
M flI
70 <0
150 130
c. UX''l'llIQ 'TQTIQIQI
1. Operation Lifesayer
California OPE..ttATION LIFESJ..VER is a nationwide:
program directed at. the prevention at death
30
.~.
o
and injury at railroad qrad9 c:roea inqliO
through-;:,ut the country. Tholl!' proqra_ i.
adainistered by the california O!fi~e ot
TrAffic Safety in conjunction wit-;'" a broad
.pectru. of r.pr •• ent~tion troD
tranlJportatitm, lilY enforce.e.nt l and parent
t •• ch4r orqanization.. ~nnually,
representativaa tro. Operation Lifesaver visit
local schools to providie training a.nd
education to students on the danqars and •• t.
practioes ot train track croasinq .afety.
2. PId •• triAD Gat. Inltall.tioo
Pedestrian crossing gates nave been in use a~
the Churchill at-qrade cros~inq tor .aoy
yaars. More recently, p.eC:estri"n crossir:g:
qates ~ere added at the ~eado. and Ch~rleston
at-grade crossings. In conJunction with the
pedestrian croseinq gates, chain lir.k fencir.g
h!ls been used to channel pe-d~stT ians. to tt.(!
ssfe crossing p'Oint and a .... ay !["0~ unprotect e·:,!
areas ~t the str~et crossings.
3. Pedestrian/Bike Grade SoFpa..-at--ioD ~jbil i ty
,,~
As part of the 1,'94-95 Capital t'l!pl"OV.9aent
Program, the Council approved oil project
(19502) for a feasibility study t~ assess the
various options for providing ped~5trian/bi)::e
grAde 8epar~tionG at ~e Joint Po.era
Board/CalTrain railroad tracks And Alaa Street
at four different cross-street location.:
Cha.rleston Road, Meadow Dri'.re, Churchill
Avenue Ilr.d Paio Alto Avenue. The st:Jdy will
identify And develop intor.ation includinq
tunctional de.iqns, costs, ri9ht-ot-~ay,
utili~ationl environaental issues, tr&ftic
i.pacts , e~no!ilic iapacts and. er:e.rqeney
response i_pacts tor varlou8 options. Subject
to the findings of the 8tudy lind subsequent
Council direction, deaiqn and construction of
a project at one or .ore locations aay foll¢~.
Work on the feasibility study "",ill cClliJllence in
October with the foraaticn of a study advisory
coaaittee, tcllowed by selection and retention
of a con&ultant tea..
4. CrQs,ina GUDrds
adult crossing g· .. .M.rd ltCinitors the
"~
::i.i":
\
"",
Kaadow I A 1.11
crossing.
intersection
D. POTUlTw 0'I1JQ; STBATlGiU t
1. Pnderqround Coltrain
and railroad
One alternative that is otten aentloned tor
peraanently resolving calTrain eafety issues
would be to unde.rqround the system. Thi.
would bave the added ad.vantagall of lIolving
noise-related concern. .a well.. traffic
delays incurred while cr08aing gates are down.
It", would alao provide a. wonderful opportunity
fo,r creative. reu,se ot the surface for any
n~r of possible worthwhila uses, The cost
or such .an 41 ternative is very high ($750
million tor 4.5 miles and 2 stations), and
would not he ~ realistic possibility until
such time that it 'Was part of some broa.dl~'
h3aed regional transit funding program.
2. WLYMU.~~de Sep?q:SltioD{R).
Another alternative that is often J!lent.ioned
for addressinq the CalTrain safety issues
lIould be to c.,nstruct full vehicular grade
separations at one or mors of the existing
four c:ross-stl'eet locations. 'This could be
.:lone as a fully d,=pressed roadway under
crossinq,. or one where Cal Train is. partially
elevated and the road'WllY is only partially
depressed.. Given the. proxiaity of Alma and.
the consequent need to include grade
se.paration for A11l6, as well as the visual
blight of ~ partially elevated CalTrain on a
raised eabankment, the tully depressed cross
street option is less; problematic than the.
partial up/down option. The costs of such an
alternative are substantial ($10 to $20
million per cross-street plus right-of-way)
and the i~pacta, in terms of residential
property acquisition, altered and r-estricted
access to some residences, visual appearance,
traffic diversion, etc~ <!re very siqnificant
and render such an alternative impractical.
3. Crossing GUArds
Another optIon
volunteer pare.nt
assist at the
would be to initiate a
crossing guard program to
Charleston/Alllla. railroad
"
.. .;
.\: -
,.,\
•
o
, ~.
",'."
o
crossinq. Due to the disproportionately a.all
nUJAber of student. tnat use this croBsing-,
available resources are currently devoted to
other locations where: tha combination of a
auch. larqer number of studanta and a
.iqnific~nt danqer exists.
