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HomeMy WebLinkAbouttecm_041205Minutes TRAFFIC ENGINEERING COMMITTEE April 12, 2005 Members Present Patsy Archibald Dan Baxter Ben Kageyama, Chair Dave Lohse Rick Seanor Steve Turner Dan Walker Jerry Whitaker Members Absent None The meeting was called Conference Room No. 3, California. Others Present Allen Cooperrider Dorothy Rae Bev Goveia Staff Present Cathy Elawadly, Recording Secretary to order by Chair Ben Kageyama at 3:00 p.m. in Ukiah Civic Center, 300 Seminary Avenue, Ukiah, II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: February 8, 2005 Member Whitaker recommended correcting the time Member Baxter came to the meeting to 3:08 p.m., and the time Member Turner came to the meeting to 3:13 p.m. ON A MOTION by Member Lohse, seconded by Member Whitaker, it was carried by an all AYE voice vote of the members present to approve the February 8, 2005 minutes, as amended. III. AUDIENCE COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS No one from the audience came forward. IV. OLD BUSINESS a. None V. NEW BUSINESS a. Discussion and possible action regarding proposed loading zone at Ukiah Brewing Co. Member Seanor stated the owners of Ukiah Brewing Company have requested a loading zone be implemented on South State Street for vendors/musicians to use when loading/unloading supplies/equipment for the business. The proposed loading zone could be used by other businesses along South State Street. He referred to an aerial photomap, Attachment "B" for the area, and stated the Traffic Engineering Committee April 12, 2005 Page 1 proposed location is the parking stall on South State Street immediately north of the County parking lot. He also referred to Attachment "C" that includes sections of the City Code that address the establishment and use of loading zones. According to the City Code, the time limit for vehicles using the loading zone is no more than 20 minutes. The Study will review all loading zones in the City so staff suggested that the TEC may want to wait for the study results before considering this matter. Staff initially supported approval of the loading zone prior to learning that the Downtown Parking Study included a review of all loading zones. Allen Cooperrider explained the problems when vendors/musicians unload and load in the County facility parking lot even though his lease agreement provides for an access easement, as well as the potential for traffic violations when vendors/musicians have to double-park because no parking space is available. Some supply trucks are larger than others. Supplies are typically delivered early in the morning. He emphasized the importance of implementing a loading zone on South State to allow trucks and other vehicles to park in the loading zone when delivering supplies or equipment to his business. The Committee acknowledged the parking constraints in the Downtown area, and addressed the topics of permitted parking, time limits, and the location of other loading zones in the area. Member Archibald advised that the study results pertinent to the loading zone would likely not be available until the summer. She is not supportive of providing for a loading zone because of the elimination of customer parking on State Street. The Committee considered alternative loading zone locations, and determined the proposed location would be the most feasible. Member Turner commented placing a time period for use of the loading zone during certain hours of the day would be beneficial. Member Seanor stated the City Code does not allow for this type of time restriction. It was the consensus of the members present to support implementing a loading zone on South State Street subject to modification if necessary when the Downtown Parking Study is finished. ON A MOTION by Member Turner, seconded by Member Lohse it was carried by the following roll call vote of the members present to approve a loading zone at Ukiah Brewing Co., subject to modification if necessary when the Downtown Parking Study is finished. Traffic Engineering Committee April 12, 2005 Page 2 AYES: Members Lohse, Baxter, Seanor, Turner, Walker, Whitaker, and Chair Kageyama NOES: Member Archibald b. Discussion and possible action regarding request for handicap parking space at 619 Willow Avenue. Member Seanor advised that Dorothy Rae has requested a handicap parking space adjacent to her home at 619 Willow Avenue because there is no driveway at her residence, and therefore, she must park along the street frontage adjacent to her home. There are times when she must park some distance away because of people parking in front of her home, which is a problem for her. Ms. Rae has a handicap placard in her vehicle. Staff is aware of only one handicap parking space located on a City street on Dora Street next to the Presbyterian Church. Specifically, Attachment "B" of the staff report identifies the location of the proposed parking space, Attachment "C" outlines the City Code requirements for handicapped parking, and Attachment "D" shows the parking accommodations at 619 W illow Avenue. Member Seanor stated a home business operates across the street where many of the clients park on the street, which limits the number of available parking spaces near Ms. Rae's home. This is the reason for Ms. Rae's request. Staff has observed the traffic and parking conditions on Willow Avenue, and determined that there is sufficient curbside parking available. Recently, several curb, gutter, and sidewalk frontage improvements have been completed on Willow Avenue which, in turn, serve to enhance the parking needs of