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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/14/2002CITY OF DIAMOND BAR MINUTES OF THE TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION NOVEMBER 14, 2002 CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Virginkar called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. in the South Coast Air Quality Management/Government Center Hearing Board Room, 21865 E. Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, California 91765. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Torng led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Present: Chairman Virginkar, Vice Chairman Morris, and Commissioners Pincher and Torng. Commissioner Kashyap arrived at 7:20 p.m. Also Present: David Liu, Director of Public Works, Fred Alamolhoda, Senior Engineer; Sharon Gomez, Management Analyst, Debbie Gonzales, Administrative Assistant and Deputy Diane Dodd. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: II. A. Minutes of October 10, 2002. VC/Morris moved, C/Torng seconded, to approve the minutes of the October 10, 2002 meeting as presented. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: NOES: COMMISSIONERS: ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: III. COMMISSION COMMENTS: Pincher, Torng, VC/Morris Chair/Virginkar None Kashyap None Offered. IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Lisa Young, 21040 Riego Drive, has resided in Diamond Bar for about 20 years. She is a recent Master's graduate from Cal Poly Pomona with urban and regional planning and currently a consultant with Wilbur Smith Associates. She wants to get involved with Diamond Bar traffic functions and become familiar with the City's procedures. Can a citizen volunteer to assist the City with transportation issues? She was not aware of public notice of construction near the freeway. Chair/Virginkar said that in general, the Traffic and Transportation Commission would be the forum to address the City's traffic issues. In addition, he suggested that Ms. Young attend City Council and Planning Commission meetings to gain a broader picture of the City's issues. NOVEMBER 14, 2002 PAGE 2 T&T COMMISSION VC/Morris pointed out that Cal Trans usually tells the City what it is doing, and referred Ms. Young to the Public Works staff. DPW/Liu explained to Ms. Young that she can review future agendas as they are posted on the City's web site. During the next five years Cal Trans construction along the SR57/60 will increase. Future projects include installation of the HOV Connector Project. V. CONSENT CALENDAR: None VI. ITEMS FROM STAFF A. Traffic Enforcement Update — Report by Deputy Dodd - Received and filed on the following items: 1. Citations: October 2002 2. Collisions: October 2002 3. Radar Trailer Deployment 4. Results of Traffic Operations 5. Future Deployment of the Radar Trailer Deputy Dodd reported that the enforcement index is up for October. Enforcement of the "no right turn" on red at Lorbeer Middle School one time during October resulted in a significant number of citations, 10 in a 30 minute period during the a.m. hours and 13 in a 30 minute period in the p.m. hours. Additional personnel will allow for additional enforcement at Lorbeer Middle School and other schools. The department has been receiving complaints about Chaparral Middle School and Deputy Dodd expected to monitor the area next Tuesday. Deputy St. Amant went to Chaparrai Middle School today and did not observe problems. The department may conduct under cover investigations and enforcement. Deputy Dodd requested the bicycle patrol on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the City's shopping centers beginning the week following Thanksgiving. VC/Morris asked Deputy Dodd if the report could reflect last years statistics and this years "year to date" statistics for non -injury collisions. Deputy Dodd said she would provide a comparison for August, September and October for 2001 and 2002. VC/Morris felt the number of accidents (two per day) was significantly high. C/Pincher said she happened to get caught up in the Lorbeer Middle School traffic today in the right lane when school let out. She was appalled at the traffic. She blew her horn at a man in the vehicle in front of her who was NOVEMBER 14, 2002 PAGE 3 T&T COMMISSION attempting to make a right turn while the kids were in the crosswalk. It is impossible for the crossing guard to control the traffic. She asked if it was possible to put up a temporary barricade with a sign indicating the penalty for breaking the "no right turn" law. She felt the violation should be doubled or tripled during peak school hours. Deputy Dodd explained that the penalty is higher for people who fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians than it is for the no right turn. She believed the fine was higher for violations in a school zone. B. Redflex — Redlight Enforcement/Radar Enforcement — continued to the next regular meeting. C. Joint Meeting of the Traffic and Transportation and City Council Meeting. DPW/Liu stated that in preparation for a joint meeting, staff would like to know whether the Commissioners have specific items they wish to discuss. If so, those items could be agendized for the meeting. ChairNirginkar asked for the following items to be placed on the agenda for discussion: 1) Speeding concerns 2) Overnight parking and RV parking 3) Traffic enforcement VC/Morris asked for the following item to be placed on the agenda for discussion. 