Oae of croesinq guards durinq the .orninq and
afternoon school commute periods, at a cost of
$5,000 per year per individu~l, is another
alternative. e«ch oro •• -street would require
tvo crossing quards at the train track., at a
coet of $10,000 per year per cross-street.
Expanding this concept to include two
add.itiona.l cro5-Binq quards .,t Alma as well,
the total coat per cross-street location would
be $20,000 per year. capitalized at 5
percent, $20,000 per year rsquires a one-time
in ..... estment of $400,000 per cross street.
33
~-----..
I
J
1
CITY OF
1969-MAJOR
""::'1T5 ~l C(... ,s UItUO CU\iMO JolMUf-r.u;r AH:!
Sf:"'rEl\Io&Eft-I'CII'EJt.lIIE'I. !l(JVf!f C1'E",mlG ~
01-,J',ftjlptl'l() SEAA'" "fa ... .!:l ~TIo( C1I'
NoCE IoJU [)!F'R[~1'
.. $JroI.\IIEA '1t\..U .... -00(5 J«)T IiE'L(O SEAS0::N41.
'"'"'" ...... \Io'.fITF< \'OI...l..oe.£ -00{5 NO'! REJ1.t(T ~
O' ..... ..c.ES
)( [; I'" i" t
F'ALO ALTO CALIFORNIA
STREET TRAFFIC FLOW
/'
~ $lJMf<f~ YOU ... t:~ ~~~,. ~ ... ~"'
~A""'II(lIo:S Ulr IOCr ~En(nUI
-I'IIG""""Y" 101 ... ao -1'i'::'I1' ~o ~lE
C r 1'" y 0 F
1993 MAJOR
······L··· "
"
APP~:ND',,-X B
"".0 • <. : ':'
P,110 ALTO C,lllFOR"-IIA
STREET TRAFFIC FLOW
.. 1'10UR COUNTS
"-
, ,
\
\
\ • \
,-\'
"END]X C
Per_oue rojured in Traffic Accidents by City _ Stat.
(per 10,OO~ capita)
City/population l
Palo Alto/57,J24
Menlo Pa:'kj29, 407
Mt. View/70,047
Los Altos/27 ~ 040
Redwood Cityjo9',91"]
San Mateo/S9,355
Santa Clara/96,361
Sunnyvale/122,149
State of California
1989/28,670,502;
State of C~lifornia
1990/29,489,272 1
1989
553
(n.O)
228
(78.6)
767
(10'3.6)
163
160,41
7D9
nOl.JJ
8:"14
11 OD .41
1035
(lC7.Bl
1088
(89.2'
363,645
(12 6,81
H90
569
(99.8)
J 09
(106,6)
784
(1l2.0)
167
(6L9)
791
(1.13.0)
1054
(86.4)
365,7S8
(124.0)
1991 1992 ---
540 581
(94.7) {lOl.9)
341 392
(117,61 (135.21
728 737
(104,0) (105,3)
171 158
(63 . 3) [Sa.5)
'1'-
'/70 I ,
r 82
•
\
1993
543
(95.3)
349
020.3}
7<9
(10: .O}
2D1
(74.4.)
S"r ~
("9 f 3l
:27
! 8l . 7,1
.~ J ~
~tate of California I 35~,D68 1-~1~9~9~1~;~3~O~'~3~S~1~'~O=2~9_' ____ t-________ +-________ +I __ \_11S __ .3_) __ ~~~~~+-______ --i State of California 338,154
1992/30,990,8241. (109.1 i
State of California
1993/31,436,259'
~state Controller ' s Office
•
, '
31S,lS~
(100,2}
"
,'" \
o APPENDIX D
Per_ona Xilled in Traffid Accidenta by City & State
(Per lD,OOO capita}
City/Population i 1989 1990 1991 19S2
Palo Alta/57,334 3 (O.S) 6 (1.1) 3 (0.5) 3 (0.5)
Menlo Park./29,407 S (1.'7) 2 (0.71 1 (0.3) 2 (0.7)
Mt. View/70,047 4 (0.6) 7 (1. 0) 5 (0.71 5 (0.7)
Los Altos/27,040 1 IO.~) o o 1 (0.4)
Redwood City/69 .. 917 2 (O.3) 1 (0.1) o 5 (0.7)
1993
3 (0.5)
2 (0.7)
7 (1. 0)
1 (0.4)
3 (0.4)
S .. n Mateo/89,355 8 (0.9) 1 (0.1) I 3 (0.3) 5 (0.61 4 (0.4)
Santa Clara/96 r 361 12 0.3) 6 (0.6) 6 (O.6l-t_4_'O.4) :, (0.5)
•
~s~u~n~n~yv~a~1~e~i~1~2~2~,~1~4~9_~'~4~(~O~.;;.3~)-+~3~(~O~.~2~1-+-_4 __ i_O_.3~1 __ r-~6~(~O~.~5~)-t~&~' ~(Oc·5) ',:,1
State of California 5,38} j 1
1989/28,6'10,5,,0;;.2_'_-1--,(1 I,:!} I t H 'o-"~;;.~.:;;..:~.!../..:2;;.~.~;..:4.:;~.:.;.!..~.::~-~~::.~,_~n __ ia __ r-_· -tt-'k ~ ~ r--I
Stat.e of California 4,64 9 =~ ~1..:9..:9.::1~/3~O~,~3~5~1~,~O.::2~9_'_-l ________ -+ ________ ~~(~1~.~5~) __ -+ ___ , __ ~ __ _
State of California 4,185
1992/30/990,t!:24:k (1.4)
State of California
1993/31,436,259'
IState Controller's Office
(
\
<..