the area. Member Lohse stated City regulations allow curbside parking for home occupations. Staff conducts review of parking accommodations in neighborhood when there are complaints. However, parking problems and the corresponding solutions are often difficult to enforce. Dorothy Rae stated not being able to park in front of her house is a problem. Bev Goveia stated residents of the apartment units to the east of Ms. Rae's home do park in front of the Rae home, although not consistently. Member Turner advised the TEC has addressed other unique parking situations in the City including the restricted parking at 990 South Dora during certain hours to allow MTA buses to load and unload. Member Wacker commented approval of one handicapped parking space would "open the door" to other requests in other residential neighborhoods, which, in his opinion, would not be practical. The implementation of speed bumps in certain residential areas for traffic calming purposes encouraged similar requests in other neighborhoods. Traffic Engineering Committee April 12, 2005 Page 3 Member Whitaker understands Ms. Rae's need, but it would not be fair and/or practical to implement a handicapped parking space for one person and not for others. Member Archibald and Member Walker indicated that if Ms. Rae notices that a particular vehicle has been parked front of her home for a reasonable amount of time, she can contact law enforcement where the vehicle is marked for tow-away after 72 hours. Member Walker suggested drafting a letter on City letterhead for distribution to the neighbors advising of the situation that, as a common courtesy, they be considerate to Ms. Rae's needs. Member Lohse stated the problem with approving a handicap parking space is the space would remain as such in the event Ms. Rae moves. He supports the concept of asking the neighbors to be considerate to the Ms. Rae's needs as a courtesy. Another option would be for Ms. Rae to post a sign containing a handicap placard on her property recommending that people not park in front of her house. This is also a way to make the neighbors aware of her condition. Member Whitaker recommended the aforementioned sign be posted on Ms. Rae's fence in front of her home. ON A MOTION by Member Lohse, seconded by Member Archibald, it was carried by an all AYE voice vote of the members present to deny a handicap parking space at 619 Willow Avenue and to send a letter to neighbors asking for their cooperation in not parking in front of Ms. Rae's residence. c. Discussion and possible action regarding Thomas Street, Perry Street, and Cunningham Street traffic concerns. Member Seanor reported Councilmember John McCowen submitted a letter at the request of a concerned citizen to review various traffic concerns on Thomas Street, Perry Street, and Cunningham Street. The citizen recommended mitigation measures include posting speed limit signs on Thomas Street, implementing speed bumps as a traffic calming measure, or posting STOP or YIELD signs on Perry Street at Thomas Street or on Thomas Street at Cunningham Street. Member Seanor indicated that Attachment "B" shows an aerial photomap of the location and general area surrounding the above-mentioned streets. Speed limit signs cannot be posted without completing an engineering and traffic survey, which includes a tabulation of prevailing vehicles speeds on the street. Staff recommends Thomas Street be included in the next update of the speed zone surveys that will be conducted in the early summer. Staff observed the issue of speeding in the area, and determined that this is not a problem. Also, the streets have very low traffic volumes. Speed bumps are problematic for law enforcement Traffic Engineering Committee April 12, 2005 Page 4 and emergency vehicles servicing the area and there is insufficient data to determine whether the speed bumps would be effective as a traffic calming measure. Member Seanor indicated staff recommends a STOP sign be posted on Perry Street at the intersection of Thomas Street due to restricted sight distance caused by the UAP building. Due to the inadequate sight distance at this intersection, staff does not recommend posting a YIELD sign. Attachment "C" addresses the posting of regulatory signs relevant to the provisions outlined in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Attachment "D" includes excerpts from the City Code that address the authority to install official traffic-control devices. The TEC is authorized to erect certain official traffic- control devices. Member Seanor stated staff does not recommend posting a STOP or YIELD sign at the intersection of Thomas and Cunningham Street, as there is only one residence on Cunningham Street north of Thomas Street and staff has observed little traffic that passes through the intersection of Thomas Street and Cunningham Street. Also, the north end of Cunningham Street is closed with a gate that provides access to the UPS facility on Cherry Street. Member Whitaker observed the above-referenced streets have very little traffic volume. Member Turner commented the problems cited on Perry Street, Cunningham Street and Thomas Street by the concerned citizen likely occurred when traffic is backed up on Talmage Road during peak periods where people detour through these streets to avoid traffic delays. Chair Kageyama addressed the cited issue of restricted sight distance from the UAP building, and stated it appears the building is appropriately set back. A vehicle approaching this area must slow down, where there is a full and unrestricted view of Thomas Street once a person gets past the rear