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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/18/1999CITY OF DIAMOND BAR TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION PUBLIC TESTIMONY AND DISCUSSION NOVEMBER 18, 1999 Due to lack of quorum, the November 18, 1999 was not called to order. However, residents who were present for the meeting were allowed to offer their testimony. Present: Vice Chairman Virginkar and Commission Lin. Staff Present: David Liu, Deputy Director of Public Works; Rose Manela, Assistant Civil Engineer; Linda Smith, Development Services Assistant; Sharon Gomez, Administrative Secretary, and Tim Perkins, Deputy Sheriff. VC/Virginkar asked for testimony beginning at 7:15 p.m. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Consideration of multi -way stop signs at the T -intersection of Chestnut Creek Drive/Evergreen Springs Drive, and both (south and north) Chestnut Creek Drive/Tierra Loma Drive. DSA/Smith presented staff's report. ??? said she wrote a letter to the City regarding this matter in September because she has observed traffic speeding in the area nearly every morning and again in the afternoon during peak traffic hours. She called the Sheriff's Department three times and was advised that it would be difficult to be in that location at the specific time of between 6:45 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. because that is also the shift change time. She said she favors a stop sign but also wants to know if the City would consider installing speed bumps. ??? said that one of the big problems is Presado Drive which runs north and south and parallels Diamond Bar Boulevard from Morning Canyon Road to Pathfinder Road. This is the type of street that skateboarders like. The street is an arc. Drivers attempting to turn onto Presado Drive from Chestnut Creek take their lives in their hands and stop signs need to be placed at the three legs of this location to address the safety hazard. Jolene Zirbes, 2141 Tierra Loma Drive, said she has live in her home since 1984. Her house is one house away from the intersection of Tierra Loma Drive and Chestnut Creek. The visibility on Chestnut Creek is very bad because of the cars parked along the way. There are eight children living at the corner of Tierra Loma Drive and Chestnut Creek and they play near the street on a regular basis. She has witnessed dead animals on the street which were hit by vehicles and she is very concerned that one or more of the children will be hit by a car. Motorists use this route in order to avoid the main streets of Pathfinder Road and Diamond Bar Boulevard. She believes many of the vehicles are driving by young people. The way the street is configured a pedestrian is unable to see or hear oncoming vehicles. She stated that she appreciates the red curbs at Presado Drive and Pathfinder Road but they don't go down Diamond Bar Boulevard far enough. As the school year progress, more and more vehicles are parked on Pathfinder Road facing west up the hill and it presents a sight safety concern when moving onto Pathfinder Road from Presado Drive. Deputy Perkins said that the Sheriff's Department does respond to complaints and if the Department received calls regarding this area patrol cars would be dispatched to monitor the situation. There are several areas of concern throughout the City. The Sheriff s Department will soon receive its refurbished radar trailer. He will bring this matter to the attention of his sergeant so that the radar trailer can be dispatched to the area to determine the traffic speed. DDPW/Liu stated that this matter will be placed on the January 13 agenda for discussion. Staff will investigate the matter and present its report at that time. In addition, the residents will be notified about the meeting. 2. Consideration of multi -way stop signs at the intersection of Leyland Drive and Benfield Drive. AE/Manela presented staff's report. J. Isai, 791 S. Leyland Drive, stated he lives one house away from the intersection in question. He has lived in this location for nearly seven years and has observed a heavy flow of traffic during morning and afternoon peak hours. Vehicles proceeding down his street from Summitridge Drive tend to accelerate down the hill and he believes that it presents a safety hazard because people are unable to cross the street. He believes the resident's safety should be a primary consideration. He has seen young people using Leyland Drive as a race track in the late hours of the night. Alice Yein, 24198 E. Benfield Place, said she lives on the corner. The traffic on her street has increased since Pantera Park opened. Teenagers play basketball at the park. After they finish playing, they hang around at night, rev their motors and race along the street. She does not know if a stop sign will limit their speeding. She is afraid to let her kids go out to play in the front yard. They must always play in the back yard. Daniel Wang, 787 Leyland Drive, agreed with Mr. Isai and Mrs. Yein. He has called the Sheriff's Department two or three times and they have been very responsive. However, when the kids see the police car they will never race so it is impossible to catch them. He feels that a stop sign would be more effective than a speed limit because by law, you have to stop at a stop sign. We cannot expect to have the Sheriff's Department patrolling the area 24 hours a day. Christopher Chung, 767 Leyland Drive, says he has the same opinion as his neighbors. During the night he hears motorcycles racing and cars speeding. Also, he has noticed that when Grand Avenue gets busy people cut through Leyland Drive. VCNirginkar explained that the Commission makes its recommendations to the City Council for final decision. The discussion concluded at about 5:10 p.m. j FI