....."......,~~~1III'JInofl'Ri .'--
APP£NDIX E
Cause of Injury/fatal Accidents
F~_iI to yield 1(,%
.. Mi~ Hlher 10%
July 1989 to June 1994
HoI~i" ~pco::d J4% ~----~-~------.(:..
------'" t~ '''-'' "-'-" , \
, . ~"-'-\ ~,-, ,,,,"', .... -------.-~
....... ' .............. _-"'-""['--" --------
. ~.".--==L=::; :';;1;:.~;~}=~"":?~"7:11-\'~~~ -Um:ak 111'11: change 1%
Open veil dOQfl; unsafe 2%
>:.%.:::<.:.: ..... :;;/ \:::.:.~ ;;.,\,..;:. ~ '. ~:.' Y--U""rc"."olv<h -::<~~(;-:;.:{>::;:-:~.: 1 -:»;::<:~:~_:>_._ ""' -.~ .:,>·2;'S9 1 ",' Foil • ., 1<>0 dos< 4%
3%
'-Pnslil 011 righl neely 3%
U nllarc hIm 9% ---L' I ~ ~ U';'CUnd",;nllu,n« 4%
.. MiJccllanCQdS
Bite rcqllircd 10 ride 00 ume: ~ldc
Brakes out ('of .luljuslmcnt
Unl.wfu\ ridillg
Jaywalkin&
Ua:hu required
One way sUcct
Speed Ie,:; than III.)\\' Qf lraffic,cte
I Fail ie y;dJ/1I11~Isc:t 7,~ Filii to ~h)p lot light 7(;,(,
,
..
--------
o
APPEBDU r
priver Total Cor Age GrQvplPxiaary Colli~ioD Factor
A9-DriYU Youl 8iqcUot PM •• tri .. I P ••• e.1Iq_r
/D1' !'Otol/Bl' !'Otol/Pl' !.ctal'
1. n/ •• &/5 4/1 ,
17 SljJ' 0/2 2/1 ,
1. "/]2 10/5 1/1 12
15 4. /2 i ?/6 1/1 I t --f
I
r--------
1-"-10 -0-I !J.7/)7 9(5 + ___ '~ ____ ,--I
'-5 -c.-J lO/10 "/5 --t 27 ---I I i ---
Tot~l I 111/114 '16/65 2f:jU , .,
(At fault for tne ~ccident
'Passenger j~ v~hic!e/bicycle involved in accident
11.1' PEND I:X (~
TRMTIC PATROL
--,' .
I CHILO r ADULT! TOTAL SCHOO'L,' LOCATION OF PATROL~,' .• " ' .. :!h,_::: . 'l_
Addison
Briones
Duveneck
El Cannelo
I Escondido
I
Hays
1
I Hoover
JLS
Nixon
Ohlone
palo Verde
. ' . .
Addison/Kiddlsfield 2
Arastradero/ColQumhe 0 I El Camino/Los Robles 0
Alester/Hamilton I ~ Alester/Dana. j Alester/ctlanning 0
Newell/Dana 0
Lema Verde/Bryant 3
El Ca.rmelo/Bryant 3
i 1 Escondido!Hidblock
Escondido/ Stardord f'
Stanford/Hanover I! f Star.ford/BC" ... ao.lf'. I .'