4) Beautification projects incorporating traffic mitigation/calming DPW/Liu asked Commissioners to provide their agenda items by Wednesday, November 27. DPW/Liu responded to C/Torng that there are two on-going projects; 1) a Citywide Traffic Signal Timing Master Plan — staff hopes to interview consultants for this project next week, and 2) the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program with RFP's going out at the beginning of 2003. Budget resources were allocated for funding of these two projects. Commissioner Torng asked for the following item to be placed on the agenda for discussion. 5) School traffic and street sweeping program DPW/Liu explained that this matter has been discussed extensively by the City Council. The task force has made its recommendation to the Council. NOVEMBER 14, 2002 PAGE 4 T&T COMMISSION He further explained that the State Water Board has a very stringent requirement concerning the amount of debris entering the storm drain system. One of the methods for mitigation is street sweeping. Thus, the City has determined that if the debris could be removed prior to entering the storm drain system, this practice would assist the City in meeting the state's requirements for storm water runoff. C/Kashyap asked if the meeting could be held later in the evening or on Saturday. It is difficult for him to get to an earlier meeting due to traffic. VC/Morris felt that from past experience it was best to have the Council determine a date and time and the Commissioners would comply. VII. OLD BUSINESS A. Cold Springs Lane/Diamond Bar Boulevard MA/Gomez presented staff's report. Staff recommends that the Traffic and Transportation Commission concur with staff's recommendation to retain the permitted U-turn for southbound Diamond Bar Boulevard at Cold Springs Lane. C/Kashyap lives in the area and uses the intersection on a regular basis. During the past three weeks he was involved in two near accidents. When a vehicle is in the right lane attempting a right turn, one tends to look at the northbound traffic and assume that when someone is signaling a left turn they will turn left on Cold Springs Lane. VC/Morris responded that his argument could be made for any intersection that allows a U-turn and that the Commission should be cautious when considering a precedent setting mitigation. If signal modification is warranted and when it occurs in that location, it would solve the problem. Until then, there is no recommendation. C/Torng asked if there is any signage on the Cold Springs Lane sign to indicate caution regarding the U-turn. DPW/Liu said that staff could install a warning sign and the message would have to be very clear. C/Pincher stated that those who know about the intersection are cautious when approaching it. During the last Commission meeting staff explained that it did not involve too much additional expense to install east west arrows for Cold Springs Lane. DPW/Liu stated that the three accidents at the intersection are not necessarily related to the U-turn vs. the right turn conflict. During the past NOVEMBER 14, 2002 PAGE 5 T&T COMMISSION three years nothing of significance occurred at that intersection. The threshold is usually five or more accidents and that is not the case in this instance. DPW/Liu said he would entertain the possibility of signage for the intersection. He would, however, have to consult with the experts, get a legal opinion from the City Attorney and discuss the matter with the Sheriff's Department. ChairNirginkar suggested that staff be directed to come up with appropriate language and bring the matter back to the Commission for further consideration at its next regular meeting. VC/Morris would agree if the signage meets criteria for installation that the sign be installed. He did not believe the matter needed to come back to the Commission for further discussion. C/Kashyap recommended that if a sign is installed, the City should monitor the impact over two or three months. If the sign is not effective, the Commission should consider other mitigation. ChairNirginkar felt it would be better to have staff report back to the Commission on their findings. VIII. NEW BUSINESS: A. Golden Springs Drive/Racquet Club Road MA/Gomez presented staff's report. Staff recommends that the Traffic and Transportation Commission concur with staff's recommendation for installation of a "Do Not Block Intersection" sign with additional signage for the fine amount of $136 (CVC Code No. 22526(a) on westbound Golden Springs Drive at Racquet Club Road. C/Pincher asked staff to elaborate on the difference in cost between putting the verbiage on a sign and painting it on the pavement. DPW/Liu responded that typically, signage including equipment and installation is about $200. Pavement markings would cost between $300 and $500 depending on the type of paint used. It is easier and less costly to maintain a sign than it is to repaint the pavement markings on an annual basis. C/Torng moved, C/Kashyap seconded, to approve staff's recommendation for installation of a Do Not Block intersection sign with additional signage for the fine amount of $136 (CVC Code No. 22526(a) on westbound Golden NOVEMBER 14, 2002 PAGE 5 T&T COMMISSION Springs Drive at Racquet Club Road. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: NOES: COMMISSIONERS: ABSTAIN: COMMISSIONERS: ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: B. Brea Canyon Road/Gerndal Street Kashyap, Pincher, Torng, ChairNirginkar None VC/Morris None MA/Gomez presented staff's report. Staff recommends that the Traffic and Transportation Commission concur with staff's recommendation for installation of a "Do Not Block Intersection" sign with additional signage for the fine amount of $136 (CVC Code No. 22526(a) on northbound Brea Canyon Road at Gerndal Street. Jose Loera, 1107 Hare Avenue, has resided in Diamond Bar for the past 14 years and has witnessed a significant increase in traffic on Brea Canyon Road. A middle school is located south of Golden Springs Drive, developments that took place two years ago in the City of Industry and Walnut, a new church, and traffic have all contributed to significant traffic increases. He made a request to the City Council and received a letter from the City regarding this meeting. It had no date, no time, no location and no telephone number. He said he was disappointed to have that type of response from City's staff. Regarding the signs, there are two major arterials — Brea Canyon Road is a steep road and has a speed limit of 35 to 40 mph. There is no gap in the traffic and no way for anyone to make a left turn during evening hours. It is impossible to get out of their street to go to work. He did not see the reason for recommending a sign. There should be two signs and limit lines and keep clear markings. The cost for painting two limit lines is about $200. It does not have to be redone for about two or three years. The life expectancy of therma-plastic paint is about five years. The letter he received did not state the level of service at this time. Currently, there is a petition circulating in his neighborhood. Some of his neighbors have videotaped and photographed the intersection. They do not want a sign installed. They want something that would insure a safe left turn or right turn out of Gerndal Street. DPW/Liu explained that a staff report was sent to Mrs. Loera in response to her request. Staff spoke to Mrs. Loera and informed her about tonight's meeting. C/Torng lives very close to this area. The problem is very bad at night. He believed their problem involved a wider area. NOVEMBER 14, 2002 PAGE 7 T&T COMMISSION C/Pincher said she was very familiar with the intersection and appeared to be one that could benefit from pavement markings because of excessive amount of traffic. C/Kashyap agreed with ClPincher about the pavement markings. The intersection should be striped "Keep Clear." VC/Morris recommended that the Commission start with staff's recommendation for signage with the intent of coming back in 90 days with an evaluation. If the problem is as significant as mentioned, it would likely take both measures to mitigate the situation. ChairNirginkar agreed with VC/Morris. ClPincher moved, C/Torng seconded, to concur with staff for installation of a Do Not Block intersection sign with additional signage for the fine amount of $136 (CVC Code No. 22526 (a) on northbound Brea Canyon Road at Gerndal Street. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Pincher, Torng, VC/Morris ChairNirginkar NOES: COMMISSIONERS: Kashyap ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None IX. STATUS OF PREVIOUS ACTION ITEMS: DPW/Liu reported that the City Council, as part of its citywide beautification program, approved new signage for Area 4. The new street signs were recently installed. Eventually, all street signs will be replaced. X. ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS: ClPincher felt that staff provides an excellent service to the Commission and the citizens and was very appreciative of their efforts. ChairNirginkar concurred. VC/Morris appreciated receiving staff reports with their recommendations. While the Commission may not always concur with staff's recommendations, it gives the Commission an excellent point of reference toward a final solution. Staff members are the experts. XI. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: The Commissioners concurred to go dark in December due to lack of quorum. XII. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE CITY EVENTS — as agendized. NOVEMBER 14, 2002 PAGE S T&T COMMISSION ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Traffic and Transportation Commission, Chairman Virginkar adjourned the meeting at 9:10 p.m. to January 9, 2003 or to a joint meeting of the Traffic and Transportation Commission and City Council, the date to be determined. Respectfully, X, 0 -9v --id G. iu, Secretary Attest: Chairman Arun Virginkar