corner of the building, as long as no truck parks next to the building. Member Seanor addressed the issue of restricted sight, and commented staff looked at the distance required based on a 25 mph speed, which is the speed limit expected for this area, and determined that a sight distance of 110 feet is required. Chair Kageyama stated the turn at the intersection of Cunningham Street and Thomas Street must be negotiated at a reasonable speed to avoid an accident. It would be difficult for a vehicle to travel in this area at a high rate of speed and be able to appropriately negotiate a turn at the intersection. A vehicle is voluntarily forced to slow down when approaching the intersection. Traffic Engineering Committee April 12, 2005 Page 5 Member Seanor noted that a vehicle traveling at the north end of Cunningham cannot cut through to Cherry Street because of the existing gate. Member Turner addressed the issue of speeding in the area, and inquired whether it is possible to restrict the width of the radius of the corner at Cunningham Street and Thomas Street to narrow the street on the southwest corner. Member Seanor stated staff would review this matter. The Committee discussed whether speed bumps were warranted in the area, and determined that with the narrowness of the streets in conjunction with the low volume of traffic that such traffic control measures were not necessary. Member Whitaker stated a sign indicating a road dip is located on Perry Street at Thomas Street, which would force vehicles to slow down. Chair Kageyama inquired whether there are any accident statistics documented in this area. Member Seanor stated two accidents were documented in this area, according to the most recent information from SWITRS through 2001. A general discussion followed whether a STOP sign is warranted for the level of analysis conducted by staff for the intersections of Perry Street at Thomas Street and/or Thomas Street at Cunningham Street. Member Seanor stated STOP signs should be used if engineering judgment indicates that one or more of conditions "A" through "D" exist according to Section 26.05 of the MUTCD guidance standards concerning STOP sign applications. He drew attention to item D of the section that states, "High speeds, restricted view, or crash records indicate a need for control by the STOP sign" since this condition (restricted view) exists on Perry Street at the intersection of Thomas Street. Member Archibald inquired whether improved shoulders and/or the installation of sidewalks has an impact on slowing vehicles down, as recommended in the letter from the concerned citizen. Member Seanor addressed the issue of street widths in the area, and noted although they comply with the standard width, the implementation of sidewalks would likely slow traffic down especially when street parking is allowed. In this case, people park on the shoulder of the road because the area lacks curb, gutter, and sidewalks. Traffic Engineering Committee April 12, 2005 Page 6 Chair Kageyama is not supportive of posting a STOP on Cunningham Street at the intersection of Thomas Street due to the lack of updated accident history and without a speed study having been conducted. Generally, most people drive the speed they feel is safe to do so. He noted that portions of Thomas Street are narrow where it would be difficult for vehicles to pass through at an accelerated rate of speed. He supports the posting of a STOP sign on Perry at the intersection of Thomas Street based upon staff's findings/analysis. ON A MOTION by Member Walker, seconded by Member Turner, it was carried by an all AYE voice vote of the members present to post a STOP sign at Perry Street at the intersection of Thomas Street, as discussed above. It was the consensus of the Committee member not to include Thomas Street in the next update of the Citywide seed zone survey. VI. COMMITTEE MEMBER REPORTS a. Update on City Traffic Circulation Study Member Seanor advised that the traffic consultants will likely conduct another joint public workshop with the Ukiah City Council. b. Update on City Parking Study Member Seanor reported no draft document concerning the City Parking Study is available. Member Archibald stated that WTRANS is working with Omni Means, the consultants conducting the Citywide Traffic Circulation Study concerning the City Parking Study. c. Update on crosswalks Member Seanor stated staff is considering additional marking of the crosswalk at Perkins Street and Leslie Street. Member Whitaker recommended implementing "Look both ways" reminder signs at this crosswalk. d. Route 101 Corridor Interchange Study Member Seanor stated this project is funded by MCOG. The consultant anticipated utilizing model data developed by the Citywide Traffic Circulation Study. However, the traffic model had not been completed. The MCOG consultants developed their own traffic model that would work for the interchange study relative to the potential interchange/off-ramp modifications/improvements. VII. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS Member Turner stated he withdrew his original request to synchronize the bell times for Yokayo School with those of St. Mary's School due to the potential traffic congestion problems that would result on South Dora Street. Traffic Engineering Committee April 12, 2005 Page 7 Member Seanor asked the Committee members to sign a letter thanking Member Harris for his years of service on the TEC. VIII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:11 p.m. Be~r~~a, Ch i Cathy ~ awadly, Recor ng ecru etary Traffic Engineering Committee April 12, 2005 Page 8