HomeMy WebLinkAbouttecm_021114 1 TRAFFIC ENGINEERING COMMITTEE MINUTES
2 February 11, 2014
3 Minutes
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5 MEMBERS PRESENT OTHERS PRESENT
6 Dan Baxter, MTA-Chair Meredyth Reinhard, Social Services
7 Jerry Whitaker, Staff Dana Milani, Principal of Yokayo Elementary School
8 Rick Seanor, Staff Pinky Kushner
9 John Lampi, Public Representative
10 Kim Jordan, Staff
11 Roger Vincent, Public Representative
12 Trent Taylor, UPD
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14 MEMBERS ABSENT STAFF PRESENT
15 Ben Kageyama, Staff Jarod Thiele
16 Lory Limbird
17 Brian Webb, Community Services Officer
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19 1. CALL TO ORDER
20 The Traffic Engineering Committee meeting was called to order by Chairperson Baxter at 3:00 p.m. in
21 Conference Room No. 5, Ukiah Civic Center Annex, 411 W. Clay St., Ukiah, California.
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24 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES- January 14, 2014
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26 Member Jordan asked to amend minutes to state"property owner" instead of"neighbor"on line 18.
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28 M/S: Taylor/Seanor to approve January 14, 2014 minutes as amended. Motion carried by an all AYE
29 voice vote of the members present.
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32 3. AUDIENCE COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS
33 Meredyth Reinhard: County of Mendocino Social Services has received a one-year grant from the
34 California Office of Traffic Safety which started on October 1, 2013. The primary focus of this grant is
35 bicycle safety for adults and children in the inland corridor including the Ukiah and Willits School
36 Districts and the outlying communities. The primary outreach is bicycle rodeos, bicycle safety checks
37 and free bicycle helmets.
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40 4. OLD BUSINESS
41 a. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Proposed No Parking Zone on Talmage Frontage
42 Road (Report Attached)
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44 Member Seanor commented this is a follow-up item from last month. Community Services Officer
45 Brian Webb provided a report on parking issues in the Talmage Frontage Road area.
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47 Member Taylor stated the police have cleaned up abandoned cars in this area. CSO Webb talked to
48 neighbors and property owners about putting up no overnight parking signs and no one had a problem
49 with this. He is willing to try signing the area for no overnight parking to investigate if that is what is
50 needed.
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52 M/S: Taylor/Jordan to go to council to request no overnight parking signs on the Talmage Frontage
53 Road from 10 pm to 6 am. Motion carried by an all AYE voice vote of the members present.
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MINUTES of the Traffic Engineering Committee February 11, 2014
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1 5. NEW BUSINESS
2 a. Discussion and possible action regarding Pedestrian Crossing Signs on S. Dora St. at
3 Yokayo School
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5 Member Seanor received an email from Yokayo Elementary School Principal Dana Milani requesting
6 pedestrian crossing signs for two crosswalks near the school at the intersections of S. Dora Street and
7 W. Gobbi Street and S. Dora Street and Mendocino Drive. Member Seanor provided a map showing
8 proposed sign locations. There was a discussion on this issue at the August 20, 2013 meeting. At
9 that time, Member Whitaker gave Principal Milani the information on how to purchase signs.
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11 Principal Milani stated three of the four signs were destroyed within 2 weeks. Two signs were run
12 over, one was stolen, and only one is left. When these temporary signs are slightly bumped, they fall
13 over. Traffic is very congested in this location and drivers are not paying attention to the school
14 crossing guard. Ms. Milani requested to have 2 pedestrian crossing signs installed permanently in the
15 pavement on Dora Street to help make the traffic guard and the children more visible to the drivers.
16 Ms. Milani is very concerned about the safety of children and adults walking to and from school.
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18 Member Whitaker commented that the City has a permanent base that could be put down but
19 fiberglass signs are fragile and easily broken.
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21 Member Jordan thinks permanent signs would have less value because drivers will get used to
22 seeing the signs up all the time and eventually ignore the signs altogether.
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24 Principal Milani is willing to take signs off of the permanent bases when children are not present.
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26 Member Taylor asked if the speed limit in school zones could be reduced to 15 mph when children
27 are present at specific hours.
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29 Principal Milani has put teachers on the intersections of Mendocino and Alice and Mendocino and
30 Dora. There is one school crossing guard at the intersection of Gobbi and Dora. When there has been
31 an incident and the police were called, the police arrived after most people have disbursed. Putting up
32 the temporary signs became a union issue because custodians could not be subjected to the danger
33 of putting the temporary signs up in street.
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35 Member Jordan stated concern that if the City puts up pedestrian crossing signs in front of one
36 school, the City will then be responsible to put signs in front of every school.
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38 Pinky Kushner commented that she thought since Yokayo School has come to the City to plead for
39 pedestrian crossing signs, the City is now liable if the signs are refused. Fifteen mph is not
40 unreasonable. If Dora Street is narrowed, cars will be forced to slow down.
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42 Member Seanor stated the City would need to hire a traffic engineer to survey intersections to reduce
43 the speed limit. There are provisions in the law to reduce speed limits in school zones. A reduced
44 speed zone would not affect the intersection of Gobbi & Dora because there is a stop sign located
45 there.
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47 M/S Taylor/Vincent to allow Principal Milani to purchase pedestrian crossing signs. Three permanent
48 bases will be installed by the City and Yokayo School will be responsible for maintaining the signs.
49 Motion carried by a 5 AYE/2 NO voice vote of the members present. The No votes were cast by
50 Members Whitaker and Jordan.
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53 6. COMMITTEE MEMBER REPORTS
54 None
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56 7. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
MINUTES of the Traffic Engineering Committee February 11, 2014
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1 Meredyth Reinhard requested an update on the Complete Streets Plan.
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3 Member Seanor stated this plan went back to council and he will check on it.
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6 8. ADJOURNMENT
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8 There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:55 p.m.
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14 Lory Limbird, Recording Secretary
MINUTES of the Traffic Engineering Committee February 11, 2014
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