I keado,.,'!Cc:'~·~:?r I;
j ;·Hddlef .i.eld!E'rrJ::'~H'<::,ade [0 i y
i E:rt.barcadero/tle-',,:ell I' 0°
El CentrO/Barren
I l-~~ adc'~! Alrr.a 0
I I 0
A.-na.r illo/Lou i s I ~ AmarillolS;:hool
cross ... ·alk
f
Louis/Hldblock 2
Louis/Lama Verde 0
TOTAL 28
3 CAlIF AOMrt) COPE &RTiClE 57?:
1 I ~ 1
1 ' 1
0
, 1
0 Ii 1
1 I: ,
10
1
0
1
3
I '0 ! I. 2 ' ,
',', , . .
f Il j;
1 0
I, 1 10 2
I
1
I I ~ 2
1
J11 39
'Schoo Safety Patrols may be used on~ at t.')Ose kxato.1S where the narure of traffic y"ll: pe.rmi!
sate operation. The locaWns ~l1ere school safety p8lrols are US~ sho".!ld be determirl!:~d by Joint agreement bet"Neen the school d,strict and me local poj~ce agen.:y."
811119'
•.
1 ,
I
I
I
I
I
I ,
I
i
I
I
___ ... ' __ ... 4 ........ "._~ ...... , ___ _
o 0 ,zu.>PENDIX H
FURTHER SCHOOL CORRIDOR SAFETY STUDIES
In March 1993/ Council formally revie" ... ed the Meadow/charleston
School corridor Safety study Recommendations and directed st~ff to
Cal proceed with the imple;nentation of several recoIn~ended actions
and (b) to work with appropriate parties to identify and pr:ioritize
other potential study corridors. In November 1993 1 staff s~nt an
informational status report (CHR: 599: 93) to the Council rcportir.g
on the sixth TIlonth status of the imple!r.entation of recoJtl.l!1€"ndea
actions I as well as the progress being ~ade toward re,:,or:unenoat ions
on the further study of school CO:rJIHute corridors..
Staff has sent a letter to the principal and PTA president of each
of the 15 PAUSD schools, requesting their fornal in~ut on th~i~
school cormunit:y I s concerns abollt tt'af fic safe>ty iss !.;.es c nod
potential school corridor study issues. The br~~d ra~?e of iSSUES
the sChools ha'}€'; .id~.ntified include signing, striping, strE'lot
r-aintenance needs" on-site traffic circulaticn p~obl02_,:;$, 1"'",),:<r
street cen.-idol" s.c>.fety concerns, !".otorist ber-IQvior p:tob16,~,sJ C:,~c:
requests for ~afety patrol anct adult crossillgs guards.
staff h.as .... 'ork:ed with the City/.School 'Traffic ,Safety cor::-,it.t.'!i2' ':-0
review the list of issues identified by the schools and consider
alternati ve approaches for pro c:eecling' 'roii th furth,;:r study. This
process has involved several daytime meeti.ngs. OYer-a (ouL'-;c.or::b
period as well as one night meeting, to 2ncourage ~ore partici
pation by school and PTA repr~£entatives.
The alternative study appt'oach possibilities include: {='l a fOCUSE:C
single corridor studYr similar to the Neadcr.",!Charleston Study, (b)
an area-wide corridor study, .and (c) a comprehensive cit~{· .... ide
study. The consensus of opinion at this ti~e is to reco'Wpend
proceeding with a t ..... o pert area-wide study pI:"ocess. Part J.. would
address the needs of schodls located in the area north of Oreaon
and Part 5 would address the needs of schools located in the area
south of Oregon. A consultant would be hired to do only Part },
with the provision that if the City decided to proceed with Part 8:
~~bject to the satisfactory ,work of the. consultant on P-a't"t POI th~
C.ltr could choose to negotIate a contract for Part 3, without
hav~n9 to repeat the consultant selection procedures.
The scope and conduct of the study wou.ld be similar for each part , and Would include the following eleroents:
~ Issue Identi!i~ation!Vet·i[ication
• Data Collection and Anal~'sis
• Evaluation of Alternatives
• conclusions and Recommendations
• Action Plan
-.
~,
APPENDIX I
CITY OF PALO ALTO, CALIFoRNIA
TRUCK ROUTE MAP
!;lliWJJ~L_1Q.48 P.A.M.C.
Htlr(': .. OCU:R£Ul AC
JH UfIClO PAlO( HAS A --. __ ~./'
) TON WUGWlUMIl'", r~~ ....
/
Palo Alto P{)i;ce Departme-nt
Traffic Diyjsion: (415) 329-2687
----.............
PALO A.I-TO C(T'( L.IMITS
:-"RCUt;iH TRuCK P.OUTE
tOC~L TRUCK 1!OUH (?A.1It to 7PJrt Cnl~)
SP.ECI.IIl T.FIUCK ROUTE {24 Hrt/Dor)
MUl1IPL[ OELIY('RY ZONt
ENTRY-EX'IT POINT
•